Verses of the Attributes.

The questioner : The methodology of the Salaf regarding the Attributes: the verses of the Attributes and their hadiths. They say, "We pass over them as they came," or they mean that they are not interpreted; nothing of them is interpreted, and whoever interprets anything of them is a Jahmi or such. We want clarification on whether the verses of the Attributes are understood in their meaning or whether their meaning is delegated (tafwid). May Allah reward you with good?

The Shaykh : And to you. What we understand from this phrase, which is their saying, "We pass over them as they came," is that we understand them according to their apparent meaning and their implication in the Arabic style, without applying the axe of figurative interpretation (ta'wil) to them, which is most like distortion (tahrif) and denial of the divine attributes (ta'til). It is not the obvious intent of this phrase that we read them and do not understand their meaning. These Attributes came in a clear Arabic tongue in the Book and the Sunnah, so it is necessary to understand them, and then to pass over their apparent meaning without interpreting them or denying their meaning. The scholars of the Salaf proceeded in this manner in interpreting all the verses of the Attributes. We did not find from any of them that the verses of the Attributes and the hadiths of the Attributes are not understood, and that this is the meaning of the saying of some of the Salaf: "We pass over them, or pass them over, as they came." This is not what is intended. Rather, the intent is to pass over them while understanding their meaning. In this lies affirming the Attributes with the Arabic meaning that comes to mind, and not with a lack of understanding of them. For the consequence of that is that we do not describe Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) with anything of what He described Himself with, and this is the very essence of denial of the divine attributes (ta'til). And ... it was reported from some of our imams, Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him, Blessed and Exalted is He), or his Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah, when he said: "The one who ascribes a body to Allah (mujassim) worships an idol, and the one who denies the attributes (mu'til) worships non-existence." Denying the Attributes and not understanding them is what leads to the denial of the existence of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). To this Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) alluded in his final statement: "The one who ascribes a body to Allah worships an idol, and the one who denies the attributes worships non-existence." This is what we understand from this phrase, and it is the truth in which there is no doubt.