Some students of knowledge say: There are some figurative interpretations (ta'wil) in Ibn Kathir's tafsir. Is his statement correct?

Question:
May Allah reward you, Your Eminence, father. The questioner says: We hear from some students of knowledge who say that there are some figurative interpretations (ta'wil) in the tafsir of Imam Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him). Is this statement correct?

Answer:
This is a lie. Ibn Kathir's tafsir does not contain figurative interpretations (ta'wil) of the attributes; rather, it follows the methodology of the Salaf (the earliest generations). Ibn Kathir was a student of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and one of the great hadith scholars. He is a distinguished and respected imam who held the creed of the people of the Sunnah and the community, and his tafsir is reliable.