What is the authenticity of the hadith: "If you lowered a rope..."?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. And may prayers and peace be upon the ten prophets and messengers, our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and upon his family and all his Companions. The first thing you asked today, the questioner says: What is the degree of authenticity of this hadith?
The Shaykh : Today, not today.
The questioner : On Thursday, the twenty-sixth day of the month of Ramadan in the year 1480, the questioner says: What is the degree of authenticity of this hadith? "If one of them threw a rope and it fell upon Allah, what is the meaning of the hadith? And what is its impact on Islamic creed?"
The Shaykh : Yes, this hadith, as the questioner said, if it is authentic—and the scholars differ on its authenticity—those who said it is authentic say that the meaning of the hadith is: "If you lowered a rope, it would fall upon Allah the Exalted, because Allah the Exalted encompasses everything, so everything is in the grasp of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, and nothing is attributed to Him except that even the seven heavens and the seven earths are in the palm of the Merciful, Mighty and Majestic, like a mustard seed in one of our hands. Allah the Exalted says in the Qur'an:[Az-Zumar 39:67] [Az-Zumar 39:67] And it is impossible in any way for this to indicate that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, is in every place, or that Allah the Exalted is beneath the seventh earth, for this is impossible by Shari'ah, reason, and fitrah (innate natural disposition), because the exaltation of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, has been indicated by the Book of Allah, the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), reason, fitrah, and consensus. As for the evidence?
The questioner : How many pieces of evidence? You really kept me awake, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : How many pieces of evidence? Huh? Three? Yes. Fine.
The questioner : The Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger.
The Shaykh : How many? Five, yes.
The questioner : The Book of Allah, the Sunnah of His Messenger, reason, fitrah, and consensus.
The Shaykh : Correct, meaning the evidence that indicates that Allah is above everything is the Book, the Sunnah, consensus, reason, and fitrah. Who can bring me evidence from the words of Allah that Allah is above everything? Yes. Yes. That is fine, go ahead. "And He is the Dominant over His servants"[Al-A'la 87:1], and "He settled Himself above the Throne," and there are many such verses in the Book of Allah. So every verse that indicates the ascent of something to Allah, or the raising of something to Allah, or the descent of something from Allah, indicates the exaltation of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. As for the Sunnah, it is also mass-transmitted (mutawatir) regarding the exaltation of Allah, Mighty and Majestic.
The questioner : We put in the running water. We put in the running water. What is in the running water?
The Shaykh : Today, not today.
The questioner : On Thursday, the twenty-sixth day of the month of Ramadan in the year 1480, the questioner says: What is the degree of authenticity of this hadith? "If one of them threw a rope and it fell upon Allah, what is the meaning of the hadith? And what is its impact on Islamic creed?"
The Shaykh : Yes, this hadith, as the questioner said, if it is authentic—and the scholars differ on its authenticity—those who said it is authentic say that the meaning of the hadith is: "If you lowered a rope, it would fall upon Allah the Exalted, because Allah the Exalted encompasses everything, so everything is in the grasp of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, and nothing is attributed to Him except that even the seven heavens and the seven earths are in the palm of the Merciful, Mighty and Majestic, like a mustard seed in one of our hands. Allah the Exalted says in the Qur'an:
They have not appraised Allah with true appraisal, while the earth entirely will be [within] His grip on the Day of Resurrection
وَمَا قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ وَالْأَرْضُ جَمِيعًا قَبْضَتُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِand the heavens will be folded in His right hand
وَالسَّمَاوَاتُ مَطْوِيَّاتٌ بِيَمِينِهِThe questioner : How many pieces of evidence? You really kept me awake, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : How many pieces of evidence? Huh? Three? Yes. Fine.
The questioner : The Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger.
The Shaykh : How many? Five, yes.
The questioner : The Book of Allah, the Sunnah of His Messenger, reason, fitrah, and consensus.
The Shaykh : Correct, meaning the evidence that indicates that Allah is above everything is the Book, the Sunnah, consensus, reason, and fitrah. Who can bring me evidence from the words of Allah that Allah is above everything? Yes. Yes. That is fine, go ahead. "And He is the Dominant over His servants"
Exalt the name of your Lord, the Most High,
سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الْأَعْلَىThe questioner : We put in the running water. We put in the running water. What is in the running water?
Source
قناة «فضيلة الشيخ محمد بن صالح العثيمين»، 19 - 22 - دروس وفتاوى المسجد الحرام للعام 1408 هـ - الدرس التاسع عشر - الشيخ محمد بن صالح العثيمين — youtube.com (33:50)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.