Questions and an elaboration on the meaning of the saying of Allah the Exalted: "Then He drew near and hung low, and He was but the distance of two bows' length or less"
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The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Yes, yes, no. This is a hadith of Anas that contains an anomaly; it is not authentic. As for the verses, their context clearly indicates that it was Jibril who drew near.[An-Najm 53:13-14] He was seen by those who saw the Prophet from among the angels as Jibril.[An-Najm 53:14-16] Before that, glory be to Allah. ما ضَلَّ صَاحِبُكُمْ وَمَا غَوَى 2 وَمَا يَنْطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَى 3 إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُوحَى Your companion has not gone astray, nor has he erred. Nor does he speak from desire. It is only a revelation that is revealed Yes.[An-Najm 53:5] [An-Najm 53:5] Who is the one of tremendous strength? Jibril.[An-Najm 53:6-8] The pronouns refer to Jibril. The context is clear; the whole context points to Jibril. Yes.[An-Najm 53:9] That is, Jibril. Who is the one who revealed to His servant? Allah revealed to His servant. The pronouns are now distinct; the pronouns are now distinct. Otherwise, there is no ambiguity in the verse. If you wish, you can say, "Jibril revealed to His servant," meaning to the servant of Allah, because servitude does not apply to Jibril. Thus, the verses clearly indicate that the intended meaning is Jibril. And as I pointed out to you, I said that descending occurs from above to below, and Allah (Mighty and Majestic) possesses absolute elevation.
The questioner : ... the rising above ... mercy ...
The Shaykh : And the disbelievers, but now what I mentioned is that they extract the souls of the believers for this reason. Yes.
The questioner : Shaykh, did ... Jibril ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : How can he hang low when he was originally with him at the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary?
The Shaykh : No, in any case, it is possible that when he reached the seventh heaven, it ended. It ended.
The questioner : ... remained in ... is this correct or not?
The Shaykh : Allah knows best. We do not know. Yes.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : ... returned with Jibril ...
The Shaykh : He did not mention anything. There is nothing in the hadith about descending until he passed by Musa.
The questioner : Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : The statement of Ibn Ishaq.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : The distances, that they differ with ... al-Buraq, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and the distance that the polytheists walk ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : Does this not indicate that the distance ...
The Shaykh : No, no. This is easy. If Ibn Ishaq had not said it ... we know now that the trip to Riyadh by plane ... is half an hour. By car, it is ...
The questioner : ... hours.
The Shaykh : Three hours on a donkey.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : No, more than that. They used to travel on it in ten days to eight. Yes.
The questioner : It indicates the distance that they [travel] in one day is fifty thousand years, as Ibn al-Qayyim argued.
The Shaykh : No, no, absolutely not. We told you yesterday that Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) was not correct in this, and yet in the end, he hesitated and wavered.
The student: ... and they do not follow ... why?
The Shaykh : Always, the person ... the guardians.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Yes, yes, no. This is a hadith of Anas that contains an anomaly; it is not authentic. As for the verses, their context clearly indicates that it was Jibril who drew near.
(13) And he certainly saw him in another descent (14) At the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary -
ولقد رآه نزلة أخرى عند سدرة المنتهى(14) At the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary - (15) Near it is the Garden of Refuge - (16) When there covered the Lote Tree that which covered [it].
عند سدرة المنتهى عندها جنة المأوى اذ يغشى السدرة ما يغشىTaught to him by one intense in strength -
علمه شديد القوىTaught to him by one intense in strength -
علمه شديد القوى(6) One of soundness. And he rose to [his] true form (7) While he was in the higher [part of the] horizon. (8) Then he approached and descended
ذو مرة فاستوى وهو بالأفق الأعلى ثم دنا فتدلىThen He drew near and hung low, and He revealed to His servant what He revealed
ثم دنا فتدلى فأوحى إلى عبده ما اوحىAnd was at a distance of two bow lengths or nearer.
فكان قاب قوسين أو أدنىSo He revealed to His servant what He revealed
فأوحى إلى عبده ما أوحىThe questioner : ... the rising above ... mercy ...
The Shaykh : And the disbelievers, but now what I mentioned is that they extract the souls of the believers for this reason. Yes.
The questioner : Shaykh, did ... Jibril ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : How can he hang low when he was originally with him at the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary?
The Shaykh : No, in any case, it is possible that when he reached the seventh heaven, it ended. It ended.
The questioner : ... remained in ... is this correct or not?
The Shaykh : Allah knows best. We do not know. Yes.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : ... returned with Jibril ...
The Shaykh : He did not mention anything. There is nothing in the hadith about descending until he passed by Musa.
The questioner : Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : The statement of Ibn Ishaq.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : The distances, that they differ with ... al-Buraq, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and the distance that the polytheists walk ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : Does this not indicate that the distance ...
The Shaykh : No, no. This is easy. If Ibn Ishaq had not said it ... we know now that the trip to Riyadh by plane ... is half an hour. By car, it is ...
The questioner : ... hours.
The Shaykh : Three hours on a donkey.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : No, more than that. They used to travel on it in ten days to eight. Yes.
The questioner : It indicates the distance that they [travel] in one day is fifty thousand years, as Ibn al-Qayyim argued.
The Shaykh : No, no, absolutely not. We told you yesterday that Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) was not correct in this, and yet in the end, he hesitated and wavered.
The student: ... and they do not follow ... why?
The Shaykh : Always, the person ... the guardians.