over them among the Companions and Successors. This is because nothing in the apparent meaning of the Quran indicates that this is an attribute of Allah Most High, for He said:

“On the Day when a shin will be uncovered.”

He did not say “Allah’s Shin,” nor did He say, “The Lord will uncover His Shin.” Rather, He mentioned a shin in indefinite form, neither making it definite nor placing it in a possessive construction. This wording alone does not indicate that it is Allah’s Shin. Those who regarded this as one of Allah Most High’s attributes affirmed it on the basis of the authentic hadith explaining the Quran: the hadith of Abū Sa‘īd al-Khudrī recorded in the two Sahīh collections, which includes the words, “Then the Lord will uncover His Shin.”

It may be argued that the apparent meaning of the Quran does indicate this, in that He states that a shin will be uncovered and that they will be called to prostrate. Since prostration is fitting only for Allah, it is thus understood that He is the One uncovering His Shin.

Moreover, interpreting this as hardship is not sound, because the expression used concerning hardship is “Allah lifted the hardship,” meaning that He removed it, as He says:

“But when We removed the punishment from them, at once they broke their word.” (50) [al-Zukhruf 50]

And He says:

“But when We removed the plague from them until an appointed term which they were to reach” [al-A‘rāf 135].