the other is not known. There is a clear difference between these two senses. The Lord’s inseparable attributes never depart from Him, so they are not “other” in the first sense. Yet one may know some attributes without knowing others, and know the essence without knowing an attribute; thus, they are “other” in the second sense. For this reason, many who affirm the attributes have described them as other than the essence.

Some of them have said: “We say that they are other than the essence, but we do not say that they are other than Allah, because the term ‘essence’ does not include the attributes, whereas the name ‘Allah’ encompasses them.” Accordingly, the correct position—according to Ahl al-Sunnah—is not to say that the attributes are additional to what the name “Allah” denotes. Whoever attributes that statement to them has misrepresented their position.

If it is asked, “Are they additional to the essence or not?” the answer is that the essence as it exists in reality necessarily entails the attributes. The essence cannot exist stripped of its attributes; indeed, no entity exists devoid of all attributes. Moreover, the word dhāt (essence) is the feminine form of dhū (possessor of), and dhū necessarily requires a genitive complement.

This usage arose later. Originally, the word occurred in expressions such as “possessing knowledge,” “possessing power,” and “possessing hearing,” just as Allah Most High says:

“So fear Allah and set matters right between you.”

One also says, “Such-and-such a woman possesses wealth” or “possesses beauty.” Then, when they understood that the Lord Himself possesses knowledge, power, hearing, and sight—in refutation of those who denied His attributes—they made the word dhāt definite, so that the definite article took the place of the genitive complement. Thus, wherever the expression “the essence” is used, it means an essence possessing such-and-such. The essence, therefore, can only be an essence possessing knowledge and power