and he placed his thumbs on his ears and his eyes (1), to remove any suspicion that “hearing” and “sight” in the verse refer to anything other than the two well-known attributes themselves.

Similar illustrations are plentiful in the Quran and the Sunnah. In an authentic narration he ﷺ said: “Allah will clasp His heavens with one Hand and the earth with the other.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then closed and opened his own hand (2), affirming thereby both the reality of the Hand and the attribute of grasping.

Another example is his pointing with his finger toward the sky when he called Allah—exalted is He—to witness before the Companions that he had conveyed the message (3). By that gesture he confirmed the attribute (4) of exaltedness, and that the Lord whom he invoked as witness is above the universe, established upon His Throne.

These few examples suffice for the insightful, fair-minded seeker of guidance and salvation to discern what can accept figurative interpretation and what cannot; anything else is of no consequence. Allah’s help is sought.