Classes on Theology

1. Classes on Theology Sheikh Jaffer H. Jaffer Masumeen Islamic Centre March 6th, 2012 Week Five

2. Last Week • Attributes of Essence: • Life – الحياة • Knowledge – العلم • Power – القدرة • Attributes of Action الصفات الفعلية • Creatorship - الخالقية • Lordship – الربوبية • Divinity – الألوهية

3. Additional Attributes of God • Divine Will – ارادة الله • Is it an attribute of action or essence? • Is it pre-existent – قديم or is it temporal (originated) – حادث ? • Is it singular or multiple? • What is ‘Will’? • First: Wishing or desiring • Second: Deciding to perform an action

4. Additional Attributes of God • First understanding (Wishing or Desiring): • Equivalent to Loving something • Human beings: Their love of perfection • Therefore God loves perfection as well (SIMPLE PROOF) • Divine Will means love of ontological perfections • This understanding would mean that Will • Attribute of essence • Pre-existent – قديم • Singular

5. Additional Attributes of God • Second understanding (Deciding to perform an action): • Attribute of action • Temporal (originated) – حادث • Multiple • إِنَّمَا أَمْرُهُ إِذَا أَرَادَ شَيًْا أَن يَقُولَ لَهُ كُن فَيَكُونُ • His command, when He wills something, is to say to it" Be," and it is (Yasin:82)

6. Additional Attributes of God • We can understand from the Will of God: • All things created have been created from the aspect of having goodness and perfection • He created them out of His own desire and not because He is forced into creating • Therefore all of His actions must have a purpose and benefit • This type of Will is called: • Wise Will – الارادة الحكيمة • Wise – الحكيم

7. Additional Attributes of God • His Speech – الكلام الالهيّ • Attribute of Action • The concept of speech is abstracted from the relationship that exists between speaker (God) and the addressed (creation) • Since the Qur’an are the words and message of God intended for the addressed, there is no doubt that it is also created • مَا يَأْتِيهِم مِّن ذِكْرٍ مِّن رَّبِّهِم محُّْدَثٍ إِلَّا اسْتَمَعُوهُ وَ هُمْ يَلْعَبُونَ • There does not come to them any new reminder from their Lord but they listen to it as they play around (al-Anbiya 2)

8. Additional Attributes of God • Truthfulness – الصدق • If God’s speech is understood as being commands, prohibitions or assertions • Then we cannot label it as being true or false • If God’s speech is understood as a form of prophecy • His speech must have the attribute of Truthfulness – الصدق • َ مَنْ أَصْدَقُ مِنَ اللَّهِ حَدِيثًا • and who is more truthful in speech than Allah? (an-Nisa 87) • Proof: • If He lied it would go against His goal of guidance and submission

9. Tawheed • We first discussed the need to study religion (it is part of our Fitra to find out where we are from and where we are going) • Then we discussed the need for a necessary existent • We then discussed the attributes (positive and negative) of this NE to distinguish it from other possibilities. • Then why do people deviate from this clear Truth?

10. Reasons for Deviation • Psychological reasons for deviation – • العوامل النفسيّة • Sociological reasons for deviation - • العوامل الاجتماعيّة • Intellectual Reasons for deviation – • العوامل الفكريّة

11. Questions? Time change