A MAJOR WORK OF ISLAMIC THEOLOGY
The Attributes of God
A Translation of Dafʿ Shubah al-Tashbīh bi-Akaff al-Tanzīh by Imam Ibn al-Jawzi
Attributes of God presents the first modern English translation of Imam Ibn al-Jawzi’s celebrated theological work Dafʿ Shubah al-Tashbīh bi-Akaff al-Tanzīh, a powerful defense of the Sunni principle that God is utterly unlike His creation. This scholarly edition brings together the translation of Dr. Abdullah bin Hamid Ali, an introduction by Dr. Khalid Yahya Blankinship, a biography by Shaykh Gibril Fouad Haddad, and classical commentary by Shaykh Muhammad Zahid al-Kawthari. Together, these contributions offer readers a rich exploration of one of the most important debates in Islamic theology.
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Scholarly Contributors
Dr. Abdullah bin Hamid Ali
Translator
Shaykh Gibril Fouad Haddad
Biography
Dr. Khalid Yahya Blankinship
Introduction
Shaykh Muhammad Zahid al-Kawthari
Classical Commentary
About the Work
Dafʿ Shubah al-Tashbīh bi-Akuff al-Tanzīh by Imam Ibn al-Jawzi is one of the most important classical works written in defense of the Sunni doctrine of divine transcendence. In this work, Ibn al-Jawzi addresses misunderstandings about the Qurʾānic verses and prophetic reports that describe the divine attributes. His aim is to safeguard the central Islamic belief that God is utterly unlike His creation while remaining faithful to the language of revelation.
Writing in the sixth century of Islam, Ibn al-Jawzi confronted theological trends that interpreted certain texts in ways that risked attributing human qualities to God. With careful scholarship and deep respect for the early Sunni tradition, he clarifies the proper approach to these texts, emphasizing the principle of tanzīh—affirming God’s absolute transcendence and incomparability.
This edition presents the first modern English translation of Ibn al-Jawzi’s celebrated treatise. Through the translation of Dr. Abdullah bin Hamid Ali, together with scholarly contributions from leading contemporary scholars, readers are given access to a work that has long played a vital role in the intellectual defense of Sunni theology. At a time when questions about the interpretation of sacred texts remain as relevant as ever, this translation helps make an important classical voice accessible to a new generation of students and readers.
Explore this important classical defense of Sunni theology.
Purchase The Attributes of God today.
Praise for the Work
“A valuable contribution that will help bring about some clarity for the Muslim community.”
— Imam Zaid Shakir
“The Attributes of God says as much about humankind as the Divine…”
— Bruce B. Lawrence, Duke University
“…an excellent translation exposing to the English reader a major work of Islamic intellectual history and discourse. Yet this work resonates beyond the historical limits of its origins, and takes its rightful place within the present discursive landscape. Indeed, this text represents a major intervention in the literature, making it not only relevant today, but crucial to American Muslim scholarly and public discourse.”
— Amir Al-Islam
Distinguished Lecturer of African American History and World Civilization
Medgar Evers College, Brooklyn, New York
