Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Allah, Exalted is He, should not be described as “good” or “righteous,” because these descriptions have not been established in the revealed texts. It is not sufficient for a person to believe that a particular expression has a good meaning in order to use it when describing Allah.
The attributes of Allah are tawqīfiyyah—that is, their affirmation depends upon textual evidence. All of His attributes are attributes of perfection and contain no deficiency.
There is sufficient guidance in the established descriptions, such as the Magnificent, the Generous, the Merciful, the Good/Pure, and the Most Holy.
Allah, Exalted is He, is described by the most exalted attributes. They are the most perfect and finest attributes, and they contain no deficiency whatsoever.
Allah says:
“And to Him belongs the highest description in the heavens and the earth, and He is the Almighty, the All-Wise.” [Ar-Rūm 30:27]
Ibn Al-Jawzī said in his commentary on this verse: “The exegetes said: meaning, He has the highest attribute.”
See: Zād Al-Masīr (3/421).
Ash-Shawkānī quoted Al-Khalīl as explaining that al-mathal here means “attribute,” meaning: Allah has the most sublime description in the heavens and the earth.
See: Fatḥ Al-Qadīr (4/314).
Therefore, not every word used to praise human beings is necessarily suitable for describing Allah. What is required regarding Him is absolute perfection that can never be accompanied by deficiency—not merely a meaning that the speaker personally considers praiseworthy.
The attributes of Allah are tawqīfiyyah. This means that affirming an attribute depends upon evidence. We therefore describe Him only with what He has described Himself with in His Book, or what His Messenger ﷺ described Him with.
A person may think that a particular description constitutes praise, while in reality it may carry a deficiency from some perspective. For this reason, the fatwa explains that Allah is described as having wisdom, but He is not described as having intellect; He is described as possessing knowledge, but He is not described merely as possessing acquaintance/knowledge (“maʿrifah”).
Al-Mardāwī transmitted that Allah should not be described as “knowing” (ʿārif) because maʿrifah can refer to knowledge acquired after previously being unaware, whereas Allah’s knowledge encompasses all things in their true realities. He also transmitted from Ibn Ḥamdān a report of consensus that Allah’s knowledge is not called maʿrifah.
See: At-Taḥbīr (1/237).
The point of this example is that similarities between words in ordinary usage do not make them equivalent when speaking about Allah. Each expression has its own implications, and an established description should not be replaced with another expression merely because their apparent meanings seem similar.
A person may intend to praise Allah when saying, “Allah is good” or “Allah is righteous.” However, a good intention is not sufficient to establish a description that has not been transmitted in the revealed texts.
The fatwa also points out the concern that such expressions may involve a lack of proper reverence, because they are ordinary expressions commonly used to describe people, their circumstances, and their actions. They are not among the expressions traditionally used by believers when praising their Lord.
Thus, the issue involves both the absence of textual evidence for these descriptions and what may be suggested by using ordinary human expressions that do not convey the level of exaltation appropriate for Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He.
The fatwa cites the etiquette that Allah taught believers regarding their address to His Messenger ﷺ. Allah says:
“Do not make the calling of the Messenger among you like your calling one another.” [An-Nūr 24:63]
Ibn Kathīr transmitted from several exegetes that one meaning of the verse is to honor the Prophet ﷺ when addressing him. Thus, one should say “O Messenger of Allah” or “O Prophet of Allah,” rather than addressing him in the same way people address one another.
See: Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr (6/88–89).
As-Saʿdī also explained this meaning, stating that the honor and virtue of the Prophet ﷺ require proper etiquette when addressing him.
See: Tafsīr As-Saʿdī, p. 576.
The relevance of this evidence is that careful attention to words of reverence is required. If Muslims were commanded to observe such etiquette when addressing the Messenger ﷺ, then honoring Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, and being careful about what is said concerning Him is even more deserving of attention.
Whoever wishes to praise Allah should use the established Names and Attributes, saying, for example:
Allah, the Magnificent; the Generous; the Merciful; the Good/Pure; the Most Holy.
These established expressions convey praise and exaltation and make it unnecessary to use “good,” “righteous,” or other descriptions that have not been established as descriptions of Allah.
A meaning being considered good by the speaker is not sufficient to establish an attribute for Allah.
Therefore, the fatwa does not permit describing Allah as “good” or “righteous,” because these descriptions have not been established in the revealed texts. Instead, it directs us to praise Him using the established Names and Attributes that befit His perfection and majesty.
And Allah knows best.