The Third Principle

If someone says, “The apparent meaning of the texts is intended,” or, “Their apparent meaning is not intended,” the response is: The term “apparent meaning” is ambiguous and has more than one sense. If the speaker believes that their apparent meaning likens Allah’s attributes to those of created beings, or ascribes to Him qualities peculiar to them, then there is no doubt that this is not intended.

However, the early generations and the imams did not call this their apparent meaning, nor would they accept that the apparent meaning of the Quran and hadith is disbelief and falsehood. Allah, glorified and exalted is He, is far too knowing and wise for His words describing Himself to have no apparent meaning other than disbelief or misguidance. Those who regard this as their apparent meaning err in two ways:

Sometimes they make an unsound meaning the apparent meaning of the wording, thereby treating it as requiring an interpretation contrary to its apparent meaning, when that is not the case. At other times, they reject the true meaning—which is the apparent meaning of the wording—because they believe it to be false.

(The first error is exemplified by what they say concerning His words:

“My servant, I was hungry, yet you did not feed Me,”

and the rest of the hadith; and concerning the other report:

“The Black Stone is Allah’s right hand on earth. Whoever shakes hands with it or kisses it is as though he had shaken hands with Allah and kissed His right hand.”

And His words:

“The hearts of the servants are between two fingers of the Most Merciful.”

They say: “It is known that the fingers of the True One are not within our hearts.”