Allah’s Imperfection and Mutability

A Theological and Logical Refutation

One of the foundational attributes of the true God is perfection. Perfection implies that God is eternally complete, self-existent, unchanging, and lacking in nothing—neither in essence, attribute, nor moral character. This is essential because if God were lacking in any way, He would be dependent, and thus not truly God.

I. The Nature of Divine Perfection

Perfection is more than moral uprightness; it denotes absolute sufficiency. A perfect being has no need to grow, evolve, or develop. This is how the Bible describes Yahweh:

“The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, righteous and upright is He.” (Deuteronomy 32:4)

“Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting.” (Psalm 93:2)

Thus, any concept of deity that entails change, development, or reaction to new needs or attributes cannot be describing a truly perfect being. Yet, when we turn to the Islamic sources, we find a god who creates mercy, ordains mercy upon himself, and must perfect his light—all indicators of imperfection and changeability.

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II. The Qur’an and Hadith: Allah Lacked Mercy and Created It

The Qur’an says:

“He has ordained mercy upon Himself...” (Surah 6:12, 6:54)

This statement, on its surface, might appear noble. However, the implications are devastating. Ordaining mercy on Himself implies that mercy was not an essential or eternal part of Allah’s nature. The Arabic phrase "kataba ‘ala nafsihi al-rahma" indicates a self-imposed obligation—an act of will rather than intrinsic nature.

Islamic traditions make this worse:

“Verily, Allah CREATED mercy…” (Sahih Muslim 6628-6634; Bukhari 76:476)

Creating mercy implies that it did not exist in Allah’s essence prior to its creation. It was an external act, not an eternal attribute. That means Allah changed from being a god without mercy to one who possesses mercy—an open admission of mutability.

Contrast this with Yahweh, whose lovingkindness is eternal:

“The lovingkindness of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting.” (Psalm 103:17)

“Remember, O LORD, Your compassion and Your lovingkindnesses, for they have been from of old.” (Psalm 25:6)

Mercy and love are not created properties of Yahweh—they are essential to His unchanging being.

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III. Allah’s Light is Imperfect and Needs Completion

Surah 24:35 beautifully portrays Allah as “the Light of the heavens and the earth.” Yet, surprisingly, we read elsewhere:

“They desire to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will perfect His light…” (Surah 9:32, 61:8)

If Allah’s light needs perfection, then by definition it is imperfect. The idea that a characteristic of God—His light—needs to be perfected implies incompleteness. But a being who is perfect and complete by nature does not improve or perfect anything about Himself or His attributes.

Contrast again with the God of the Bible:

“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is NO VARIATION or shifting shadow.” (James 1:17)

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IV. Allah: The Best of Deceivers?

A God who is mutable in character is unpredictable. That is exactly what the Islamic sources present:

“They planned, and Allah also planned; and Allah is the best of planners (makireen).” (Surah 3:54)

The Arabic term makr literally means scheming, cunning, or deceit, and is overwhelmingly negative in every other Quranic usage. Yet here Allah is described as the best deceiver.

If Allah is purely volitional—that is, he does things because he wills to, not because he is good or just—then there is no assurance he won’t change. He may choose mercy today and wrath tomorrow, without cause. He may speak truth one day and lie the next. This is not consistency; this is volatility.

Compare this to the God of the Bible:

“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind.” (Numbers 23:19)

“It is impossible for God to lie.” (Hebrews 6:18)

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V. The True God is Immutable and Trustworthy

The doctrine of immutability (unchangeability) is foundational to the God of Scripture. If God could change in His character, He would be no more trustworthy than a man.

“For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.” (Malachi 3:6)

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)

God’s mercy, justice, love, and truthfulness are not things He decides to have—they are what He eternally is.

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VI. The Consequences of a Mutable Deity

If Allah is mutable:

• His promises can be broken.

• His mercy is not guaranteed.

• His justice is not fixed.

• His nature is ultimately unknowable.

This is not the kind of being that is worthy of absolute trust or worship.

On the other hand, the God of the Bible is perfect, complete, morally flawless, eternally loving, just, and absolutely unchangeable. He is the only God who can be fully trusted, because He acts consistently with His eternal nature:

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5)

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Conclusion

The Qur'an and Hadith present a picture of Allah as mutable, developing, and even deceptive. These are not the traits of a maximally perfect being. A being who creates mercy, has to perfect his light, and prides himself on cunning cannot be described as either perfect or trustworthy. In contrast, the God revealed in the Bible is eternally perfect, unchanging, and dependable. His mercy is not created—it is who He is. His light is not needing perfection—it is perfect. His truth is not situational—it is eternal.

Yahweh alone is worthy of worship.