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The question

Does God's wrath contradict the attributes of perfection and constancy, and is it permissible to ponder that?

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Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · imported Sep 2, 20262 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

Muslims are unanimous that Allah Almighty is characterized by the utmost perfection and free from all deficiencies, and that the perfection affirmed for Him is the maximum possible state of perfection, as Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said: "Perfection is affirmed for Allah; rather, what is affirmed for Him is the maximum possible state of perfection." Perfection does not lie in Allah always being angry with those He loves and dislikes, or in Him becoming angry when both disobedience and obedience exist. This is a deficiency from which the Lord of the worlds is far removed, for a good deed is not equal to a bad deed in His sight, as stated in His verse: (Or should We treat those who believe and do righteous deeds like corrupters in the land? Or should We treat the righteous like the wicked?) [Saad/28]. Nor can it be said that this is a "change," because this is a general term that has led to the negation of many of His attributes, and scholars have condemned the indiscriminate use of newly invented, general terms before seeking clarification. The principle of the Ahlus- regarding the attributes of Allah Almighty is: "Affirming what Allah has affirmed for Himself in His Book, or what His Messenger (peace be upon him) has affirmed for Him, without distortion or denial, and without seeking to define its modality or likening it." And "negating what Allah has negated about Himself in His Book, or what His Messenger (peace be upon him) has negated about Him, while believing in the affirmation of the perfection of its opposite for Allah Almighty." The texts have indicated that Allah becomes angry and pleased, and that He becomes angrier than He is pleased, as He said: (But whoever kills a believer intentionally - his recompense is Hell, wherein he will abide eternally, and Allah has become angry with him and has cursed him and has prepared for him a great punishment.) [An-Nisa/93]. It is obligatory to affirm what Allah Almighty has affirmed for Himself or what His Messenger (peace be upon him) has affirmed for Him, and to follow the path of the righteous predecessors.

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Where this answer came from
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Ftawy
Original fatwa ID
29325
Imported
Translation status
Source text, unreviewed
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