about it with the names that God has given to Himself. Thus, his opinion on attributes is based on three considerations: a. Belief in God's perfection of attributes. b. Refusal to delve into the manner of this attribution. c. Expressing this with God's names as a form of suspension.

It appears that this opinion is closest to the view of Ibn Hazm al-Zahiri, who invalidates the absolute use of the word "attributes" in relation to God Almighty. He states that it is obligatory to adhere only to the use of names, and that our Lord Almighty should not be named except by what He named Himself, nor should He be described except by what He described Himself. For example, God Almighty described Himself as All-Hearing, All-Seeing. He did not say, "He is the essence of hearing and seeing." If one were to say that God has the attribute of hearing and seeing, it would be speaking about God without knowledge.

So, was the Mahdi influenced in his stance on attributes by the views of Ibn Hazm? It seems that this is what happened, as the similarity between the views of the two men appears in several places.

Monotheism: The status and importance of monotheism: The reality of monotheism is the foundation of the Mahdi's creed, just as it is the foundation of his revolutionary movement. He even came to call monotheism the entirety of the correct creed as he envisioned and called for it. He began to call his followers and those who joined him "Muwaḥḥidūn" (monotheists). This designation then extended to the state that was established on the basis of his teachings, which came to be known as the Muwaḥḥidī state.