a drop of mingled fluid, so that We might put him to the test; then We made him hearing and seeing” (76:2). Yet the All-Hearing is not like one who hears, nor is the All-Seeing like one who sees.

He has named Himself ar-Raʾūf (the Most Kind) and ar-Raḥīm (the Most Merciful), saying, “Indeed Allah is, toward mankind, Most Kind and Most Merciful” (22:65). And He has called one of His servants “kind and merciful,” in His words, “There has certainly come to you a messenger from among yourselves; your distress weighs heavily on him, he is concerned for your welfare, and toward the believers he is kind and merciful” (9:128). Yet the Most Kind is not like the kind, nor the Most Merciful like the merciful.

He has named Himself al-Malik (the King), saying, “the King, the All-Holy” (59:23). And He has referred to some of His servants as “king,” as in, “Behind them was a king who seized every ship by force” (18:79), and, “The king said, ‘Bring him to me’” (12:50). Yet the King is not like the king.

He has named Himself al-Muʾmin (the Bestower of Security), saying, “the Muʾmin, the Guardian” (59:23). And He has called some of His servants “believers,” as in, “Is one who is a believer like one who is defiantly sinful? They are not equal” (32:18). Yet the Muʾmin is not like the believer.