Taqrib al-Tadmuriyyah - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (56)

Taqrib al-TadmuriyyahIbn al-'Uthaymin

for this is the truth, and it is impossible that Allah address His servants while intending from them something contrary to the plain wording without clarifying it. He has said, “Allah intends to make things clear to you and to guide you to the ways of those before you” (Q 4:26); He also said, “Allah makes things clear to you lest you go astray” (Q 4:176). About His Messenger ﷺ He declares, “We have sent down to you the Reminder so that you may clarify to mankind what has been revealed to them” (Q 16:44), and, “Indeed, you guide to a straight path” (Q 42:52). Whoever speaks to another yet means something other than the obvious sense of his words without explaining it has neither clarified nor guided.

Or do you mean by the ‘outward sense’ the anthropomorphic resemblance you imagined? That meaning is certainly not intended, yet it is not the outward sense conveyed by the Quran and Sunnah, for what you have imagined is—by explicit texts and by consensus—disbelief and falsehood. The apparent wording of Allah and His Messenger can never entail disbelief and falsehood, and no Muslim would countenance such a claim.

The early generations of the ummah and its leading scholars unanimously agreed that the scriptural passages concerning the attributes must be taken according to their outward sense, in a manner befitting Allah, without distortion, and that this outward sense never implies likening the Creator to the creation.

Hence they concurred that Allah, exalted be He, truly possesses life, knowledge, power, hearing and sight; that He is truly established upon His Throne; that He truly loves and is pleased, dislikes and becomes angry; and that He truly has a face and two hands. Among the evidences are His words: “Rely upon the Ever-Living who never dies” (Q 25:58); “He is, of all things, all-knowing” (Q 6:101); “He is powerful over all things” (Q 5:102); “He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing” (Q 42:11); “The All-Merciful rose over the Throne” (Q 20:5); “Allah will soon bring forth a people He loves and they love Him” (Q 5:54); “Allah was pleased with them and they were pleased with Him” (Q 5:119); “But Allah disliked their setting out, so He held them back” (Q 9:46); “Allah became angry with him and cursed him” (Q 4:93); and, “There remains the Face of your Lord, full of majesty and honor” (Q 55:27).

لأنه حق ولا يمكن أن يخاطب الله عباده بما يريد منهم خلاف ظاهره بدون بيان كيف، وقد قال: ﴿يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُبَيِّنَ لَكُمْ وَيَهْدِيَكُمْ سُنَنَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُم﴾ [النساء: ٢٦] وقال: ﴿يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ أَنْ تَضِلُّوا﴾ [النساء: ١٧٦] ويقول عن رسوله ﷺ: ﴿وَأَنْزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ﴾ [النحل: ٤٤] . ويقول: ﴿وَإِنَّكَ لَتَهْدِي إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ﴾ [الشورى: ٥٢] . ومن خاطب غيره بما يريد منه خلاف ظاهره بدون بيان فإنه لم يبين له ولم يهده. - أم تريد بالظاهر ما فهمته من التمثيل؟ فهذا غير مراد لكنه ليس ظاهر نصوص الكتاب والسنة؛ لأن هذا الظاهر الذي فهمته كفر وباطل بالنص والإجماع، ولا يمكن أن يكون ظاهر كلام الله ورسوله كفراً وباطلاً، ولا يرتضي ذلك أحد من المسلمين. * وقد اتفق سلف الأمة وأئمتها على أن نصوص الصفات تجري على ظاهرها اللائق بالله ﷿ من غير تحريف، وأن ظاهرها لا يقتضي تمثيل الخالق بالمخلوق. فاتفقوا على: أن لله تعالى حياة، وعلماً، وقدرة، وسمعاً، وبصراً، حقيقة، وأنه مستوٍ على عرشه حقيقة، وأنه يحب ويرضى، ويكره ويغضب حقيقة، وأن له وجهاً ويدين حقيقة؛ لقوله تعالى: ﴿وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى الْحَيِّ الَّذِي لا يَمُوتُ﴾ [الفرقان: ٥٨] . وقوله: ﴿وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ﴾ [الأنعام: ١٠١] . ﴿وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ﴾ [المائدة: ١٠٢] . ﴿وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ﴾ [الشورى: ١١] . وقوله: ﴿الرَّحْمَنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوَى﴾ [طه: ٥] . وقوله: ﴿فَسَوْفَ يَأْتِي اللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍ يُحِبُّهُمْ وَيُحِبُّونَهُ﴾ [المائدة: ٥٤] . ﴿رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْه﴾ [المائدة: ١١٩] . ﴿وَلَكِنْ كَرِهَ اللَّهُ انْبِعَاثَهُمْ فَثَبَّطَهُمْ﴾ [التوبة: ٤٦] . ﴿وَغَضِبَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَلَعَنَهُ﴾ [النساء: ٩٣] وقوله: ﴿وَيَبْقَى وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو الْجَلالِ وَالْأِكْرَامِ﴾