Deviating in Allah’s Names and Attributes (Ilhad)
July 19, 2006 — ibnabeeomarsome notes from the first weekend of light upon light (almaghrib seminar taught by yasir qadhi) in houston. i will inshallah be posting notes from the class, however, they won’t be comprehensive, just some select points i found particularly interesting or beneficial.
Ilhad literally means to turn away. In this regards, its turning away from the truth of the Asmaa wa Sifaat (Names and Attributes) of Allah (swt).
Allah (swt) says,
And you were not covering yourselves, lest your hearing testify against you or your sight or your skins, but you assumed that Allah does not know much of what you do. And that was your assumption which you assumed about your Lord. It has brought you to ruin, and you have become among the losers.”So [even] if they are patient, the Fire is a residence for them; and if they ask to appease [Allah], they will not be of those who are allowed to appease. [41:22-24]
The emphasis in these ayaat is their denying the attribute of Knowledge from Allah (swt).
And,
And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them. And leave [the company of] those who practice deviation [ilhad] concerning His names. They will be recompensed for what they have been doing. [7:180]
Examples of ilhad include to deny or distort their meanings, or claim that they have no meaning (tafwid). Considering His Attributes to be similar to the creation, deriving Names not befitting Allah (e.g. “The Father”), are also considered examples of ilhad.
August 2, 2006 at 11:10 am
Ibn al-Qayyim said, “Doing ilhaad in His Names means turning away from those real meanings of His Names which are proved from them. The word Lahd is derived from llhad meaning the cleavage one falls in when he deviates from the Firqa. The phrase Mulhid fid Deen is also derived from it which means the one who deviates from the Truth and introduces such things into the Deen which have no bearing in it. Ilhaad in relation to the Names and verses of Allah occurs either by their total negation or by denying their meanings and rejecting them altogether, or due to Tahreef from the Truth or by doing false Ta’weel by deviating from the Truth, or it may happen by giving some self coined words to those Names just as the llhad of the Ahle-lttehad.”