What is the ruling on swearing by the attributes of Allah, such as the Hand, the Eye, and the Foot?

The questioner : The questioner says: Honorable Shaykh, I ask Allah, then you, to answer this question. It is well known that swearing is an act of worship, and it is also well known that worship is specific to the oneness of worship (tawhid al-uluhiyyah). The Shaykh of Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned this in al-Tamimiyyah, and he established that the most specific attribute of Allah the Exalted is that He is the one worshipped, an attribute in which His other attributes do not share. He refuted those who made the Foot the most specific of His attributes. Is it permissible to swear by the rest of the attributes of Allah, such as the Mushaf, knowledge, mercy, the Hand, and the Foot? And is it permissible for a person to say "By the Hand of Allah" or "By the Eye of Allah"?

The Shaykh : And His Hands, and the Hand of Allah.

The questioner : The Hand of Allah or the Eye of Allah, and the like. And due to the lack of mastery of this rule, some scholars issued a fatwa permitting prostration to the Mushaf if one imagines the attribute. So what is your answer regarding that?

The Shaykh : Yes. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. The most specific attributes of Allah Mighty and Majestic are the attributes by which no other is described. These are the most specific attributes: the attributes by which no other is described, such as being the Lord of the worlds, or the First, before whom there is nothing, and the Last, after whom there is nothing, and the like of that which is not permissible except for Allah Mighty and Majestic. Among these is being the one worshipped in truth, for this is among the most specific attributes of Allah Mighty and Majestic, because no one is worshipped other than Allah except in falsehood, by the saying of Allah the Exalted: .
As for swearing by the attributes of Allah Glorified and Exalted, it has been mentioned previously that swearing by the attributes of Allah is permissible, such as saying "By the majesty of Allah" or "By the power of Allah" and the like, because the attributes of the Creator are not created, so it is permissible to swear by them. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) swore by what implies this, such as his saying: and the like. However, swearing by the descriptive attributes (khabariyyah) is a matter of doubt for me. Because the attributes of Allah Mighty and Majestic are divided into categories: essential attributes, action attributes, and descriptive attributes. How many are these?
Three categories. The essential attributes are those that are inseparable from the Essence, by which He has always been and continues to be described, Mighty and Majestic, such as life, knowledge, power, strength, hearing, and sight, and there are many like this. The action attributes are what He does, Mighty and Majestic, of what is by His will: if He wills, He does it, and if He wills, He does not do it, such as rising above the Throne, descending to the lowest heaven, coming to judge between the servants, rejoicing at the repentance of the servant, and laughing at two men, one of whom kills the other, and yet both enter Paradise, and the like of that. These attributes are called action attributes by the scholars because they are among His actions that relate to His will: if He wills, He does them, and if He wills, He does not do them. The third.
The descriptive attributes, whose counterparts for us are parts and dimensions, such as the Hand, the Face, the Eye, the Foot, and the Shin. These are called descriptive attributes, meaning they are established by report, not conceptual attributes, but purely descriptive.
So there is no doubt about the permissibility of swearing by the essential attributes, such as knowledge: you say "By the knowledge of Allah," "By the life of Allah," "By the hearing of Allah," "By the sight of Allah," and the like. And there is no harm in swearing by the action attributes, such as saying "By the rising of Allah above His Throne." As for swearing by the descriptive attributes, it is a matter of doubt for me, such as saying "By the Face of Allah," "By the Eye of Allah," "By the Hand of Allah." And you are in ease and spaciousness regarding this, meaning it is not obligatory that you do not swear except by that; there are many categories by which one swears other than the descriptive attributes. As for his statement in the question that some people took from this that it is permissible to prostrate to the Mushaf, that it is permissible to prostrate in the Mushaf, then the one who took this issue from this is undoubtedly mistaken, and he is not on the right path, because the scholars differed regarding the permissibility of swearing by the Mushaf itself. Some said it is permissible to swear by the Mushaf based on the words of Allah in it, and some said it is not permissible to swear by the Mushaf because the Mushaf consists of paper, leather, and ink, and all of these are created, so it is not correct to swear by them, unlike the Qur'an. The Qur'an is the speech of Allah, and it is correct to swear by it. And based on this, we say that the permissibility of swearing by an attribute does not imply that it is permissible to worship that attribute. If it is permissible to swear by the power of Allah, for example, is it permissible for me to prostrate to the power of Allah? No, it is not permissible to prostrate to it; rather, I prostrate to the One who has power, which is Allah Mighty and Majestic. Is it permissible for me to call upon the attribute? So I say, "O Power of Allah, forgive me"? No, rather I call upon the One who has power, so I say, "O All-Powerful, forgive me," or "O Forgiver, forgive me." For this reason, the Shaykh of Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned that it is not permissible, by the consensus of the Muslims, to call upon an attribute, and that whoever calls upon an attribute is a disbeliever. Be careful: if you call upon an attribute of Allah, it is disbelief, because you have made it a god alongside Allah, and it is Allah the Exalted who is called upon and hoped for. If someone asks, did not the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say? . We say, yes, he said it, but he did not intend to seek aid from the attribute, but rather to seek nearness to Allah through the attribute to obtain aid. Meaning, because you are the One of mercy, I seek your aid. And likewise: , he made the majesty a means, and it is not the one called upon or the one sought refuge from; rather, the one sought refuge from is Allah, but this attribute is used as a means to achieve the intended goal.

The presenter : May Allah reward you.