在经院学者(Mutakallimūn)出现之前,真主的属性问题并不为人所知,它也不属于任何一门学科。"Sifāt Allah"(真主的属性)这一说法既未见于《古兰经》,也未见于圣训。没有任何史料表明,圣门弟子曾提及或谈论过"Sifāt Allah"这一术语。经院学者所谓的真主属性,即《古兰经》中一切相关经文,都应当依照真主的这句经文来理解:

Before the emergence of the Scholastics [Mutakallimūn] the issue of Allah's attributes was not known; it did not have a part in any study from amongst the studies. The expression ‘Sifāt Allah’ [attributes of Allah] has not come in the Noble Qur’ān or in the ahādith. It is not known that any of the sahābah mentioned or spoke about the phrase ‘Sifāt Allah’. Everything that has come in the Qur’ān which the Scholastics [Mutakallimūn] say is the ‘attributes of Allah’ must be understood in the light of His saying,

以及祂的说话：

And His  saying,

以及祂的说话：

And His  saying,

因此，关于真主的描述只取自《古兰经》，并且按照《古兰经》中所述的方式。由此，关于（祂的）知识的描述取自诸如祂的这句经文：

Then the description of Allah  is taken only from the Qur’ān and as it is mentioned in the Qur’ān. Thus, (the description of His) knowledge is taken from the like of His  saying,

而这种（对他生平的）描述，取自类似他所说的话，

And the (description of His) life is taken from the like of His  saying,

“力量/能力”（قدرة，qudrah）的（描述）取自祂的这类经文，例如祂所说：

The (description of His) power/ability [qudrah] is taken from the like of His  saying,

而关于（真主的）听觉，其依据来自于类似真主的这段话：

And the (description of His) hearing is taken from the like of His saying,

而关于（真主）之“看”的描述，取自与以下经文类似的言辞，即祂的话：

And the (description of His) seeing is taken from the like of His  saying,

至于（对祂）言语的描述，是取自类似祂所说的话，

And the (description of His) speech is taken from the like of His  saying,

而“意志”（irādah）的说法，取自诸如祂的这句话：

And the (description of His) Will [irādah] is taken from the like of His  saying,

而关于（真主）的创造的描述，取自于祂的这类经文，即祂所说：

And the (description of His) Creation is taken from the like of His  saying,

这些属性在高贵的《古兰经》中都有提及，正如独一性（wahdaniyya）和永恒先在（qidam）等其他属性一样被提及。穆斯林之间对此并无分歧：真主是独一的、永恒的、永生的、全能的，祂听见、看见、说话、全知，并且运行祂的意志。

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.

当哲学家出现，哲学思想渗入穆斯林之中时，经院学者（Mutakallimūn，穆台凯里姆伦）之间关于安拉属性的分歧也随之出现。于是，穆尔太齐赖派说：安拉的本体（dhat）与祂的属性是同一回事。因此，安拉在本体上就是永生的、全知的、全能的。祂没有在本体之外的知识、能力、生命。因为，如果安拉因为一种在祂本体之外的知识而全知，因为一种在祂本体之外的生命而永生，如同人类的情况那样，那么这必然意味着存在一个描述（sifa）和一个被描述者（mawsuf），一个承载者（hamil）和一个被承载者（mahmul），而这正是有形物体/躯体的状态。安拉远离这种一切形体的拟人化（jasmiyya）。如果我们说属性是独立存在的，那么永恒、先在的存在就不止一个，换言之，神就不止一个。 逊尼派说：“安拉有永恒的属性，它们存在于祂的本体之中。它们既不是祂本身，也不是外于祂的（la huwa wala ghairuhu，非祂亦非异于祂）。至于祂拥有属性，是因为已经证明祂是全知的、永生的、全能的等等。众所周知，知识、生命、能力等，整体上都表示一种超出绝对存在（Wajib al-wujud，必然存在者）概念之外的含义。并非所有的词在含义上都是同义的。不可能像穆尔太齐赖派所说的那样，祂是全知的却没有知识，是全能的（qadir）却没有能力，等等。这显然是不可能的，这就如同我们说一个东西是黑的，却没有任何黑色一样。经文已经陈述了祂的知识、能力等的证据。精确而严密的行为的发生，表明了祂的知识和能力的存在，而不仅仅是对全知、全能的一种单纯称谓。” 关于祂的属性是永恒的，这是因为新的实体不可能存在于祂的本体之中。因为设想一个新的实体存在于先在且永恒的存在者[al-Qadim al-Azali]之中是不可想象的。至于属性存在于祂的本体之中，那是因为这属于存在所必需的事物之一。因为除非属性存在于某物之中，否则描述某物的属性就毫无意义。 至于属性“既不是祂，也不是异于祂”的说法：真主的属性并不就是本体本身。因为理智判定，描述之物异于被描述之物。它是一种在本体之外的意义。因为它是真主的属性，而不是异于真主的东西。它不是一个事物、本体或实体，而只是对本体的描述。虽然它不是真主的本体，但它也不异于真主。毋宁说，它是真主的一种属性。 至于穆尔太齐赖派的观点：如果每一种属性都被使其自行存在，那么就会有不止一个先在的存在者。若属性本身是一个本体，情况便会如此。但当它是对本体的描述时，以这种属性来描述本体，并不必然导致本体的多重性。毋宁说，它只是对那唯一本体的多种描述。这并不否定真主的独一性[wahdaniyyah]，也不意味着多神。 以这种方式，逊尼派以理性证明了：真主拥有异于祂的本体、却不异于祂的属性，因为描述异于被描述之物，但又不与被描述之物相分离。随后，他们解释了每一项永恒属性的意义。因此，他们说：知识属性是一种永恒的属性，它显明与之相关的被知之物；能力属性是一种永恒的属性，它对被前定之事物产生作用。 而生命是一种永恒的属性,它要求生命体具有健康(sihhat)。能力即是权能。听力(Sam')是一种永恒的属性,与所听之物相关。视力(见)是一种永恒的属性,与所见之物相关。借助这些属性,他拥有完整的认知,这种认知不是通过想象或妄念,也不是通过受感官影响或凭一时兴起而得来的。“意愿”(iradah)与“意志”(欲求)都是生命属性的体现,它要求被决定的事物特定地在某一时刻发生,而对所有这些被决定之事的权能(qudrah)则是相同的。言语(kalam)属性是一种永恒的属性,通过名为《古兰经》的文辞体现出来。安拉以言语说话;言语是祂永恒的属性之一,不属于字母和声音的范畴。它是与沉默和缺陷(aafah)相对的属性。安拉以这一属性说话。借助这一属性,祂命令、禁止、告知;而凡是命令、禁止和告知的人,都在自身之中表达某种意涵。

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.

根据他们的说法，这意味着

Which according to them means

有些人说:

Some of them say:

他们还说：

They also say:

凡是持有此种关于理智的见解者，他在这些问题上放任自己，也就不足为奇了。于是他们在理论上对各种问题进行安排，得出了一个原本并不存在的结论，并且宣称自己是以理智领悟了这一结论。因此，对他们而言，理性的研究并没有一个停止的界限。他们可以深入任何一项研究，并得出他们称之为理性研究和理性结论的结果。所以，穆尔太齐赖派会这样说，也就不足为奇了：

The one who carries such an understanding regarding the mind, it would not be strange for him to give himself a free reign in these matters. So they arranged, theoretically, various issues and came out with a result that did not exist. And they said regarding themselves that they came to comprehend this result with their mind. Consequently, the rational study for them did not have a limit at which it stopped. They could dive into any study and arrive at results which they called a rational study and rational results. Therefore, it is not strange that the Mu'tazila would say:

他们认为这是一种理性的考察，也是一种理性的结论。

They considered that to be a rational investigation and a rational result....

同时，逊尼派学者又说，将真主的能力与所命定之事相连，并不会使“能力”（qudra）发生变化，也不会使它成为受造之物。因为使能力成为受造之物的，是能力本身的变化，而不是所命定之事的变化。他们认为这是理性的考察，也是理性的结论……因为在他们看来，理智就是灵魂，或是一种本能，加上对必然之事的知识。因此他们允许理智去考察一切事物。如果他们真正理解了理智的含义，就不会陷入这些臆测性的考察和结论之中，这些结论所指的东西并不被证实存在。它们不过是由其他事物衍生出来的东西，而他们却称之为理性的真理。

And the Ahl as-Sunnah say at the same time that connecting the ability of Allah  with the decreed matter does not make the qudra (ability) change and nor does it make it a created thing. This is because what makes the qudra created is change in the qudra and not the change in the decreed matter. And they considered that to be a rational investigation and a rational result.....this is because the mind according to them, was the soul or an instinct followed by knowledge of things known by necessity. Therefore they allowed the mind to investigate everything. Had they truly understood the meaning of the mind they would not have involved in these suppositional investigations and results which are not known to exist. These were just things from other matters which followed and they called these rational truths.

在这个时代，我们对理智的含义已经很清楚。我们认识到，只要进行研究所必需的条件尚不具备，就不能称之为理性的讨论。在这种情况下，我们不应允许自己进行研究。我们知道，理智是

The meaning of the mind is clear to us in this age. We realise that as long as the things which are necessary for the mind to conduct a study are not available then we cannot call it a rational discussion. And in such a case, it is not allowed to permit ourselves to study. We know that the mind is

每一场理性的讨论,首先必须具备四样东西:第一,头脑;第二,感官;第三,实在;第四,与这一实在相关的先前知识。这四样之中若缺少任何一样,便根本谈不上理性的讨论。即便基于逻辑的讨论是可能的,想象和推测也是可能存在的,但这些都没有任何价值,因为它们不在理智的理解范围之内,也不在理智对其本源的认识范围之内。因此,经院学者(Mutakallimūn)由于不理解理智的含义,便在许多无法通过感官感知的问题上放任自己的论断;而且他们对这些问题也没有任何先前的知识。

Every rational discussion must have four things first, a brain, second, the senses, third, the reality and fourth, the previous information relating to this reality. If one of these four things is missing, there can be no rational discussion at all. Even though it is possible to have a discussion based on logic and it is possible for there to be imagination and supposition. None of this has any value, because it does not come under the comprehension of the mind or the mind's comprehension of its source. So the scholastics [Mutakallimūn's] lack of understanding of the meaning of the mind made them give themselves a free reign in many discussions which cannot be sensed, further they did not have any previous information reagarding them.

至于经学家（Mutakallimūn）未能区分《古兰经》的方法与哲学家在理性论证中的方法，这是因为《古兰经》讨论的是神学，而哲学家也讨论神学。至于哲学家的神学讨论，是指哲学家考察绝对的存在，以及对其本质而言所必需的一切。他们研究的不是宇宙，而是宇宙之外的事物。他们开始以逻辑前提来安排论证，并从这些论证中得出结论；然后又从这些结论中推导出其他结论。他们如此层层推进，直至达到他们认为关于此本质的真理以及此本质所要求的内容。尽管他们在研究中得出的结果各不相同，但他们都遵循同一种方法，即讨论超自然之事，建立论证，这些论证导出推测性的假设或其他论证，并得出他们认为确定无疑并加以信奉的结论。

As for the scholastics [Mutakallimūn] not distuinguishing between the method of the Qur’ān from the method of the philosophers in the rational discussion, this is because the Qur’ān discussed theology and the philosophers discussed theology. As for the theological discussion of the philoshopers, it is that the philosphers looked into the Absolute Being and whatever was necessary for its Essence. They did not study the universe but what was beyond the universe. They began to arrange proofs with their logical premises and from these proofs they arrived at results. Then they derived other results from these results. They proceeded in this manner until they arrived at what they considered to be the truth of this Essence and the requirement of this Essence. All of them despite arriving at different results in their study, they followed one method which is the discussion of the supernatural, establishing proofs resulting in speculative assumptions or other proofs and arriving at results they considered definite and believed in.

这种研习方法与《古兰经》的方法相悖。因为《古兰经》论述的是宇宙本身，即就存在之物而言：大地、太阳、月亮、星辰、动物、人类、乘骑之畜、骆驼、山峦以及其他类似可被感知的事物。听众正是通过对这些存在之物的领悟，而认识宇宙的创造者、一切存在者的创造者，以及太阳、骆驼、山峦、人类等的创造者。至于《古兰经》所论及的超自然事物，即无法被感知、也无法通过领会现存事物而理解的事物，它则陈述一种实在，确定一项事实，并命令人们把它当作确定之事加以信从，而不引导人们去思考理解它，也不指引他们去借助某物来领悟它。安拉的属性、乐园、火狱、精灵、恶魔等皆属此类。这正是圣门弟子所理解并遵循的方法：他们远赴各地，把伊斯兰的讯息传给世人，使他们也能像自己一样蒙受这一讯息的恩泽。情况一直如此，直到第一个世纪过去。此后，希腊哲学及其他哲学的思想渗入进来，穆塔凯莱姆团体（Mutakallimūn）随之出现。理性研究的方法因此发生改变，关于安拉的本体与安拉的属性的争论由此兴起。这种争论非但称不上深刻的探讨，根本也不能被视为理性的讨论，因为它研究的是无法被感知之物。而凡是无法被感知的事物，理智无论如何都无从对其进行研究。既然关于安拉属性的讨论，是探究它究竟就是本体，还是异于本体，那么这便是对本体的研究，而对本体的研究在原则上是被禁止的，且也是不可能做到的。 因此，所有穆塔卡利迈圈（Mutakallimūn）的研究都是误入歧途、纯属谬误的。安拉的属性是由立法者确定的（tawqeefiya）。凡是在确定性经文中提到的，我们便按照确定性经文所提及的程度来述说，而不超出于此。不得增添经文中未曾提及的属性，也不应以经文所载之外的内容去解释某一属性。