Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
It is permissible to use the expression “Allah gave attention to such-and-such” as a form of reporting about Allah, provided that what is meant by “attention” is its customary meaning, namely: caring for a matter, giving it importance, and highlighting its significance, and provided that this meaning is established by the texts.
This does not mean that “attention” is being affirmed as an independent Attribute of Allah, nor that a Divine Name is derived from it.
However, if the wording suggests a meaning of deficiency, or if special care is attributed to Allah regarding something without evidence, then such usage is not correct.
It is important to distinguish between three categories: Allah’s Names, His Attributes, and statements made about Him.
Allah’s Names are tawqifi, meaning that He may only be named with what has been established in the Quran or Sunnah.
Allah Almighty says:
“To Allah belong the Most Beautiful Names, so call upon Him by them.”
[Al-A‘raf: 180]
Therefore, it is not correct to derive a Name for Allah from every action or correct meaning. For example, we cannot say that “Al-Muhtamm” (The One Who Gives Attention) is one of Allah’s Names, because this wording has not been established.
Likewise, the category of Attributes depends on what Allah has affirmed for Himself or what His Messenger ﷺ affirmed for Him, in a manner befitting Allah, without distortion, denial, asking how, or likening Him to creation.
As for statements made about Allah, this category is broader than the categories of Names and Attributes.
It is permissible to speak about Allah using words that have a correct meaning even if they have not been revealed as formal Names or Attributes, so long as they do not contain deficiency or a false meaning.
For this reason, scholars mentioned that it is permissible to speak of Allah as existing or as having an Essence, even though, for example, “The Existing” is not thereby established as one of His Most Beautiful Names.
Ibn Taymiyyah distinguished between supplication and reporting. He explained that Allah is only invoked by His Most Beautiful Names, whereas the expressions by which one may speak about Him are broader, provided that the wording does not contain an objectionable meaning.
Accordingly, not every expression that may validly be used when speaking about Allah becomes one of His Names or Attributes.
In contemporary Arabic usage, the word “attention” usually means taking care of something, giving it importance, and emphasizing it.
Thus, when someone says: “The Quran gave attention to this issue” or “Islamic law gave attention to this matter,” he normally does not mean worry or sorrow. Rather, he means that the matter received care and emphasis.
According to this customary meaning, the fatwa states that there is no harm in speaking about Allah using this expression if the intended meaning is clear and correct.
For example, one may say:
“Allah gave attention to mentioning Musa, peace be upon him, and his story with the Children of Israel,”
if what is meant is that the Quran gave considerable attention to his story, repeated it, and explained the lessons contained in it.
The permissibility of the expression does not necessarily mean that we should say “attention” is one of Allah’s Attributes or that “Al-Muhtamm” is one of His Most Beautiful Names.
The principle here is:
Whatever is authentically established as a Name of Allah indicates an Attribute and may be used in speaking about Him. Whatever is established as an Attribute may also be used in speaking about Him. However, not everything that may permissibly be said about Allah becomes a Name or an Attribute of His.
Therefore, one should distinguish between saying in an ordinary linguistic context:
“Allah gave attention to clarifying this matter,”
and making a theological statement such as:
“Attention is one of Allah’s Attributes.”
The first may be permissible as a form of reporting, depending on its meaning and context. The second requires evidence from revelation.
The linguistic root of the word can sometimes be associated with worry or concern, but this is not what is intended when the word is used in the sense of taking care of something.
Therefore, consideration should be given to the meaning that people understand from the expression.
If, in a particular context, the wording would be understood to imply deficiency, anxiety, or worry, then it is better to avoid it, because Allah, Glorified be He, is exalted above all attributes of deficiency.
However, if the clear customary meaning is care and highlighting the importance of something, then this is the meaning that the fatwa permitted when speaking about Allah.
According to the fatwa, merely mentioning something in the Quran is not sufficient evidence that Allah granted it special care or attention.
The mention of a country, person, or place may simply be part of the context of a story or legal ruling, and this alone does not prove that it possesses a special rank.
For this reason, the fatwa objected to the expression:
“Allah gave special attention to Egypt because He mentioned it in the Quran,”
because the mere mention of Egypt in the stories of Yusuf and Musa, peace be upon them, is not sufficient to establish that it was given special care in this sense.
Therefore, the actual content of the statement itself must be established by evidence. One should not infer special care merely from the occurrence of a name in the text.
Although “gave attention” is permissible with the meaning explained above, clearer expressions that are less open to misunderstanding may be used, such as:
“The Quran gave special care to explaining this issue,”
or:
“The revealed texts gave particular attention to this matter,”
or:
“Allah repeatedly mentioned this matter in the Quran in order to show its importance,”
provided that this is actually established.
These expressions are clearer and do not carry the possible connotation of worry or anxiety.
It is permissible to say “Allah gave attention to such-and-such” if what is intended is the correct customary meaning: care for the matter and highlighting its importance, and if there is evidence indicating such care.
This falls under the category of speaking about Allah and does not establish a Divine Name such as “Al-Muhtamm” or an independent Attribute called “attention.”
However, using the expression in a way that implies worry or anxiety is not permissible regarding Allah. Nor is it correct to claim that Allah granted something special care without evidence.
Where there is a possibility of misunderstanding, it is better to use clearer expressions, such as:
“Islamic law gave care to this matter,”
or:
“The Quran gave particular attention to explaining it.”
And Allah knows best.