in His attributes, or in resembling created beings. The attributes by which He describes Himself are free of every imperfection: He possesses perfect knowledge, perfect life, perfect hearing, perfect sight—and likewise all the attributes by which He describes Himself; in all of them, He is free of imperfection. Likewise, He is free of being described by attributes that are pure deficiency, such as incapacity, injustice, and the like.

He is free of resembling created beings, even in that which constitutes perfection in created beings, for Allah, Most High, is free of it. Thus, His reported attributes are not like those of created beings, such as the Face, the two Hands, the Foot, and the two Eyes. And His intrinsic, qualitative attributes are not like those of created beings. His knowledge is not like the knowledge of a created being, for all created knowledge is deficient: deficient in its beginning, because it is preceded by ignorance; in its end, because it is followed by forgetfulness; and in its comprehensiveness, because it is limited. Indeed, you know nothing even about the soul within your own body. As He, Most High, says:

“And they ask you concerning the soul. Say, ‘The soul is of the affair of my Lord, and mankind have been given but little knowledge.’” [al-Isra']

You are not even certain that you will do what you intend to do tomorrow; rather, you merely hope and anticipate it. Otherwise, no soul knows what it will earn tomorrow. Thus, this is a great deficiency in knowledge. As for Allah, Mighty and Majestic, His knowledge is perfect.

Likewise, He does not resemble created beings in His actions, such as His rising over the Throne, His descending to the lowest heaven, His coming to judge between His servants, His pleasure and anger, and the like. Even if the name is the same, the name is the name, but that which is named is different.