This is absolute negation of attributes: no matter how eloquent a person may be, he could not describe nonexistence more fully than these people have described their Lord. Exalted is Allah, far above what they say! May Allah have mercy on that intelligent emir who, upon hearing this from some of the scholars of speculative theology, said: “These are people who have lost their Lord!”

For this reason, some scholars said:

“The corporealist worships an idol, while the negator worships nonexistence. The corporealist is night-blind, and the negator is blind!”

It is regrettable that the eminent scholar Ibn al-Jawzi, in his refutation of those who liken Allah to His creation, fell into some of this type of discourse. In the aforementioned book, after interpreting istiwāʾ (rising over the Throne) as dominion and subjugation, and citing in support the well-known verse by the Christian al-Akhtal:

“Bishr gained dominion over Iraq,
Without sword or shed blood,”

he indulged in philosophical argumentation in rejecting the correct meaning—namely, rising above—and said:

“Therefore, it should be said: He is neither within the universe nor outside it!”

The one called Hasan al-Saqqaf did not comment on this invalid negation, which no recognized imam before him had ever maintained and which contains not an atom of knowledge, as is the way of those who negate the attributes. Among his strange assertions and ignorances is that he follows Ibn al-Jawzi in censuring those who affirm the attributes and say: “He rose over the Throne in His Essence.” Ibn al-Jawzi says on p. 127, condemning the expression “in His Essence”:

“It is an addition that has not been transmitted.”

Glory be to Allah! An addition such as this, intended to ward off negation of the attributes, is condemned because it has not been transmitted, yet his preceding statement, “He is neither within ...,” is not condemned! O Allah, this is indeed one of the gravest calamities!