Does saying that angels do not eat or drink constitute likening them to Allah Almighty?

The Holy Quran indicated that angels do not eat or drink, as in the story of Abraham's guests (peace be upon him). Scholars have agreed on this, including Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, Ibn Kathir, Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, and Ibn Taymiyyah, all emphasizing that angels do not have an inclination for eating or drinking; rather, they are self-sufficient.

The statement that angels do not eat or drink is not considered an anthropomorphic comparison to Allah Almighty for several reasons:

1. The angels' independence from food and drink is a created, permissible independence that does not resemble Allah's absolute richness. 2. Many inanimate objects do not need food or drink, and this is not considered a comparison to Allah. 3. Negating similarity to Allah in His saying: (There is nothing like unto Him) does not mean negating every shared mental aspect in the essence of some attributes. The Creator and the created may agree on some names and attributes without similarity. Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing, and humans are all-hearing, all-seeing, but the attributes differ in reality and modality.