The Ruling on Metaphor in the Speech of Allah and His Messenger

Question:
Is there metaphor in the Noble Qur'an? Because we study in Arabic grammar the interpretation of the noble verse as one of the examples, and that is the saying of Allah the Exalted: "And your Lord comes." The interpretation is "And the command of your Lord comes." So what is the correct position in this? May Allah reward you with good.

Answer:
Metaphor is a matter in which research has taken place among the people of knowledge, both in the past and the present: is it permissible in language absolutely, or is it not permissible in language absolutely, or is it permissible in language but not permissible in the speech of Allah and the speech of His Messenger?
There are three opinions, and the correct one is this opinion: that metaphor can occur in the Arabic language, but in the speech of Allah and the speech of His Messenger, there is nothing but literal truth; there is no metaphor. "And your Lord comes" is to be understood literally: that Allah comes on the Day of Resurrection with His own Self, Glorified is He, in a manner befitting His Majesty and His Greatness, Blessed and Exalted is He. Interpreting "And the command of your Lord comes" is false. This is an innovation from the one who said it; he added it from himself. He says about Allah what He did not say. We ask Allah for safety. Allah says "And your Lord comes," and does He say "And the command of your Lord comes"? It is as if he is saying, "No, your Lord did not come; the command of your Lord came." It is as if he is lying about Allah, Mighty and Majestic. This is never permissible. Rather, the correct position, which Allah has decreed, is that there is no metaphor in the Qur'an, and likewise the speech of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is literal truth.
There is no metaphor in it. I have authored books on this by great imams, such as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, who spoke about metaphor, its origin, and its establishment, and about those who held to it, in a long discourse in his book *Al-Iman*. However, only a student of knowledge can encompass it. Likewise, Imam Ibn al-Qayyim spoke at length about this in his book *Jama'at al-Juyush al-Islamiyyah 'ala Gha'z al-Mu'tatilah wa al-Jahmiyyah* (The Gathering of the Islamic Armies for the Invasion of the Deniers of Attributes and the Jahmiyyah), and in his book *Al-Tawq al-Mursal 'ala al-Jahmiyyah wa al-Mu'tatilah* (The Sent Bracelet against the Jahmiyyah and the Deniers of Attributes). Also, in our present time, our Shaykh, Shaykh Muhammad al-Amin al-Sindi, may Allah have mercy on him, has a treatise titled *Man' Jawaz al-Majaz li-l-Manzil li-l-Ta'abbud wa-l-I'jaz* (Prohibiting the Permissibility of Metaphor in the Revealed Text for the Sake of Worship and Inimitability). It is a printed treatise. Also, read *A'dhat al-Bayan* (Lights of Explanation) and you will find, if Allah wills, great benefit. Introducing metaphor into the speech of Allah and the speech of His Messenger is false. As for introducing it into the speech of the Banu Qays or in *Majnun Layla*, that is a minor matter; it is not forbidden, and there is no sin in it.