What is the meaning of the saying of Allah the Exalted: “So do not set forth for Allah any similitude”?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. Regarding His saying, Glorified and Exalted is He:[An-Nahl 16:74] We often hear people setting forth similitudes for Allah, and then they say, “And to Allah belongs the highest similitude.” Is this permissible?
Answer:
What kind of similitude? Setting forth similitudes for Allah is not permissible. It is not permissible to set forth similitudes for Allah because Allah has forbidden it. This refers to a counterpart or equivalent, which is not permissible. However, one may give an approximate example and say:[Ar-Rum 30:27] Allah, Exalted and Majestic is He, gave an approximate example for this in His saying, when the polytheists said in their talbiyah: “Here I am, no partner do You have, except a partner that is Yours; You rule over him and what he possesses.”
Allah gave them an example, saying:[Ar-Rum 30:28] So Allah, Exalted and Majestic is He, [Ar-Rum 30:28] Do their slaves share with them? Why do you say, “No partner do You have, except a partner that is Yours; You rule over him and what he possesses”? You make some of Allah’s slaves partners with Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and you do not accept this for yourselves, that your slaves and servants should share with you in your wealth. Yes. Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success.
And He said, Glorified and Exalted is He:[Ghafir 40:57] This is an example for the minds, otherwise nothing is too difficult for Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He.
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. Regarding His saying, Glorified and Exalted is He:
So do not assert similarities to Allah
فَلَا تَضْرِبُوا لِلَّهِ الْأَمْثَالَAnswer:
What kind of similitude? Setting forth similitudes for Allah is not permissible. It is not permissible to set forth similitudes for Allah because Allah has forbidden it. This refers to a counterpart or equivalent, which is not permissible. However, one may give an approximate example and say:
To Him belongs the highest attribute
وَلَهُ الْمَثَلُ الْأَعْلَىٰAllah gave them an example, saying:
He presents to you an example from yourselves. Do you have among those whom your right hands possess any partners in what We have provided for you so that you are equal therein [and] would fear them as your fear of one another [within a partnership]? Thus do We detail the verses for a people who use reason.
ضَرَبَ لَكُم مَّثَلًا مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ هَل لَّكُم مِّن مَّا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُم مِّن شُرَكَاءَ فِي مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ فَأَنتُمْ فِيهِ سَوَاءٌ تَخَافُونَهُمْ كَخِيفَتِكُمْ أَنفُسَكُمْ كَذَٰلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ الْآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَHe presents to you an example from yourselves. Do
ضَرَبَ لَكُم مَّثَلًا مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ هَلAnd He said, Glorified and Exalted is He:
The creation of the heavens and earth is greater than the creation of mankind
لَخَلْقُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ أَكْبَرُ مِنْ خَلْقِ النَّاسِ
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، [8 -308] ما معنى قوله تعالى ﴿ فَلا تَضْرِبُوا لِلَّهِ الأَمْثَالَ ﴾؟ - الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.