Waɗannan sifofi an ambata su a cikin Alqur'ani mai girma, kamar yadda aka ambaci sauran sifofi kamar tawhidi [wahdaniyya] da kasancewa madawwami tun azal [qidam]. Babu wani sabani tsakanin Musulmai cewa Allah Ɗaya ne, Madawwami, Mai Rai, Mai iko, kuma cewa Yana Ji, Yana Gani, Yana Magana, Masani, kuma Mai aiwatar da nufinSa.
These attributes have been mentioned in the Noble Qur’ān just as other attributes like divine Unity [wahdaniyya] and Eternal Pre-existence [qidam] have been mentioned. There was no difference between the Muslims that Allah is One, Eternal, Living, Able and that He Hears, Sees, Speaks, Knowing and excersing Divine Will.
Lokacin da masana falsafa suka zo, tunanin falsafa ya shiga cikin Musulmi, sai sabani tsakanin masu ilimin kalam [Mutakallimūn] game da siffofin Allah ya shiga. Sai Mu'tazilawa suka ce: Zatin Allah da siffofinsa abu ɗaya ne. Don haka Allah Mai rai ne, Masani ne, kuma Mai iko ne a zatinsa. Ba shi da ilimi, ko iko, ko rai waɗanda suke waje da zatinsa. Domin idan Allah yana masani saboda wani ilimi da yake waje da zatinsa, kuma yana da rai saboda wani rai da yake waje da zatinsa, kamar yadda yake ga mutane, to hakan yana nufin dole akwai siffa da kuma abin da aka siffanta, akwai mai ɗauka da abin da aka ɗauka, kuma wannan shi ne yanayin abubuwa masu jiki. Allah kuwa ya tsarkaka daga irin wannan kamanta shi da jiki [jasmiyya]. Idan muka ce siffar tana wanzuwa da kanta, to za a sami fiye da ɗaya Halitta Madawwamiya Wadda ba ta da farko, wato za a sami fiye da ɗaya ubangiji. Ahlus-Sunnah kuwa sun ce: 'Allah yana da siffofi madawwama waɗanda suke wanzuwa a zatinsa. Su ba shi ba ne, kuma ba wani ba ne daban da shi' (la huwa wala ghairuhu). Amma kasancewar yana da siffofi, hakan ya samu ne saboda an tabbatar cewa shi Masani ne, Mai rai ne, Mai iko ne, da sauransu. Ana sane da cewa ilimi, rai, iko da sauransu, gaba ɗayansu, suna nuna wata ma'ana ta waje ga ra'ayin Wajibin wujūd [Cikakken Kasancewa]. Ba duk kalmomi ne suke da ma'ana iri ɗaya ba. Ba zai yiwu ba, kamar yadda Mu'tazilawa suke cewa, ya zama shi Masani ba tare da ilimi ba, kuma Mai iko [qadir] ba tare da iko ba, da sauransu. Wannan a fili yake cewa ba zai yiwu ba, kuma yana kama da mu ce wani abu baƙi ne ba tare da wani baƙi ba. Nassoshi sun bayyana shaida game da Iliminsa, ikonsa da sauransu. Aiwatar da ayyuka daidai kuma sahihai tana nuna kasancewar Ilimi da Ikonsa, ba kawai sanya masa suna masani da mai iko ba. Amma kasancewar siffarSa ta azali, wannan saboda rashin yiwuwar sabbin abubuwa su kasance a cikin ZatinSa. Domin ba ya yiwuwa a tunani cewa wani sabon abu zai kasance a cikin Wanda yake Qadim kuma Azali [al-Qadim al-Azali]. Amma siffofin da suke cikin ZatinSa, hakan ne saboda suna daga cikin abubuwan da wajibi ne domin wanzuwa. Domin babu ma'ana a bayyana siffar wani abu sai dai idan (siffar) tana cikin abin. Amma batun siffofin cewa "ba Shi ba ne kuma ba wani ba ne shi ma". Siffofin Allah ba su ne ZatinSa da kansa ba. Domin hankali yana hukunta cewa siffa/bayanin abin da aka siffanta ba shi ne abin ba. Ma'ana ce ta waje da Zati. Domin siffa ce ta Allah, ba wani ba ne sai Allah. Ba abu ba ne, ba zati ba ne, ba kuma jigo ba, sai dai bayanin Zati. Ko da yake ba Zatin Allah ba ne, ba wani ba ne bayan Allah. A'a, siffa ce ta Allah. Amma ra'ayin Mu'tazila: idan kowace siffa aka sanya ta wanzu da kanta, to da an sami fiye da Wanda yake Qadim guda ɗaya. Hakan zai kasance ne idan siffar ta zama zati. Amma idan bayanin Zati ce, siffanta Zati da irin wannan siffa ba ta nuna cewa akwai zatuna da yawa ba. Maimakon haka tana nuna cewa akwai bayanai fiye da ɗaya na Zati guda ɗaya. Hakan ba ya kawar da Tauhidin Allah [wahdaniyyah] ko ya nuna yawan gumaka ba. Ta wannan hanya ne Ahl al-Sunnah suka tabbatar da hujja ta hankali cewa Allah yana da siffofi waɗanda suke waje da ZatinSa, amma ba waje da Shi ba, domin bayanin ya bambanta da abin da aka siffanta, amma ba a raba shi da abin da aka siffanta ba. Sa'an nan suka bayyana ma'anar kowace ɗaya daga cikin waɗannan siffofi na azali. Don haka suka ce siffar Sani siffa ce ta azali da take bayyana abubuwan da aka sani da suke da alaƙa da ita, kuma siffar Iko siffa ce ta azali wadda take aiwatar da abubuwan da aka ƙaddara. Kuma Rai abu ne madawwami wanda ke tilasta lafiyar (sihhat) na masu rai. Kuma Iko shi ne ƙarfi. Sam' (ji) sifa ce madawwamiya wacce ke da alaƙa da abubuwan da ake ji. Kuma gani sifa ce madawwamiya wacce ke da alaƙa da abubuwan da ake gani. Ta hanyar su yana da cikakkiyar fahimta, ba fahimtar da ke bisa tunanin rai ko ruɗi ba, ko bisa tasirin jin dadi ko bin son rai. Iradah (nufi) da mashi'a (so/buri) dukansu bayyanannun sifar rai ne wanda ke bukatar cewa ɗaya daga cikin abubuwan da aka ƙaddara yana faruwa a takamaiman lokaci guda, duk da cewa ikon (qudrah) a kan dukkan su (abubuwan da aka ƙaddara) iri ɗaya ne. Sifar magana (kalam) sifa ce madawwamiya wacce ake bayyanawa ta hanyar haɗin kalmomi da ake kira Alƙur'ani. Allah yana magana da kalmomi; sifa ce daga cikin sifofinsa madawwama, ba ta cikin nau'in harrufa da sautuka ba. Sifa ce da ke gaba da shiru da aafah (rashin cikawa). Allah yana magana da wannan sifa. Da wannan sifa yake umarni, hani, da bayani; kuma duk wanda ke umarni, hani da bayani yana bayyana wata ma'ana a cikin kansa.
When the philosophers came and the thoughts of philosophy infiltrated the Muslims, The differences between the scholastics [Mutakallimūn] about the attributes of Allah crept in. So, the Mu'tazila said: The Essence [dhat] of Allah and His attributes are the same thing. Thus, Allah is Living, Knowledgable and Able/Powerful in His Essence. He does not have Knowledge, Power, Life external to His Essence. Because, if Allah was Knowldgable due to a knowledge external to His Essence, and Living due to life that is external to His Essence as is the case with human beings. Then, this inevitably necessiates that there is a description [sifa] and one that is described [mawsuf], a carrier [hamil] and the carried [mahmul], and this is the state/condition of (corporeal) objects/bodies. And Allah is free of all such corporealist anthroporphomism [jasmiyya]. If we say the attribute exists by itself then there will be more than one Eternal Pre Existent Being, in other words there will be more than one god. The Ahl al-Sunnah said: 'Allah has eternal attributes which exist in His Essence. They (the attributes) are: neither He but not other than He' (la huwa wala ghairuhu). As for Him having attributes, this is due to the fact that it has been proven that He is knowledgable, living, able etc. It is known that knowledge, life and power etc in their entriety, indicate an external meaning to the concept of Absolute Being [Wajib al-wujud]. Not all the words are synonymous in meaning. It cannot be as the Mu'tazila say that He is knowledgable without knowledge and Able [qadir] without power etc. This is obviously impossible, and it is similar to us saying that a thing is black without any blackness.The texts have stated the evidence for His Knowledge, Ability etc. The issuance of exact and precise actions indicate the presence of His Knowledge and Power and not just a mere designation of knowledgable and powerful. As for His attribute being eternal, this is due to the impossibility of new entites existing in His Essence. Since, it is inconceivable that a new entity would exist in the Pre-Existent and Eternal Being [al-Qadim al-Azali]. As for the attributes existing in His Essence, that is because it is from the neccesary things required for existence. Because there is no meaning to describing the attribute of a thing except if it (the attribute) exists in the thing. As for the attributes being 'neither He or other than He'. The attributes of Allah are not the Essence itself. Because the mind dictates that the description/attribute is other than the thing described. It is a meaning external to the Essence. Because it is an attribute of Allah and not other than Allah . It is not a thing, essence or substance but only a description of the Essence. Though it is not the Essence of Allah , it is not other than Allah . Rather it is an attribute of Allah. As for the view of the Mu'tazila; if every attribute was made to exist by itself then there would be more than one Pre-existent Being. This would have been the case if the attribute was an Essence. As for when it is a description of the Essence, the description of the Essence by such an attribute does not necesitate that there is a plurality of essences. Rather it necesitates that there are more than one description of the One Essence. That does not negate Allah's Oneness [wahdaniyyah] or mean the plurality of gods. In this manner the Ahl al-Sunnah proved rationally that Allah has attributes which are other than His Essence but not other than He , because the description is other than the thing described but not detached from the thing described. Then they explained the meaning of each of these eternal attributes. Thus, they said the attribute of Knowledge is the eternal attribute which reveals the known things that relates to it and the attribute of Ability is an eternal attribute which effects the things decreed. And Life is an eternal attribute which necesitates the health [sihhat] of the living. And Ability is power. And Sam' (hearing) is an eternal attribute that relates to things that are heard. And seeing/sight is an eternal attribute relating to the seen things. Through them he has a complete understanding, not one that is by way of imagination or delusion or by way of being effected by sensation or arriving at a whim. The 'wish' (iradah) and 'will' (desire) are both expressions of the attribute of life that requires one of the decreed (matters) specifically occurs at one moment, though the qudrah (power) over all of them (decreed matters) is the same. The attribute of speech (kalam) is an eternal attribute which is expressed by the composition called the Qur’ān. Allah speaks with words; it is one of His eternal attributes and not of the category of letters and sounds. It is an attribute which is opposite to silence and aafah (deficiency). Allah speaks with this attribute. With this attribute He orders, forbids, informs; and anyone who orders, forbids and informs expresses a meaning in oneself.
Ta haka ne Ahlus-Sunnah suka bayyana ma'anonin sifofi bayan sun tabbatar da cewa Allah yana da sifofi madawwama. Sai dai Mu'tazila sun musanta cewa waɗannan ma'anoni na sifofin Allah ne, domin sun ƙi yarda cewa Allah yana da sifofi na waje da Zatinsa. Sun ce: an tabbatar cewa Allah Mai iko ne, Masani ne, kuma Mai kewayewa da komai, kuma Zatin Allah da sifofinsa ba sa shafuwa da canji, domin canji sifa ce ta halittu, Allah kuwa ya tsarkaka daga hakan. Idan wani abu yana nan a wani lokaci ƙayyadajje, kuma bai kasance ba kafin wannan lokaci, to zai ɓace bayan wanzuwarsa; ikon Allah da nufinsa ne suka shafe shi. Ya halicci abin da ba ya wanzuwa a da, kuma ya sa ya zama babu bayan ya wanzu. Sai mu tambaya: yaya ikon Allah madawwami kuma azali zai danganta da halitta, har ya halicce ta, kuma me ya sa ya halicce ta a wannan lokaci, alhali babu wani lokaci da ya fi wani fifiko ga ikon Allah? Don haka ikon Allah (qudra) ya fara wani abu wanda a da ba a fara shi ba, wannan kuwa canji ne a cikin qudra, duk da cewa an tabbatar cewa Allah ba ya shafuwa da canji, domin shi ne Wanda Yake Riga-kafi (al-qadeem al-azali). Haka ma game da nufi (iradah), haka za a iya faɗa game da sifar Sani ('ilm). Sani shi ne bayyana abin da aka sani (ma'lum) kamar yadda yake. Abin da aka sani na iya canzawa daga lokaci zuwa lokaci, don haka ganyen bishiya yakan faɗi bayan ya kasance bai faɗi ba (wato yana makale); abu mai jiƙa yakan koma bushe, mai rai kuma ya zama matacce. Saninsa Allah ('ilmu Allah) shi ne wanda ta hanyarsa ake bayyana abin kamar yadda yake, don haka Allah Masani ne da abin kafin ya kasance kamar yadda zai kasance. Haka kuma Masani ne da abin idan ya kasance abin da ya kasance. Kuma Masani ne da abin idan ya zama babu, cewa ya zama babu. Ta yaya ilimin Allah zai canza tare da canjin abubuwan da suke wanzuwa (al-mawjoodat)? Kuma ilimin da yake canzawa tare da canjin hakikanin abubuwa ilimi ne da ya zama sabo, kuma ilimin Allah ba sabo ba ne, domin abin da yake da alaka da sabo shi ma sabo ne.
Ahlus-sunnah sun karyata su da cewa: "Al-qudra tana da alaka biyu: daya daga cikinsu azali ce, wadda aukuwar abin da aka ƙaddara (maqdoor) a zahiri ba ya dogara a kanta; sai kuma alaka ta sabo, wadda aukuwar abin da aka ƙaddara a zahiri ya dogara a kanta. Don haka idan al-qudra ta danganta da abin, sai ta samar da shi, kuma tana wanzuwa tun kafin ta danganta da abin. Danganta ta da abin ta hanyar samar da shi ba ya sa ta zama sabuwa. Aiwatar da al-qudra a kan abin bayan ba ta aiwatar da irin wannan aiki a baya ba, ba a daukarsa a matsayin canji a cikin al-qudra, don haka al-qudrah koyaushe tana nan iri daya; kawai dai tana danganta da abin, ta kuma samar da shi. Saboda haka abin da ake ƙaddara shi ne yake canzawa, amma al-qudra ba ta canzawa."
In this manner the Ahl al-Sunnah explained what the attributes meant after proving that Allah has eternal attributes. However, the Mu'tazila denied that these meanings are for the attributes of Allah since they rejected that Allah has attributes external to His Essence. They said; It is proven that Allah is Able, Knowledgable and All-incompassing and that the Essence of Allah and His attributes are not effected by change, because change is the attribute of created things and Allah is free of that. If something is present at a specific point in time and did not exist before that point, then it will disappear after its existence, the Ability and Will of Allah has affected that. He created something which had not previously existed and He made it non existent after it had existed. We must ask how can Divine and Eternal Ability relate to a created thing, and thus create it, and why it created it at this moment, when no moment is preferable to another one to the Power of Allah . So for the Power (qudra) to initiate a thing which previously had not been initiated constitutes change in the Qudra, though it has been proven that Allah is not effected by change, for He is the Pre-Existent Being (al-qadeem al-azali). Similarly regarding the Will (iradah), the same can be said for the attribute of Knowledge ('Ilm). Knowledge is the revealing of the known matter (ma'lum) as it is. The known matter may change from one time to another, so the leaf of the tree falls after it was not falling (i.e It was fixed); the damp thing changes to dry, and the living becomes dead. The knowledge of Allah (‘ilmu Allah) is that by which the thing is revealed as it is, so He is knowedgable of the matter before it is as it would be. He is also knowledgable of the matter if it was that it was. He is also knowledgable of the matter if it became non-existent, that it became non-existent. So how can the Knowledge (‘ilm) of Allah change with the change of the existent things (al-mawjoodat)? And the knowledge that changes with change in realities is a recent knowledge, and Allah’s knowledge is not recent because what is linked to the recent is itself is recent. The Ahl as-sunnah refuted them saying: “The Qudra has two links, one of them is eternal (azali), upon which the actual existence of the decreed thing –pre-determined (magdoor) - does not depend; and the recent link, upon which the actual existence of the decreed thing (maqdoor) depends. So when the Qudra is related to the thing it brought it into existence and it (the Qudra) existed before it was related to the thing. Its relationship (linkage) to the thing by bringing it into existence does not make it recent. The Qudra’s exercise over the thing after it did not do such exercise is not considered a change in the qudra, so the qudrah is always the same, it only related to the thing, and thus brought it into existence. So the destined is what changes, as for the Qudra its does not change.
Game da ilimi (‘ilm), duk abin da ilimi ya danganta da shi, ana sanin sa (ma’loom). Domin wanda ya cancanci ilimi shi ne zatin Allah, yayin da abubuwan da ake sani su ne abubuwa, kuma dangantakar zatin da dukkan abubuwa daya ce. Ilimi ba ya canzawa dangane da zatin, amma dangantakarsa (da abin) ita ce take canzawa, wannan kuwa abu ne da ake yarda da shi. Abin da ba zai yiwu ba (a bangaren Allah) shi ne canjin ilimin da kansa da sifofin Qadeem (na dawwama), kamar qudra da ilimi da makamantansu, kuma ba wajibi ba ne cewa kasancewarsa Qadeem na nufin danganta shi ma tsohon ne. Don haka su sifofi ne na Qadeem, kuma suna da alaka da halittun da aka halitta.
As for the knowledge (‘ilm), anything with which the knowledge (‘ilm) is related (linked) is actually known (ma’loom). For the one who is entitled to knowledge is the essence of Allah , while the knowns are the things and the relation of the essence to all things is the same. Knowledge does not change in regard to the essence, while its relation (to the thing) is that which changes, a matter which is allowed/possible. What is impossible (on the side of Allah) is the change of the knowledge and the pre-establishment (qadeem) attributes themselves, such as the qudra and knowledge and the like thereof, and it is not necessary that it being Qadeem (Eternal) means its links are old. So they are pre-existent (qadeem) attributes, and are linked to the created things.
Saboda haka, muhawarar da ta barke tsakanin Mu'tazila masu ilimin kalam a gefe guda da Ahlus-Sunnah a daya gefen kan sifofin Allah (SWT) ta tashi, kamar yadda ta tashi a wasu batutuwa irin su qadā’ da qadār. Abin mamaki shi ne, sabanin da Mutakallimūn suka tayar su ne irin wadannan sabanin da masana falsafa na Girka suka tayar tun da farko. Haka nan, masana falsafa na Girka sun assasa wadannan batutuwa dangane da sifofin Mahalicci. Sai Mu'tazila suka zo suka mayar musu da martani. Amma martanin ya kasance cikin iyakokin imaninsu ga Allah (SWT) da cikin iyakokin ra'ayinsu game da Tauhidi (Tsarkake Allah (SWT) da Daya). Ahlus-Sunnah kuwa sun yi adawa da su don su hana binsu masana falsafa na Girka da zato na hasashe da batutuwan tunani na ma'ana da suka fahimta. Amma sun fada cikin tarkon da Mu'tazila suka fada. Don haka sun mayar da martani a kan mataki guda, wato an mayar da hankali a matsayin tushen muhawara da tattaunawa a cikin al'amuran da hankali ya fahimta ko bai fahimta ba, da kuma al'amuran da mutane suke ji ko ba sa ji. Sun ambaci ayoyin Alkur'ani da hadisai don tallafa wa ra'ayoyinsu. Sun kuma karkatar da ayoyi da hadisan da suka saba wa ra'ayoyinsu. Ta haka dukkan Mutakallimūn daga Mu'tazila, Ahlus-Sunnah da sauransu suka zama a mataki guda wajen mayar da hankali a matsayin tushe, da kuma sanya ayoyin Allah (SWT) su goyi bayan abin da hankalinsu ya kai su, ko kuma karkatar da su domin a fahimce su bisa abin da hankalin mai fahimta ya kai shi.
Thus, the polemics between the scholastic Mu'tazila on one side and the Ahl al-Sunnah on the other flared up regarding the attributes of Allah , just as it flared up in other issues such as qadā’ and qadār. What is strange is that the points of disagreement provoked by the Mutakallimūn, are the same points provoked by the Greek philosophers before. Thus, the Greek philosphers had instigated these points in relation to the attributes of the Creator. Then the Mu'tazila came and responded to them. But the response was within the limits of their belief in Allah and within the limits of their views on Tawheed (Oneness of Allah ). The Ahl al-Sunnah opposed them to control their following of the Greek philosophers and the specultive asumptions and issues of logic understood by them. But they fell in the same trap the Mu'tazila had fallen in. So they responded on the same echelon, which is that the mind was made a basis for discussion and dialectics in matters comprehended or not comprehended by it, and in matters sensed or not sensed by human beings. They quoted verses of the Qur’ān and ahadīth to support their views. And they explained away verses and hadīth which contradicted their opinions. Thus, all the Mutakallimūn from the Mu'tazila, Ahl al-Sunnah and others came to be on the same level in making the mind the basis and making the ayāt of Allah to support what their minds had lead to or interpret away so that they are understood according to what the mind of the one comprehending has lead to.
Da alama abin da ya sa Mutakallimūn suka bi wannan hanya a cikin karatu shi ne abubuwa biyu: na farko, ba su san ma'anar hankali ba; na biyu, ba su bambanta tsakanin hanyar Alƙur'ani wajen fahimtar gaskiyoyi da hanyar masana falsafa wajen fahimtar gaskiyoyin ba. Dangane da batun rashin fahimtar ma'anar hankali, hakan ya bayyana daga ma'anar hankali da su kansu suke yi. An rawaito game da su cewa suna cewa:
It appears that what led the Mutakallimūn to tread in this path in study are two factors; First, they did not know the definition of the mind. Second, they did not distuguish between the methodology of the Qur’ān in the comprehension of truths and the methodology of the philosophers in comprehending the truths. As for the issue of them not comprehending the definition of the mind, it is obvious from their own definition of ration. It has been reported about them that they used to say: