If the Ash'ari says "Hearing without a sense of hearing," how do we respond to them?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : We know that we must affirm for Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) the sense of hearing...
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : that we must affirm for Allah the sense of hearing
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : ...because it was not mentioned
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : The Ash'ari then says our statement is correct, that we say "Hearing without a sense of hearing"... What do we say to them?
The Shaykh : The Ash'aris do not affirm the sense of hearing
The questioner : The Mu'tazilah
The Shaykh : Yes, yes, we do not say "sense of hearing," but is the ear the sense of hearing? Is the ear the sense of hearing?
The questioner : an organ for hearing
The Shaykh : an organ for hearing for us, but for the earth, the trees, the stone! It is not an organ for hearing
The questioner : They, O Shaykh, say we affirm the sense of hearing, but we affirm that He is the All-Hearing
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : But we do not affirm that He has a sense of hearing?
The Shaykh : This is not correct, because the word "All-Hearing" is derived. In all languages, not just Arabic, even among Arabs and non-Arabs, the derived word indicates the meaning from which it is derived. And is the deaf person called "All-Hearing"? No, it is not said. Yes. Sound.
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : that we must affirm for Allah the sense of hearing
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : ...because it was not mentioned
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : The Ash'ari then says our statement is correct, that we say "Hearing without a sense of hearing"... What do we say to them?
The Shaykh : The Ash'aris do not affirm the sense of hearing
The questioner : The Mu'tazilah
The Shaykh : Yes, yes, we do not say "sense of hearing," but is the ear the sense of hearing? Is the ear the sense of hearing?
The questioner : an organ for hearing
The Shaykh : an organ for hearing for us, but for the earth, the trees, the stone! It is not an organ for hearing
The questioner : They, O Shaykh, say we affirm the sense of hearing, but we affirm that He is the All-Hearing
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : But we do not affirm that He has a sense of hearing?
The Shaykh : This is not correct, because the word "All-Hearing" is derived. In all languages, not just Arabic, even among Arabs and non-Arabs, the derived word indicates the meaning from which it is derived. And is the deaf person called "All-Hearing"? No, it is not said. Yes. Sound.