Explaining the conditions that serve to honor the bearer of the Qur'an

The Shaykh : Here, two characteristics are stipulated for the bearer and memorizer of the Qur'an who deserves the honor and reverence of the Muslims. The first is that he not be an extremist in his interpretation, and that he not attribute to the Qur'an interpretations and meanings that it does not bear, such as the previous verse: They interpreted it with "istawala" (to take possession). If we reflect a little on this interpretation, it becomes clear to us that those who interpreted it in this extreme manner, deviating from the Salafi meaning, have not benefited from it at all. This is because when they flee from the Salafi interpretation of "istawa" as "istala" (to rise above), they assume that describing the Muslim's Lord as being above the created things means He is in a place and that we have confined Him to a place if we say "above the created things." Then they fall into what they fled from, even though the accusation they level against the Salaf, who interpret "istawa" as "istala," is that they place Him in a place. This is a false accusation with no basis. This is a point I believe all women, except what Allah wills, and perhaps a few individuals among them, do not know this creed in the correct way. This is because this correct creed, which is that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is above the Throne, having risen above it, and that this rising above necessitates that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is above the created things, is used by the extremists who deviate in interpreting the Qur'an away from the Salafi interpretation to raise doubts and problems that have no basis. However, these may affect the creed of some Salafis who do not know the answer to those doubts. For example, they say: If we say that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is above the heavens and above all created things, as I mentioned earlier, they say: Then Allah is in a place. The answer is: No, because "place" is derived from "creation" (al-kaun). We know that Allah was and there was nothing with Him, as stated in Sahih al-Bukhari in the hadith of 'Imran ibn Husayn: The answer is: No, because there was nothing with Him, and place is a creation of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). When the created things came into existence, place came into existence. So Allah was not in a place. Therefore, when He created the created things (Glorified and Exalted is He), He did not acquire a place, because He remains in His greatness, His majesty, and His highness, and no place was found for Him to settle in, far be it from Him. How could it be, when He is greater than the entire universe, of which place is a part? So Allah is greater than everything. Before He created the created things, there was no place, so He was self-sufficient in His Essence and His majesty, not poor or in need of a place to be created for Him to settle in, far be it from Him. Therefore, when He created the universe, He did not dwell in it nor take it as His homeland. On the contrary, the previous verse benefits us: Knowing that the Throne is greater than all created things, and it is the roof of Paradise (al-Firdaws). The Throne of the Most Merciful is the roof of al-Firdaws, as stated in "Sahih al-Bukhari": So, if we know that place is derived from the universe, and the universe is created, and the universe was not created before, on the contrary, Allah was and there was nothing with Him, then from this perspective, He is now as He was. I hope you pay attention to this qualification I mentioned earlier: He is from this perspective, meaning in terms of the fact that He was not in a place as He was before He created the heavens and the earth, so He is now, in terms of this perspective, as He was. He was ancient and eternal before He created the created things, not in a place, so He is now as He was. But we do not say, as the extreme Sufis do, who distort the Prophetic hadiths by adding to the aforementioned hadith of 'Imran ibn Husayn the wording: Pay attention: Obviously, there are things gathered under the word "creation" (al-khalq), the created things in their various types: humans, animals, and inanimate objects, and inanimate objects are divided into many species: the heavens, the earths, the mountains, and the rivers. These are not "nothing," so it is said: "There was nothing with Him." Allah was and there was nothing with Him, and He is now as He was. Here, one of two prohibitions is necessitated, and the sweetest of them is bitter, as they say. The first prohibition: That we consider that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) did not create anything. The second prohibition: We cannot deny that Allah created everything. This is the text of the Noble Qur'an. How is He, being the Creator of everything, now as He was? Now these created things exist. The interpretation of the extreme Sufis: "It is not He but He," meaning these created things are Allah. In that case, the false phrase is correctly understood with this extreme Sufi interpretation, meaning these created things that we see, in the expression of the Sufis, are manifestations of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), so they are from Him. Therefore, they say: "Everything you see with your eye is Allah." So "He is now as He was" means there is no Creator and no created thing, but only one thing. Therefore, they say in their tawhid (the oneness of Allah): "It is not He but He." Rather, they explicitly invalidate the tawhid brought by all the messengers: "There is no god but Allah. This is the tawhid of the common people, not the tawhid of the elite. The tawhid of the elite is 'It is not He but He,' and the elite of the elite: 'He is He,'" meaning there is no Creator and no created thing, in summary.