CHAPTER 4: DIVIDING THINGS
When you said, “We saw the created things divided into two groups: living beings and non-living beings, and so we described Him with the more exalted of the two. Thus, we said He is a Living being to deny His death.”
It is said to them: There is no doubt that Allah is Ever-Living as all of His Revealed Books, which contain His proof have said so as well as His signs, which are found in His creatures. Allah says,
which means, “We will show them Our Signs in the universe, and in their own selves, until it becomes manifest to them that this (the Qur’an) is the truth ” (Fussilat, 41: 53)
Allah, the Exalted, shows His servants some of His Signs, which prove the truthfulness of His revealed, heard, and recited verses. Allah says,
which means, “Allah! La ilaha illa huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists.”
(Al-Baqarah 2- 255) He, the Almighty also says,
which means, “And put your trust (O Muhammad) in the Ever Living One Who dies not.” (Al-Furqan, 25: 58)
There is a lot of evidence that He is Ever-Living, among which are:
It has been proven that He is All-Knower and knowledge cannot be attributed except to a living being. It has also been proven that He is All-Powerful, Who chooses and wills and the omnipotent must be a living being.
Another point is that He is the Creator of all things… The Creator is more perfect than all his creations. Every form of perfection found in a creature comes from the Creator. Thus, it is impossible that the creature could be more perfect than his Creator or that his forms of perfection are more perfect than those of his Creator.
If the Creator was not living, then it is necessary that the created occurrence would be more perfect than the original Creator. This point deals with their unsubstantiated evidence. Their saying, “We said He is a Living being to deny His Death,” has already been responded to. To Allah are attributed all the affirmed attributes of perfection like Life, Knowledge, and Might. Asserting such attributes necessitates denying any negative ones.
Then they said, “We saw the created things divided into two groups: speaking living beings and non-speaking living beings and so we described Him with the better of the two. Thus, we said He is a Speaking Living being to deny His ignorance.” In reply to this statement, we say: There is no doubt that the Lord, glorified be He, is described as being All-Living, All-Knowing, All-Powerful, Speaking, and Choosing, but their statement, “Thus, we said He is a Speaking Living being to deny His ignorance,” denotes that you meant the attribute of speaking is opposite to ignorance. This is known as knowledge, for knowledge is the opposite of ignorance. So, you did not mean speaking, which infers expression and explanation. They also did not mean words as some wise men say. These are inherent meanings that do not have anything to do with knowledge or choice.
It is said to you: As He is Ever-Living and All-Knower, He is also All-Powerful. You mentioned that all founded or living creatures are divided into powerful and powerless and He must be described with the more exalted of the two which is power.
The evidence that He is Powerful is clearer than those of His being All-Knower. Since He is the Doer and the Creator, it is necessary that He is All-Powerful because doing without having any power is impossible. Even if it is said, “Inanimate beings do,” they only do it because of a power they possess like the physical powers found in natural objects. It is impossible for the Creator of the world to be without might or power.
Among the evidence that affirms His Attributes of perfection is that if He was not described as being Ever-Living, Ali-Knowing, All-Powerful, All-Hearer, Ail-Seer, and Speaker, He must be described with the opposite of that, of death, ignorance, impotence, deafness, muteness, and voicelessness. But He is exalted above all these deficiencies by necessity of reason. It is impossible that the most Perfect of all beings, the most Exalted, the most Sublime, the Lord of all other things, the Creator of all things, the Owner of all things, and the Donator of life, knowledge, power, hearing, seeing, and speaking to all other things should be impotent, ignorant, deaf, mute, and voiceless. But it is known by necessity of reason that a being with such deficiencies can never be a doer let alone a Creator of all things.
By: Sheikhul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyah
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