Some of the matters or points covered:

- Statement of Al-Khateeb al-Baghdadi regarding one group who denied and rejected the attributes so they nullified what Allaah and His Messenger affirmed and another group who affirmed these attributes in such a way that they entered into something of tashbeeh (resemblance) and takyeef (how attributes are).
- We are in the middle, the moderate path, we affirm the meanings of the attributes and we do not have knowledge of the reality of them (how they are). We avoid exaggeration in the religion.
- An important principle: Speech about the attributes is a branch of the speech about the essence, as mentioned in the treatise text “And the principle in this matter is: That speaking about the attributes is a branch of speaking about the essence (dhāt) and thus follows it exactly and takes its example”.
- Quote from the speech of Shaikh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah in at-Tadmuriyyah containing elaboration and an illustration of the method to refute those who reject the attributes of Allaah.
- How the example of the soul aids in grasping the issue of Allah’s essence and His attributes.
- This is really a simple issue: Because we don’t know what His essence is made of then it’s impossible for us to know how His attributes are (Hearing, Seeing, etc).
- All these groups (Ahlul-Kalaam) became misguided because they didn’t understand this simple issue. They began to use philosophy, reason, opinion, and they left the simplicity of the Qur’an and Sunnah. “There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer.” [42:11]
- Discussion on how to reply to a Jahmi and what probing questions to ask them.
- Statement of Al-Khateeb al-Baghdadi establishing Allaah’s essence exists and has a reality but we are unable to define it in words. In the same way, the attributes exist but we cannot define their realities. A mentioned of how this is a refutation of five groups of people.

Supplementary material:
https://islamtees.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/khatib-sifat-text-translation.pdf

The following 2 page PDF contains the visual diagram above along with brief descriptions of the sects mentioned:
https://islamtees.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/sects-diagram.pdf

Response To A Question on the Attributes

Response To A Question on the Attributes - Lesson 7

Calling to the correct understanding of Islam, the Qur'an and Sunnah upon the understanding of the Salafus-Saalih (Pious Predecessors).

Response To A Question on the Attributes - Lesson 7

Islam Tees