The Meaning of the Poet's Saying: "And they held fast to the apparent meanings of what was transmitted from their sheikhs, as the blind hold fast, and they refused to hold fast to the apparent meanings of the two texts, and they were amazed at the abandonment"
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : The author (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "A section on explaining their contradiction and their inability to distinguish between what must be interpreted figuratively and what must not be" By this, he means the contradiction of those who deny the attributes of Allah, affirming some of them and denying others. Likewise, those who affirm the names without the attributes are also contradictory, without doubt. So the author (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
"And they held fast to the apparent meanings of what was transmitted from their sheikhs, as the blind hold fast"
They hold fast to what was transmitted from their sheikhs with a very strong hold, like the hold of a blind man who cannot see. The blind man who cannot see holds fast to a thing even if he does not see it or know it. As for the apparent meanings of the texts, they did not hold fast to them. For this reason, he said:
"And they refused to hold fast to the apparent meanings of the two texts, and they were amazed at the abandonment"
By Allah, this abandonment is that they hold fast to the apparent meanings of the sayings of their sheikhs and do not take them away from their apparent meaning. They see that they indicate with certainty what is intended by them. As for the Qur'an and the Sunnah, which are the two texts, what do they do? They do not hold fast to their apparent meanings; rather, they distort them.
The author said:
"The saying of the sheikhs is forbidden to interpret, for their intent is explanation and clarification"
If we were to interpret the verses for them, it would be a denial of what they intended without any proof.
Glory be to Allah. He says that, in their view, interpreting the sayings of the sheikhs is forbidden. Why? Because they speak intending clarification. If a person speaks intending the opposite of the apparent meaning, that is contrary to clarification. Our sheikhs intend clarification. If they intend clarification, it is obligatory for us to take their words as what? At their apparent meaning. Because one who intends clarification cannot intend the opposite of the apparent meaning. As for the Qur'an and the Sunnah, in their view, the opposite of the apparent meaning is intended by them. Therefore, they are not clarification. Clarification is the saying of their sheikhs, while the Book and the Sunnah are not clarification.
"And they held fast to the apparent meanings of what was transmitted from their sheikhs, as the blind hold fast"
They hold fast to what was transmitted from their sheikhs with a very strong hold, like the hold of a blind man who cannot see. The blind man who cannot see holds fast to a thing even if he does not see it or know it. As for the apparent meanings of the texts, they did not hold fast to them. For this reason, he said:
"And they refused to hold fast to the apparent meanings of the two texts, and they were amazed at the abandonment"
By Allah, this abandonment is that they hold fast to the apparent meanings of the sayings of their sheikhs and do not take them away from their apparent meaning. They see that they indicate with certainty what is intended by them. As for the Qur'an and the Sunnah, which are the two texts, what do they do? They do not hold fast to their apparent meanings; rather, they distort them.
The author said:
"The saying of the sheikhs is forbidden to interpret, for their intent is explanation and clarification"
If we were to interpret the verses for them, it would be a denial of what they intended without any proof.
Glory be to Allah. He says that, in their view, interpreting the sayings of the sheikhs is forbidden. Why? Because they speak intending clarification. If a person speaks intending the opposite of the apparent meaning, that is contrary to clarification. Our sheikhs intend clarification. If they intend clarification, it is obligatory for us to take their words as what? At their apparent meaning. Because one who intends clarification cannot intend the opposite of the apparent meaning. As for the Qur'an and the Sunnah, in their view, the opposite of the apparent meaning is intended by them. Therefore, they are not clarification. Clarification is the saying of their sheikhs, while the Book and the Sunnah are not clarification.