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The comprehensive principle governing this entire subject is that Allah is to be described as He has described Himself, as His Messenger has described Him, and as the earliest forerunners described Him, without going beyond the Quran and hadith. Imam Ahmad, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “Allah is to be described only as He has described Himself or as His Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, has described Him, without going beyond the Quran and hadith.”

The way of the early Muslim generations is to describe Allah as He has described Himself and as His Messenger has described Him, without distorting or denying His attributes, specifying how they are, or likening them to those of His creation. We know that these descriptions of Allah are true and contain neither riddles nor puzzles. Rather, their meaning is understood in the same way that a speaker’s intent is understood from his words—especially when the speaker is the most knowledgeable of all creation about what he says, the most eloquent of all creation in conveying knowledge, and the most eloquent of all creation in explaining, informing, indicating, and guiding.

Nevertheless, there is nothing like Him—glory be to Him—whether in His holy Self, spoken of through His names and attributes, or in His actions. Just as we know with certainty that Allah—glory be to Him—has a real essence and real actions, so too does He have real attributes. There is nothing like Him in His essence, His attributes, or His actions. Allah is truly free of everything that entails imperfection or coming into existence, for His is the perfection beyond which there is no higher degree. Coming into existence is impossible for Him because nonexistence is impossible