The Origin of Divine Names and Attributes; an Evaluation of Wolfson's View

Theological and doctrinal topics have always been debated and much discussed, resulting in considerable verve and hilarity in the scientific sphere. Among these, the discussion on divine attributes is one of the most important and extensive discussions in the Islamic theology. Various views and positions have been presented in this regard, and different schools of thought have been formed. Among the important discussions in this regard is the question of why the Muslim thinkers have considered words such as 'Alīm, Qadīr, Hayy, etc. as God' attributes, while they have been used in Quran as God' name. This discussion arises from the following question: "Has the Islamic tradition and the transmitted sources of religion been formed through reflections and considerations by Muslim thinkers themselves, or was it informed by something outside the Islamic world?" In this regard, Harry Austryn Wolfson, the modern Islamologist, maintains that the discussion was adopted from Christian world, then introduced into Islamic world. The present research aims at an investigation of this claim and the related documents and evidences. The results show that his interpretation is wrong and the documents he presents are insufficient to prove his claims.