The methodology of the people of the Sunnah and the community is that every attribute of Allah that He has affirmed for Himself, we affirm for Him without figurative interpretation, denial of the divine attributes, likening Allah to creation, or comparing Allah to creation.

The questioner : The methodology of the people of the Sunnah and the community is that every attribute of Allah that He has affirmed for Himself, we affirm for Him without figurative interpretation, denial of the divine attributes, likening Allah to creation, or comparing Allah to creation. How do we interpret the noble verses? The first verse: Please guide us in light of this question, Shaykh Muhammad?

The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment. The methodology of the righteous Salaf, upon which the Companions, the Tabi'un, and the Imams of the Muslims after them are, is that Allah the Exalted is described with what He has described Himself with in His Book, or with what His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) has described Him with, without distortion of a text's meaning, denial of the divine attributes, asking how an attribute is, or comparing Allah to creation. This is the true methodology indicated by the hearing and the intellect, meaning indicated by the Shari'ah and the intellect. This is because the attributes of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, are unknown to us; we do not know of them except what Allah has informed us of regarding Himself. And what He has informed us of regarding Himself is truth, because it is a truthful report from the One who knows Himself better than anyone else. And because we do not grasp what is obligatory for Allah the Exalted, what is permissible for Him, and what is impossible for Him in detail except through the Book and the Sunnah. Accordingly, what Allah has described Himself with, it is obligatory for us to accept it and believe in it. However, we do not encompass it in reality, in the sense that we do not grasp its modality. For example, the rising above the Throne of Allah on His Throne: Allah the Exalted has affirmed it for Himself in seven places in His Noble Book. So we know the meaning of rising above a thing, and that it is being above it, as Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said: But we do not know the modality of Allah the Exalted rising above His Throne, meaning we do not know in what attribute it is. Therefore, when Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about that, a man said to him: "O Abu 'Abdullah, the Most Merciful has risen above the Throne; how did He rise?" So Malik lowered his head until he was sweating profusely from the intensity of what he heard in the question, and out of his awe and magnification of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Then he said: "The rising above is not unknown, and the modality is not comprehensible, and belief in it is obligatory, and asking about it is a religious innovation". This means that the rising above is not unknown in the Arabic language, but it is known. Indeed, the Arabic language indicates that rising above a thing means being above it. And the Qur'an was revealed in the Arabic language, as Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said: And He said: meaning We made it in the Arabic tongue so that you may understand and comprehend it. So his statement (may Allah have mercy on him): "The rising above is not unknown" means its meaning is known and its meaning is clear. "And the modality is not comprehensible" means that our minds are too short and too low to grasp the modality of Allah's rising above His Throne. And so it is with the rest of the attributes; it is not possible for our limited minds to grasp their modality. "And belief in it is obligatory" means that belief in the rising above, as required by the Arabic language, is obligatory, because Allah has informed us of it regarding Himself, so it is obligatory for us to accept it and believe in it. "And asking about it" meaning about the rising above, meaning about its modality, is a religious innovation, meaning it is the habit of the people of innovation. And it is also a religious innovation because the Companions did not ask the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) about it. So the broad rule of the righteous Salaf and the Imams of the Muslims is belief in everything with which Allah has described Himself, or with which His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) has described Him, without distortion of a text's meaning, denial of the divine attributes, asking how an attribute is, or comparing Allah to creation.
And know that the attributes of Allah the Exalted are divided into two categories: a category of absolute perfection in every state, so Allah is described with them absolutely in every state, such as hearing, sight, knowledge, power, speech, and the like. And another category that is not perfection in every state, but is perfection in its place, such as the verses mentioned by the questioner. For Allah is not described with them absolutely, but He is described with them where they are perfection, as will become clear, if Allah wills, from the discussion of each verse individually. So His saying, the Exalted: means the hypocrites, because when the hypocrites meet those who believe, they say, "We believe," and when they return to their devils, they say, "Indeed, we are with you; we are only mocking," meaning mocking the believers where we say to them, "We believe," while they do not believe. So Allah the Exalted said: So He countered their mocking of the believers with His mocking, Blessed and Exalted is He, of them. And that is where He enabled them, delayed them, and lured them on from where they do not know. So this is mocking in response to mocking, and the mocking of Allah the Exalted is greater and greater than their mocking of the believers.

The questioner : The second verse: .

The Shaykh : This is also regarding the hypocrites. And in another verse: Deception is a praiseworthy attribute when it occurs in its place. Therefore, it is said, "War is deception." So these hypocrites deceive Allah and those who believe, and they mislead them, making them think they are believers while they are not believers, through deception, plotting, and scheming. So Allah, Mighty and Majestic, says: And that is by delaying them and luring them on, and sparing their blood, and treating them as Muslims. But He, Mighty and Majestic, will show them the painful punishment when they transition from this world to the Hereafter. And this is undoubtedly deception of them, where He, Glorified and Exalted is He, treats them with the treatment of satisfaction, while they are the opposite of that.

The questioner : .

The Shaykh : The third verse: meaning the deniers of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). They plot a great plot against the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), but Allah the Exalted plots against them a greater plot. And reflect on His saying: where it came in the plural form, and where it came in the singular form. For the plot of Allah the Exalted is greater than the plot of all their plots, no matter how great they are. And plotting and scheming are close in meaning, and their meaning is to bring down the opponent from where he does not expect, meaning to cause a person to fall into a trap from where he is not aware. And Allah the Exalted plotted a great plot for His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with these polytheists who denied him, as is known from reading the biography of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

The questioner : .

The Shaykh : This is not from the attributes of Allah; it is before His saying: .

The questioner : In the last verse: .

The Shaykh : This is also like His saying: meaning that the disbelievers plot against the close friends of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, but Allah the Exalted plots against them, countering them with what is greater and more severe than their plotting. Therefore, He said: meaning the greatest and most severe of them. And plotting, as I said earlier, is bringing down the opponent from where he does not expect. So it is evidence of strength, knowledge, and power. So in response to the actor, there are attributes of praise and perfection. But Allah the Exalted is not described as a plotter absolutely, or as a deceiver, or as a schemer, or as a mocker absolutely. Rather, it is said: He, Glorified and Exalted is He, is a plotter against those who plot against Him, and a mocker against those who mock Him, and so on.

The questioner : May Allah bless you, O honorable Shaykh.