Elements of Islamic Studies
Lesson 10: Al-Sifat al-Thubutiyah
In order to understand Tawheed clearly, the attributes of Allah have been grouped as positive and negative.
The positive attributes which are befitting Allah are called Sifat al-Thubutiyah. They are many in number, but eight of them are usually listed. They are:
Qadeem. This means that Allah is Eternal, i.e. He has neither a beginning nor an end.
Qaadir. It means that Allah is Omnipotent, i.e. He has power over everything, and every affair.
‘Aalim. It means that Allah is Omniscient i.e. He knows everything. Nothing ever remains a secret from Him.
Hayy. It means that Allah is alive and will remain alive for ever.
Mureed. This means that Allah has His own discretion in all affairs. He does not do anything under compulsion.
Mudrik. It means that He is All-Perceiving, as Sami’ (All-Hearing), Baseer (All-Seeing), Haazir (Omnipresent). Allah sees and hears everything though He has neither eyes nor ears.
Mutakallim. It means that Allah is the Master of the word, i.e. He can create speech in anything as He did in a tree for Prophet Musa (A.S.) and in the "Curtain of Light" for the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.)
Sadiq. This means that Allah is true in His words and promises.
It is impossible to fix any limits to His attributes. This list is not exhaustive but is essential to understand the Glory of Allah. The attributes are not acquired but inherent in the conception of Divinity.