Two kinds of attributes: The Quran describes Allah in two ways. Salbiyya — the negative attributes: what Allah is NOT. Thubutiyya — the positive attributes: what Allah truly IS. Together they give the complete picture of Allah.
What Allah is not: There are six things that must be denied of Allah. He is not a body — He has no form, no size, no dimensions. He is not in space — He is not "up there" or anywhere in space, because space belongs to material things. He is not composite — He has no parts that could be separated. He is not originated — He has no beginning. He is not changing — His attributes are eternal, not moods that come and go. And He is not visible to physical eyes — seeing with eyes needs a material object in a place, and Allah is beyond both.
"Nothing is like Him": The Quran says: "Nothing is like Him." (42:11). This is Tanzih — keeping Allah above all created limits. Without these denials, we would imagine Allah as a big man in the sky — a creature, not the Creator.
What Allah truly is: There are four positive attributes, each proven from the nature of the Necessary Being. Hayat (Life) — Allah is Al-Hayy, the Living One; the ground of all life must be Life itself. 'Ilm (Knowledge) — Allah is Al-'Alim, the All-Knowing; the One who sustains all creation at every moment must know all things, past, present, and future. Qudra (Power) — Allah is Al-Qadir, the All-Powerful; the source of all existence must be the source of all power. Irada (Will) — Allah is Al-Murid, the Willing; purposive creation needs a Will — not a human desire that implies a lack, but a Will identical with His perfect nature.
One reality, many names: Shia Kalam teaches that Allah's attributes are real AND identical with His Essence. His Knowledge IS His existence; His Power IS His existence. They are not separate pieces added to Him — that would make Him composite — and they are not empty names. They are one infinite Reality described from different angles, like the sun's light, warmth, and energy: real, distinct in how we describe them, yet one in their source. Without the positive attributes, Allah would become an empty, unknowable abstraction.
Example
Imagine describing a kind friend in two ways. First by what she is NOT: "She is not selfish, not dishonest, not cruel." Then by what she IS: "She is generous, truthful, and gentle." Neither side alone gives the full picture — together, they do. The Quran describes Allah the same way: by what He is not, and by what He truly is.
Key Terms
- Sifat al-Salbiyya (صفات سلبیہ) — the negative attributes; what Allah is NOT
- Sifat al-Thubutiyya (صفات ثبوتیہ) — the positive attributes; what Allah truly IS
- Tanzih (تنزیہ) — keeping Allah transcendent, above all created limits
- 'Ayn al-Dhat (عین الذات) — identical with the Essence; the attributes are one with Allah's being
Quran or Hadith
Quran 42:11 — "Nothing is like Him." — to be checked. This is the foundation of the Salbiyya: Allah is above every created limit.
Quran 2:255 — "He is the Living, the All-Knowing." — to be checked. This is the foundation of the Thubutiyya: Allah is genuinely Living and Knowing.
Fresh diagram to be drawn: Two columns side by side: on the left, "What Allah is NOT" with six short lines (not a body, not in space, not composite, not originated, not changing, not visible); on the right, "What Allah IS" with four lines (Living, Knowing, Powerful, Willing); above both, the verse "Nothing is like Him" (42:11).
- Allah is described in two ways: Salbiyya (what He is NOT) and Thubutiyya (what He truly IS).
- Six denials protect Allah from being imagined like a creature: not a body, not in space, not composite, not originated, not changing, not visible.
- Four positive attributes: Life, Knowledge, Power, and Will.
- The attributes are real AND identical with Allah's Essence — one Reality, many true names.