the Muslim community—over the eye, hand, and face, holding four positions. The corporealists said: “He has two hands, two feet, a face, two eyes, and a side,” understanding these as bodily limbs and organs.

The adherents of hadith said: “We say nothing concerning this except what Allah, exalted is He, has said or what has been transmitted from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. Thus we affirm a face without specifying how, and two hands and two eyes without specifying how.”

Abd Allāh ibn Kullāb said: “I use ‘eye,’ ‘hand,’ and ‘face’ as descriptions, because Allah, exalted is He, has used these terms, and I use no others. Thus I say that they are attributes of Allah, exalted is He”—just as he said that knowledge, power, and life are attributes.

The Muʿtazilah denied these except for the face. They interpreted the hand as favor, and His saying, “Sailing under Our eyes” [al-Qamar 14], as meaning “with Our knowledge.” They interpreted the side as the command. Regarding His saying, exalted is He, “Lest a soul should say, ‘Alas for my negligence towards Allah!’” [al-Zumar 56], they said that this meant negligence regarding Allah’s command.

They said that the Creator’s Self is He Himself, and likewise His Essence is He Himself. They interpreted His saying, “the Eternal Refuge” {2} [al-Ikhlās 2], in two ways: first, that He is the Master; and second, that He is the One to whom people turn for their needs.