[عقيل الهندي]

14 – It was not after His creation of the creation that He deserved the name the Creator, nor after bringing about all that exists that He deserved the name the Originator.

The Imaam ‘Uthmaan bin S’ad ad-Daarimi said in ‘The Rebuttal of Bishr al-Mareesee’, p.9, ‘And Allaah, may His name be sanctified, all His names are equal – He was always as such and will remain as such. No attribute of His has come about, nor any name of His [has come about] having not had it. He was al-Khaaliq [the creator] before the creation; ar-Razzaaq [the Provider] before providing; knowledgeable before there were things to know; Hearing before the sounds of the creation were audible and Seeing before seeing created individuals.’
And the respected Shaykh Ahmad bin S’ad al-Ghaamidee said in at-Ta’leeqaat al-Jaliyyah, pp. 24-25, ‘This is affirmation that from the names of Allaah are al-Khaaliq and al-Baari, and that He had them before He created the creation.
And it should not be thought that Allaah never created before and then did so. The creation of Allaah cannot find a beginning for them, despite the belief that every created being has a beginning and end. What is being discussed are the actions of Allaah.’
Shaykh ‘Ali al-Halabi: How can the latter part of this statement be reconciled with the issue of the first created being and the people of knowledge’s difference with regards to it (was it the Throne or the Pen?), as will appear under point 47 if Allaah so wills. And the understanding that is in conformity is that the intent here is the created beings of this world.
And, in order to hasten benefit, I quote some speech of the Imaam Ibn Abil-‘Izz al-Hanafee in his explanation, p. 133, as a guide to the heart of the matter, ‘Before asserting that the things that have come about have a beginning, distortion is necessary – that Allaah was not doing the action and then was.
And this does not necessitate the [complete] oldness of the world – as everything except Allaah is newly-created and had the potential of being present with Allaah’s making of it. It has nothing from itself except need and want – descriptions for everything other than Allaah.
See Majmoo al-Fataawa (vol. 18, p. 213 and after).
Al-allaamah Ibn ‘Isa reported in his explanation of an-Nooniyyah on the authority of Sayf ad-Deen as-Sa’oodi al-Hanafi [Who died in 736AH and has a biography in ad-Durara al-Kaaminah (1/492), in that which as-Sakhaawi reported on him in al-Qawl al-Mubni fi tarjamati Ibn il-Arabi that he quoted these lines from at-Tahhaawi and then commented, ‘This is a criteria of the belief of the Muslims – its meaning, the intent behind it and wording fly in the face of the saying of the accursed author of al-Fusoos.’
By whom he means Ibn ‘Arabi the Soofee.
See the explanation of an-Nooniyyah (1/348-349), as he quotes from at-Tahhaawi often.