A discussion and debate regarding the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): “Allah created Adam in His image, his height being sixty cubits.”

The questioner : The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Look at al-Bukhari, then he completes the explanation by saying: “And he mentioned some of the preceding narrations of the hadith, then he said: ‘There was no disagreement between the Salaf and the generations…’”

The Shaykh : Who is the one who said this?

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : … What is the author? He said, on his own responsibility, meaning…

The questioner : Complete the context?

The Shaykh : ... .

The questioner : Complete the context of the explanation?

The Shaykh : No, where did the pronoun go back to? From “who” then “he said”? Who said it? This is “al-Fath” perhaps.

Another questioner : Then he mentioned some of the narrations.

The questioner : The explanation is by Ibn al-Yaman, so let us proceed now from the beginning of the explanation to clarify who the speaker is, whether it is Ibn al-Yaman or Ibn Hajar.

The Shaykh : … If Ibn al-Yaman says: “Then he said,” who is this speaker?

The questioner : Let us see who the speaker is now. He said in the narration of Ja'far ibn Muhammad ibn Rafi' , al-Bukhari narrated from the hadith of Abu Sa'id al-Maqburi and Yahya ibn Hammam from Abu Hurayrah from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) who said: , and al-Bukhari mentioned, does he mean al-Bukhari here is Ibn Hajar?

The Shaykh : Look at Ibn Hajar, my brother.

The questioner : Then he mentioned some of the preceding narrations of the hadith, then he said: “There was no disagreement between the Salaf and the three generations.”

The Shaykh : Who is saying there was no disagreement between the Salaf, al-Bukhari?

The questioner : Al-Bukhari or Ibn Hajar.

The Shaykh : Is it possible that al-Bukhari would say this?

The questioner : Let us go back to the beginning of the text, after we have heard the text, do we complete the text?

The Shaykh : Let us look at the research.

The questioner : So in “al-Sahihayn” from Hammam ibn Munabbih from Abu Hurayrah from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), then he mentioned the hadith, then after mentioning the hadith he said: In the narration of Ja'far ibn Muhammad ibn Rafi' .

The Shaykh-- Give me your book --
The Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) refuted these interpretations convincingly with knowledge and… and due to the gravity of this issue and the status of the Shaykh al-Islam, I am content to quote this statement of mine, which is sufficient and comprehensive. He said (may Allah have mercy on him), after quoting the preceding statement from al-Razi: “It is said that this hadith is extracted in ‘al-Sahihayn’… so in ‘al-Sahihayn’ such and such, he said in the narration of Ja'far ibn Muhammad ibn Rafi' , and al-Bukhari narrated from the hadith of Abu Sa'id al-Maqburi to the end: , and he mentioned what preceded, now here the author says: “And he mentioned” — meaning Ibn Taymiyyah — “some of the preceding narrations of the hadith, then he said.” Do you know who said it? Ibn Taymiyyah. Bring it so we can see what he said?

The questioner : Then he said: “There was no disagreement between the Salaf and the three generations; because the pronoun in this hadith refers to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He); for it is widely transmitted from multiple paths from a number of the Companions, and the context in all the hadiths indicates that, and it is also mentioned in the books of the People of the Book, such as the Torah and others, and what is of the knowledge inherited from our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him); so we may cite as evidence for it what is with the People of the Book, as He (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: .”

The Shaykh : Now, Ibn Taymiyyah’s claim; how did the author prove it? Or how did Ibn Taymiyyah himself prove it?

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : Do you know what I mean? Read Ibn Taymiyyah’s statement. What did Ibn Taymiyyah say? There was no disagreement among the Salaf.

The questioner : He says: There was no disagreement among the Salaf in the three generations; because the pronoun in this hadith refers to Allah.

The Shaykh : Yes, continue.

The questioner : For it is widely transmitted from multiple paths from a number of the Companions.

The Shaykh : Where are these paths? Now, where are these paths?

The questioner : The paths? Later he completes and then says: “But there were scholars in the third century who disliked its narration.”

The Shaykh : The paths, my brother, the paths of the hadith; where are they?

The questioner : He says here on page 44…: “And he said, the paths, by returning some of the pronoun to Allah, relying on what came in some of its paths; that Allah created Adam in the image of the Most Merciful. He said: It is as if the one who narrated it presented it by meaning.”

The Shaykh : I am just asking you, where are these paths? This is one path, and this is the path of Habib ibn Abi Thabit which is broken because he conceals defects; i.e., which path is explained, and where are the paths that Ibn Taymiyyah referred to?

The questioner : There are none… he did not mention…

The Shaykh : Therefore, it is not befitting for us to take the words of the scholars like this at face value, and say that this hadith came from paths that confirm that the pronoun refers to Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He), so there was someone before, as you pointed out, al-Mustansiri who brought a narration: , okay; are these paths or one path?

The questioner : This is what he says.

The Shaykh : Answer, may Allah guide you. Is this one path or multiple paths?

The questioner : One path.

The Shaykh : Okay; where are the paths?

The questioner : Go back to the author, I will read to you the author’s statement.

The Shaykh : Do you know, did the Shaykh al-Islam mention the paths?

The questioner : He did not mention them.

The Shaykh : Okay; did the author come and comment on this and clarify the paths?

The questioner : No, he only mentioned other statements.

The Shaykh : This is the problem! So the ordinary person will read this statement and say: That’s it, the hadith is authentic; because the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah says: its paths, and there is no path to be mentioned except the one which is in the wording: , even though the goal was to know what the answer of the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah is to the wording of al-Bukhari: , so you read to us the hadith in its entirety; so what did the Shaykh al-Islam say about this hadith and with this wording that contradicts the wording: ? What did he say?

The questioner : He said in the narration.

The Shaykh : … After that?

The questioner : After that?

The Shaykh : Yes, when he said.

The questioner : Complete it, he is here making an excuse… the statement in the context says what? : “But there were scholars in the third century who disliked its narration and narrated some of it as they dislike the narration of some hadiths for those who fear.”

The Shaykh : ... ؟

The questioner : Yes?

The Shaykh : Which wording?

The questioner : He says this hadith.

The Shaykh : Which one?

The questioner : The one we mentioned, the Most Merciful.

The Shaykh : … Guide you, when he said: The Salaf did not differ, and he brought the hadith of Abu Hurayrah according to al-Bukhari, what did Ibn Taymiyyah or the author write about the wording of al-Bukhari?

The questioner : He did not mention it, he only referred to “Fath al-Bari,” he mentioned this statement of Ibn Taymiyyah that there was no disagreement among the Salaf, then he mentioned an excuse that these matters are not mentioned among people; because… in al-Bukhari from Ali ibn Abi Talib that he said: Narrate to people what they know, and leave what they reject; do you love that Allah and His Messenger be lied about?! Meaning… this matter.

The Shaykh : Open to the authentic one that has the wording of al-Bukhari, after after, I think this is not it.

The questioner : The one ? This is it.

The Shaykh : Okay; is this research finished and does not address this wording?

The questioner : It did not address the wording.

The Shaykh : And why? Even though this contradicts that wording, and this is authentic and that is weak, and I urge you to look, he must speak about it, at least he interprets it with a far-fetched interpretation.

The questioner : He says here: “And most of the people of principles and theology only narrate the second sentence, which is his saying: , and they do not mention the imperative sentence; so the hadith became mass-transmitted between the two groups, and they agreed on its truth, but with distinguishing some of it from some, even though it is preserved by others from the scholars of hadith and others, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned it initially in his report about the creation of Adam within a long hadith, if it is mentioned in its proper form, many of the possible matters disappear, but when the Jahmiyyah spread in the third century, a group made the pronoun in it refer to other than Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He); until that was reported from a group of scholars known for knowledge and the Sunnah in most of their matters, such as Abu Thawr and Ibn Khuzaymah and AbuThe Shaykh : al-Asbahani and others; and therefore the imams of religion and others from the scholars of the Sunnah rejected them.”
He said:The Shaykh : Abu al-Hasan Muhammad ibn Abd al-Malik al-Kirhawi al-Shafi'i in the book “al-Fusul fi al-Usul”: “As for the interpretation of one who was not followed by the imams, it is not acceptable, even if that interpretation came from a known, not unknown imam, and similar to what is attributed to Abu Bakr.”

The Shaykh : This is not called an interpretation.

The questioner : I will read the statement of… this is the statement of Abu al-Hasan Muhammad ibn Abd al-Malik.

The Shaykh : Stay with me. Abu al-Hasan’s words are criticized regarding those who said: meaning: Adam; that this is ta'wil (figurative interpretation). If by ta'wil one means taking the word away from its apparent indication, then it is not ta'wil.

The questioner : Then ta'wil would be the other one.

The Shaykh : What is it?

The questioner : That if ta'wil is introduced, it returns to Allah; because here we are referring to the image, and here it becomes tashbih (likening Allah to creation). And if it is said it is not tashbih, we say this is majaz (metaphor).

The Shaykh : How do you say Ibn Taymiyyah is quoting from Abu al-Hasan that this was a refutation of Abu Thawr and Abu Khuzaymah, and I do not know who the third one is? AbuThe Shaykh : al-Isbahani. These people interpreted the hadith with the weakness of the weak narration = -- and upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah -- =, so you and Abu al-Hasan are upon them, and he is the most deserving of being criticized.

The questioner : It was mentioned that this is ta'wil, and the correct view is that their ta'wil is .

The Shaykh: No.

The questioner : So if we say ta'wil, the ta'wil is in those who said that the pronoun returns to al-Rahman, and the intended meaning is the image, ... defining the two meanings is tashbih or majaz.

The Shaykh : There is disagreement regarding the referent of the pronoun, and it was said that the intended meaning is al-Rahman, and it was said the intended meaning is Adam; whether this or that is said, this is tafsir (explanation) and not ta'wil in the sense of taking the word away from its apparent indication. Is that clear? So the Shaykh al-Islam quotes from Abu al-Hasan that this was a refutation of Ibn Khuzaymah and Abu Thawr and AbuThe Shaykh : al-Isbahani that they interpreted the hadith with a ta'wil in the manner of the Khalaf (the later generations), who interpret the attributes; so they said: Allah created Adam in the image of Adam. They called this a reprehensible ta'wil and criticized them. Read the full statement.

The questioner : "Not unknown, like what is attributed to Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn Khuzaymah in his ta'wil of the hadith: ; for he explains it with that ta'wil, and no one before him from the imams of hadith followed him in it; as we have narrated from Ahmad - may Allah have mercy on him - and no one after him followed him either; until I saw in the book "Al-Fuqaha" by al-Abadi the jurist that he mentioned the jurists, and mentioned from each one of them an issue he was unique in, and he mentioned Imam Ibn Khuzaymah and that he was unique in the ta'wil of this hadith , although I heard several of the shaykhs narrate that that ta'wil is forged and attributed to Ibn Khuzaymah, and a lie fabricated against him. So this and the like of that ta'wil, we do not accept it and do not pay attention to it."
The Shaykh : I said: The Hafiz Abu Musa al-Madini mentioned in what he compiled of the virtues of Ismail ibn Muhammad al-Taymi, the owner of the saying: I heard him say: Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn Khuzaymah erred in the hadith of the image, and that is not a fault to be criticized for, rather, one should not take this from him, that is all. Abu Musa said: He indicated by that that few are the imams who do not have a slip; if that imam is left because of his slip, many of the imams are left. If that is known, it is said: As for the return of the pronoun to other than Allah - the Exalted - it is invalid from several aspects: The first is: what is in "Al-Sahihayn" at the beginning , they excuse it by saying it is a beginning. And in other hadiths.

The Shaykh : Is this not ta'wil?

The questioner : No, this is ta'wil, "And in other hadiths: , and no one was mentioned before to whom the pronoun returns."

The Shaykh : He says in the context either a striker or a struck one on his face, so this is the evidence.

The questioner : And what some of them mentioned that the Prophet - peace and blessings be upon him - saw a man striking a man and saying: May Allah disfigure your face and the face of whoever resembles your face, so he said: ; meaning: the image of this struck one, so this is something with no basis, and it is not known in any of the books of hadith.
The Shaykh : The second is: that the other hadith, its wording is: .

The Shaykh : The first meaning, this is the second and the third is in the meaning of the first hadith!

The questioner : Complete here, he says: And there is no mention in this of anyone to whom the pronoun returns.

The Shaykh : How is it in it?

The questioner : This is the words of the commentator.

The Shaykh : Reflect on it, look, is the speech sound or not?

The questioner : He began to mention the third wording, saying: The wording that Ibn Khuzaymah mentioned and interpreted, which is his saying: , does not contain a mention of anyone suitable for the pronoun to return to, and his saying in the ta'wil: He intended - peace and blessings be upon him - that Allah created Adam in His image, in the image of this struck one whom the striker was ordered to avoid striking on the face and whose face He disfigured, so he mentioned - peace and blessings be upon him - to say: , so it is said to him: No struck one was mentioned before in your narration from the Prophet - peace and blessings be upon him.

The Shaykh : This is a repetitive and boring repetition...