AT-TUHFAT’UL MADANIYYAH FI’L AQÎDAT’IS SALAFIYYAH | SHAYKH HAMAD BIN NÂSIR

[Subul’us Salâm]

Türkçe

Mentioning the View of the Imâm Abû Muhammad Abdullâh bin Sa'îd bin Kullâb, the Imâm of the Kullâbiyyah Sect

He was from the greatest of people with regards to affirming the attributes, the highness of Allâh, the aboveness of Allâh upon His Arsh, and rejecting the view of the Jahmiyyah. He is also the first who is known for rejecting the existence of the self-determined actions within the essence of the Rabb, and that the Qur'ân is a meaning that is existent within the essence of the Rabb and that the Qur'ân is upon four meanings.²²⁰

Abu'l Abbâs al-Qalânisî and Abu'l Hasan al-Ash'arî supported his path while Abu'l Hasan al-Ash'arî differed with him in some matters. However, al-Ash'arî is upon his path in regards to affirming the attributes, highness, and aboveness of Allâh upon His Arsh, as we will narrate his statements in verbatim, In Shâ Allâhu Taâlâ.

Ibnu Fûrak narrated in his book al-Mujarrad wherein he compiled the statements by Ibnu Kullâb,

"The one who says that Allâh is neither inside the universe nor outside of it has left the fold of intellectual speculation and the narrations. Thereby, he has outrightly rejected Allâh. This is because if he was told to describe Allâh with non-existence, he won't be able to say anything more. Such person has also denied the information provided by Allâh and has said something that is impermissible according to the textual proofs and intellect."²²¹

Ibnu Kullâb then said, "Rasûlullâh Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam who is the chosen one of Allâh's creation and the best of His creation is the most knowledgeable of the creation regarding where Allâh is, and he approved the statement by the one who said that Allâh is in the sky and he testified that the one who said this is a believer, whereas Jahm bin Safwân and his companions do not allow asking the whereness of Allâh and deem it impossible to say where He is."²²²

Ibnu Kullâb said, "If this was a mistake, then Rasûlullâh Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam was the most deserving of rejecting it and he would have had to say to her, "Don't say this! You make a presentiment that Allâh is limited and that He is in one place while not being in another! However, instead of what you said, do say that Allâh is everywhere, since this is correct!"

Nay, Rasûlullâh Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam allowed this while knowing what it meant and that it is from faith, rather, it is an affair that necessitates faith for those who utter it. This is why Rasûlullâh Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam witnessed to her faith when she said it.

How can the truth oppose this while the Book has said and has testified to this, and this has been planted in the structure of the Fitrah and the knowledge of humans in a manner that nothing is clearer and more emphasized than this!

This is because, regardless of him being an Arab or non-Arab and a believer or disbeliever, whoever you ask saying, "Where is your Rabb," will say, "In the sky." He will clearly state this if he has a tongue or he will point with his hand or eyes if he is unable to speak but he will not point to other than the sky.

We did not find anyone who does not raise his hands towards the sky when he intends to supplicate. We also did not find anyone other than the Jahmiyyah who say upon being asked about his Rabb, "He is everywhere" as the Jahmiyyah say. Alongside this, they claim that they are the best out of the entirety of the people. Therefore, the intellects have been lost and the narrations are abolished but Jahm and the fifty men with him have been guided! We seek refuge in Allâh from the deviating trials."

Quotation from him ends here.<sup>223


220-</sup> This view of Ibnu Kullâb, described by Ibnu Taymiyyah Rahimahullâh to be necessarily known false according to the majority of the possessors of intellect from the people of Sunnah and Bid'ah, is against Ahl'us Sunnah. For a detailed explanation, refer to: Majmû'u Fatâwâ Shaykh'il Islâm Ahmad Ibni Taymiyyah, 12/162-234; Ibnu Abi'l Izz al-Hanafî, Sharh'ul Aqîdat'it Tahâwiyyah, Mu'assasat'ur Risâlah, 1/172-174; Ahmad bin Îsâ, Tawdhîh'ul Maqâsid, 1/266-268.

^221- Ibn'ul Qayyim, Ijtimâ'ul Juyûsh'il Islâmiyyah, Dâru Atâ'ât'il Ilm, p. 433.

^222- With similar wording in Ibn'ul Qayyim, Ijtimâ'ul Juyûsh'il Islâmiyyah, Dâru Atâ'ât'il Ilm, p. 435.

^223- Ibn'ul Qayyim, Ijtimâ'ul Juyûsh'il Islâmiyyah, Dâru Atâ'ât'il Ilm, p. 435-436.

[Subul’us Salâm]

Türkçe

Mentioning the View of the Imâm Abu'l Hasan al-Ash'arî, the Author of Books and the Imâm of the Ash'ariyyah Sect

In his book he named Ikhtilâf'ul Musallîn wa Maqâlât'ul Islâmiyyîn, he mentioned the sects of the Khawârij, the Rawâfidh, the Jahmiyyah, and others, then he said,

"Mentioning the View of Ahl'us Sunnah and Ashâb'ul Hadîth

Their view in brief is affirming Allâh, His angels, His books, His messengers, that which came from Allâh, and that which the trustworthy reported on the authority of Rasûlullâh Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam and they do not reject anything from these. Allâh is upon His Arsh, as He said,

‌﴿‌الرَّحْمَنُ ‌عَلَى ‌الْعَرْشِ ‌اسْتَوَى﴾

"Ar-Rahmân did Istiwâ above the Throne." (Tâ-Hâ, 20/5)

Allâh has two hands without delving into their howness, as He said,

﴿لِمَا خَلَقْتُ بِيَدَيَّ﴾

"To one whom I have created with both My hands." (Sâd, 38/75)

And as He said,

﴿‌بَلْ ‌يَدَاهُ ‌مَبْسُوطَتَانِ﴾

"Rather, both His hands are extended." (al-Mâ'idah, 5/64)

It cannot be said regarding the names of Allâh that they are other than Allâh, as was said by the Mu'tazilah and Khawârij. They affirmed that Allâh has knowledge and they do not deny this from Allâh as the Mu'tazilah denied it. They also say that the Qur'ân is the speech of Allâh and it is not created.

They confirm the Ahâdîth that came from Rasûlullâh Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam,

«إن الله ينزل إلى سماء الدنيا، فيقول: هل من مستغفر»

"Verily, Allâh descends to the heaven of this world and says: Is there anyone who seeks forgiveness?"²²⁴

As it came in the Hadîth.

They affirm that Allâh will come on the Day of Judgement, as Allâh said,

﴿‌وَجَاءَ ‌رَبُّكَ ‌وَالْمَلَكُ ‌صَفًّا ‌صَفًّا﴾

"And your Lord comes with the angels in rows." (al-Fajr, 89/22)

They also affirm that Allâh comes close to His creation as He wills."²²⁵

Until He said, "Thus, this is the summary of what they command (to believe in), operate, and narrate. We espouse and believe in all of their views which we have mentioned. Our success lies only with Allâh."²²⁶

He mentioned Istiwâ in this afore-mentioned book in the chapter: Is al-Bârî Taâlâ in One Place While He is Not in Another Place? He said,

"On this issue, they differed into seventeen views. Of these views is: Ahl'us Sunnah and the Ashâb'ul Hadîth said: Allâh is not a Jism (form), nothing resembles Him, and He did Istiwâ over His Throne, as He said,

﴿‌الرَّحْمَنُ ‌عَلَى ‌الْعَرْشِ ‌اسْتَوَى﴾

"Ar-Rahmân did Istiwâ above the Throne." (Tâ-Hâ, 20/5)

We do not give precedence to our views before Allâh, rather we say: He has performed Istiwâ without delving into its howness, and that He has two hands. As He said,

﴿لِمَا خَلَقْتُ بِيَدَيَّ﴾

"To one whom I have created with both My hands." (Sâd, 38/75)

He descends to the heaven of this world as it came in the Hadîth."²²⁷

Then he said, "The Mu'tazilah said that He did Istiwâ upon His throne means He conquered."²²⁸

"They also forcefully interpreted the hand to mean blessings. They forcefully interpreted the statement by Allâhu Taâlâ,

‌﴿تَجْرِي بِأَعْيُنِنَا﴾

"Floating under Our eyes." (al-Qamar, 54/14)

To mean with Our knowledge."<sup>229


224-</sup> Ibnu Abî Shaybah, Musannaf, Dâru Kunûzi Ishbîliyâ, Hadîth no. 31534; with similar wording in Muslim, Hadîth no. 758.

^225- Al-Ash'arî, Maqâlât'ul Islâmiyyîn, al-Maktabat'ul Asriyyah, 1/226-228.

^226- Al-Ash'arî, Maqâlât'ul Islâmiyyîn, al-Maktabat'ul Asriyyah, 1/229.

^227- Al-Ash'arî, Maqâlât'ul Islâmiyyîn, al-Maktabat'ul Asriyyah, 1/168.

^228- Al-Ash'arî, Maqâlât'ul Islâmiyyîn, al-Maktabat'ul Asriyyah, 1/168.

^229- Al-Ash'arî, Maqâlât'ul Islâmiyyîn, al-Maktabat'ul Asriyyah, 1/173.

[Subul’us Salâm]

Türkçe

Abu'l Hasan al-Ash'arî said in his book Jumal'ul Maqâlât,

"This is an account of the summary of the view of Ashâb'ul Hadîth and Ahl'us Sunnah:

"In brief, the view Ashâb'ul Hadîth and Ahl'us Sunnah are upon is: Affirming Allâh, His angels, His books, His messengers, what came from Allâh, and what the reliable narrators received from Rasûlullâh Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam. They do not reject anything from this. Allâh is one, alone, single, and Samad (the Self-Sufficient Master, whom all creatures need). He did not take a partner nor a child. Allâh is above His Arsh, as He said:

‌﴿‌الرَّحْمَنُ ‌عَلَى ‌الْعَرْشِ ‌اسْتَوَى﴾

"Ar-Rahmân did Istiwâ above the Throne." (Tâ-Hâ, 20/5)

He has two hands without delving into their howness, as He said,

﴿لِمَا خَلَقْتُ بِيَدَيَّ﴾

"To one whom I have created with both My hands." (Sâd, 38/75)

And as He said,

﴿‌بَلْ ‌يَدَاهُ ‌مَبْسُوطَتَانِ﴾

"Rather, both His hands are extended." (al-Mâ'idah, 5/64)

He has two eyes without delving into their howness, as He said,

﴿تَجْرِي بِأَعْيُنِنَا﴾

"Floating under Our eyes..." (al-Qamar, 54/14)

He also has a Face, as He said,

﴿‌وَيَبْقَى ‌وَجْهُ ‌رَبِّكَ ‌ذُو ‌الْجَلَالِ ‌وَالْإِكْرَامِ﴾

"And the Face of your Rabb full of Majesty and Honour will remain forever." (ar-Rahmân, 55/27)

The Qur'ân is Allah's uncreated speech. What is to be said regarding Waqf (pausing regarding whether or not the Qur'ân is created) and Lafdh (our pronunciation of the Qur'ân being created or not) is that whoever holds the view of Waqf (pauses) or Lafdh (being created) is an innovator according to them. It is not said that the articulation of the Qur'ân is created nor is it not created.²³⁰

They also say that Allâh will be seen by the sights on the Day of Judgement just as the moon is seen on the night of the full moon. The believers will see Him [with their eyes] and the disbelievers will not see Him because they will be veiled from Allâh."²³¹

Then he mentioned the rest of their views.

He also said in this book, "The Mu'tazilah said: Verily, Allâh did Istiwâ over His throne means that He overpowered it."²³²

All of this is his speech.

He also said in this book, "The Mu'tazilah said about Allâh's statement,

﴿‌الرَّحْمَنُ ‌عَلَى ‌الْعَرْشِ ‌اسْتَوَى﴾

"Ar-Rahmân did Istiwâ above the Throne." (Tâ-Hâ, 20/5)

This means He overpowered it."²³³

He said, "They forcefully-interpreted the hand as blessings and Allâh's statement,

﴿تَجْرِي بِأَعْيُنِنَا﴾

"Floating under Our eyes..." (al-Qamar, 54/14)

As this means with Our knowledge."²³⁴

Al-Ash'arî Rahimahullâh only narrated the interpretation of Istiwâ to mean overpower from the Mu'tazilah and the Jahmiyyah, and he explicitly stated its opposite and that their view is in opposition to the opinion of Ahl'us Sunnah.


^230- Imâm Ahmad bin Hanbal Rahimahullâh said:

"Whoever says, 'My pronunciation of the Qur'ân is not created' is an innovator. And whoever says, 'My pronunciation of the Qur'ân is created' is a Jahmî." (Adh-Dhahabî, Siyaru A'lâm'in Nubalâ, 11/288)

^231- Al-Ash'arî, Maqâlât'ul Islâmiyyîn, al-Maktabat'ul Asriyyah, 1/226-227.

^232- Al-Ash'arî, Maqâlât'ul Islâmiyyîn, al-Maktabat'ul Asriyyah, 1/168.

^233- Al-Ash'arî, Maqâlât'ul Islâmiyyîn, al-Maktabat'ul Asriyyah, 1/131.

^234- Al-Ash'arî, Maqâlât'ul Islâmiyyîn, al-Maktabat'ul Asriyyah, 1/173.

[Subul’us Salâm]

Türkçe

Al-Ash'arî said in his book al-Ibânah fî Usûl'id Diyânah in the chapter on Istiwâ, "If someone says: What do you say regarding Istiwâ? It is said to him: We say: Verily, Allâh has done Istiwâ above His throne, as He said,

‌﴿‌الرَّحْمَنُ ‌عَلَى ‌الْعَرْشِ ‌اسْتَوَى﴾

"Ar-Rahmân did Istiwâ above the Throne." (Tâ-Hâ, 20/5)

He said,

﴿إِلَيْهِ يَصْعَدُ الْكَلِمُ الطَّيِّبُ﴾

"Towards Him ascends the pure word." (Fâtir, 35/10)

And He said,

﴿بَلْ رَفَعَهُ اللهُ إِلَيْهِ﴾

"Rather, Allâh raised him to Himself." (an-Nisâ, 4/158)

He said while narrating from Pharoah,

﴿يَاهَامَانُ ابْنِ لِي صَرْحًا لَعَلِّي أَبْلُغُ الْأَسْبَابَ ۞ أَسْبَابَ السَّمَاوَاتِ فَأَطَّلِعَ إِلَى إِلَهِ مُوسَى وَإِنِّي لَأَظُنُّهُ كَاذِبًا﴾

"O Hâmân! Construct for me a tower that I might reach the ways -the ways into the heavens- so that I may look at the deity of Mûsa; but indeed, I think he is a liar." (Ghâfir, 40/36-37)

He belied Mûsâ Alayh'is Salâm in his statement, "Verily, Allâh is in the heavens."

Allâh Azza wa Jalla said,

﴿أَأَمِنْتُمْ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاءِ أَنْ يَخْسِفَ بِكُمُ الْأَرْضَ فَإِذَا هِيَ تَمُورُ﴾

"Do you feel secure that He, Who is in the heaven (Allâh), would not cause the earth to swallow you, and suddenly it would sway?" (al-Mulk, 67/16)

Above the heavens is the throne. Since the throne is above the heavens, Allâh said,

﴿أَأَمِنْتُمْ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاءِ﴾

"Do you feel secure from He, Who is in the heaven (Allâh)?" (al-Mulk, 67/16)

This is because Allâh has done Istiwâ above the Arsh which is above the heavens. Everything that is above is the Samâ, thus the Arsh is the highest heaven. When Allâh said,

﴿أَأَمِنْتُمْ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاءِ﴾

"Do you feel secure from He, Who is in the heaven (Allâh)?" (al-Mulk, 67/16)

He did not intend the entirety of the heavens; He only intended the Arsh which is the highest of the heavens."²³⁵

He said, "We see that when all Muslims supplicate, they raise their hands towards the heaven. This is because Allâh has done Istiwâ above His throne which is above the heavens. If Allâh was not upon His Arsh, they would not raise their hands towards the Arsh.

Some of the Mu'tazilah, Jahmiyyah, and Harûriyyah said, "The meaning of Istiwâ is overcome, acquired, and overwhelmed it and that Allâhu Taâlâ is in everyplace. They deny that Allâh is upon His Arsh. They were of the opinion that Istiwâ is power. If it was as they said, there would be no difference between the Arsh and the seventh earth. This is because He is powerful over everything. Again, if He had done Istiwâ above His Arsh in the meaning of overcoming, it would be permissible to say, "He has done Istiwâ above everything." According to everyone who is Muslim, it is impermissible to say, "Allâh has done Istiwâ above the lavatories and toilets." Thus, doing Istiwâ above the Arsh meaning overcoming it is invalid."²³⁶

He then mentioned other evidences from the Book, Sunnah, and intellect (ration).

The book al-Ibânah is among the most popular works of Abu'l Hasan. Hâfidh Ibnu Asâkir popularised it and relied upon it, and Imâm Muhyi'd Dîn an-Nawawî copied it with his own handwriting.


^235- Al-Ash'arî, al-Ibânah fî Usûl'id Diyânah, Dâr'ul Fadhîlah, p. 405-408.

^236- Al-Ash'arî, al-Ibânah fî Usûl'id Diyânah, Dâr'ul Fadhîlah, p. 409-413.

[Subul’us Salâm]

Türkçe

May Allâh have mercy upon you! Look at this Imâm, to whom today's Ash'arî's attribute themselves, as he is the Imâm of this mentioned group! How did he explicitly state that his creed regarding the verses and the Ahâdîth of the attributes is the creed of Ahl'us Sunnah wa'l Jamâ'ah consisting of the Sahâbah, the Tâbi'ûn, and the Imâms of the religion! He only narrated the interpretation of Istiwâ to mean overcoming, the hand to mean blessings, and the eye to mean knowledge from the Mu'tazilah and the Jahmiyyah, and he explicitly stated that this opposes his opinion as it is in opposition to the opinion of Ahl'us Sunnah!

Furthermore, you find those who attribute themselves to the creed of al-Ash'arî explicitly stating -in their books of creed, works of Tafsîr and explanations of Hadîth- the interpretations rejected by their Imâm and clarified to be the opinion of the Mu'tazilah and Jahmiyyah! They attribute this creed to al-Ash'arî while he has rejected it, refuted it, and informed that he is upon the creed of the Salaf consisting of the Sahâbah, the Tabi'ûn, and the Imâms after them, and that he is upon the creed of Imâm Ahmad, as his statements will come in verbatim, In Shâ Allâh.

What is stranger than this is that they mention in their works that the way of the Salaf is safer, however, the way of the later scholars is more knowledgeable and wiser! Glory be to Allâh who turns the hearts as He wills!

How can it come together in the heart of one who possesses an intellect and knowledge that the Sahâbah are the most pious of the Ummah in heart, they are the deepest in knowledge, they are the ones who witnessed the revelation, they knew its meaning, they are the experts of the eloquent dialect and the Arabic language whom the Qur'ân was revealed in their dialect, they are the ones who are firmly grounded in knowledge in truth, they agreed upon one creed and not even two people [from them] disagreed regarding this, then the Tabi'ûn followed their path after them and submitted to their path, then the four Imâms and others such as al-Awzâ'î, the two Sufyân's (Sufyân bin Uyaynah and Sufyân ath-Thawrî), Ibn'ul Mubârak, Ishâq, and other Imâms of the religion whom Allâh raised their ranks in the worlds and granted them an honourable mention in later generations were all agreed upon one creed and followed the Book of their Rabb and the Sunnah of their Nabî; then, after knowing this and affirming this, how can it settle in this person's heart that the creed of the latter scholars is more knowledgeable and wiser than the path of the Salaf?

Glory be to Allâh who intervenes between man and his heart, then guides whomever He wishes with His grace and misguides whomever He wishes with His justice.

‌﴿لَا يُسْأَلُ عَمَّا يَفْعَلُ وَهُمْ يُسْأَلُونَ﴾

"He cannot be questioned as to what He does, while they will be questioned." (al-Anbiyâ, 21/23)

How can the latter scholars be more knowledgeable than the predecessors? Rather, whoever deems this does not know the value of the Salaf. Moreover, this person does not know Allâh, His Messenger, and the believers with the true knowledge required. This is because these people who favor the path of the latter scholars only produced this since they thought that the path of the Salaf is mere belief in the wording of the Qur'ân and Hadîth without understanding these, in the rank of the unlettered whom Allâh said regarding them,

﴿لَا يَعْلَمُونَ الْكِتَابَ إِلَّا أَمَانِيَّ﴾

"They have no knowledge of the Book, but they trust upon false desires." (al-Baqarah, 2/78)

And that the path of the Khalaf (latter scholars) is extracting the meanings of the text which are devoid of their reality with various types of possibilities and obscure/strange language.

This invalid thought necessitated this view as we have mentioned. They slandered the path of the Salaf and deviated in approving the path of the latter scholars. Thus, they gathered ignorance regarding the path of the Salaf and ignorance and deviation through approving the path of the latter scholars. How can the latter scholars be more knowledgeable regarding Allâh, His names and attributes, and be wiser regarding His essence and His verses in comparison to the first and foremost of the Muhâjirûn, the Ansâr, and those who followed them in goodness from the people of knowledge and faith who are the banners of guidance and the lights of the darknesses? We beseech Allâh to let not our hearts deviate (from the truth) after He has guided us, and to grant us and our Muslim brothers mercy from Him. Truly, He is al-Wahhâb (the Bestower).

We only mentioned this in the course of the statements by Abu'l Hasan al-Ash'arî, since the adherents of interpretations today who follow the path of the latter scholars attribute themselves to the creed of the Ashâ'irah. Therefore, those who do not possess knowledge think that this interpretation is the path of Abu'l Hasan al-Ash'arî. Whereas, may Allâh be pleased with him, he has explicitly stated that he is upon the path of the Salaf, disapproved of those who forcefully interpret the texts -as is the way of the latter scholars-, and mentioned that forcefully interpretating is the way of the Mu'tazilah and the Jahmiyyah.

[Subul’us Salâm]

Türkçe

Imâm adh-Dhahabî Rahimahullâh said in his book al-Uluww, "The teacher Abu'l Qâsim al-Qushayrî said: I heard Abû Alî ad-Daqqâq say: I heard the jurist Zâhir bin Ahmad say: Al-Ash'arî Rahimahullâh passed away while his head was on my lap. While he was breathing his last, he was saying, "May Allâh curse the Mu'tazilah! They diluted and fabricated!"²³⁷

Hâfidh [Hujjah] Abu'l Qâsim Ibnu Asâkir said in his book Tabyînu Kadhib'il Muftarî fîmâ Nusiba ila'l Ash'arî,

"May Allâh have mercy upon him, since - as was mentioned regarding him- Abu'l Hasan possesses a good creed, his path is verified by the possessors of knowledge and criticism, the major devout worshippers are in agreement with most of the views he adheres to, and his views are only rebuked by the possessors of ignorance and stubbornness, then it is inevitable to narrate his creed from him as a trust so that his condition in the soundness of his creed in terms of religion is known. Thus, listen to what he narrates in his book al-Ibânah, as he said,

"All praise is due to Allâh al-Wâhid (the One), al-Azîz, al-Mâjid (the Glorious), the only one to whom unity is ascribed, the magnified in praise, whom the attributes of the slaves do not adequately describe and who does not have an equivalent and rival..."

Ibnu Asâkir then mentioned his preface wherein he refuted the Mu'tazilah, Qadariyyah, Jahmiyyah, Harûriyyah, Râfidhah, and Murji'ah and he clarified therein the opposition of the Mu'tazilah to the Book of Allâh, the Sunnah of His Messenger, and the consensus of the Sahâbah.²³⁸

Then al-Ash'arî said, "If someone says: You have denied the opinion of the Mu'tazilah, Qadariyyah, Jahmiyyah, Harûriyyah, Râfidhah, and Murji'ah. So, teach us the opinion you hold and the religion you follow!

It is said to him: The opinion we hold, and the religion we follow is holding fast to the Book of Allâh, the Sunnah of Allâh's Nabî Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam, and what was related from the Sahâbah, the Tabi'ûn, and the Imâms of Hadîth. We hold firmly to this and hold as opinion what Ahmad bin Hanbal was upon, may Allâh illuminate his face. We are distant from those who oppose his opinion. This is because he is the virtuous Imâm and the perfect leader, with whom Allâh manifested the truth when misguidance prevailed, with whom Allâh clarified the path and with whom Allâh restrained the innovation of the innovators, the deviancy of the deviators, and the doubts of the doubters. May Allâh have mercy upon this leader Imâm and grand instructor, and upon the entirety of the Imâms of the Muslims. (Âmîn!)

The summary of our opinion is that we affirm Allâh, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, that which came from Allâh, and what the trustworthy have narrated from Rasûlullâh Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam. We do not reject any of these. We affirm that Allâh is Ilâh, Wâhid, one, peerless, Samad, there is no deity worthy of worship except Him, He does not have a wife nor child, Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, Jannah is true, the fire is true, there is no doubt regarding the Hour coming, Allâh will raise those who are in the graves, and Allâhu Taâlâ has done Istiwâ above His Arsh, as He said,

‌﴿‌الرَّحْمَنُ ‌عَلَى ‌الْعَرْشِ ‌اسْتَوَى﴾

"Ar-Rahmân did Istiwâ above the Throne." (Tâ-Hâ, 20/5)

We affirm that Allâh has a face, as He said,

﴿وَيَبْقَى وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ﴾

"And the Face of your Rabb full of Majesty and Honour will remain forever." (ar-Rahmân, 55/27)

We affirm that Allâh has two hands, as He said,

﴿بَلْ يَدَاهُ مَبْسُوطَتَانِ﴾

"Rather, both His hands are extended." (al-Mâ'idah, 5/64)

We affirm that Allâh has two eyes without delving into howness, as He said,

﴿تَجْرِي بِأَعْيُنِنَا﴾

"Floating under Our eyes..." (al-Qamar, 54/14)

We affirm that the one who deems that the name of Allâh is other than Him, is misguided. We also affirm that Allâh has knowledge, as He said,

﴿أَنْزَلَهُ بِعِلْمِهِ﴾

"He has sent it down with His Knowledge." (an-Nisâ, 4/166)

We affirm that Allâh has might. We affirm that He has hearing and sight and we do not deny this as was denied by the Mu'tazilah, the Khawârij, and the Jahmiyyah.

We say: Verily, the speech of Allâh is not created. Nothing good or evil happens on earth other than what Allâh wishes. The acts of the slaves are created and decreed by Allâh, as He said,

﴿وَاللَّهُ خَلَقَكُمْ وَمَا تَعْمَلُونَ﴾

"While Allâh has created you and what you do!" (as-Sâffât, 37/96)

Verily, good and evil are with the decree and might of Allâh.

We say: Verily, the Qur'ân is the uncreated speech of Allâh. Whoever believes that the Qur'ân is created is a Kâfir. We espouse as religion that Allâh will be seen by the believers on the Day of Judgement by sight, just as the moon is seen on the night it is full, as the narrations come from Rasûlullâh Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam.

We say: Verily, when the believer sees Allâh, the disbelievers will be veiled from Him, as Allâh Azza wa Jalla said,

﴿كَلَّا إِنَّهُمْ عَنْ رَبِّهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ لَمَحْجُوبُونَ﴾

"Nay! Surely, they will be veiled from seeing their Lord that Day." (al-Mutaffifîn, 83/15)

We say: Verily, Islâm is more extensive than Îmân. Every Islâm is not Îmân. We espouse as religion that Allâhu Taâlâ turns the hearts, that the hearts are between two of Allâh's fingers, and that Allâh will place the skies on one finger and the earth on another finger, as the narrations came from Rasûlullâh Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam.

We believe that Îmân consists of words and deeds, and it increases and decreases. We confirm all the narrations narrated by the people of narration regarding descending to the heaven of the earth, and the Rabb saying, 'Is there any who has a request? Is there any who asks forgiveness?' In contrast to the people of deviation and misguidance, we confirm the rest of the things they relate and affirm. We do not introduce into Allâh's religion innovations that Allâh does not allow, nor we do say about Allâh what we do not know.

We say: Verily, Allâh will come on the Day of Judgement, as He said,

﴿‌وَجَاءَ ‌رَبُّكَ ‌وَالْمَلَكُ ‌صَفًّا ‌صَفًّا﴾

"And your Lord comes with the angels in rows." (al-Fajr, 89/22)

Verily, Allâh comes near to His servants as He wishes, as He said,

﴿وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ حَبْلِ الْوَرِيدِ﴾

"We are closer to him than his jugular vein." (Qâf, 50/16)

And as Allâh said,

﴿ثُمَّ دَنَا فَتَدَلَّى ۞ فَكَانَ قَابَ قَوْسَيْنِ أَوْ أَدْنَى﴾

"Then he drew near, and came down, and was at a distance of two bows' length or (even) nearer." (an-Najm, 53/8-9)"²³⁹

Until al-Ash'arî said, "We think that it is necessary to distance from every caller to innovation, and to stay away from the people of desires. We will provide evidences for our opinions we have mentioned and those that remain subject by subject, thing by thing."²⁴⁰

Then Ibnu Asâkir said, "May Allâh have mercy upon you! Ponder over this creed! How clear and how distinctive it is. Acknowledge the virtue of this Imâm who explained and clarified this!"

Quotation ends here.²⁴¹

Shams'ud Din adh-Dhahabî Rahimahullâh said, "If our companions from the Mutakallimûn were to accept this from and adhere to Abu'l Hasan, they would have done good. However, they delved as the first philosophers delved in the things and they walked behind reasoning. There is no might or power except with Allâh!"²⁴²

[Abu'l Hasan al-Ash'arî was first a Mu'tazilî. He took knowledge from Abû Alî al-Jubbâ'î. Then, he separated from him and became a Mutakallim for the Sunnah. He agreed with the Imâms of Hadîth in the majority of their opinions, and this is what we narrated from him. He shined with his intellect.

He passed away in the year 324 H when he was 64 years old. May Allâhu Taâlâ have mercy upon him. (Âmîn.)]


^237- Adh-Dhahabî, al-Uluww, p. 200, no. 541; also, Ibnu Asâkir, Tabyînu Kadhib'il Muftarî, p. 148.

^238- Ibnu Asâkir, Tabyînu Kadhib'il Muftarî, p. 152.

^239- Ibnu Asâkir, Tabyînu Kadhib'il Muftarî, p. 157-161.

^240- Ibnu Asâkir, Tabyînu Kadhib'il Muftarî, p. 162-163.

^241- Ibnu Asâkir, Tabyînu Kadhib'il Muftarî, p. 163.

^242- Adh-Dhahabî, al-Uluww, p. 222, no. 541.

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Türkçe

Mentioning the View of Abu'l Hasan Alî bin Mahdî at-Tabarânî²⁴³, the Mutakallim and Student of al-Ash'arî

He said in his book Mushkil'ul Âyât in the chapter on Allâhu Taâlâ's statement,

‌﴿‌الرَّحْمَنُ ‌عَلَى ‌الْعَرْشِ ‌اسْتَوَى﴾

"Ar-Rahmân did Istiwâ above the Throne." (Tâ-Hâ, 20/5)

"Know that Allâh is above the skies, He is above everything, and He has done Istiwâ over His Arsh in the meaning that He elevated over it. The meaning of Istiwâ is ascending, just as the Arabs say, "I made Istiwâ above the back of the animal and I made Istiwâ above the roof," meaning, I elevated over it. And as they say, "The sun made Istiwâ above my head, and the bird made Istiwâ above the top of my head" meaning it ascended in the air, then I found it above my head. Al-Qadîm Jalla Jalâluhu ascended above His Arsh. His following statement will show you that He is in the heavens above His Arsh,

﴿أَأَمِنْتُمْ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاءِ﴾

"Do you feel secure from He, Who is in the heaven (Allâh)?" (al-Mulk, 67/16)

And His statement,

﴿يَاعِيسَى إِنِّي مُتَوَفِّيكَ وَرَافِعُكَ إِلَيَّ﴾

"O Îsâ! I will take you and raise you to Myself." (Âl-i Imrân, 3/55)

Al-Balkhî deemed that the Istiwâ of Allâh upon the Arsh is overcoming it. This is taken from the statement of the Arabs, "Bishr did Istiwâ above Iraq," meaning, overcame it.

At-Tabarî said, "Here, what denotes Istiwâ is not overcoming is that if it was as such, it would not befit to specify the Arsh with overcoming apart from the other creation. Since He has overcome the Arsh and the creation, the Arsh would not have a virtue when you describe it as such. Thereby, the invalidity of his opinion has became clear.

It is also said to him: Verily, Istiwâ does not mean overcoming which is taken from the statement of the Arabs, "So and so did Istiwâ meaning overcame," when this person is capable after being non-capable. So, when al-Bârî Azza wa Jalla is not described by as being capable after being non-capable, then the meaning of Istiwâ cannot be changed to overcoming."

Then at-Tabarî said, "If it is said: What do you say regarding the following statement by Allâhu Taâlâ?

﴿أَأَمِنْتُمْ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاءِ﴾

"Do you feel secure from He, Who is in the heaven (Allâh)?" (al-Mulk, 67/16)

It is said to him: The meaning of this is that He is above the heavens upon the Arsh, as Allâh said,

﴿فَسِيحُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ﴾

"So, travel freely, through the earth." (at-Tawbah, 9/2)

Meaning "upon the earth." Allâh also said,

﴿وَلَأُصَلِّبَنَّكُمْ فِي جُذُوعِ النَّخْلِ﴾

"I will crucify you on the trunks of palm-trees." (Tâ-Hâ, 20/71)²⁴⁴

If it is said: What do you say regarding the following statement by Allâhu Taâlâ?

﴿وَهُوَ اللَّهُ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَفِي الْأَرْضِ﴾

"And He is Allâh in the heavens and on the earth." (al-An'âm, 6/3)

It is said to him: Verily, some of the reciters make Waqf (stopped) upon "the heavens" and start reciting from, "and on earth He knows what you conceal."²⁴⁵

In any case, if one were to say, "So-and-so is a king in Shâm and Iraq", this would denote that his kingdom is in Shâm and Iraq, not that his essence is present in both simultaneously."<sup>246


243-</sup> What is correct is that his name is at-Tabarî, as his name is mentioned as such in the books of tabaqat and the other copy of this book. And Allâh knows best. (Ibnu Asâkir, Tabyînu Kadhib'il Muftarî, p. 195; as-Safadî, al-Wâfî bi'l Wafayât, 22/90; Tâj'ud Dîn as-Subkî, Tabaqât'ush Shâfi'iyyat'il Kubrâ, 3/466; Dâwûdî, Tabaqât'ul Mufassirîn, 1/436; Kâtip Chalabi, Sullam'ul Wusûl, 2/398)

^244- Refer to the 56^th footnote.

^245- The view that a Waqf will be made upon the word Samâwât (heavens) is expressed by some scholars like Ibnu Jarîr at-Tabarî (Ibnu Kathîr, Tafsîr'ul Qur'ân'il Adhîm, thq. Salâmah, 3/239-240; al-Qurtubî, al-Jâmi'u li Ahkâm'il Qur'ân, 6/390) and Ibnu Battah (Ibnu Battah, al-Ibânah, 7/136-139).

In this case, the meaning of the verse is "He is Allâh in the heavens. He knows what you conceal on earth..."

Ibn'ul Qayyim Rahimahullâh stated that it is better not to make a Waqf and makes mention of a nice benefit in this context by stating,

"For an obvious wisdom, here the word 'heavens' came in the plural form. This wisdom is that the Dharf (locative adverb) relates to the meaning of divinity found in the Name of Allâh Tabâraka wa Taâlâ. Thus, it means: 'Allâh is both the Ilâh and the Ma'bûd (worshipped one) in every single heaven.' So Allâh is the one who is deified and worshipped in every single species of this genus. This is why it being mentioned here in the plural form is more eloquent and better than being content with the name of a single genus.

When some of the followers of the Sunnah could not understand this meaning, they interpreted this verse in a way that does not suite this verse. They said: A complete Waqf is made upon the word 'the heavens,' then the recitation is started with Allâhu Taâlâ's statement, 'He knows what is on the earth.' They erred in comprehending the verse. The meaning of the verse is only the meaning I informed you of. This meaning is the opinion of the verifier scholars of Tafsîr." (Ibn'ul Qayyim, Badâ'i'ul Fawâ'id, Dâru Âlam'ul Fawâ'id, 1/202-203)

^246- With similar wording in Ibnu Taymiyyah, Bayânu Talbîs'il Jahmiyyah, 4/287-292; adh-Dhahabî, al-Uluww, p. 231-233 no. 552.

[Subul’us Salâm]

Türkçe

Mentioning the View of Imâm, Zâhid (Ascetic), Abû Abdillâh Ibnu Battah

He said in his book al-Ibânah which is of three volumes,

"Chapter on Believing that Allâh is upon His Arsh while He is Separate from His Creation and His Knowledge Encompasses His Creation

The Muslims from the Sahâbah and the Tâbi'ûn have consensus regarding Allâh being upon His Arsh, above His heavens, and distanced from His creation. As for His statement,

‌﴿وَهُوَ مَعَكُمْ﴾

"He is with you." (al-Hadîd, 57/4)

This is as the scholars have stated (with His knowledge).

The Jahmî brought forth Allâhu Taâlâ's following statement as argument,

﴿مَا يَكُونُ مِنْ نَجْوَى ثَلَاثَةٍ إِلَّا هُوَ رَابِعُهُمْ﴾

"There are not three in a private conversation but that He is the fourth of them." (al-Mujâdalah, 58/7)

And the Jahmî said, "Allâh is with us and inside of us."

Whereas, the scholars have interpreted this to be His knowledge, then Allâhu Taâlâ said in the end of this verse,

﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ﴾

"Indeed, Allâh is the All-Knower of everything." (al-Mujâdalah, 58/7)"²⁴⁷

Then, Ibnu Battah quoted the views of those who say that the intent here is His knowledge with his chains of narration. He narrated this view from adh-Dhahhâk, ath-Thawrî, Nu'aym bin Hammâd, Ahmad bin Hanbal and Ishaq bin Râhwayh.

May Allâh be pleased with him, Ibnu Battah was one of the great Imâms. He listened from al-Baghawî and his contemporaries. He passed away in the year 387 H.


^247- With similar wording in Ibnu Battah, al-Ibânat'ul Kubrâ, 7/136-144.

[Subul’us Salâm]

Türkçe

Mentioning the View of Imâm, Abû Muhammad Ibnu Abî Zayd [al-Maghribî] al-Qayrawânî, the Imâm of the Mâlikîs of His Era

In the beginning of his famous Risâlah regarding the Madhhab of Imâm Mâlik, he said,

"And verily, Allâhu Taâlâ is above His majestic Arsh with His essence. He is everywhere with his knowledge."²⁴⁸

The commentator of Ibnu Abî Zayd's Risâlah, Imâm Abû Bakr Muhammad bin Wahb al-Mâlikî said when he mentioned his statement, "And verily, Allâhu Taâlâ is above His majestic throne,"

"According to all Arabs, the meaning of Fawqa (above) and alâ is the same."²⁴⁹

Then he narrated the verses and Ahâdîth, until he said,

"The phrase fî sometimes means above in the Arabic language, as in the statement by Allâh,

‌﴿فَامْشُوا فِي مَنَاكِبِهَا [وَكُلُوا مِنْ رِزْقِهِ وَإِلَيْهِ النُّشُورُ] ۞ أَأَمِنْتُمْ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاءِ﴾

"So walk on its shoulders [and eat of His provision. And to Him will be the Resurrection.] Do you feel secure from He, Who is in the heaven (Allâh)?" (al-Mulk, 67/15-16)

The interpreters said: This means above. This is the view Mâlik understood from the Tâbi'ûn, the Tâbi'ûn understood from the Companions, and the Companions understood from the Nabî Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam, which is Allâh being in the heaven, meaning above it. In the same way, Shaykh Abû Muhammad said, "And verily, He is above His throne." He then explained that His elevation above His throne is with His essence, being separate from all His creation and without delving into its howness. He is in every place with His knowledge, not with His essence. Thus, places cannot encompass Him, as He is much higher than that."

The statements by the commentator end here.²⁵⁰

In his book al-Fardu fi's Sunnah, Ibnu Abî Zayd mentioned establishing Uluww and the Rabb having made Istiwâ above the Arsh with His essence, and He established this in the most perfect manner.

He said in Mukhtasar'ul Mudawwanah, "Verily Allâhu Taâlâ is above His [majestic] Arsh with His Essence. He is above His heavens, not on His earth."²⁵¹

When Hâfidh adh-Dhahabî mentioned Ibnu Abî Zayd's statement, "And verily, Allâhu Taâlâ is above His majestic throne [with His essence]," he said,

"A similar phrase was previously mentioned from Abû Ja'far bin Abî Shaybah and Uthmân bin Sa'îd ad-Dârimî. Likewise, the preacher of Sijistân, Yahyâ bin Ammâr generalized this expression in his treatise, and so did Hâfidh Abû Nasr as-Sijzî in his book al-Ibânah. He said, "Our Imâms, such as as-Thawrî, Mâlik, the two Hammâds, Ibnu Uyaynah, Ibn'ul Mubârak, al-Fudayl, Ahmad, and Ishâq are in agreement that Allâh is above the Arsh with His essence and that His knowledge is everywhere."

Ibnu Abd'il Barr also generalized this expression. Likewise, is the expression of Shaykh'ul Islâm Abû Ismâ'îl al-Ansârî. He said, "In various narrations, it is stated that Allâh is in the seventh heaven upon the Arsh with His essence."

Abu'l-Hassan al-Karjî ash-Shâfi'î said in his ode,

"Their creed is that the Ilâh is, with His essence,

Upon His Arsh, while He knows all that is unseen."

It is written on this ode with the hand writing of Allâmah Taqiyy'ud Dîn Ibnu Salâh, "This is the creed of Ahl'us Sunnah and the companions of Hadîth."

Likewise, this phrase was generalized by Hâfidh Ahmad bin Thâbit at-Turaqî, Shaykh Abd'ul Qâdir al-Jîlî (al-Jîlânî), Muftî Abd'ul Azîz al-Quhaytî and a group.

Allâhu Taâlâ created everything with His essence and is in charge of the affairs of the creature with His essence without having a helper or assistant. Ibnu Abî Zayd and others wanted to explain that there is a difference between Allâh being with us and Him being upon the Arsh. He is with us with His knowledge while He is upon the Arsh, as He taught us when He said,

﴿‌الرَّحْمَنُ ‌عَلَى ‌الْعَرْشِ ‌اسْتَوَى﴾

"Ar-Rahmân did Istiwâ above the Throne." (Tâ-Hâ, 20/5)

As we have already presented, the word (phrase with His essence) was uttered by a group of scholars. Undoubtedly, abandoning unnecessary words is from the beauties of Islâm.

Ibnu Abî Zayd was one of the scholars in the Maghrib who acted upon his knowledge. He was nicknamed Little Mâlik. He was the utmost limit in knowing the foundations. He was criticized for his statement, "With His essence." If only he hadn't used it."

Quotation from adh-Dhahâbî ends here.²⁵²

[Ibnu Abî Zayd passed away in the year 386 H. It was also said that he passed away in the year 389 H]


^248- Al-Qayrawânî, Matn'ur Risâlah, al-Maktabat'uth Thaqâfiyyah, p. 7.

^249- Ibn'ul Qayyim, Ijtimâ'ul Juyûsh'il Islâmiyyah, Dâru Atâ'ât'il Ilm, p. 225.

^250- With similar wording in Ibn'ul Qayyim, Ijtimâ'ul Juyûsh'il Islâmiyyah, Dâru Atâ'ât'il Ilm, p. 282-283.

^251- Ibn'ul Qayyim, Ijtimâ'ul Juyûsh'il Islâmiyyah, Dâru Atâ'ât'il Ilm, p. 224-225.

^252- With similar wording in adh-Dhahabî, al-Uluww, p. 235-236.

[Subul’us Salâm]

Türkçe

Mentioning the View of Qâdhî Abû Bakr Ibn'ut Tayyib al-Bâqillânî al-Ash'arî

In one of his most famous books, at-Tamhîd fî Usûl'id Dîn, he said,

"If it is said: Do you say that Allâh is everywhere? We would say: We seek refuge in Allâh from this. Rather, He has done Istiwâ above His Arsh, as He informed of this in His Book by saying,

‌﴿‌الرَّحْمَنُ ‌عَلَى ‌الْعَرْشِ ‌اسْتَوَى﴾

"Ar-Rahmân did Istiwâ above the Throne." (Tâ-Hâ, 20/5)

He also said,

‌﴿أَأَمِنْتُمْ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاءِ أَنْ يَخْسِفَ بِكُمُ الْأَرْضَ﴾

"Do you feel secure that He, Who is in the heaven (Allâh), would not cause the earth to swallow you?" (al-Mulk, 67/16)

If Allâh were everywhere, He would have to be in the insides of man, his mouth, toilets, and places of filth which we desire not to mention, Allâh is [far] above this."²⁵³

He then said regarding the following statement by Allâhu Taâlâ,

‌﴿وَهُوَ الَّذِي فِي السَّمَاءِ إِلَهٌ وَفِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَهٌ﴾

"It is He who is the only Ilâh in the heaven and the only Ilâh on the earth." (az-Zukhruf, 43/84)

"What is intended here is that He is the Ilâh according to those in heaven and the Ilâh according to those on earth. As the Arabs say, "So and so is a nobleman obeyed in both cities," meaning by the residents of both cities. They do not intend that the person in question is present in both Hijâz and Iraq.

The statement by Allâhu Taâlâ,

‌﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ مُحْسِنُونَ﴾

"Indeed, Allâh is with those who fear Him and those who are doers of good." (an-Nahl, 16/128)

This means He is with them with His protection, assistance, and support. He did not intend that Allâhu Taâlâ's essence was with them.

As for Allâhu Taâlâ's statement,

‌﴿إِنَّنِي مَعَكُمَا أَسْمَعُ وَأَرَى﴾

"Fear not, verily, I am with you both; I hear and I see." (Tâ-Hâ, 20/46)

This is construed in accordance with this explanation.

As for Allâhu Taâlâ's statement,

‌﴿مَا يَكُونُ مِنْ نَجْوَى ثَلَاثَةٍ إِلَّا هُوَ رَابِعُهُمْ﴾

"There are not three in a private conversation but that He is the fourth of them." (al-Mujâdalah, 58/7)

What is meant by this is that Allâhu Taâlâ knows them and what is hidden consisting of their secrets and secret conversations. This attribute of being with is used only as it came in the Qur'ân. Thus, it is impermissible to say that Allâh is in Kairouan, Madînat'us Salâm (Baghdad), and Damascus by comparison, likewise it is impermissible to say He is with bulls and donkeys. Again, it is impermissible to say that He is with the transgressors and those who ascend the (mountainous) town Hulwân by comparing this to Allâhu Taâlâ's statement,

‌﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا﴾

"Indeed, Allâh is with those who fear Him." (an-Nahl, 16/128)

Thus, it became necessary to interpretate it as we described in the beginning.

Likewise, it is impermissible for Allâh doing Istiwâ above the Arsh to mean His overcoming, as the poet said, "Bishr did Istiwâ above Iraq." This is because overcoming is might and prevailing. Whereas, Allâhu Taâlâ is always mighty and prevailing.  Allâhu Taâlâ's statement,

‌﴿ثُمَّ ‌اسْتَوَى﴾

"And then He did Istiwâ." (al-A'râf, 7/54)

Requires that this description commences after being nonexistent, rendering their view incorrect."²⁵⁴

Then he said, "Chapter. If a person says: Explain to us the difference between the attributes of His essence and the attributes of His actions so that we may know this.

It is said to him: The attributes of His essence are those attributes He has never been non-described with nor will He ever be non-described with. These are life, might, will, hearing, sight, speech, permanency, face, two hands, two eyes, wrath, and pleasure.

Whereas, the attributes of His actions are creation, sustenance, justice, benevolence, grace, blessing, rewarding, punishing, resurrecting, raising to life, and every attribute which before its commencement, Allâh was existent."

Then he delved into speaking regarding the attributes.²⁵⁵

He said in his book adh-Dhabbu an Abi'l Hasan al-Ash'arî,

"We say the same thing about all the narrations transmitted from Rasûlullâh Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam regarding the attributes of Allâh when they are authentic, consisting of affirming the two hands, face, and two eyes, and we say: Verily, Allâh will come on the Day of Resurrection in shadows of cloud, He descends to the heaven of this world as was narrated in the Hadîth, and He has done Istiwâ above His Arsh."²⁵⁶

He then said,

"We have explained the religion of the Imâms and the Ahl'us Sunnah; that these attributes are passed as they are narrated without delving into their howness, restricting them, classifying them, or imagining them, as this was narrated from az-Zuhrî and Mâlik regarding Istiwâ. Thus, whoever surpasses this boundary has transgressed, innovated, and deviated."

End quote.²⁵⁷

When Hâfidh Shams'ud Dîn adh-Dhahabî mentioned these statements by al-Bâqillânî, he said, "These are the very words of this Imâm. Where is his likes with regards to his deepness in knowledge, intellect, and his clear-sightedness regarding the beliefs and religions? The existence is full with people who do not know what the Salaf is, and who know nothing but depriving, negating, and rejecting the attributes. They are deaf and dumb, impediment and speechless. They invite to the intellect without being upon the path of narrations. To Allâh do we belong, and to Him we shall return.²⁵⁸

[Qâdhî Abû Bakr al-Baqillânî passed away in the year 403 H when he was over seventy years old. May Allâhu Taâlâ have mercy upon him.]


^253- With similar wording in al-Bâqillânî, at-Tamhîd, al-Maktabat'ush Sharqiyyah, p. 260.

^254- With similar wording in al-Bâqillânî, at-Tamhîd, al-Maktabat'ush Sharqiyyah, p. 261-262.

^255- With similar wording in al-Bâqillânî, at-Tamhîd, al-Maktabat'ush Sharqiyyah, p. 262-263.

^256- With similar wording in adh-Dhahabî, al-Uluww, p. 238; Ibn'ul Qayyim, Ijtimâ'ul Juyûsh'il Islâmiyyah, Dâru Atâ'ât'il Ilm, p. 463-464.

^257- With similar wording in adh-Dhahabî, al-Uluww, p. 238; Ibn'ul Qayyim, Ijtimâ'ul Juyûsh'il Islâmiyyah, Dâru Atâ'ât'il Ilm, p. 464-465.

^258- With similar wording in adh-Dhahabî, al-Uluww, p. 239.

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Mentioning the View of Imâm Abû Umar Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Abdillâh al-Andalusî at-Talamankî al-Mâlikî

In his two-volume work al-Usûl, he said,

"The Muslims from Ahl'us Sunnah have consensus that Allâh has done Istiwâ above His Arsh with His essence."

He also said in this book,

"Ahl'us Sunnah have consensus that Allâh is truly above the throne, not metaphorically."

Then he narrated with his chain of narration from Mâlik that he said,

"Allâh is in the heavens, and His knowledge is everywhere."

Thereafter, he said in this book,

"The Muslims from Ahl'us Sunnah have consensus that the meaning of Allâh's statement,

‌﴿وَهُوَ مَعَكُمْ أَيْنَ مَا كُنْتُمْ﴾

"He is with you wheresoever you may be." (al-Hadîd, 57/4) and similar verses from the Qur'ân is that He is present with His knowledge. Since Allâh is above the heavens with His essence and has done Istiwâ above His Arsh as He wishes."²⁵⁹

This is the phrase found in his book. Look at him narrating the consensus of the [Salaf of the] Muslims from Ahl'us Sunnah concerning Allâh having done Istiwâ above His Arsh with His essence!

Many of the Imâms of the Sunnah have generalized this phrase. Many scholars narrated this usage from the great Imâms, as this was previously narrated from Hâfidh Abû Nasr as-Sijzî and others. Then, how can Ibnu Abî Zayd be solely criticized for mentioning this in his Risâlah, as was mentioned by adh-Dhahabî?

At-Talamankî mentioned here was one of the great Huffâdh and Imâm of the Qurrâ (reciters) in Andalusia. He lived for 80 so years and passed away in the year 429 H.


^259- With similar wording in adh-Dhahabî, al-Uluww, p. 246; Ibn'ul Qayyim, Ijtimâ'ul Juyûsh'il Islâmiyyah, Dâru Atâ'ât'il Ilm, p. 204.

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Mentioning the View of Shaykh'ul Islâm Abû Uthmân Ismâ'îl bin Abd'ir Rahmân an-Naysâbûrî as-Sâbûnî

In his treatise on the Sunnah, he said,

"The companions of Hadîth believe and testify that Allâh is above His seven heavens and above His Arsh, as He said in His Book. The scholars of the Ummah and the prominent Imâms of the Salaf did not disagree regarding Allâh being above His Arsh and His Arsh being above His heavens.

In his book al-Mabsût, our Imâm ash-Shâfi'î used the report of Mu'âwiyah Ibn'ul Hakam as evidence for the issue of emancipating the believing slave-girl for atonement. To know if she was a believer or not, Rasûlullâh Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam said to the black slave-girl, "Where is your Lord?" She pointed to the sky, as she was non-Arab. Rasûlullâh Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam said "Free her, for indeed she is a believer." Thus, Rasûlullâh Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam ruled her a believer when she affirmed that her Lord is in the heavens and she defined her Lord by the attribute of being above and highness."²⁶⁰

The mentioned Sâbûnî was a jurist, Muhaddith, Sufi, and preacher. He was the Shaykh of Naysâbûr during his era. He has beautiful works. He listened to Hadîth from the companions of Ibnu Khuzaymah and as-Sarrâj. He passed away in 449 H.


^260- With similar wording in as-Sâbûnî, Aqîdat'us Salaf wa Ashâb'ul Hadîth, Dâr'ul Âsimah, p. 175-188.

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Mentioning the View of the Imâm, Âlim, Allâmah, the Hâfidh of Maghrib, the Imam of the [Ahl'us] Sunnah of His Era Abû Umar Yûsuf bin Abdillâh bin Abd'il Barr an-Namrî al-Andalusî, the Author of at-Tamhîd, al-Istidhkâr, and Extremely Valuable Works

While commenting on the eighth Hadîth of Ibnu Shihâb, he said in his book at-Tamhîd,

"The chain of narration for the Hadîth of Nuzûl is authentic. The people of Hadîth did not dispute its authenticity. In this hadith, there is evidence that Allâh Azza wa Jalla is in the sky, above the Arsh above the seven heavens, as was stated by the Jamâ'ah. This Hadîth is [among] their evidence[s ] against the Mu'tazilah and Jahmiyyah regarding their view that "Allâh is everywhere and not above the Arsh."

The evidence regarding the authenticity of the view of the people of truth regarding this is the statement by Allâhu Taâlâ,

‌﴿‌الرَّحْمَنُ ‌عَلَى ‌الْعَرْشِ ‌اسْتَوَى﴾

"Ar-Rahmân did Istiwâ above the Throne." (Tâ-Hâ, 20/5)

And the statement by Allâh,

‌﴿أَأَمِنْتُمْ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاءِ﴾

"Do you feel secure from He, Who is in the heaven (Allâh)?" (al-Mulk, 67/16)

The meaning of "He, Who is in the heaven (Allâh)," is He Who is above the Arsh. Fî sometimes means Alâ.²⁶¹ Do you not see Allâhu Taâlâ's statement?

‌﴿فَسِيحُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ﴾

"So, travel freely, through the earth." (at-Tawbah, 9/2)

Meaning on the earth. Likewise, is Allâhu Taâlâ's statement,

‌﴿وَلَأُصَلِّبَنَّكُمْ فِي جُذُوعِ النَّخْلِ﴾

"I will crucify you on the trunks of palm-trees." (Tâ-Hâ, 20/71)

This is supported by Allâhu Taâlâ's statement,

‌﴿تَعْرُجُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ إِلَيْهِ﴾

"The angels and the Spirit ascend to Him." (al-Ma'ârij, 70/4)

This is also supported by similar verses. All of these verses are clear in abolishing the view of the Mu'tazilah.

As for their claim of Istiwâ being figurative, and their view regarding interpretating Istawâ (He did Istiwâ) as Istawlâ (He conquered), then this has no meaning. This is because linguistically, this is not apparent. Linguistically, the meaning of Istîlâ is striving to conquer. Whereas nothing can conquer Allâh.

From the rights of speech is to construe it according to its proper sense, unless the Ummah agrees that with it is intended figurative speech. This is because there is no other way to follow what has been revealed to us from our Lord. If we were to accept every claimant's claim regarding something being figurative speech, none of the acts of worship would be established. However, it only befits Allâh to address the Ummah with that which the Arabs comprehend, according to what is known in their dialogues and the meaning of which is valid in the presence of the listeners.

Linguistically, Istiwâ is known and understood. Istiwâ means Uluww (being above), rising above something, to settle, and becoming established in it.

Abû Ubaydah said regarding Allâhu Taâlâ's statement,

‌﴿‌الرَّحْمَنُ ‌عَلَى ‌الْعَرْشِ ‌اسْتَوَى﴾

"Ar-Rahmân did Istiwâ above the Throne." (Tâ-Hâ, 20/5)

He said: This means He rose. [He also said:] The Arabs say: I have done Istiwâ (rose) above the beast, I have done Istiwâ (rose) above the house.

Others said: Istiwâ means settling, and for this, he brought as evidence the statement by Allâh,

‌﴿‌وَلَمَّا ‌بَلَغَ ‌أَشُدَّهُ ‌وَاسْتَوَى﴾

"And when he attained his full strength and did Istiwâ (was mentally mature)." (al-Qasas, 28/14)

That is, when his youth came to an end and established. So, he was no longer in his youth.

Ibnu Abd'il Barr said: Istiwâ means to settle in Uluww. This is how Allâh Azza wa Jalla has addressed us in his Book while he said,

‌﴿لِتَسْتَوُوا عَلَى ظُهُورِهِ﴾

"So that you may do Istiwâ (rise) upon their back." (az-Zukhruf, 43/13)

Allâh also said,

‌﴿‌فَإِذَا ‌اسْتَوَيْتَ أَنْتَ وَمَنْ مَعَكَ عَلَى الْفُلْكِ﴾

"So, when you and those with you have done Istiwâ above (boarded) the ship..." (al-Mu'minûn, 23/28)

Allâh also said,

‌﴿‌وَاسْتَوَتْ ‌عَلَى ‌الْجُودِيِّ﴾

"And the ship did Istiwâ (came to rest) on mount Jûdî." (Hûd, 11/44)"<sup>262


261-</sup> Refer to the 56th footnote.

^262- With similar wording in Ibnu Abd'il Barr, at-Tamhîd, Mu'assasat'ul Furqân, 5/139-142.

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(Ibnu Abd'il Barr Rahimahullâh said in continuation,)

"As for those who incline (to misguidance) with the Hadîth narrated by Abdullâh bin Dâwûd al-Wâsitî, on the authority of Ibrâhîm bin Abd'is Samad, who narrated on the authority of Abdullâh bin Mujâhid, who narrated on the authority of his father, and who in turn narrated on the authority of Ibnu Abbâs that he said regarding Allâh's following statement,

‌﴿‌الرَّحْمَنُ ‌عَلَى ‌الْعَرْشِ ‌اسْتَوَى﴾

"Ar-Rahmân did Istiwâ above the Throne." (Tâ-Hâ, 20/5)

"He conquered all of His creation; thus, no place is devoid of Him."

The answer is that this Hadîth is denounced and was transmitted by the unknown and weak. As for Abdullâh bin Dâwûd al-Wâsitî and Ibnu Mujâhid, then they are weak. As for Ibrâhîm bin Abd'is Samad, he is an unknown and anonymous person. While these people do not accept the narrations by one just narrator, then how can use such Hadîths as evidence, if only they would use their intellect!

Have they not heard the statement of Allâhu Taâlâ,

‌﴿‌وَقَالَ ‌فِرْعَوْنُ يَاهَامَانُ ابْنِ لِي صَرْحًا لَعَلِّي أَبْلُغُ الْأَسْبَابَ ۞ أَسْبَابَ السَّمَاوَاتِ فَأَطَّلِعَ إِلَى إِلَهِ مُوسَى وَإِنِّي لَأَظُنُّهُ كَاذِبًا﴾

"And Pharaoh said: O Hâmân! Construct for me a tower that I might reach the ways -the ways into the heavens- so that I may look at the deity of Mûsa; but indeed, I think he is a liar." (Ghâfir, 40/36-37)

This statement by Allâh denotes that Mûsâ Alayh'is Salâm would say, "My Deity is in the heavens!" and that Pharaoh would deem him a liar.

If they use the following statement by Allâhu Taâlâ as evidence,

‌﴿وَهُوَ الَّذِي فِي السَّمَاءِ إِلَهٌ وَفِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَهٌ﴾

"It is He who is the only Ilâh in the heaven and the only Ilâh on the earth." (az-Zukhruf, 43/84)

And if they use the following statement by Allâhu Taâlâ as evidence,

‌﴿وَهُوَ اللَّهُ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَفِي الْأَرْضِ﴾

"And He is Allâh in the heavens and on the earth." (al-An'âm, 6/3)

And if they use the following statement by Allâhu Taâlâ as evidence,

﴿مَا يَكُونُ مِنْ نَجْوَى ثَلَاثَةٍ إِلَّا هُوَ رَابِعُهُمْ﴾

"There are not three in a private conversation but that He is the fourth of them." (al-Mujâdalah, 58/7)

They deemed that Allâh, whose name is blessed and whose glory is exalted, is everywhere with his soul and essence.

It is said to them: There is no dispute among us, you, and the Ummah regarding the fact that Allâh is not on the earth and under the sky with His essence. Thus, it is necessary to construe these verses in accordance with the correct meaning upon which is consensus. This correct meaning is that Allâh is the Ilâh of the heavens, meaning the worshipped deity of the inhabitants of the heavens and the Ilâh of the earth, meaning the worshipped deity of the inhabitants of the earth. The people of knowledge regarding Tafsîr also said this. The apparent of the revelation (Qur'ân) bears witness that Allâh is upon the Arsh. Thus, the dispute regarding this became null. Those who are happy with the apparent are the happiest of people.

As for Allâhu Taâlâ's statement in another verse,

﴿وَفِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَهٌ﴾

"It is He who is the only Ilâh on the earth." (az-Zukhruf, 43/84)

This was explained by the consensus and agreement that what is intended is that He is worshipped by the inhabitants of the earth. Ponder over this, as it is certain [In Shâ Allâh].

Again, one of the evidences regarding the presence of Allâh Azza wa Jalla above the seven heavens and above the Arsh is that all Muwahhids, whether Arab or non-Arab, when they are saddened by something and are afflicted with something, they raise their faces towards the heavens and raise their hands towards the sky and ask help from Allâh their Lord Tabâraka wa Taâlâ. This is very famous and well-known among the common masses and elite such that there is no need for frequent narration.

Rasûlullâh Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam said to the black concubine, "Where is Allâh?" The concubine pointed to the sky. Then Rasûlullâh said to her, "Who am I?" She said, "You are the Messenger of Allâh!" Then Rasûlullâh, "Emancipate her, as she is a believer."²⁶³ Rasûlullâh Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam deemed sufficient her raising her head to the heavens."<sup>264


263-</sup> With similar wording in Muslim, Hadîth no. 537; Abû Dâwûd, Hadîth no. 930; an-Nasâ'î, Hadîth no. 1218.

^264- With similar wording in Ibnu Abd'il Barr, at-Tamhîd, Mu'assasat'ul Furqân, 5/143-145.

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Ibnu Abd'il Barr said, "As for them bringing forth Allâhu Taâlâ's following statement as evidence,

‌﴿مَا يَكُونُ مِنْ نَجْوَى ثَلَاثَةٍ إِلَّا هُوَ رَابِعُهُمْ﴾

"There are not three in a private conversation but that He is the fourth of them." (al-Mujâdalah, 58/7)

The apparent meaning of this verse is not evidence for them."²⁶⁵

Ibnu Abd'il Barr said, "He is above the Arsh and His knowledge is everywhere.

Sunayd narrated on the authority of Dahhâk that he said regarding this verse, "He is above the Arsh, and His knowledge is with them wherever they are."

He said: A similar narration has reached me from Sufyân as-Thawrî.

Abdullâh bin Mas'ûd said, "The distance between the heavens and the earth is five hundred years. The distance between each heaven is five hundred years. The distance between the seventh heaven and the Kursî is five hundred years. The distance between the Kursî and the water is five hundred years. The Arsh is above the water. Allâh Tabâraka wa Taâlâ is above the Arsh and knows your deeds."²⁶⁶

He mentioned this speech or something similar in his book al-Istidhkâr.²⁶⁷

Abû Umar also said, "The scholars of the Sahâbah and the Tâbi'ûn whom the science of explanation was narrated said with consensus regarding the explanation of Allâhu Taâlâ's following statement,

‌﴿مَا يَكُونُ مِنْ نَجْوَى ثَلَاثَةٍ إِلَّا هُوَ رَابِعُهُمْ﴾

"There are not three in a private conversation but that He is the fourth of them." (al-Mujâdalah, 58/7)

He is above the Arsh, while His knowledge is everywhere. No one whose statement would be evaluated as evidence opposed them in this regard."²⁶⁸

He also said, "Ahl'us Sunnah have made consensus regarding affirming the attributes mentioned in the Book and the Sunnah and upon construing these attributes according to their proper sense and not construing them in accordance to figurative speech. However, they do not delve into the howness of any of these attributes.

As for the Jahmiyyah, Mu'tazilah, and Khawârij, all of them deny these, do not construe these attributes in accordance with their proper sense, and claim that those who affirm them are Mushabbihah. Whereas, according to those who affirm these attributes, they are in denial of the Deity."²⁶⁹

Hâfidh adh-Dhahabî said, "By Allâh, he has spoken the truth. This is because those who interpret the other attributes and construe the narrated attributes in accordance with figurative speech, when they strip the meanings of these attributes, this leads them to denying the Rabb and resembling Him to being non-existent."²⁷⁰

Abû Umar bin Abd'il Barr was one of the oceans of knowledge and imâms of narrations. It is very unlikely that the eyes will see anyone like him. His virtue was famous in all regions. He passed away in the year 463 H at the age of 96.


^265- With similar wording in Ibnu Abd'il Barr, at-Tamhîd, Mu'assasat'ul Furqân, 5/149.

^266- With similar wording in Ibnu Abd'il Barr, at-Tamhîd, Mu'assasat'ul Furqân, 5/150-151.

^267- Ibnu Abd'il Barr, al-Istidhkâr, 2/527-529.

^268- With similar wording in Ibnu Abd'il Barr, at-Tamhîd, Mu'assasat'ul Furqân, 5/149-150.

^269- With similar wording in Ibnu Abd'il Barr, at-Tamhîd, Mu'assasat'ul Furqân, 5/156.

^270- Adh-Dhahabî, al-Uluww, p. 250.