''Tanzih'' ( ar, تنزيه) is an
Islamic religious concept meaning
transcendence
Transcendence, transcendent, or transcendental may refer to:
Mathematics
* Transcendental number, a number that is not the root of any polynomial with rational coefficients
* Algebraic element or transcendental element, an element of a field exten ...
.
In
Islamic theology
Schools of Islamic theology are various Islamic schools and branches in different schools of thought regarding '' ʿaqīdah'' (creed). The main schools of Islamic Theology include the Qadariyah, Falasifa, Jahmiyya, Murji'ah, Muʿtazila, Ba ...
, two opposite terms are attributed to
Allah
Allah (; ar, الله, translit=Allāh, ) is the common Arabic word for God. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from '' al- ilāh'', which means "the god", a ...
: ''tanzih'' and ''
tashbih
''Tashbih'' ( ar, تشبيه) is an Islamic religious concept meaning anthropomorphism, assimilating/comparing God to His creatures. In Islamic theology, two opposite terms are attributed to Allah, ''tashbih'' and ''tanzih'' ( transcendence).
H ...
''.
The latter means ''"nearness, closeness, accessibility".''
However, the fuller meaning of ''tanzih'' is 'declaring incomparability', i.e. affirming Allah's transcendence from humanity. This concept is eternally juxtaposed with Allah's ''tashbih'' (closeness, or 'affirming similarity').
The literal meaning of the word is "to declare something pure and free of something else". This definition affirms that Allah cannot be likened to anything: "Nothing is like Him." (Sura 42:11) and reinforces the fundamental, underlying Islamic belief in ''
tawhid''.
The Divine Names of Allah associated with ''tanzih'' are those that indicate distance, transcendence, awe and fear: King, Avenger, Knowing, Praiseworthy, Slayer, Strong, Abaser and Independent.
References
God in Islam
Islamic terminology
Islamic theology
{{islam-theology-stub