Discussion of the hadith, “Allah created Adam in His image.”
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The Shaykh : Yes, the first narration is authentic and is agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim Sahih Muslim 2612e, and al-Bukhari narrated the explanatory version Sahih al-Bukhari 6227.
The questioner : Is this narration authentic?
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : It is clear and explanatory.
The Shaykh : Therefore, there is no room for applying the various linguistic concepts regarding the referent of the pronoun—whether it refers to the nearest or the farthest antecedent. This narration of al-Bukhari’s has settled the matter and explicitly stated that the referent of the pronoun is Adam. Thus, it is a grave error, first, to interpret the pronoun as referring to Allah, and even more grave is to write a book based on the weak hadith.
for Allah created Adam in His own image
إن الله خلق آدم على صورتهAllah created Adam in His picture, sixty cubits (about 30 meters) in height.
خلق الله آدم على صورته طوله ستون ذراعاThe questioner : Is this narration authentic?
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : It is clear and explanatory.
The Shaykh : Therefore, there is no room for applying the various linguistic concepts regarding the referent of the pronoun—whether it refers to the nearest or the farthest antecedent. This narration of al-Bukhari’s has settled the matter and explicitly stated that the referent of the pronoun is Adam. Thus, it is a grave error, first, to interpret the pronoun as referring to Allah, and even more grave is to write a book based on the weak hadith.