Are Allah’s Oneness and His Attributes Equally Perfect and Honorable?

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

Some say that Allah and His Attributes and names are equally perfect. Is it okay to say something like this?
We know that the Quran is Allah’s Kalam and that Kalam is Allah’s Attribute. And we know that Allah described the Quran as Majeed and Allah is Al Majeed, Are Allah and the Quran equally honorable?

Jazak Allah khayr

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.

Allah’s Oneness and Attributes

1. Oneness, as it relates to Allah’s attributes, refers to two things:

(a) that there is nothing that possesses attributes like Allah’s attributes.

(b) that the attributes of Allah are not multiples in the sense of His possessing two attributes of power, two attributes of knowledge, and so forth.

2. Allah’s actions are one in terms of no one possessing acts as He does. Otherwise, the actual acts themselves are a multitude, such as giving life, death, sustenance, and so forth.

Please read the resources on the Names of Allah and the Reader on Understanding the Attributes of Allah.

Al-Majeed – One of the 99 Attributes of Allah

Al-Majeed, with the definite article, is one of Allah Most High’s attributes. The name Al-Majeed is mentioned once in the Qur’an. The name Al-Majeed is mentioned once in the Qur’an:

 قَالُوٓاْ أَتَعۡجَبِينَ مِنۡ أَمۡرِ ٱللَّهِۖ رَحۡمَتُ ٱللَّهِ وَبَرَكَٰتُهُۥ عَلَيۡكُمۡ أَهۡلَ ٱلۡبَيۡتِۚ إِنَّهُۥ حَمِيدٞ مَّجِيدٞ

“They said, ‘Are you amazed at the decree of Allah? May the mercy of Allah and His blessings be upon you, people of the house. Indeed, He is Praiseworthy and Honorable.’”[Quran, 11:73]

Majeed – as an Adjective

It can also be used as an adjective; describing word. From the root mim-jim-dal (م ج د), which has the following classical Arabic connotations: to be glorious, dignified, noble and honorable to be lauded, exalted, sublime to be liberal, bountiful, exceedingly generous.

The Quran is described at times with Majeed, like in:

بَلْ هُوَ قُرْءَانٌۭ مَّجِيدٌۭ  (In fact, this is a glorious Quran) [Quran, 85:21], and
قٓ ۚ وَالۡقُرۡاٰنِ الۡمَجِیۡدِ    (Qaf. By the glorious Quran!)      [Quran, 50:1]

Related Answers

• Is It Absurd to Believe That God’s Attributes Are Not Identical to God’s Essence? – SeekersGuidance
  
• A Reader on Understanding the Attributes of Allah – SeekersGuidance
• Knowing Allah Through His Beautiful Names, by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani (seekersguidance.org)

Why not begin your search for knowledge by signing up for a course on

• Divine Beauty: Understanding the 99 Names of Allah (seekersguidance.org)
• (308) 00 – Introduction – Divine Beauty: Understanding the 99 Names of Allah – Shaykh Faraz Rabbani – YouTube

Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.