Clarifying the Methodology of the Salaf Regarding the Names and Attributes of Allah

The Shaykh: So what should be noted regarding this issue raised by the aforementioned lecturer is whether we should stop at the texts of the Book and the Sunnah as understood by the righteous Salaf (may Allah be pleased with them), or as understood by the Khalaf? In my belief and certainty, this lecturer is not saying something that no scholar of the Salaf or the Khalaf has said before him; for both groups agree that the verses of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) must be understood, whether they pertain to the Names and Attributes of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He), or to His rulings and signs, or to other matters of the Shari'ah gathered in the Book of Allah and the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). There is no scholar who says that we should not understand a verse from the verses of Allah, when our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) says: . Therefore, the attempt to understand the Qur'an, and consequently the Sunnah of the Messenger (may peace and blessings be upon him), is a matter on which there is no disagreement between the Salaf and the Khalaf. The disagreement is only whether the texts of the Book and the Sunnah are understood according to their apparent meaning without ta'wil (figurative interpretation) or tashbih (likening Allah to creation), or whether they are understood through the path of ta'wil along with the tanzih (transcendence) agreed upon by both groups.
This is the disagreement; and therefore, when the man says what was indicated by His ExcellencyThe questioner : he is only saying something that no Muslim scholar has said before him. And sufficient for him, in my belief, as a warning is the saying of our Lord (Blessed and Exalted is He): . This severe warning applies to everyone who follows a path in the Shari'ah that contradicts the path of the believers. There is no doubt that the path of the believers is the path of the righteous Salaf, by the consensus of the Ummah that the righteous Salaf are those whom Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) praised as the best. Therefore, these Salaf were inclined to understand all the verses of Allah and the Hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), including those pertaining to the Attributes of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and His Most Beautiful Names. As for the fact that the Salaf are the best of generations, I do not think anyone needs to be reminded of that. However, I want to remind you that the righteous Salaf (may Allah be pleased with them) understood the verses and hadiths regarding the Names and Attributes of Allah as the Salafis who belong to this righteous Salaf understand them. They interpreted and understood them according to their apparent meaning, along with the tanzih that our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) imposes in such His saying: . Everyone knows that this Surah, with its short, blessed, and good verses, contains tawhid (the oneness of Allah) for Allah (Mighty and Majestic) in His Names and His Attributes.