Seâdet-i Ebediyye Endless Bliss Second Fascicle

His names and attributes” seem very humiliating to me, the faqîr.
Being created, we have been valued, honoured. Nothing has
increased in Allâhu ta’âlâ. Such words are quite impertinent and
very loathsome. He declares: “I created genies and human beings
only so that they should worship Me.” This means to say that the
creation of genies and human beings is intended for them to know
Allâhu ta’âlâ; this is an honour, a fortune for them. It is not
intended for Him to gain something. Allâhu ta’âlâ declares in a
hadîth-i qudsî, [that is, through the Prophet’s blessed tongue,] “I
created everything to be known,” which means, “...so that they may
be honoured by knowing me.” It does not mean, “.....so that I may
be known and through their recognition reach perfection.” This
meaning is not worthy of Allâhu ta’âlâ.
Allâhu ta’âlâ does not have the attributes of imperfection or
the peculiarities and symptoms of creatures. He is not matter. He
is not a substance. He is free from place; [that is, He does not
occupy a place.] He is free from time; [as He does not have a place,
likewise He does not have time.] The attributes of perfection and
the indeficiencies only exist in Him. He has declared that He has
eight attributes of perfection, which are: Hayât (being alive), ’Ilm
(knowing), Qudrat (being powerful), Irâdat (will), Sem’ (hearing),
Basar (seeing), Kalâm (saying), Takwîn (creating). These
attributes of His exist separately from Himself. Their existence is
not in knowledge only. That is, they are not only said to exist
theoretically, but they exist separately and actually. As He Himself
exists, so these attributes of His exist separately. What those
sôfiyya-i aliyya who believe in wahdat-i wujûd suppose, and their
words, such as,
In mind and thought the attributes are separate;
But in reality they are all nothing but Himself,
mean is: to deny, to disbelieve the attributes. Of Muslims, the
Mu’tazila group, who deny the attributes, and of unbelievers, the
ancient philosophers say that though His attributes are theoretically
separate from Himself, only He exists in reality. [That is,] they do
not deny that His attributes are [theoretically] separate from
Himself. For example, they do not say that the meaning of the
attribute knowledge is the same as that of His own Self. Nor do they
say that His attributes Qudrat and Irâdat are the same in meaning.
But they say that their existences individually are one and the same.
Then, for safety from the denial of attributes, it is necessary to
believe that each one of them exists separately and actually. It is not
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