What is meant by "mukhalafat al-hawadith" (dissimilarity to created things), which is one of the obligatory attributes of Allah?
The People of Sunnah and Community affirm for Allah the attributes with which He described Himself, such as the Hand, Power, Hearing, and Sight, without distortion, allegorical interpretation, resemblance, denial, or anthropomorphism. They believe in their apparent meaning without delving into their modalities. They base this on the Almighty's saying: "There is nothing like Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing," and the saying of Imam Malik regarding the istiwa (establishment above the Throne): "The istiwa is known, its modality is unknown, belief in it is obligatory, and questioning about it is an innovation." Thus, Allah does not resemble His creation, nor does anyone among them resemble Him, and the difference in modality signifies Allah's distinctness from created beings, not a negation of His attributes.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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