The Best Knowledge: Non-Resemblence to the Creation of Allah

The common belief among Muslims:

Muslims all over the world are united with one belief, the neglect of which renders one a non-Muslim, specifically an anthropomorphist (one who regards Allah similar to His creations). This belief is that nothing resembles Allah in any way. Although you might find some attributes of humans that have the same wording as an attribute of Allah, but the meanings are not and cannot be similar. An example of that would be: we might say a person named Mark is attributed with sight, he is not blind, and we as Muslims say and believe that Allah is attributed with sight. The Sight of Allah is unlike the sight of creations. The Sight of Allah is Eternal (without a beginning); our sight is originated (it came into existence after nonexistence). Allah sees every seeable thing without the need of a pupil, eye(s), or any other instrument, yet we need eyes and a pupil to see. Allah sees every seeable thing and nothing prevents him from seeing it, yet our sight is very limited.

The spread of Anthropomorphists trying to delude some people into thinking they are Muslims:

Anthropomorphism, a belief that goes back centuries, yet a false belief firmly refuted by the Great Scholars. The anthropomorphists stick to false misinterpretations of the religious texts and let their delusions lead them to falsehood, instead of sticking to what the sound mind accepts of the interpretations of the authentic religious texts. In this blog we will be explaining what every Muslim should believe about the Non-Resemblance to the Creations of Allah, the intellectual and textual proofs, and an example of how a sun-worshipper would silence an anthropomorphist.

The Non-Resemblance to the Creation of Allah:

Let it be known that The God (Allah) is dissimilar to His creations. Hence, He is not an entity (jawhar) that occupies a space nor is He a characteristic of an entity (^arad). The jawhar is what has a volume that fills a space and has independent standing, such as bodies. Conversely, (^arad) the characteristic [of an entity] is what does not have an independent standing. It can only exist through an entity. Examples of ^arads are: motion, stillness, connection, disconnection, colors, flavors, and smells.

Some of the proofs of The Non-Resemblance to the Creation of Allah:

1. Intellectual proof:

   If it was intellectually possible for Allah to resemble His creations even in one attribute this would entail that it is possible for Him to resemble them in other attributes such as weakness, change, health, and illness and if that was possible He would've needed someone to create the changes in Him, such as the change from health to illness, and the one needing other is not an Eternal God, rather a creation. Hence, it is confirmed that Allah doesn't resemble His creations in any way.

2. Textual proof (Qur'an and Quotes of Scholars):

   In The Holy Qur'an:

   The verse: ﴾لَيۡسَ كَمِثۡلِهِۦ شَيۡءٌ﴿ [Surat Ash-Shoora: 11]

   This verse has one meaning in the Arabic language, which is: Nothing resembles Allah in any way.

   Scholars' quotes:

   Abu Ja^far at-Tahawiyy said, “Whoever ascribes any human attributes to Allaah has certainly committed apostasy (which is going out of Islam).”

   The Famous scholar Dhun-nun Al-Misriyy said: "Whatever you imagine in your mind, Allah is different from it" - meaning we are unable to imagine Allah.

3. A Scenario where an anthropomorphist argues with a sun worshipper, and how a Muslim would refute both in the creedal argument:

   If one of the sun-worshipping atheists were to say to a Muslim, “You claim your religion is the truth and say my religion is false—so where is your proof?” And if the Muslim responded by saying: Allah the Exalted said: ﴾ أَفِي اللَّهِ شَكٌّ ﴿, the sun-worshipping atheist might reply, “I don’t believe in your book. Give me an intellectual proof.”

   If that Muslim understands the Intellectual and textual proofs, he would reply: “This sun has a form, a shape, and boundaries—and anything bounded must have someone who defined its boundary. Furthermore, the sun is subject to change and development, and anything that changes must have someone who creates the change. Therefore, from an intellectual standpoint, it is not suitable to be considered a god, as you claim. As for my religion, it is true, because it teaches that the Creator of the universe does not resemble anything in any way. He is exalted above limits, space, shapes, and form. He is free from all attributes found in this world. For that reason, my religion is the correct one, and it is the one the intellect can accept.” Thus, this Muslim would have used an intellectual proof to refute the sun-worshipper and invalidate his claim.

   As for the one who says “Allah dwells in the sky,” what proof does he have to counter the claim of the sun-worshipper? The sun-worshipper might say to him: “You say your god is dwelling in the sky, and I say my god—the sun—is in space, I could even claim it’s in one of the heavens. The sun’s benefit is clear: it benefits the air, plants, and humans. You worship something imagined, confined, and limited, whereas I worship something real and observable, whose existence is certain and whose benefits are seen by all creation. As for what you worship—we don’t see it, you’ve never seen it, and we feel no benefit from it. So why do you claim the truth is in your religion and that my religion is false?” That anthropomorphist, who believes that Allah is a body sitting on the Grand Throne or somewhere else, would have no answer.

   So if the sun-worshipper were to challenge those anthropomorphists to provide an intellectual proof that God alone deserves Godhood and that the sun does not, they would have no intellectual argument. The most they could say is: Allah the Exalted said: ﴾اللَّهُ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ﴿ [Surat Az-Zumar]. But if they said that to the sun-worshipper, he would reply: “I don’t believe in your book—give me an intellectual proof that the sun does not deserve Godhood.” And at that point, the anthropomorphist would be defeated in the argument.

The Muslims are those who exalt Allah from resembling the creation in any way. They believe the God who created places does not reside in them and is not in need of them.

In our next blog, we will continue explaining some of the attributes of Allah that every accountable Muslim must know.

Stay tuned...