6 – He will never perish or come to an end
7 – Nothing happens except what He wills
8 – No conjecture can grasp Him, nor any intellect comprehend Him.
9 – He does not resemble people*.
* The respected Shaykh Ahmad bin S’ad al-Ghaamidee, may Allaah bring about benefit through him, said in at-Ta’leeqaat al-Jaliyyah ‘ala al-‘aqeedati at-Tahaawiyyah, pp 20-21,
‘i.e. He is unlike people. And the sentence is lacking – for Allaah does not resemble people, the jinn, the angels, trees, or stone, as He said, {There is nothing like unto Him} [ash Shura: 11].
The author’s adherence to the rhythmic pattern [of the text] is the reason behind this lacking – using anaam with afhaam.
Negating similitude in its totality has not been related in the Book, nor the Sunnah – negating totally is not correct, neither is affirming totally – there is an extent to which there is a similitude between the names of Allaah and the names of the creation and the attributes of Allaah and the attributes of the creation such that the names and attributes of Allaah can be understood. If this were not the case, mankind would not know the meanings of these [names and attributes] relating to Allaah.
However they are specifically and restrictedly differentiated – the creator and the creation. So knowledge, for example, has a complete meaning and is used linguistically for the knowledge of Allaah and for the knowledge of the creation. However, when it is attributed to Allaah, it has a specific meaning with this attribution, as Allaah says, {Indeed Allaah is All-Aware of everything} [al-Mujadalah: 7] and said, in the right of the creation {and give him glad tidings of a knowledgeable young man} [Dhariyaat: 28]. So it happens that the knowledge of Allaah is not the knowledge of the creation – the knowledge of Allaah is actual knowledge, whereas mankind’s knowledge is superficial. He said, {1. The Most Beneficent (Allah)! Has taught (you mankind) the Qur'an. He created man. He taught him eloquent speech} [Ar-Rahman 1-4].
And likewise for all other names and attributes. For this reason, the Qur’aan has negated similitudes, which are likenings in every which way.’
The Shaykh Muhammad Naasir ad-Deen al-Albaani, may Allaah have mercy upon him, commented:
In it is a refutation of the Mushabihah
[1], who liken the Creator with the creation, may He be exalted. He said, {There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer} [Ash-Shura: 11].
And the intent behind it is not negating the attributes, as the people of innovation claim. And from the speech of Abu Haneefah in al-Fiqh al-Akbar
[2] (p. 13 with the explanation of al-‘allaamah ‘Ali al-Qaari),
‘He does not resemble anything of His creation, nor does His creation resemble anything of He’
The he says after that [p.28],
‘And all of His attributes are distinct from the attributes of the creation – He knows but not like our knowing; He is able, but not like our ability; He sees but not like our seeing’.
It would have been more precise to have said ‘al-Mumathilah’ – see al-Munaathiratu fil ‘Aqeedatil Wasatiyyah (3/166 of Majmoo al-Fataawa) by Shaykh al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah.
[2] There is issue with its authenticity to Imaam Abu Haneefah. However, it is circulated among the people of his mathhab without objection or rejection.
See al-Fawaa’id al-Bahiyyah (p.68) of al-Luknowi and al-fatwa al-Hamawiyyatil Kubra (p. 321-322) and the footnote of its checker Hamd al-Tawayjiri.