Proofs of Attributes

[the-truth]

What proofs are there that show that the necessary existent must be Merciful, Living, Wise, Powerful, Knowing etc, etc?

[faqir]

salam
try any decent ash'ari creed text to see proof for attributes we affirm eg. al-`aqidah al-sanusiyya (http://tinyurl.com/2vtsyz5) pg 15 onwards

[TheHumbleOne]

What proofs are there that show that the necessary existent must be Merciful, Living, Wise, Powerful, Knowing etc, etc?

Hello,

Excellent question - here is one of the best logical argument article of our time, IMHO. God-willing it will help answer your question and some.

http://sunnianswers.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/the-foundations-of-the-religion.pdf

[Sulaiman84]

Sweet links, :jazak:

[the-truth]

Thanks for the replies.

Also, why is it that God must be Good and not evil?

[fahid]

I believe a good book on Islamic Theology may help, for example Al-Fiqh Al-Akbar. These types of questions would lead to a question to a question. First define what is Good and what is Bad and where did they both come from?

[AbdullahbinAbdullah]

Thanks for the replies.

Also, why is it that God must be Good and not evil?

First of all, as the brother said, who defines good and bad.

Secondly, the Orthodox Muslim creed is different from the Christian theology which states that God is obliged to do the best for humans. On the contrary, we affirm that God does what he wishes and is far beyond "being obliged" or "necessitated" to do anything.

[the-truth]

First of all, as the brother said, who defines good and bad.



We do.


Secondly, the Orthodox Muslim creed is different from the Christian theology which states that God is obliged to do the best for humans. On the contrary, we affirm that God does what he wishes and is far beyond "being obliged" or "necessitated" to do anything.

So He can act evil [as per what we believe evil to be]?

[AbdullahbinAbdullah]

We do.



So He can act evil [as per what we believe evil to be]?

We may try to define things, however, we do not have the authority to define all things. This is currently a big debate within ethics also, as the naturalists try to find an ontological ground for good and evil for their stumbling morality system; however, most intellectuals even on their side agree that Human kind does not have the ontological authority to define good and evil (they may say we have the Legal authority to do so).

As for the acts of God, we do not define them as Good and Evil, as those are terms applied to the acts of Human beings. Rather, if we do talk about actions of God usually the terms mercy and justice are employed.

And God knows best.

[farook]

What proofs are there that show that the necessary existent must be Merciful, Living, Wise, Powerful, Knowing etc, etc?

Dear Brother,

No proofs are required. Allah(SWT) Himself Says so.

Brotherly yours
farook

[TheHumbleOne]

Thanks for the replies.

Also, why is it that God must be Good and not evil?

The excerpt from the link I provided has a beautiful answer....I really recommend you read the entire article..anyone with an ounce of knowledge will certainly approve the rational provided, inshallah (God willing)


Proving with certainty that God is clear of imperfection, such as having a partner, using common sense.

The above argument is used by anyone that believes in the existence of a Creator, such as Christians and Jews. However, accepting this proof leads to other necessary conclusions as follows:

1. The one that has the power to create this incredible cosmos cannot be attributed with any weaknesses. This is clear, because the world we see around us shows us that His power, knowledge and will are absolutely unlimited. After all, He created all this from non-existence. I.e. the claim that He sleeps or gets sleepy is impossible. Such a claim is simply a failure to conceive existence beyond material existence, and drawing analogies between the Creator and the created. It is also a failure to realize the amazing detail and complexity of creation, which brings one to the natural conclusion that its Creator cannot be subject to any limits. This is what Muslims mean when they say “subĥaan-Allah”, i.e. Allah is clear of nonbefitting attributes, i.e. flaws or weaknesses.

2. It must be true that the Creator does not have a partner. This is because having a partner indicates need; the need for help, the need to overpower or the need to make concessions. Having a need is a weakness, and the Creator must be free from that. I.e. it is impossible for Him to have a partner.

3. Since we said that this world must have a Creator (because it requires specification) then it must be true that the Creator does not have attributes that require specification, such as composition of parts, physical dimension or location, limits, boundaries, beginnings or ends, weaknesses, movement, gender, etc. In other words, He must be clear of temporal, physical or spatial attributes; attributes which the question “how?” apply to. This is because being in need of specification is a tremendous weakness in need of a Creator.

4. Only the Creator deserves to be worshiped. This is clear because He does not have a partner or a part, as established above, so everything else that exists must be merely a creation and completely submitted to the power of the Creator.

Anyone that is fair minded will admit this. However, because of the atheist and agnostic propaganda peopleare exposed to, it is appropriate to present a more detailed proof as follows.

You might also be interested in this related article:

Why Does Allah Allow Suffering & Evil in the World (http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar/FatwaE/FatwaE&cid=1119503544478)