“The Incomprehensible Deity You Can Describe in Detail”
How Islam’s Theology of Mystery Collapses Under Its Own Attributes
“No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision.” — Qur’an 6:103
“There is nothing like unto Him.” — Qur’an 42:11
Islam proclaims that Allah is utterly beyond human comprehension. No mind can contain Him, no eye can see Him, and no comparison can be made. And yet — in the very same breath — Islamic doctrine provides an exhaustive catalog of His qualities: He has a face, hands, eyes, anger, mercy, love, a foot, a throne, and more.
This is not divine mystery. This is contradiction dressed in reverence.
1️⃣ The Claim: Allah Is Unknowable
According to Islamic scripture and creed:
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Allah’s essence is beyond human comprehension.
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He does not resemble creation in any way.
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Human faculties are incapable of grasping or even conceiving of Him.
So far, this aligns with what many religions describe as apophatic theology — the idea that God is best understood through what He is not.
But Islam doesn’t stop there.
2️⃣ The Contradiction: But Here Are His Hands, Eyes, and Emotions
Despite declaring Allah incomprehensible, the Qur’an and Hadith attribute to Him:
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A face (Qur’an 55:27)
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Two hands (Qur’an 38:75)
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Eyes (Qur’an 20:39)
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A foot (Sahih Bukhari 97:24)
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Anger, love, deception, mockery, and more
Muslims are taught to affirm these literally (per Salafi and Athari theology) — but “not like human attributes.”
So Allah has a hand. But not a hand?
That’s not explanation. That’s intellectual fog.
3️⃣ The Failed Workaround: Essence vs Attributes
To salvage this tension, theologians introduced a distinction:
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Zāt (Essence) = unknowable
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Ṣifāt (Attributes) = knowable actions and qualities
But this collapses under scrutiny.
If His essence is truly beyond understanding, how can you meaningfully speak of His attributes?
If you don’t know what mercy, knowledge, or power mean in relation to His essence, then you’re just uttering labels without content.
It’s like saying, “We know nothing about the engine — but we know exactly what it can do.”
4️⃣ Literalism vs Metaphor: Neither Path Escapes the Trap
Literalists say:
“He has a hand — but unlike anything you can imagine.”
So, it’s a non-hand hand?
Metaphorists say:
“These are figurative — not meant to be taken literally.”
But metaphor requires analogy. And the Qur’an forbids comparing anything to Allah.
You cannot reject all comparisons — then use comparisons to explain Him.
That’s a logic loop with no exit.
5️⃣ The Real Strategy: Describe When Convenient, Conceal When Pressed
Islamic theology shifts gears whenever challenged:
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Describes Allah in detail when asserting power, issuing threats, or commanding obedience.
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Retreats into mystery when faced with philosophical or logical contradictions.
This is doctrinal sleight of hand:
“Allah is totally beyond human comprehension —
...but here’s exactly what He thinks, feels, wants, and does.”
That’s not reverent theology. That’s theological opportunism.
⚖️ Final Verdict: The Unknowable God You’re Expected to Know Intimately
Islam insists that Allah cannot be compared to anything.
But then compares Him to everything — metaphorically, anthropomorphically, emotionally, and relationally.
It wants mystery when it suits uncertainty.
It wants specificity when it asserts control.
That’s not transcendence. That’s the inconsistency of man-made theology.
If Allah is beyond comprehension, then describing Him is a contradiction.
If He can be described, then He is not beyond comprehension.
But you can’t have both without collapsing under the weight of your own claims.
Postscript for the Reader:
You’re not doubting God when you notice contradictions. You’re doubting the coherence of a system that claims to describe the indescribable with such precision it codifies it into law — and then calls it unknowable.
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