The position of the early generations of this Ummah and its leading scholars is to describe Him as He has described Himself and as His Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, has described Him, in both negation and affirmation.

Allah, glorified and exalted is He, has denied that He is like created beings. He, exalted is He, says:

“Say, ‘He is Allah, the One.’”

“Allah, the Eternal Refuge.”

“He neither begets nor is born.”

“Nor is there any equivalent to Him.”

Thus, He has made clear that none is His equal. He, exalted is He, also says:

“Do you know of any equal to Him?”

He thereby denies that He has any equal. He, exalted is He, says:

“So do not set up rivals to Allah.”

And He, exalted is He, says:

“So do not draw comparisons with Allah.”

And He, exalted is He, says:

“There is nothing like Him.”

What He has declared about Himself—that He is above having any equal, peer, likeness or rival, or having comparisons drawn with Him—makes clear that nothing is like Him in His attributes or His actions. For sameness in attributes and actions entails sameness in essence. Two different essences cannot have identical attributes and actions, since identical attributes and actions necessarily entail identical essences. An attribute depends upon that which possesses it, and an action likewise depends upon its agent; indeed, an action is itself something by which the agent is described.

Thus, if two attributes are identical, the two beings possessing them are identical. Indeed, the degree of similarity and difference between attributes corresponds to that between the beings possessing them. Take two human beings, for example: although they belong to a single species, their sizes and attributes differ according to the differences between their individual essences, and resemble one another according to the resemblance between those essences.

Likewise, if it is said that a human being and a horse resemble one another in that the former is an animal and the latter