What is the difference between al-Sitteer and al-Sattaar? Which of them is one of the names of Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted?.
Praise be to Allaah.
The names of Allaah are a
tawqeefi matter [i.e., they can only be known through divine Revelation and
sound texts of hadeeth, with no room for ijtihad], as is the view of Ahl
al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah, so He is not to be called by anything except that
by which he called Himself or that His Messenger (blessings and peace of
Allaah be upon him) called Him.
Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen (may
Allaah have mercy on him) said:
The names of Allaah are
tawqeefi and reason plays no role in knowing them. Based on that, we should
limit our sources concerning them to what is narrated in the Qur’aan and
Sunnah, and not add or subtract anything from that, because human reason
cannot work out the names that He deserves. So we must limit ourselves to
the divine texts and sound hadeeth with regard to that, because Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
“And follow not (O man,
i.e., say not, or do not, or witness not) that of which you have no
knowledge. Verily, the hearing, and the sight, and the heart of each of
those ones will be questioned (by Allaah)”
[al-Isra’ 17:35]
“Say (O Muhammad
صلى الله عليه وسلم): ‘(But) the things
that my Lord has indeed forbidden are Al‑Fawaahish (great evil sins and
every kind of unlawful sexual intercourse) whether committed openly or
secretly, sins (of all kinds), unrighteous oppression, joining partners (in
worship) with Allaah for which He has given no authority, and saying things
about Allaah of which you have no knowledge’”
[al-A’raaf 7:33]
Because calling Him by a name
which He has not called Himself by, or denying a name that He has called
Himself by, is a transgression against His rights. It is essential to
observe proper etiquette with regard to that and limit it to what is
mentioned in the text. End quote.
Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn
‘Uthaymeen,
3/275
Secondly:
The name al-Sattaar is not
proven -- as far as we know -- in the texts of the Qur’aan and Sunnah as one
of the names of Allaah, may He be exalted. Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez al-Raajihi
(may Allaah preserve him) was asked: Is al-Sattaar one of the beautiful
names of Allaah?
He replied: I do not know of
al-Sattaar being one of the names of Allaah, but one of the names of Allaah
is al-Sitteer, as it says in the hadeeth: “Allaah is Hayiy (so Kind that He
does not ignore the plea of the one who asks of Him), Sitteer (the One Who
conceals (people’s faults and mistakes)).” But as for the name al-Sattaar, I
do not know that it is one of the names of Allaah; rather it comes under the
heading of description: it may be said of Allaah that He is sattaar, and
description is broader than the names. End quote.
Quoting from the tape
Sharh al-Ibaanah al-Sughra li Ibn Battah.
With regard to the name
al-Sitteer, it was narrated by Abu Dawood (4012) that the Messenger of
Allaah (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah is
characterized by modesty and concealment, and He loves modesty and
concealment. When one of you washes himself, let him conceal himself.” It
was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may
Allaah have mercy on him) was asked in Liqa’ al-Baab al-Maftooh: Are
al-Muhyiy and al-Sitteer regarded as names of Allaah?
He replied: al-Muhyi is not
one of the names of Allaah; rather it refers to one of the actions of
Allaah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“It is He Who gives life
and causes death. And when He decides upon a thing He says to it only: ‘Be!’
___ and it is”
[Ghaafir 40:68]
So muhyiy is the participle
from the verb ahya (to give life), and it is one of His actions, not one of
His names.
With regard to the name
al-Sitteer, it is mentioned in a hadeeth, but its authenticity needs to be
examined. If it is saheeh, then it is one of the names of Allaah, because
the view of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah is that every name of Allaah that is
proven to be saheeh from the Messenger of Allaah is proven, i.e., it is
proven to be one of His names. End quote.
As for the difference between
al-Sitteer and al-Sattaar, both of them are indicative of extreme
concealment, and Allaah covers a great deal for His slaves.
And Allaah knows best.
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