Establishing Al la h’s Transcendence First Edition W R I T T E N B Y Ab u Fir a s ©202 2/1443 C O N T E N T S Preface ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................ i All ā h’s Speech to M ū s ā ................................ ................................ ............... 1 All - Hearing ................................ ................................ ................................ .................. 4 All - Seeing ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................... 8 The ‘Hand’ of All ā h ................................ ................................ .......................... 10 The ‘Eye’ of All ā h ................................ ................................ ............................. 16 The ‘Face’ of All ā h ................................ ................................ ........................... 18 The ‘Side’ of All ā h ................................ ................................ ............................ 21 The ‘Shin’ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................. 23 The Celestial Chair ................................ ................................ ................................ 25 The Throne of All ā h ................................ ................................ ........................ 28 Allah’s ‘Rising over the Throne’ ................................ ................................ .. 30 All ā h is ‘above’ Creation ................................ ................................ ................ 34 The Vision of All ā h ................................ ................................ .......................... 38 All ā h ‘Manifested His Glory’ to the Mountain ................................ ...... 42 i P R E F A C E The aim of this piece of research is to demonstrate that both the Qur ʾā n and the Arabic language itself support a figurative interpretation of many word s and expressions that have b een mis interpreted by some to assert literal attributes for Allah This grave er ror that some Musl ims have fallen into is proven wrong via tafs ī r al - Qur ʾā n bi - l Qur ʾā n ( i.e. interpreting the Qur ʾā n using the Qur ʾā n itself) as well as reference to pre - Isl ā mic and early poetry. T his work also shows how such inte r pretations can be traced back to the earliest generations of Muslims ( i.e. the Salaf). These interpretations are cited within this text from a number of early authorities , i n particular early descendants of the Prophet such as Im ā m Zayd b. ʿ Al ī (d. 122 AH), Im ā m al - Q ā sim b. Ibr ā h ī m al - Rass ī (d. 246 AH), and Im ā m Ya ḥ y ā al - H ā d ī (d. 298 AH). This work also ii heavily relies on interpretations from authorities relied on by t he Generality ( ا ل ع ا م ة ) of Muslims such as Ibn Jar ī r a l - Ṭ abar ī (d. 310 AH), a l - M ā ward ī (d. 450 AH), and a l - Qur ṭ ub ī (d. 671 AH) , who in many instances either utilised ta ʾ w ī l themselves or cited numerous early authorities who did so Indeed, there are numerous verses of the Qur ʾā n which categorically prove that All ā h cannot possess literal body parts or be likened to the creation in any way. For instance, one verse says, ‘ He is All ā h – One and Indivisible ( أ ح د ) ’ ( Qur ʾā n 112:1). Accor ding to the linguist Ab ū Hil ā l al - ʿ Askar ī (d. 395 AH), the word a ḥ ad in the Arabic language refers to that which cannot be divided into parts and is indivisible ( ل ا ي ت ج ز أ and ل ا ي ق ب ل ا ل ا ن ق س ا م ). 1 That is to say, this verse proves that Allah cannot have any limbs , which are by definition parts of a body and divisible. Moreover, All ā h cannot be compared to His creation. This is made clear in this verse in which the following rhetorical question is posed : ‘ Do you know of anything like Him? ’ (Qur ʾā n 19:65). All ā h also revealed the verse, ‘t here is absolutely nothing like unto Him ’ (Qur ʾā n 42:11). This verse 1 Ab ū Hil ā l al - Ḥ asan b. ʿ Abdill ā h b. Sahl al - ʿ Askar ī , al - Fur ū q al - Lughawiyyah (Cairo: D ā r al - ʿ Ilm, 1991), 140. iii makes it clear there can be no likening of All ā h to His creation. Interestingly, the verse in its Arabic reads ‘ ل ي س ك م ث ل ه ش ي ء ’ . The ‘ ك ـ ’, a prefixative particle that carries the meaning of ‘like’, is of particular significance here. Were the letter ‘ ك ’ to be removed, it would still mean that nothing is like Him. However, as it is followed by the word ‘ م ث ل ه ’, which also means ‘ like ’, the denial of All ā h’s likeness to anything whatsoever is made all the more emphatic. This type of formulation is called ‘ ت و ك ي د ’ in Arabic rhetoric ( ب ل ا غ ة ). 1 و ك ل م ا ل ل ه م و س ى ت ك ل ي م ً ا A L L Ā H ’ S S P E E C H T O M Ū S Ā Some literalists have falsely alleged that the verse ‘ . . . a nd All ā h spoke to M ū s ā with speech ( ت ك ل ي م ً ا ) . . . ’ ( Qur ʾā n 4:164) means that All ā h spoke to M ū s ā directly , i.e. without any created intermediary. However, this verse was interpreted by Im ā m Ya ḥ y ā al - H ā d ī (d. 298 AH) to mean that ‘. . . All ā h created speech , through the tree , that M ū s ā could hear and understand ’. 2 Moreover, this view of the literalists is proven false by Al l ā h ’s say ing , ‘i t is not fitting for any human being that All ā h should speak to him except by inspiration, from 2 Im ā m al - H ā d ī il ā al - Ḥ aqq Ya ḥ y ā b. al - Ḥ usayn b. al - Q ā sim b. Ibr ā h ī m , Tafs ī r a l - Im ā m a l - H ā d ī (Sa a dah : D ā r Im ā m Zayd b. ʿ Al ī , 2012), 1:179 2 behind a veil, or that He sends a messenger [i.e. an angel] to inspire by His per mission that which He wills ’ ( Qur ʾā n 42:51). The beginning of th e above verse clearly indicates that the issuance of speech directly from All ā h is impossible : ‘ i t is not for any human being that Allah should speak to him ’ except via the three options listed at the end of the verse. Moreover, All ā h makes it clear that He spoke to M ū s ā via the medium of created speech when He says , ‘ b ut when [M ū s ā ] was called from the right side of the valley in a blessed place, from the tree: “ O M ū s ā ! V erily , I am All ā h, the Lord of the worlds ”’ ( Qur ʾā n 28:30). This address to M ū s ā must have been a creation itself – how could something uncreated come from a place ( ‘ called from the right side of the valley ’ ) , emanate from a created object ( ‘f rom the tree ’ ) , and consist of letters and words ( ‘ O M ū s ā ’ )? It has also been argued by some of the literalist s that the structure of the sentence and its use of the emphatic verbal root imply that All ā h spoke directly to M ū s ā without the use of a created intermediary. The reply to this is that the use of ‘ ت ك ل ي م ً ا ’ as an emphatic verbal root does not mean that All ā h spoke without the intermediary of created speech. Similar uses of emphatic verbal roots are used elsewhere in the Qur ʾā n. For example, the Exalted says , ‘ Verily, it is We who have revealed 3 the Qur ʾā n t o you in stages ( ت ن ز ي ل ً ا ) ’ (Qur ʾā n 76: 23 ). In this verse, All ā h uses the emphatic verbal root ‘ in stages ’ ( ت ن ز ي ل ً ا ) to indicate the revelation , y et none would deny that said revelation took place through the medium of the created archangel, Jibr ī l All of this is to say , t o argue that the use of the emphatic verbal noun precludes a created intermediary is simply invalid. 4 ا ل س م ي ع A L L - H E A R I N G The meaning of t his concept with regard to All ā h was explained by Im ā m Ya ḥ y ā al - H ā d ī , who commented the following: If someone asks : ‘ I t is mentioned in the Qur ʾā n that و َ ه ُ و َ ا ل س ّ َ م ِ ي ع ُ ا ل ْ ع َ ل ِ ي م ُ – “ He is the All - Hearing and the All - Knowing ” ( Qur ʾā n 6:13). What does “ All - Hearing ” ( ا ل س م ي ع ) mean according to your belief? ’ We answer them with : I t has four meanings that are known to, and understood by, all Arabs. The first meaning: ‘ All - Hearing ’ ( س م ي ع ) means ‘ All - K nowing ’ ( ع ل ي م ). The proof for that is His saying , َأ م ْ ي َ ْح س َ ب ُ و ن َ َأ ن ّ َ ا ل ا ن َ س ْ م َ ع ُ س ِ ر ّ َ ه ُ م ْ و َ ن َ ْج و َ ا ه ُ م ب َ ل َ ى و َ ر ُ س ُ ل ُ ن َ ا ل َ د َ ي ْ ه ِ م ْ ي َ ك ْ ت ُ ب ُ و ن – ‘ Or do they think that We hear not their secre t thoughts ( س ر ه م ) and 5 their private conversations? Yes, [We do], and Our messengers [i.e. angels] are with them recording ’ ( Qur ʾā n 43:80). A secret thought i s something that is concealed within one’s mind and is not known to others , a nd a private conversation is held amongst a group of people . A secret that is [kept] in one’s heart cannot be he ard , as it is concealed; i t was not disclosed , explained, or heard. We only hear what is uttered by a nother’s tongue and is revealed by someone . Thus, this ā yah has reprimanded and disgraced [its addressees] for imagining that anything is hidden from All ā h , whether it be a secret or otherwise As He said: ‘ do they think that We hear not their secrets and their private conversations? ’ And He confirms : ‘ We do know, and We are aware of the secrets they conceal and hide inside their minds ’ The second meaning: His name, ‘ the All - Hearing ’ ( ا ل س م ي ع ), means that He is the One who hears and responds to the supplication s (prayer s ) of His faithful servants. The proof for that lies in t hat the He informed us that His prophet Zakariy y ā s a id , ر َ ب ّ ِ ه َ ب ْ ل ِ ي م ِ ن ل ّ َ د ُ ن ْ ك َ ذ ُ ر ّ ِ ي ّ َ ة ً ط َ ي ّ ِ ب َ ة ً ِإ ن ّ َ ك َ س َ م ِ ي ع ُ ا ل د ّ ُ ع َ ا ء – ‘ My Lord! Grant me , by your grace , righteous offspring ; You are certainly the Hearer of all supplications ’ ( Qur ʾā n 3:38) and that His friend Ibr ā h ī m sa id , ِإ ن ّ َ ر َ ب ّ ِ ي ل َ س َ م ِ ي ع ُ ا ل د ّ ُ ع َ ا ء 6 – ‘ Indeed, my Lord is the Hearer of supplication ’ ( Qur ʾā n 14:39). He, peace be upon him, mean t that ‘m y Lord responds to whom He wills ’ . This is like when the Arabs say to someone , ‘ All ā h has heard your supplication ’ to mean that He has responded to your request/plea. The third m eaning: The meaning of All - Hearing ( ا ل س م ي ع ) also relates to when we are pray ing and r esume the standing posture after bowing ( ruk ū ʿ ) , at which point we say , س م ع ا ل ل ه ل م ن ح م د ه – ‘ All ā h hears those who praise Him ’ W hat we mean by that is that All ā h accepts those who praise Him, and He rewards those who thank Him. These are the three meanings with which we are permitted to describe All ā h , the Most Merciful. They are clear to those who know Arabic. The fourth meaning – with w hich describing All ā h the Glorious in any way is impermissible, as it applies only to creatures – pertains to hearing with ears and listening to voices and sounds. Exalted be He, the One, above that! How could one possibly say such a thing about the Glorious O ne after hearing , ل َ ي ْ س َ ك َ م ِ ث ْ ل ِ ه ِ ش َ ي ْ ء ٌ و َ ه ُ و َ ا ل س ّ َ م ِ ي ع ُ ا ل ب َ ص ِ ي ر ُ – ‘ There is nothing like Him, for He alone is the All - Hearing, the All - Seeing ’ ( Qur ʾā n 42:11) and و َ ل َ م ْ ي َ ك ُ ن ل ّ َ ه ُ ك ُ ف ُ و ً ا َأ ح َ د ٌ – ‘ Nor is 7 there to Him any equivalent ’ ( Qur ʾā n 112 :4). The ‘ equivalent ’ is the like , and it is a rival – whether it be in greatness or smallness. Therefore , if He had limbs and organs, then He would undoubtedly have had a body. If He had a body, then incidents and time would affect it, and He would be exc eedingly similar to the human s that He created. And were that the case, he would have been a creature rather than the Creator , b ecause every body must have a creator, just as every object must have a maker and every deed must have a doer. Glory be to the O ne who resembles none of that ! We cannot describe Him except with what He described Himself , as in verses 22 – 24 of S ū ra h a l - Ḥ ashr. 3 3 Im ā m al - H ā d ī , Majm ūʿ Ras āʾ il al - Im ā m a l - H ā d ī ( Sa a dah : Markaz Ahl al - Bayt li l - D i r ā sa h a l - Isl ā miyya h , 2001), 140 – 142 8 ا ل ب ص ي ر A L L - S E E I N G Im ā m Ya ḥ y ā al - H ā d ī has also explain ed the meaning of this. He wr ote the following as a response to those who were so bold as to claim that All ā h sees with eyes like those of His servants in his tafs ī r of و َ ا ل ل ّ ه ُ ب َ ص ِ ي ر ٌ ب ِ ا ل ْ ع ِ ب َ ا د ِ – ‘All ā h is the All - Seeing of His servants’ ( Qur ʾā n 3:20 ) : If someone were to ask about this due to ignorance or misguidance, we would respond that ‘ a ll - s eeing ’ ( ب ص ي ر ) has two clear meanings according to the scholars. The first: He is knowledgeable regarding things For example, when the Arabs say, ‘ so - and - so is all - seeing ( ب ص ي ر ) in f iqh , grammar, and arithmetic ’ or ‘. . . all - seeing ( ب ص ي ر ) in poetry and speech in all causes ’, t hey mean that one possesses great knowledge of the thing and its details. This 9 applies to the saying of the Most Merciful , و َ ا ل ل ّ ه ُ ب َ ص ِ ي ر ٌ ب ِ ا ل ْ ع ِ ب َ ا د ِ – ‘ All ā h is All - Seeing of His servants ’ , in which case it means ‘k nowledgeable regarding them and a ware of all their affairs and hidden secrets ’ The other meaning : S ight and seeing with a physical eye, above which All ā h is exalted because it leads to similitude with creatures. It is not permitted to describe the Lord of the Worlds with such a thing, as He said, ل َ ي ْ س َ ك َ م ِ ث ْ ل ِ ه ِ ش َ ي ْ ء ٌ و َ ه ُ و َ ا ل س ّ َ م ِ ي ع ُ ا ل ب َ ص ِ ي ر ُ – ‘ There is nothing like Him, for He alone is the All - Hear ing, All - Seeing ’ ( Qur ʾā n 4 2 :11) 4 4 Im ā m al - H ā d ī , Majm ūʿ Ras āʾ il , 143 10 ي د ا ل ل ه T H E ‘ H A N D ’ O F A L L Ā H One verse that some have used to falsely assert that All ā h has literal hands is : ‘t he Jews say , “t he hand of All ā h is tied up ”. [Rather], t heir own hands are tied up , and they are cursed for what they have said ! But His hands are outspread , and He distributes [His b ounty ] as He wills ’ ( Qur ʾā n 5:64). However, a number of early authorities have pointed that the Jews’ assertion was not in the literal sense For instance, Ibn Jar ī r al - Ṭ abar ī (d. 310 AH) present s this as the position of Ibn ʿ Abb ā s (d. 68 AH) 5 Ibn Kath ī r (d. 774 AH) also report s this as the view of Muj ā hid b. Jabr (d. 104 AH), ʿ Ikrimah (d. 13 AH), 5 Ab ū Ja ʿ far Mu ḥ ammad b. Jar ī r b. Yaz ī d al - Ṭ abar ī , J ā mi ʿ Al - Bay ā n f ī Tafs ī r a l - Qur ʾā n (Cairo : D ā r Haj a r, 2001 ), 8 : 5 5 3 11 Qat ā dah (d. 118 AH), al - Sudd ī (d. 127 AH) , an d al - Ḍ a ḥḥ ā k (d. 105 AH). 6 A s a l - Ṭ abar ī points out , this is an expression in the Arabic language that refers to greed ( ب خ ل ا ل ). 7 He also points out that ‘his hands are outspread ’ , in Arabic, is an idiomatic expression of generosity ( ا ل ع ط ا ء ). 8 In support of his claim, al - Ṭ abar ī cites the following line of poetry said by a l - A ʿ sh ā (d. 7 AH) : و ك ف إ ذ ا م ا ض ن , ل ز ا د ت ن ف ق ي د ا ك ي د ا مج د ف ك ف م ف ي د ة Your hands are hands of glory – a beneficial hand , a hand that spends more than enough! 9 An other verse that is misused as evidence of All ā h’s purported possession of physical limbs is : ‘ He said, “O Ibl ī s, what prevented you prostrating to what I created with My own h ands? Were you overcome by arroganc e , or are you one of the exalted? ”’ ( Qur ʾā n 38:75). ‘ Hands ’, in the phrase ‘ with my own 6 Ab ū al - Fi ḍāʾ I sm āʿī l b. ʿ Umar b. Kath ī r, Tafs ī r al - Qur ʾā n al - ʿ A ẓī m ( Riyadh : D ā r Ṭ a y ba h , 1997 ), 3 : 146 7 A l - Ṭ abar ī , Tafs ī r , 8:552 8 Ibid 9 Ibid , 553. 12 h ands ’ , was interpreted by Im ā m al - Q ā sim b. Ibr ā h ī m a l - Rass ī (d. 246 AH) to mean ‘ with m y knowledge ( ع ل م ) and ability ( ق د ر ة ), and without any partner ( ب ن ف س ي ) ’. 10 A nother verse adduced in support of the literalist view is: ‘ Behold, all who pledge their allegiance to you indeed pledge their allegiance to All ā h ; the hand of All ā h is over their hands ’ ( Qur ʾā n 48:10). However, the word ‘ hand ’ in the phrase ‘ hand of All ā h ’ was interpreted by Im ā m Zayd to mean ‘ power ’ ( ق د ر ة ). 11 This same interpretation was also offered by Ibn Jar ī r a l - Ṭ abar ī , who remarked , ‘ All ā h’s power is above theirs ’ ( ق و ة ا ل ل ه ف و ق ق و ت ه م ). 12 Yet an other verse is: ‘b lessed is the One in Whose h ands rests all authority , a nd He is Most Able [to do] all things’ ( Qur ʾā n 67:1). The word ‘ hands ’ in this verse was interpreted by I m ā m al - Q ā sim al - Rass ī to mean ‘ dominion ’ ( م ل ك ). 13 This 10 Im ā m a l - Q ā s im b. Ibr ā h ī m a l - Rass ī , Majm ūʿ Kutub wa Ras āʾ il al - Im ā m al - Q ā s im b. Ibr ā h ī m a l - Rass ī ( Sana’a : D ā r al - Ḥ ikma h al - Yamaniyya h , 2001), 1: 589 11 Im ā m Zayd b. ʿ Al ī b. al - Ḥ usayn b. ʿ Al ī b. Ab ī Ṭ ā lib , Ghar ī b a l - Qur ʾā n (Beirut : D ā r al - ʿĀ l a m i y y a h , 1992), 296 12 A l - Ṭ abar ī , Tafs ī r , 21:254 13 Im ā m al - Rass ī , Majm ūʿ Kutub , 589 13 interpretation was also given by a l - Qur ṭ ub ī , who attributes this view to Mu ḥ ammad b. I s ḥ ā q (d. 151 AH). 14 The following verse has also been used : ‘o n the Day of Resurrection, the whole E arth will be with in His grasp . The heavens will be rolled up in His right hand – Glory be to Him! He is far above the partners they ascribe to Him! ’ ( Qur ʾā n 39:67). However, the phrase that includes ‘ right hand ’ in this verse has been interpreted by a l - M ā ward ī (d. 450 AH) to mean ‘ subjugated to his power ( ق و ة ) and dominion ( م ل ك ) ’ 15 Im ā m Ya ḥ y ā al - H ā d ī also interpreted the phrase as ‘ dominion ’ ( م ل ك ). 16 Another verse they bring says, ‘ We have made the heavens with Our own hands , and We are expand ing it ’ ( Qur ʾā n 51:47). However , Ibn Jar ī r a l - Ṭ abar ī cites the opinions of Ibn ʿ Abb ā s, Muj ā hid b. Jabr, Qat ā da h , I bn Z ā dh ā n al - Thaqafi (d. 131 AH), 14 Ab ū ʿ Abdill ā h Mu ḥ ammad b. A ḥ mad b. Ab ī Bakr a l - Qur ṭ u b ī , a l - J ā mi ʿ li - A ḥ k ā m a l - Kal ā m (Beirut : Mu ʾ assas ah al - Ris ā la h , 2006), 21: 109 15 Ab ū al - Ḥ asan ʿ Al ī b. Mu ḥ ammad b. Ḥ ab ī b a l - M ā ward ī , a l - N u k a t wa a l - ʿ U y ū n (Beirut : D ā r al - Kutub al - ʿ Ilmiy y a h , 1993), 5:134 16 Im ā m al - H ā d ī , Tafs ī r , 1:451 14 and Sufy ā n al - Thawr ī (d. 161 AH) , all of whom stated that ‘ hands ’ in this verse refers to ‘ power ’ ( ق و ة ). 17 Some have tried to escape this point by arguing that the word ‘ أ ي د ’ is not used in the Qur ʾā n or the Arabic language as the plural of ‘ hand ’ . However, this claim is invalidated by the following verse : ‘h ave they feet upon which to walk? Or have they hands ( أ ي د ) with which to grasp? Or have they eyes with which to see? Or have they ears with which to hear ? ’ ( Qur ʾā n 7 : 195) . Th e word ‘ أ ي د ’ being used as the plural of ‘ hand ’ ( ي د ) is also supported by such authoritative dictionaries as al - Mu ḥ ī ṭ by al - Fayr ū z ā b ā d ī (d. 817 AH) , 18 T ā j a l - ʿ Ar ū s by a l - Z ab ī d ī (d. 1205 AH) , 19 Li s ā n al - ʿ Arab by Ibn Man ẓ ū r (d. 711 AH) , 20 and others. 17 A l - Ṭ abar ī , Tafs ī r , 21:545 18 Ab ū Ṭā hir Mu ḥ ammad b. Ya ʿ q ū b b. Mu ḥ ammad al - Fayr ū z ā b ā d ī , a l - Q ā m ū s al - Mu ḥ ī ṭ (Beirut : Mu ʾ assas ah al - Ris ā la h , 2005), 1347 19 Al - Murta ḍā Mu ḥ ammad b. Mu ḥ ammad b. Mu ḥ ammad a l - Z a b ī d ī , T ā j al - ʿ Ar ū s min Jaw ā hir al - Q ā m ū s (Kuwait : Mu ʾ assas ah al - Kuwa y t lil - Taqaddum al - ʿ Ilm , 2001), 40:339 20 Mu ḥ ammad b. Mukarram b. ʿ Al ī b. A ḥ mad b. Man ẓ ū r al - Khazraj ī , Lis ā n a l - ʿ Arab (Riyadh : Wiz ā ra h a l - Shu ʾū n a l - Isl ā miy y a h wa al - Da ʿ wa h wa al - Irsh ā d , 1882 ), 20:302 15 The Qur ʾā n also uses other figures of speech that include th e word ‘ hands ’ . For example, we see in one verse that ‘ f alsehood cannot approach it from between its hands ( ب ي ن ي د ي ه ) or from behind it ; i t is a revelation from the Wise, Worthy of All Praise’ ( Qur ʾā n 41:42). T he Qur ʾā n itself obviously does not have literal hands. Similarly , describing a village that had been destroyed, All ā h says, ‘s o We made it an example to those between its hands ( ب ي ن ي د ي ه ا ) and those who came after it, and a lesson to those who fear All ā h ’ ( Qur ʾā n 2:66). Again, a village clearly does not have literal hands. Moreover, those who insist on a literal meaning of ‘ ا ل ي د ’ , assert ing that the word refers to a ‘ hand ’ , need to account for why it does not refer to another literal meaning , such as ‘ arm ’, which is also possible in t he Arabic language. For example, the believers are commanded to ‘ . . . wash your face and arms ( أ ي د ي ك م ) up to the elbow . . .’ ( Qur ʾā n 5:6) when they stand to perform their ritual prayers.