This is because one of their fundamental principles is that He has no affirmative attribute. Rather, His attributes are either negations, as when they say, “He is neither a body nor spatially situated”; relations, as when they say, “a principle and a cause”; or a combination of the two, as when they say, “the thinker, the object of thought, and the intellect.” They express these meanings in grandiose terms, saying, for example, that there is no quantitative or qualitative multiplicity in Him; that He has neither parts of a definition nor quantitative parts; or that He must be affirmed as absolutely one, exalted and sanctified above the ten categories: quantity, quality, place, position, relation, and so forth.

The substance of these expressions and others like them is the denial of His attributes, which they call monotheism. Likewise, the Muʿtazilah and those Jahmiyyah who resemble them call this monotheism.

They introduced this denial of the attributes, which they call monotheism, and applied the name of monotheism to something other than what it denotes in the religion of the Muslims. The monotheism for which Allah sent His messengers and revealed His scriptures is to worship Allah without associating anything with Him or setting up any rival to Him. As He, Most High, says:

“Say, ‘O disbelievers, I do not worship what you worship. Nor are you worshippers of what I worship. Nor will I be a worshipper of what you worship. Nor will you be worshippers of what I worship. For you is your religion, and for me is my religion.’” [Al-Kāfirūn: 1–6]

The full realization of monotheism includes describing Allah, Most High, as He has described Himself and as His Messenger has described Him, while safeguarding this from distortion, denial, specifying how His attributes are, and likening them to those of created beings. As He, Most High, says:

“Say, ‘He is Allah, One. Allah, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, nor is there to Him any equivalent.’” [Al-Ikhlās: 1–4]