While he goes on to speak of God's attributes in positive terms this section does show why it has been suggested that Islam thrives on telling one what God is not rather than what he is. Al-Ashari, the famous Muslim theologian who deserted from the "free-thinking" Mutazilites and who was largely responsible for the demise of this rationalistic group in Islamic history, likewise gave a very negative description of Allah's nature in his Makalat al-Islamipin, part of which reads as follows:
He is no body, nor object, nor volume . . . no place encompasses Him, no time passes by Him. He cannot be described by any description which can be applied to creatures . . . Nothing of what occurs to any mind or can be conceived by phantasy resembles Him . . . Eyes do not see Him, sight does not reach Him ... no harm can touch Him, neither joy nor pleasure can reach Him, nor is He moved by hurt or pain. (Wensinck, The Muslim Creed, p.73).
In fact, of the forty-eight statements made about God in the whole creed, no less than forty-three are couched purely in negative terms. As the author of the book says, "This description of the Godhead ... is chiefly negative" (op. cit., p. 74). One might well ask, just what can we truly know about (,od if there is nothing in all that we see, heal or know that can assist us to comprehend his nature? A Muslim writer has this to say: |
