The Shaykh’s discourse on the sects that denied the attribute of elevation for Allah the Exalted and their figurative interpretation of the texts that came regarding it.
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The Shaykh : What concerns us is to investigate specifically one of these attributes in which Muslims have differed since the existence of the Mu'tazilah and those who were influenced by them, including those who belong to the school of the people of the Sunnah, particularly the Asha'irah. The Mu'tazilah denied many of the attributes established in the Book and the Sunnah.
What concerns us now is the attribute of elevation for Allah, the Most High, the Forgiver. The Mu'tazilah held this view, and the Asha'irah followed them, and then all Muslims on the face of the earth today joined them in this, except for a few of them, namely the people of hadith.
The Mu'tazilah, the Asha'irah, and most Muslims today deny that Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) is above all His creations. Rather, they explicitly state that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is in every place and that Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) exists in all existence. As for the numerous verses and even more numerous hadiths that establish for Allah the attribute of His elevation above His creation, they interpret them with interpretations that negate their meanings. That is, these interpretations lead them to deny the realities of the meanings contained in the aforementioned texts from the Book and the Sunnah.
For example, among these explicit texts establishing the elevation of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is the previous verse:[Taha 20:5]. They interpret this verse and negate the meaning of elevation in it by saying: [Taha 20:5], meaning "he took control." This is how they interpret the verse: [Taha 20:5], meaning "he took control" from the word "istawala" (took control). And they argue for their mentioned interpretation with a well-known poem:
"Bishr took control of Iraq *** Without a sword and without spilled blood".
"Bishr took control of Iraq" means "he took control." This is how they interpret the noble verse:[Taha 20:5], and its meaning for them is "he took control."
And when they interpret it this way, unfortunately, they do not realize that the common proverb applies to them: "He was under the rain, then he became under the gutter". Because, in their claim, they purified Allah from being above the creations, claiming that this is not befitting of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), because if we say He is above the creations, we have confined Him to a place. This is their doubt, and we will come to refute it shortly, if Allah wills. To escape this claim that they made—that describing Allah as being above the creations necessitates confining Him to a place—they fled, in their claim, from this and fell into what is worse than it. That is when they interpreted "istawa" (established) to mean "istawala" (took control), for its meaning is that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) was not in control before that. Because in some verses related to the establishment of the Lord upon His Throne, the Exalted said:, . And we all know that "thumma" (then) indicates sequence. So after He created the heavens and the earth, He took control of the Throne, and its meaning is that before that He was not in control. And the necessary consequence of this is that He was incapable of taking control, like the greatest Creator (Glorified and Exalted is He), just like Bishr whom they used as an example, saying in the poem: "Bishr took control of Iraq". This undoubtedly means he was not in control before that. And why? Because he was not capable of taking control. And therefore he said: "Bishr took control of Iraq *** Without a sword and without spilled blood". So the word "istawa" meaning "istawala" (took control) contains an attribution of incapacity to the Lord of the worlds, which they did not notice, because , meaning "then He took control." And what was He before that? He was not in control. Even though a Muslim, merely by recalling the greatness of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) and that He is capable of everything, merely by recalling this meaning, knows that He does not create anything except that He is in control of it, and His control does not cease from it for a moment, however fine and small it may be.
So, in their claim to be on the path of purifying Allah from the wrong meaning that arose in their minds, they fell into diminishing Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and attributing to Him incapacity and deficiency, because He was not in control of the Throne for even a moment of time, and then He took control of the Throne. And this is misguidance that does not require much explanation.
What concerns us now is the attribute of elevation for Allah, the Most High, the Forgiver. The Mu'tazilah held this view, and the Asha'irah followed them, and then all Muslims on the face of the earth today joined them in this, except for a few of them, namely the people of hadith.
The Mu'tazilah, the Asha'irah, and most Muslims today deny that Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) is above all His creations. Rather, they explicitly state that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is in every place and that Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) exists in all existence. As for the numerous verses and even more numerous hadiths that establish for Allah the attribute of His elevation above His creation, they interpret them with interpretations that negate their meanings. That is, these interpretations lead them to deny the realities of the meanings contained in the aforementioned texts from the Book and the Sunnah.
For example, among these explicit texts establishing the elevation of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is the previous verse:
The Most Merciful [who is] above the Throne established.
الرحمن على العرش استوىThe Most Merciful [who is] above the Throne established.
الرحمن على العرش استوىThe Most Merciful [who is] above the Throne established.
الرحمن على العرش استوى"Bishr took control of Iraq *** Without a sword and without spilled blood".
"Bishr took control of Iraq" means "he took control." This is how they interpret the noble verse:
The Most Merciful [who is] above the Throne established.
الرحمن على العرش استوىAnd when they interpret it this way, unfortunately, they do not realize that the common proverb applies to them: "He was under the rain, then he became under the gutter". Because, in their claim, they purified Allah from being above the creations, claiming that this is not befitting of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), because if we say He is above the creations, we have confined Him to a place. This is their doubt, and we will come to refute it shortly, if Allah wills. To escape this claim that they made—that describing Allah as being above the creations necessitates confining Him to a place—they fled, in their claim, from this and fell into what is worse than it. That is when they interpreted "istawa" (established) to mean "istawala" (took control), for its meaning is that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) was not in control before that. Because in some verses related to the establishment of the Lord upon His Throne, the Exalted said:
then He established Himself over the Throne
ثم استوى العرشHe created seven heavens and then established Himself over the Throne
خلق سبع سموات ثم استوى على العرشthen He established
ثم استوىSo, in their claim to be on the path of purifying Allah from the wrong meaning that arose in their minds, they fell into diminishing Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and attributing to Him incapacity and deficiency, because He was not in control of the Throne for even a moment of time, and then He took control of the Throne. And this is misguidance that does not require much explanation.