(Sanctifying the speech of Allah from other than its meanings, and refuting those who said that the methodology of the Salaf is tafwid, and they divided it into those who interpret and those who delegate, and explaining the danger of the delegators) And Allah
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The Shaykh : Then he said, may Allah have mercy on him:
"And Allah, what are the two intentions in the limit of Sawa *** in the wisdom of the speaking, the generous One"
What is meant by the two intentions? It means either tahrif (distortion), which is contrary to the apparent meaning, or that they have no meaning. Which is more likely: that Allah would reveal a book to us that we worship by reciting it without addressing its meaning, or a book that He wants us to distort from its apparent meaning and exhaust our minds in distorting it and the meaning we determine?
The student: The first one.
The Shaykh : The first, without a doubt, because in the first case we have no toil; we simply submit the matter to Allah. But he says:
"But the wisdom of the Most Merciful invalidates His intention of *** distortion, far be it from the wisdom of the Most Merciful"
Meaning, He is sanctified from it. This is not a case of exception such that we would say it is negated; rather, the Most Merciful here is the doer of good.
"And likewise, His intention of revealing it *** without a clear, explicit meaning is invalidated"
Meaning, the wisdom of Allah rejects that He intends for His speech to be other than its apparent meaning, as you claimed, and it rejects that His speech has no meaning, as we have supposed. Land your planes, everyone.
So Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, refuted both statements. What are they? That the word is intended as mere word for the sake of worship through recitation only, or that a meaning contrary to the apparent is intended by it. For Allah did not reveal the Qur'an to us merely for us to read it, but He revealed the Qur'an for us to understand its meaning, reflect upon it, and believe in its implications. For this reason, he said:
"But the wisdom of the Most Merciful invalidates His intention of distortion"
What is the tahrif (distortion) he meant? The ta'wil (interpretation) of these people of the speech from its apparent meaning.
"And likewise, it invalidates His intention of revealing it *** without a clear, explicit meaning
And they are the paths of two sects, each of which *** is deviant from the purpose of the Qur'an
Allah is the Greatest. And they, meaning tahrif (distortion) and tafwid (delegation of meaning), i.e., the claim that Allah revealed this Qur'an without meaning, are the paths of two sects, both of which are deviant from the path of the Qur'an. The delegators and what? And the interpreters. Many of the later scholars who do not know the true methodology of the Salaf claimed that the methodology of the Salaf is tafwid, meaning that we read and do not speak about the meaning. He said this is the methodology of the Salaf, and he said that the methodology of the people of the Sunnah is divided into two sections—pay attention—the methodology of the people of the Sunnah is divided into two sections: tafwid and ta'wil. But he erred in that. We say that the methodology of the people of the Sunnah is neither this nor that. The people of the Sunnah affirm the meaning and say, far be it from Allah that He would reveal a Qur'an to us that has no meaning merely for recitation, for that is close to futility. But He revealed the Qur'an to us so that they may reflect upon its verses and so that people of understanding may remember. Therefore, understanding its meaning is necessary. And if it is hidden from some people, the firmly grounded in knowledge know it. So to those who divided the methodology of the people of the Sunnah into two sections, we say: First, you erred in making the interpreters part of the people of the Sunnah, for the interpreters contradicted the Sunnah in their interpretation. Second, you erred in making tafwid part of the methodology of the people of the Sunnah, for the people of the Sunnah are free from that. Indeed, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "The methodology of the people of tafwid is among the worst of the statements of the people of innovation and deviation". Look, among the worst of the statements of the people of innovation and deviation. And he said: "It is that which opened the door for the philosophers and logicians who denied the meanings and denied the Hereafter". Because these philosophers said, if you, O people of the Sunnah, do not know the meanings of the Qur'an and only read it as worship for its recitation, then you are in the position of old women and illiterates, and we are the masters of the field who know the meanings of what Allah revealed, even if by interpretation. For this reason, these delegators opened the door for the people of interpretation, even for the philosophers and their like.
"And Allah, what are the two intentions in the limit of Sawa *** in the wisdom of the speaking, the generous One"
What is meant by the two intentions? It means either tahrif (distortion), which is contrary to the apparent meaning, or that they have no meaning. Which is more likely: that Allah would reveal a book to us that we worship by reciting it without addressing its meaning, or a book that He wants us to distort from its apparent meaning and exhaust our minds in distorting it and the meaning we determine?
The student: The first one.
The Shaykh : The first, without a doubt, because in the first case we have no toil; we simply submit the matter to Allah. But he says:
"But the wisdom of the Most Merciful invalidates His intention of *** distortion, far be it from the wisdom of the Most Merciful"
Meaning, He is sanctified from it. This is not a case of exception such that we would say it is negated; rather, the Most Merciful here is the doer of good.
"And likewise, His intention of revealing it *** without a clear, explicit meaning is invalidated"
Meaning, the wisdom of Allah rejects that He intends for His speech to be other than its apparent meaning, as you claimed, and it rejects that His speech has no meaning, as we have supposed. Land your planes, everyone.
So Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, refuted both statements. What are they? That the word is intended as mere word for the sake of worship through recitation only, or that a meaning contrary to the apparent is intended by it. For Allah did not reveal the Qur'an to us merely for us to read it, but He revealed the Qur'an for us to understand its meaning, reflect upon it, and believe in its implications. For this reason, he said:
"But the wisdom of the Most Merciful invalidates His intention of distortion"
What is the tahrif (distortion) he meant? The ta'wil (interpretation) of these people of the speech from its apparent meaning.
"And likewise, it invalidates His intention of revealing it *** without a clear, explicit meaning
And they are the paths of two sects, each of which *** is deviant from the purpose of the Qur'an
Allah is the Greatest. And they, meaning tahrif (distortion) and tafwid (delegation of meaning), i.e., the claim that Allah revealed this Qur'an without meaning, are the paths of two sects, both of which are deviant from the path of the Qur'an. The delegators and what? And the interpreters. Many of the later scholars who do not know the true methodology of the Salaf claimed that the methodology of the Salaf is tafwid, meaning that we read and do not speak about the meaning. He said this is the methodology of the Salaf, and he said that the methodology of the people of the Sunnah is divided into two sections—pay attention—the methodology of the people of the Sunnah is divided into two sections: tafwid and ta'wil. But he erred in that. We say that the methodology of the people of the Sunnah is neither this nor that. The people of the Sunnah affirm the meaning and say, far be it from Allah that He would reveal a Qur'an to us that has no meaning merely for recitation, for that is close to futility. But He revealed the Qur'an to us so that they may reflect upon its verses and so that people of understanding may remember. Therefore, understanding its meaning is necessary. And if it is hidden from some people, the firmly grounded in knowledge know it. So to those who divided the methodology of the people of the Sunnah into two sections, we say: First, you erred in making the interpreters part of the people of the Sunnah, for the interpreters contradicted the Sunnah in their interpretation. Second, you erred in making tafwid part of the methodology of the people of the Sunnah, for the people of the Sunnah are free from that. Indeed, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "The methodology of the people of tafwid is among the worst of the statements of the people of innovation and deviation". Look, among the worst of the statements of the people of innovation and deviation. And he said: "It is that which opened the door for the philosophers and logicians who denied the meanings and denied the Hereafter". Because these philosophers said, if you, O people of the Sunnah, do not know the meanings of the Qur'an and only read it as worship for its recitation, then you are in the position of old women and illiterates, and we are the masters of the field who know the meanings of what Allah revealed, even if by interpretation. For this reason, these delegators opened the door for the people of interpretation, even for the philosophers and their like.