General Beliefs
By Ayatullah Jafar Sobhani

(Continued)
Informative (khabari) Attributes

What has thus far been addressed in regard to the divine attributes (except for that of speech) pertains to the type of attribute that can be evaluated by means of intellectual affirmation or negation in regard to God. But there is another group of attributes mentioned in the Qur'an and Hadith that cannot be understood any other way than by means of traditional, transmitted knowledge (naql). For example:

1. The Hand of God:
Truly, those who swear allegiance unto thee [0 Prophet], swear allegiance only unto God. The Hand of God is above their hands. (Suraal-Fath, XLVIII:10)

2. The Face of God:
Unto God belong the east and the west, and wherever ye turn, there is the Face of God. (Sura al-Baqara, II: 115)

3. The Eye of God:
Build the ship under Our Eyes and by Our inspiration. (Sura Hud, XI:37)

4. God being 'established' (istiwa) on the Throne:
The Beneficent One, Who is established on the Throne. (Sura Ta Ha, XX: 5)
The reason for calling these attributes khabari (pertaining to information) is that it is only traditional, transmitted knowledge that can provide us with information regarding these attributes. It is important to remind ourselves that the intellect, or human wisdom, cannot interpret these attributes according to their conventional meanings, for this would lead to conceiving of God as 'embodied' (tajsim), and therefore similar to us (tashbih)'. Intellectual and transmitted knowledge alike warn us against these misconceptions. Thus, we must keep firmly in mind all of the Qur'anic verses on this subject if we are to obtain a true explanation of these attributes. We must also remember that the Arabic language, like many others, is rich in metaphors and symbolic allusions, and the Holy Qur'an, which employs the language of the Arabs, makes ample use of this mode of discourse. This having been understood, we can proceed with an explanation of these attributes.

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