Is there figurative language in the Qur'an?
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The questioner : Is there figurative language in the Qur'an?
The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : Is there figurative language in the Qur'an?
The Shaykh : We do not believe in figurative language except in the narrow, defined sense, and we can bring a part of it into the discussion. There are expressions in the Qur'an that some later scholars call figurative, but labeling this type as figurative contradicts their statement that the default for every expression is literal, that it should be judged by its apparent meaning and its reality, and that it is not permissible to depart from it by interpretation unless there is a specific indication. This is their definition of literal and figurative, yet they still come to certain expressions and call them figurative. Their labeling of these as figurative is purely a matter of terminology. For example, His saying (Glorified and Exalted is He):[Yusuf 12:82], they say: this is figurative, perhaps they call it the figurative of omission. Well, from the perspective of Arabic principles, no one understands the apparent meaning of the expression, which is: , meaning its trees, its walls, and the like. This meaning does not occur to the mind of an Arab at all, whereas what occurs to the mind is its inhabitants, its people. And because this meaning is what is immediately understood, this speech is not called figurative; because it is immediately understood. Yet they force it into the category of figurative.
For example, an Arab says: "The gutter of the Ka'bah flowed." If we were to take this old Arabic expression according to the method of literal and figurative, the literal meaning of this expression would be that the gutter melted due to the intense heat until it flowed. But no one understands this meaning at all. What is understood? The gutter flowed; meaning: the water of the gutter. This is literal, not figurative, but they call it figurative. When the discussion of this issue moves to what concerns the hadiths of attributes and the verses of attributes, we find that they have deviated from the rule they indicated, which is that the default for every Arabic sentence is literal, and one does not move from it to figurative except out of necessity. For example, the well-known verse:[Al-Fajr 89:22], , they interpret it to mean: Your Lord did not come!! And so the scholars of the Salaf call these interpreters the deniers of attributes. So our Lord says: , they say: No, our Lord does not come, does not come, does not do, and so on. ; No, He does not descend. Why? They say: This is figurative. What compelled them to say it is figurative? There is nothing except their turning away from understanding the Book and the Sunnah in the Arabic style that the Companions understood directly from their Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and therefore they did not strain themselves with interpretation.
So there is no figurative language except out of necessity, and where is the necessity in understanding the verses of attributes and the hadiths of attributes? This is a research that Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah provided comprehensively; where no one can bring forth what he brought forth.
The questioner : "Faith"?
The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : "Faith"?
The Shaykh : The book "Faith and Figurative Language".
The questioner : A book on figurative language?
The Shaykh : A small treatise - yes - well known.
Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : Is there figurative language in the Qur'an?
The Shaykh : We do not believe in figurative language except in the narrow, defined sense, and we can bring a part of it into the discussion. There are expressions in the Qur'an that some later scholars call figurative, but labeling this type as figurative contradicts their statement that the default for every expression is literal, that it should be judged by its apparent meaning and its reality, and that it is not permissible to depart from it by interpretation unless there is a specific indication. This is their definition of literal and figurative, yet they still come to certain expressions and call them figurative. Their labeling of these as figurative is purely a matter of terminology. For example, His saying (Glorified and Exalted is He):
And ask the city in which we were and the caravan in which we came
وَاسْأَلِ القَرْيَةَ الَّتِي كُنَّا فِيهَا وَالعِيرَ الَّتِي أَقْبَلْنَا فِيهَاAsk the town
اسْأَلِ القَرْيَةَFor example, an Arab says: "The gutter of the Ka'bah flowed." If we were to take this old Arabic expression according to the method of literal and figurative, the literal meaning of this expression would be that the gutter melted due to the intense heat until it flowed. But no one understands this meaning at all. What is understood? The gutter flowed; meaning: the water of the gutter. This is literal, not figurative, but they call it figurative. When the discussion of this issue moves to what concerns the hadiths of attributes and the verses of attributes, we find that they have deviated from the rule they indicated, which is that the default for every Arabic sentence is literal, and one does not move from it to figurative except out of necessity. For example, the well-known verse:
And your Lord has come and the angels, rank upon rank,
وَجَاءَ رَبُّكَ وَالمَلَكُ صَفًّا صَفًّاYour Lord came
جَاءَ رَبُّكَYour Lord came
جَاءَ رَبُّكَOur Lord descends every night
ينزل ربُّنا في كل ليلةSo there is no figurative language except out of necessity, and where is the necessity in understanding the verses of attributes and the hadiths of attributes? This is a research that Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah provided comprehensively; where no one can bring forth what he brought forth.
The questioner : "Faith"?
The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : "Faith"?
The Shaykh : The book "Faith and Figurative Language".
The questioner : A book on figurative language?
The Shaykh : A small treatise - yes - well known.
Yes.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.