Warning Against Exceeding the Bounds in What Has Been Transmitted Regarding the Names and Attributes of Allah
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Your Eminence! In the hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): (Indeed, Allah does not get tired until you get tired) Is this attribute established for Allah (Mighty and Majestic), namely tiredness?
I answer you with the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): (The extremists are destroyed, the extremists are destroyed, the extremists are destroyed) What makes you seek to establish or deny the attribute of tiredness for Allah (Mighty and Majestic)? You know that the Messenger addressed the Companions regarding this, and you know that the Companions were more eager than all of us to know the attributes of Allah the Exalted. Did they ask the Messenger whether He gets tired or not?Or they said: We heard and we believed, and we have faith that Allah does not get tired until we get tired? So whatever deficiency there is in tiredness is for us, not for Allah, for Allah the Exalted is perfect in His attributes.
Therefore, we must stop searching and discussing this matter. I say to you, to others, and to whoever hears my words: The attributes of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) require the utmost caution from a person, and one must not exceed what has been transmitted. If one exceeds what has been transmitted, he is destroyed;Because he will fall into one of two things: either by likening Allah to creation and necessitating deficiency in the attributes of Allah, or by denial of the divine attributes, one of these two things. And glory to Allah the Great, the Companions were one hundred and twenty-four thousand, and the Tabi'un were more and more, and the Imams of the Muslims remained silent about this. Then later scholars come, and the young brothers who are students who want to go deep—so they claim—into the attributes of Allah, dig into such issues: How many fingers does Allah have? How is His eye? How is His face? Do you not know that when Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked by a person, "O Abu 'Abdullah!": [Ta-Ha:5] How did He rise above the Throne? He lowered his head until he was sweating from shame at this question, and from its gravity, and from exalting the Lord (Mighty and Majestic),Then he raised his head and said: O this one! The rising above the Throne is not unknown, and the how is not comprehensible, and belief in it is obligatory, and asking about it is a religious innovation. I do not think you are anything but an innovator. Then he ordered him to be taken out, so he was taken out of the mosque.
These issues, O young men! The issues of attributes, do not strive to go deep into them so that you do not fall into destruction,Say: We heard and we believed and we have faith, and there is nothing like Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing. As long as we work, Allah the Exalted rewards us and does not get tired until we get tired. And if you see tiredness as a deficiency in you, do not attribute a deficiency to Allah; rather, it is a tiredness befitting Him, and we know that it does not necessitate a deficiency in the right of Allah if it is established for Him. I warn you and I warn the listeners against extremism and going deep into this dangerous issue. Stick to the works you are commanded to do, and leave what you are not commanded to do. Search for how to pray, how to perform the ablution, how to fast, how to give charity, and leave the attributes of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Take them as they came and do not dig into them; because before you are people who are more knowledgeable than you, and more eager than you to know Allah, and more loving of good and knowledge than you, and they did not discuss the Messenger about them.
I answer you with the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): (The extremists are destroyed, the extremists are destroyed, the extremists are destroyed) What makes you seek to establish or deny the attribute of tiredness for Allah (Mighty and Majestic)? You know that the Messenger addressed the Companions regarding this, and you know that the Companions were more eager than all of us to know the attributes of Allah the Exalted. Did they ask the Messenger whether He gets tired or not?Or they said: We heard and we believed, and we have faith that Allah does not get tired until we get tired? So whatever deficiency there is in tiredness is for us, not for Allah, for Allah the Exalted is perfect in His attributes.
Therefore, we must stop searching and discussing this matter. I say to you, to others, and to whoever hears my words: The attributes of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) require the utmost caution from a person, and one must not exceed what has been transmitted. If one exceeds what has been transmitted, he is destroyed;Because he will fall into one of two things: either by likening Allah to creation and necessitating deficiency in the attributes of Allah, or by denial of the divine attributes, one of these two things. And glory to Allah the Great, the Companions were one hundred and twenty-four thousand, and the Tabi'un were more and more, and the Imams of the Muslims remained silent about this. Then later scholars come, and the young brothers who are students who want to go deep—so they claim—into the attributes of Allah, dig into such issues: How many fingers does Allah have? How is His eye? How is His face? Do you not know that when Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked by a person, "O Abu 'Abdullah!":
The Most Merciful [who is] above the Throne established.
الرَّحْمَنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوَىThese issues, O young men! The issues of attributes, do not strive to go deep into them so that you do not fall into destruction,Say: We heard and we believed and we have faith, and there is nothing like Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing. As long as we work, Allah the Exalted rewards us and does not get tired until we get tired. And if you see tiredness as a deficiency in you, do not attribute a deficiency to Allah; rather, it is a tiredness befitting Him, and we know that it does not necessitate a deficiency in the right of Allah if it is established for Him. I warn you and I warn the listeners against extremism and going deep into this dangerous issue. Stick to the works you are commanded to do, and leave what you are not commanded to do. Search for how to pray, how to perform the ablution, how to fast, how to give charity, and leave the attributes of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Take them as they came and do not dig into them; because before you are people who are more knowledgeable than you, and more eager than you to know Allah, and more loving of good and knowledge than you, and they did not discuss the Messenger about them.