Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
An important principle in understanding the Names and Attributes of Allah is that the revealed texts came in the Arabic language understood by those addressed. Therefore, the same word may be used regarding Allah and regarding created beings, while the actual reality and meaning differ according to the one to whom it is attributed.
Thus, the fact that Allah and some of His creation share a name or description does not mean that they are alike or identical. The reality of an attribute differs according to its possessor.
Imam Ibn Khuzaymah رحمه الله explained that names may agree in wording while differing in reality and meaning. Allah is called Light, and some created things may also be described as light, but this does not mean that the light of the Creator resembles the light of His creation.
Likewise, Allah called some of His creation guides, and He called Himself the Guide, as He says:
﴿You are only a warner, and for every people there is a guide﴾ [Al-Ra'd: 7].
Allah also called Himself the Inheritor, saying:
﴿And You are the Best of Inheritors﴾ [Al-Mu'minun: 11],
while He described some of His servants as inheritors:
﴿And upon the heir is a responsibility similar to that﴾ [Al-Baqarah: 233].
Likewise, Allah called Himself Living, saying:
﴿Allah—there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of all﴾ [Al-Baqarah: 255],
and He described some of His creation as living:
﴿He brings the living out of the dead and brings the dead out of the living﴾ [Al-An'am: 95].
Yet Allah’s life cannot be like the life of created beings, nor can His guidance be like their guidance, nor His inheritance like their inheritance.
This principle was also explained by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله: Allah and His creation share the basic meaning of existence, but that does not mean that the existence of the Creator is like the existence of the created.
The comprehensive principle is Allah’s saying:
﴿There is nothing whatsoever like Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing﴾ [Al-Shura: 11].
Therefore, whatever Names and Attributes are affirmed for Allah are affirmed in a manner befitting His majesty and perfection, without understanding them as resembling the attributes of created beings.
Allah says:
﴿So blessed is Allah, the Best of Creators﴾ [Al-Mu'minun: 14].
And He says:
﴿Do you call upon Baal and abandon the Best of Creators?﴾ [Al-Saffat: 125].
Scholars have mentioned several explanations for the word “creators.”
In Arabic, the word khalq may carry the meaning of making, estimating, shaping, or fashioning. The intended meaning here is not creation in the sense of bringing something into existence from nothing, because that is exclusive to Allah.
Mujahid رحمه الله explained the verse by saying:
“They make, and Allah makes; and Allah is the best of makers.”
Imam al-Tabari رحمه الله considered the intended meaning of “creators” here to be makers, because Arabs may call a person who fashions or makes something a khaliq in this linguistic sense.
He supported this with the verse of the poet Zuhayr:
“You execute what you have fashioned,
while some people fashion but cannot execute.”
Meaning: you estimate and plan something and then successfully carry it out, whereas another person may plan something but be unable to complete it.
Al-Qurtubi رحمه الله explained “the Best of Creators” as meaning the most perfect of makers, and clarified that the term khalq may be used for human beings in the sense of making, whereas creation in the sense of originating and bringing something into existence from nothing belongs exclusively to Allah.
Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله stated that when the word Creator (al-Khaliq) is used absolutely and without qualification, it refers to Allah. When it is used in a restricted sense, a servant may be described with it in relation to estimation and making, as in:
﴿So blessed is Allah, the Best of Creators﴾.
As for Al-Bari', it refers to the One who brought creation into existence after it did not exist, and this is among Allah’s unique attributes.
The verse does not establish a creator who shares with Allah in true creation, meaning bringing something into existence from nothing.
Allah alone is truly the Creator of everything. He says:
﴿Allah is the Creator of all things﴾ [Al-Zumar: 62].
As for what is attributed to created beings as “creation,” it is not the absolute creation exclusive to Allah. Rather, it refers to making, estimating, or transforming an existing thing from one state into another, within the limited scope of human ability.
For this reason, Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymin رحمه الله explained that references to creation by other than Allah, such as Allah’s saying:
﴿So blessed is Allah, the Best of Creators﴾
and the Prophet’s ﷺ statement to image-makers:
“They will be told: Bring to life what you have created.”
do not mean true creation in the sense of bringing something into existence from nothing. Rather, they refer to transforming something from one state into another, and even that is limited to what human beings are capable of doing.
Thus, there is no contradiction between this wording and affirming Allah’s exclusive lordship over creation.
The plural form is used because the Arabs may use the word creator (khaliq) for someone who makes or estimates something, as explained above.
The meaning is not that there are creators who share with Allah in bringing the universe into existence from nothing. Rather, there are people who make and estimate certain limited things, while Allah is the best and greatest of them in making and determining.
Indeed, He is the true Creator who brought things into existence from nothing, and He has no partner in that.
Therefore, the plural form “creators” does not imply that those described by this word are partners with Allah in the unique attribute of creation.
Once the distinction between creation in the sense of bringing something into existence from nothing and creation in the sense of making, estimating, and transforming is understood, the issue becomes clear.
Allah’s saying:
﴿So blessed is Allah, the Best of Creators﴾
does not mean that anyone creates as Allah creates, nor that anyone resembles Him in His attributes or actions.
And His saying:
﴿And there is none comparable to Him﴾
denies from Allah every equal, counterpart, or likeness.
This is precisely the meaning affirmed in Surat al-Ikhlas:
﴿Say: He is Allah, One. Allah, the Self-Sufficient. He neither begets nor is born. And there is none comparable to Him.﴾
Allah has no likeness, equal, rival, or counterpart among His creation, and no one shares with Him the unique characteristics of His Lordship and Divinity.
Describing Allah as “the Best of Creators” does not mean that there is another creator who shares with Him in true creation. Rather, the word “creators” in this context refers to makers and those who estimate or fashion things, according to Arabic usage.
Allah, however, is the true Creator, the One who brought creation into existence from nothing, and He has no partner in this.
Likewise, the fact that Creator and created beings may share certain words does not mean that they share the same reality. Allah’s Names and Attributes befit His perfection and majesty, while the qualities of created beings befit their weakness and limitations.
Allah says:
﴿There is nothing whatsoever like Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing﴾.
Therefore, there is no contradiction between:
﴿the Best of Creators﴾
and:
﴿And there is none comparable to Him﴾.
Rather, each verse affirms an aspect of Allah’s perfection and uniqueness.
And Allah knows best.