e wills the faith of the believer and
the piety of the religious. If He were to change His will there would
be neither a true believer nor a pious man. He willeth also the
unbelief of the unbeliever and the irreligion of the wicked and,
without that will, there would neither be unbelief nor irreligion. All
we do we do by His will: what He willeth not does not come to pass. If
one should ask why God does not will that all men should believe we
answer: "We have no right to enquire about what God wills and does. He
is perfectly free to will and to do what He pleases." In creating
unbelievers, in willing that they should remain in that state; in
making serpents, scorpions and pigs: in willing, in short, all that is
evil God has wise ends in view which it is not necessary that we should
know. We must acknowledge that the will of God is eternal and that it
is not posterior to His essence.

(5). Hearing. (Sama'). He hears all sounds whether low or loud. He
hears without an ear for His attributes are not like those of men.

(6). Seeing. (Basr). He sees all things, even the steps of a black ant
on a black stone in a dark night; yet He has no eye as men have.

(7). Speech. (Kalam). He speaks, but not with a tongue as men do. He
speaks to some of His servants without the intervention of another,
even as He spoke to Moses, and to Muhammad on the night of the
ascension to heaven. He speaks to others by the instrumentality of
Gabriel, and this is the usual way in which He communicates His will to
the prophets. It follows from this that the Quran is the word of God,
and is eternal and uncreated.

These are the "haft sifat," or seven attributes of God. There is unanimity
of opinion as to the number of attributes, but not as regards their nature
and the extent of the knowledge concerning them to which men can attain.
Thus some say that the knowledge of God is the first thing to acquire; but
Imam Shafa'i and the Mutazilites say that a man must first attain to the
_idea_ of the knowledge of God. The meaning of the expression "Knowledge of
God" is the ascertaining the truth of His existence, and of His positive
and privative attributes, as far as the human understanding can enter into
these matters. The unity is not a mere numerical unity but absolute, for
the number one is the first of a series and implies a second, but God has
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