[Jaysh]

"And to Allah belong the Most Beautiful Names, so invoke Him by them. And leave [the company of] those who practice deviation [ilhad] concerning His Names. They will be recompensed for what they have been doing." [Quran, 7:180]

[Rida]

Here are some wellknown tafsirs on the verse

Tafsir-e-jalalayn:
And to God belong the, ninety nine, Most Beautiful Names — mentioned in hadīth — (al-husnā is the feminine for al-ahsan) so invoke, name, Him by them, and leave those who blaspheme His Names (yulhidūn, ‘they blaspheme’, from [fourth form] alhada or [first form] lahada, meaning ‘those who incline away from the truth’), by deriving from them names for their gods, as in the case of al-Lāt, from Allāh (‘God’), al-‘Uzzā, from al-‘Azīz (‘Mighty’), and Manāt, from al-Mannān (‘Lord of Favours’). They will be requited, in the Hereafter, the requital, for what they did — this was [revealed] before the command to fight [them].

Tafsir of Ibn Abbas:
(Allah's are the fairest names) the loftiest attributes: knowledge, power, hearing, sight, and the like. (Invoke Him by them) recite by them. (And leave the company of those who blaspheme His names) those who deny His names and attributes; and according to a different reading this means: those who are disinclined to acknowledge His names; and it is also said that this means: those who liken His names to al-Lat, al-'Uzza, and Manat. (They will be requited) in the Hereafter for (what they do) and say in the life of this world.

Tafsir of Ibn Katheer on the statement:
[وَذَرُواْ الَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِى أَسْمَـئِهِ]
(and leave the company of those who belie His Names) "They derived Al-Lat (an idol's name) from Allah, and Al-`Uzza (another idol) from Al-`Aziz (the All-Mighty).'' Qatadah stated that Ilhad refers to associating others with Allah in His Names (such as calling an idol Al-`Uzza). The word Ilhad [used in the Ayah in another from] means deviation, wickedness, injustice and straying. The hole in the grave is called Lahd, because it is a hole within a hole, that is turned towards the Qiblah (the direction of the prayer).




Wassalaam

[ibnIslam]

Originally Posted by Jaysh

"And to Allah belong the Most Beautiful Names, so invoke Him by them. And leave [the company of] those who practice deviation [ilhad] concerning His Names. They will be recompensed for what they have been doing." [Quran, 7:180]

Here are some easy quick rules for us lay people when it comes to Allah's Names and Attributes.

1. All of Allah’s Names are of Majesty and Perfection
   There's no deficiency whatsoever in them, and whoever doesn't have them doesn't deserve to be worshipped.
   
   
2. All of Allah’s Names and Attributes are taken from the Sacred Texts, unlike descriptions
   We cannot give Him a name that's not in the Quran or authentic Sunnah. But when it comes to pure facts about Him, there's more leeway (i.e. Saying Allah exists)
   
   
3. Allah’s Names and Attributes are Unlimited in Number
   It is not just 99 Names. There are some that we don't know.
   
   
4. Affirm the Attributes of Allah Without Likeness, and Negate Without Denial
   Don't ask how they are, don't assume they are like our attributes, don't twist the meaning, and don't block the meaning either. The word "Yad" is not Alif Laam Meem because the first means "hand" in Arabic, and A-L-M has no meaning in the language.
   
   
5. Linguistic Meaning of Attributes is Understood, Not How They Are
   Allah speaks most eloquently, with words that have meanings in the Arabic language. We understand their concepts, but not exactly how it is for Allah. Imam Maalik's saying: _________ is not unknown, the how is incomprehensible, belief in it is a must, and asking questions about it is innovation (even if you don't think it's obligatory to ask them ). You can put any attribute of Allah (Hands, Eyes, Face, Laughter, Anger, Descent to the lowest Heaven, etc.) in that blank, even though Imam Malik was talking about Allah rising over His Throne.
   
   
6. Detailed Affirmation and Concise Negation
   In the Quran, Allah either confirms things about Himself or denies them, and denying something means affirming the opposite, because denying by itself isn't praise for Allah. Allah affirms more than He negates.
   
   
7. Silence Regarding Words Not Affirmed or Negated
   If a word is not found in the Quran or Sunnah, it is examined, and if the meaning is incorrect, it is rejected. If the meaning can be good or bad, we do not use it. And if the meaning is correct, then it is accepted but only as a description, not an attribute of Allah.
   
   
8. Attribution Conveys Specification
   Three kinds of possession in Arabic language:
   Attributing a characteristic to the owner --> Allah's Two Hands
   Attributing an object to the owner --> Allah's Book
   Attributing a verb/action to the owner --> Allah's Coming on the Day of Judgment
   
   The Sunnis are the only group who believe in all three for Allah.
   
   
9. Every Mu’attil(Denier) is a Mujassim (Anthropomorphist) and every Mujassim is a Mu’attil
   The Denier first gives the word an anthropomorphic meaning and then denies Allah's attributes because of that meaning. For example, he will say "A hand is a human organ that has skin flesh and blood in it, therefore Allah cannot have a hand."
   
   There were groups in the past who really did say that Allah has a human body and is just like us, that He is sitting on a throne being carried by 8 angels flying around the sky, another such lies. They were the real anthropomorphists. They denied the true meaning of these attributes because they did not give Allah the attributes He deserves.

[ibnIslam]

What it means to do Ilhaad in Allah's Names and Attributes:

• To reject Allah’s Names or some of them
• To derive names for Allah that do not befit him, such as “Father.”
  
• To deny (ta`til) or distort their meanings (tahrif, ta’wil), or claim they have no meaning (tafwid).
  
• To consider them to be like human attributes (tajsim, tamthil, tashbih).
  
• To name idols or other beings with the names of Allah or their derivatives, such as al-`Uzza from al-`Aziz, al-Manat from al-Mannan, etc.