Clarifying the falsehood of the claim that tafwid is the methodology of the Salaf (may Allah have mercy on them).

The Shaykh : ... And this is found today among some contemporary writers who are fanatical for certain Islamic parties. They claim that tafwid is the methodology of the Salaf, and this is a lie against them. The Salaf know what the meaning of is, and they know , but they purify Allah; because they take the Qur'an in its entirety, both in general and in detail. They do not believe in part of the Book and disbelieve in part. Therefore, it is not permissible to attribute tafwid to the Salaf; this is a fabrication and a lie against them. And so I told you... But the methodology of Malik continues the speech and says: "And the how is unknown." If there is tafwid, then here is the tafwid: the tafwid is regarding the manner (kayfiyyah); because the reality of the manner of istiwaa' is unknown, whereas istiwaa' itself is known. For example, istiwaa' is not descending; this is in Arabic. Istiwaa' is not descending, but rather it is the opposite of descending; because it comes to mean ascending, ; meaning: He ascended to it. So the istiwaa' here in the verse: its meaning is known linguistically, but how did He establish Himself? They said: The how is unknown. So if by tafwid is meant the delegating of the realities of the divine attributes, this is correct.

The questioner : ... completely. In fact, the question is about the how, then I remembered.

The Shaykh : ... Ah. How no one speaks...

The questioner : ... He was asked about the how...

The Shaykh : ... Yes, the question here is about the how; therefore it was stated that istiwaa' is known and the how is unknown. So the Salaf affirm the meanings of the verses of attributes and the hadiths of attributes, but they delegate the manner of these attributes, and this is the true methodology. Otherwise, matters would follow from it that no Muslim can ever bear, leading to misguidance.
Yes.