The Straight Path of Ahl al-Sunnah: Understanding the Shared and Distinguishing Aspects of Allah’s Attributes

My dear brothers and sisters,

Pause and reflect upon this magnificent precision of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamāʿah in their creed regarding the Names and Attributes of Allah, exalted is He. They walk a path of clarity, balance, and truth — a path between two extremes that destroyed those who deviated.

Ahl al-Sunnah affirm for Allah the attributes that He affirmed for Himself, and they do so by combining two essential principles:

📌 1. The shared aspect (القدر المشترك)
📌 2. The unique and distinguishing aspect (القدر المميّز الفارق)

As the scholars said: “Ahl al-Sunnah combine, in what they affirm for Allah, between the shared aspect and the distinguishing aspect.” Meaning: just as they affirm the foundational meaning of a quality that can be understood in language, they also affirm the reality that Allah’s attribute is unlike the attribute of any created being.

What is the shared aspect?

It is simply the root meaning of a word before it is applied to a specific being — a meaning that only exists in the mind, not as a real form in the external world. For example, the concept of “hearing”: its essential meaning is the perception of sounds. This root meaning exists in thought — not as an actual organ or system.

So when we say: Allah hears, and the creation hears, there is no problem in this shared root meaning — because it is a meaning in the intellect, not a physical similarity in reality. If this was considered “likening,” then the Qur’an would be the first to commit it — and far removed is the Qur’an from that.

Allah said: “We created man from a drop of mixed fluid to test him, and We made him hearing and seeing.” (Sūrah al-Insān 76:2)

So yes — Allah hears, and the human hears. But there is a vast, absolute difference between the hearing of the Creator and the hearing of the creation. The attribute is one in name and basic meaning, but utterly distinct in reality, essence, and manner.

The scholars gave an example:

If you say a tiny ant has strength, and you say an elephant has strength, is anyone foolish enough to claim you have made them equal? Of course not. The ant has strength appropriate to its nature, and the elephant has strength appropriate to its nature. The shared word does not mean shared reality.

So if this difference exists between creation and creation, then what about the difference between the Creator and the creation?

Allah described the angels as having “hands.” Yet no sane person says the angels have five fingers, skin like ours, hair like ours, nails at the tip, and so on. Why? Because the genus of the human is not the genus of the angel. Humans were created from clay; angels were created from light. Therefore, the angels’ hands are real, but befitting them — and our hands are real, but befitting us.

Mere similarity in language does not necessitate similarity in reality.

The same principle applies — with far greater necessity — when speaking about Allah’s attributes. We affirm what Allah affirmed, and we deny all likeness, resemblance, and equality.

Ahl al-Sunnah conclude:

• Whoever denies the shared aspect (القدر المشترك) falls into taʿṭīl — negating the attributes.

Because if you deny the basic meaning of hearing, sight, speech, anger, mercy, or rising above the Throne, you have emptied the attribute of meaning altogether.

• Whoever denies the distinguishing aspect (القدر المميّز الفارق) falls into tamthīl — likening Allah to His creation.

Because if you assume Allah’s attributes are just like the attributes of created things, you have compared the Lord of the Worlds to something that perishes and is limited.

So the balance of Ahl al-Sunnah is the straight path:

•Affirm the meaning as revealed
•Deny any likeness, manner, or equivalence
•Believe that Allah’s attributes are true and real, befitting His Majesty

He hears, but not like our hearing.
He sees, but not like our seeing.
He speaks, but not like the speech of creation.

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My dear brother and sister,

When it comes to our families, the ones who share our roof, our meals, and our lives, the smallest words and actions often carry the heaviest weight. Out of love for them and for your own peace, guard yourself against these subtle but dangerous habits:

🌿 1. Do not weaponize silence.

Silence can heal when it is for reflection, but it can wound deeply when it is used as punishment. Do not turn your quiet into a wall that your loved ones must climb. Let your pauses be gentle, not cruel. You find some people become upset at something, so they don’t talk to their families at all, which they call silent treatment. This silent treatment creates distance, insecurity, and confusion. Your family deserves clarity, not punishment. If you need silence, let it be for reflection, not rejection.

🌿 2. Do not compare them to others.

Comparisons are daggers to the heart. Saying, “Why can’t you be like him or her?” strips away appreciation. Each soul is unique, each heart is different — and family should be the place where uniqueness is celebrated, not measured against others. Each family member carries their own story, their own pace, and their own gifts.

🌿 3. Do not interrupt their voice.

Let them finish their sentences. When you cut off your family, you are not just cutting words — you are cutting dignity. Sometimes listening fully is more healing than giving the best advice. Cutting someone off mid-sentence makes them feel unheard, as if their words have no weight. In family, the greatest gift is to make each other feel listened to.

🌿 4. Do not dismiss their feelings.

Avoid words like “You’re exaggerating” or “It’s nothing.” To them, it is something. Empathy is not about measuring whose pain is bigger, but about sharing the weight so no one carries it alone. What feels small to you might feel heavy to them.

🌿 5. Do not carry yesterday into today.

When you bring old mistakes into new conversations, you turn every discussion into a courtroom. Forgive sincerely, or at least separate the past from the present. Every heart needs a chance to start fresh. Don’t say “don’t forget when you done that”. Love grows when you give family members the chance to be better without being chained to old errors.

🌿 6. Do not raise your voice when your point is weak.

Many think shouting proves strength, but in truth it only proves lack of control. Lowering your voice earns more respect than raising it. Speak calmly, and you will be heard with love. especially if it is a female family member such as your sister or spouse as they are sensitive compared to men, speak to them softly.

🌿 7. Do not assume bad intentions.

When your sibling forgets something or your spouse makes a mistake, do not rush to think they meant harm. Many wounds in families are not from the act itself, but from the assumptions built around it. Give excuses, as you wish Allah to excuse you.

🌿 8. Do not make jokes that cut deep.

Humor has its place, but when a “joke” touches a sore wound, it leaves scars. Laugh with your family, not at them. Joy should uplift, not humiliate.

🌿 9. Do not belittle their dreams.

Even if their goals seem small to you, they might be mountains to them. Saying “That’s silly” or “You’ll never manage that” kills motivation. Be the wind in their sails, not the storm against them.

🌿 10. Do not neglect the power of appreciation.

Silence in the face of good deeds can feel like ingratitude. Say “thank you,” say “I noticed what you did,” say “I appreciate you.” Hearts soften when watered with gratitude.

Family is your lifelong circle. They will witness your best and worst, your failures and your triumphs. If you cannot be gentle with them, with whom will you be gentle? Guard your tongue, your tone, and your treatment of them. You may forget your words after you speak them, but your family may carry them in their hearts for years.

These are a few points gathered in the hope of benefit for my dear brothers and sisters. Though more could be mentioned, this is what came to mind — and Allah knows best.

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📩 The Question:

Is moving the finger during the tashahhud established and correct, or should it be kept still? May Allah reward you, Shaykh.

📝 The Answer:

Answered by the Shaykh al-ʿAllāmah Muḥammad bin Ḥizām al-Baʿdānī — may Allah preserve him.

What is established is the pointing, and its hadiths are many and mutawātir (mass-transmitted) — that he ﷺ used to point with his finger when he sat for the tashahhud. And this is a pointing indicating the oneness of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. The Prophet ﷺ passed by a man who was supplicating with two fingers, so the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Make it one, make it one.”

So it is a pointing indicating the oneness of Allah. And also, one supplicates with it — he affirms the oneness of Allah with it, and he supplicates to Allah with it. It has come in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim from ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar that he said: He raised his right finger which is next to the thumb, and he supplicated with it.

As for the moving, then it has not been established. The moving of the finger during the tashahhud has not been established; rather, he raises it firmly, and there is no movement in it.

And the hadith that has been reported that he moved his finger is weak and shādh (irregular). It is irregular due to the addition of moving, an addition made by Zā’idah ibn Qudāmah in the hadith of Wā’il ibn Ḥujr. And most of the narrators in the hadith of Wā’il ibn Ḥujr did not mention this addition; rather, they mentioned the pointing only.

https://t.me/RulingsofWomen

📩 The Question:

In my Madrasah, when the Qur’an is completed, they carry out the distribution of sweets and juices and other than that, with the intention of charity and with the intention of motivating the children. Is this permissible?

📝 The Answer:

Answered by the Shaykh al-ʿAllāmah Muḥammad bin Ḥizām al-Baʿdānī — may Allah preserve him.

That which we advise: that people should not make gatherings for the completion of the Qur’an. Whoever completes the Qur’an and a gift is given to him, then it is a good matter, wholesome. As for gatherings and celebrations and the distribution of chocolate and also the distribution of juices and sweets and so on — these are matters we advise leaving; for it is not secure that they may be from the means leading to falling into innovations, and also people become attached to them, and it is not secure also that there may be within them resemblances that came from before from the enemies of Islam.

So that which we advise is: keeping away from that. Reward and encouragement is by a gift to the one who memorised the Qur’an.

As for gatherings and celebrations and fixing a time, and it may be accompanied also by other acts of disobedience from photography — and Allah is the One whose help is sought — and likewise, with some people, it may be accompanied also by mixing between boys and girls. And in some places they may honour women — a man honours a woman, and Allah is the One whose help is sought. They make a gathering for the female memorizers of the Qur’an, and the one who honours is men. And in it also is boasting; in it is causing the students to fall into showing off and self-admiration — we ask Allah for well-being.

And the Prophet ﷺ says: “Beware of entering upon women.”
So a man from the Anṣār said: “O Messenger of Allah, what about the in-law?”
He said: “The in-law is death.”

And these people meet with women, and photography takes place, and we ask Allah for safety.

https://t.me/RulingsofWomen

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🔴 LIVE NOW — Join and Benefit

We will begin with the introduction to the Chapter of Wuḍūʼ (Ablution), then continue with the 28th Hadith from this chapter, from the Book of Purification, in Bulūgh al-Marām.

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The Magnificent Character of Overlooking (التغافل): A Divine Qur’anic Methodology!

My dear brother and sister,

From the perfection of noble character is to overlook the slips of people, to pass over their moments of weakness as though you never saw them, and to make them feel safe in your presence—as if no fault of theirs ever reached your eyes or your heart. This is not ignorance, nor weakness, but a deliberate choice born from refinement of the soul and elevation of character.

Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy upon him, teaches in Madarij as-Salikin that true murū’ah—true dignity and nobility—is found in deliberate overlooking. It is the ability to see, yet choose not to expose; to know, yet choose not to pursue; to have power over speech, yet restrain it for the sake of Allah.

This meaning was deeply understood by the righteous before us. Abu Bakr ibn Abi al-Dunya narrates, through his chain, that Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah al-Khuza‘i heard ‘Uthman ibn Za’idah say: Well-being is ten parts, nine of them are in overlooking. When this was mentioned to Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, he said: Rather, well-being is ten parts, all of them are in overlooking. Reflect on this, my dear brother and sister—how much peace is lost, how many hearts are exhausted, simply because people insist on counting faults and keeping record of slips.

Even the Messenger of Allah ﷺ nurtured this principle in the hearts of his Ummah. When he was asked how many times a servant should be forgiven for mistakes, he replied: Up to seventy times—meaning in a single day. Not because mistakes actually occur seventy times, but to cultivate within people a spirit of forbearance, transcendence, and overlooking, and to train them not to fixate on errors. Sometimes a glance is more effective than a rebuke, sometimes silence carries a message stronger than words. The Prophet ﷺ did not always correct with his tongue; often, displeasure was known only from his noble face.

This noble principle is not merely ethical advice; it is a Qur’anic methodology taught by Allah Himself. Allah, exalted and glorified is He, said in Surah at-Taḥrīm concerning His Prophet ﷺ, when some of his wives erred:

﴿وَإِذْ أَسَرَّ النَّبِيُّ إِلَىٰ بَعْضِ أَزْوَاجِهِ حَدِيثًا فَلَمَّا نَبَّأَتْ بِهِ وَأَظْهَرَهُ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ عَرَّفَ بَعْضَهُ وَأَعْرَضَ عَنۢ بَعْضٍۚ فَلَمَّا نَبَّأَهَا بِهِ قَالَتْ مَنْ أَنبَأَكَ هَٰذَاۖ قَالَ نَبَّأَنِيَ الْعَلِيمُ الْخَبِيرُ﴾

“And (remember) when the Prophet (ﷺ) disclosed a matter in confidence to one of his wives, then she told it (to another), and Allah made it known to him, he informed her of part thereof and left a part. Then when he told her thereof, she said: ‘Who told you this?’ He said: ‘The All-Knower, the All-Aware (Allah) has told me.’” [Surah at-Taḥrīm 66:3]

In this verse, Allah, exalted and glorified is He, draws our attention to a profound moment from the life of His Prophet ﷺ—a moment rich with guidance, wisdom, and refinement of character.

Allah mentions that the Prophet ﷺ confided a private matter to one of his wives. Imām Ibn Jarīr al-Ṭabarī, may Allah have mercy upon him, stated in his Tafsīr that this wife was Ḥafṣah, may Allah be pleased with her. The matter he confided to her was a personal issue which he had kept private and explicitly asked her not to disclose to anyone. It related to something the Prophet ﷺ had forbidden upon himself—despite Allah having made it lawful for him—and he took an oath regarding it, entrusting her with secrecy.

However, when she later informed another wife of what had been entrusted to her, Allah, out of His perfect knowledge and care for His Messenger ﷺ, made this disclosure known to him. Nothing is hidden from Allah—the One who knows the secrets of hearts and what tongues conceal.