What is meant by moderation or wasatiyyah in religion?
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The questioner : He has another question, O honorable Shaykh. This questioner from Iraq, from Nineveh, Abu 'Amr, says: What is meant by moderation in religion, or wasatiyyah, O honorable Shaykh? I hope you will benefit us, may Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : Moderation in religion, or wasatiyyah, is that a person be between the extremist and the one who falls short.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : This applies to matters of knowledge and creed, as well as to practical matters of worship. For example, in matters of creed, people divided into three groups regarding the names and attributes of Allah: two extremes and a middle. One extreme went too far in transcending Allah, denying to Allah what He named and described Himself with.
And a group went too far in affirming, affirming for Allah what Allah affirmed for Himself of names and attributes, but with the belief of likeness.
And a middle group affirmed for Allah the Exalted what He affirmed for Himself of names and attributes, but without the belief of likeness, rather with the belief of difference, and that nothing of His creation is like Allah the Exalted.
An example of the first group, those who went too far in transcending, are those who say that Allah the Exalted is not described except with specific attributes that they defined, and they claim that reason indicated them, and that anything else is not affirmed because, in their claim, reason did not indicate them. For example, they affirmed the attribute of will for Allah and said that Allah the Exalted is a Willer, but they denied the attribute of mercy from Him and said that the meaning of mercy is doing good or the will to do good, and that it is not an attribute in Allah Mighty and Majestic. You will find that these people erred in that they denied what Allah described Himself with, and indeed they denied what the indication of reason is clearer for than the indication of reason for what they affirmed. For their affirmation of will by the way of reason is that they said that the specification of creations with what they are specified with, such as this is a sky and this is an earth and this is a camel and this is a horse and this is a male and this is a female, this specification indicates the will of the Creator that He willed for the thing to be this way, so it became so. So we say to them: The indication of the blessings of Allah the Exalted and the repelling of His harms indicates mercy more than the specification indicates will. But despite that, they denied mercy and affirmed will based on a doubt that occurred to them.
The second group, those who went too far in affirming, are the people of likening. They said: We affirm for Allah Mighty and Majestic the attributes, but in a manner similar to the creation. These people went astray and were heedless of the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Ash-Shuraa 42:11].
And the third group, the middle, said: We affirm for Allah everything that Allah affirmed for Himself in His Book or in what is authentic from His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) of names and attributes, with the belief of no likeness, and that what is affirmed for the Creator of that is different from what is affirmed for the creation. For what is affirmed for the Creator is more perfect and higher, as He said the Exalted:[An-Nahl 16:60]. This is in creed.
Likewise, in physical actions, some people go too far by adding and being severe on themselves, and some people are negligent and fall short, wasting a great deal. The best of matters is the middle, and the middle is regulated by what the Shari'ah brought; that is the middle. And what contradicts the Shari'ah is not the middle, but it is inclined either to excess or to falling short. The Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned in al-'Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah five principles, in which he (may Allah have mercy on him) clarified that the people of the Sunnah are in the middle between the sects of innovators. How wonderful it would be if the questioner returned to it, for the benefit in it. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you, O honorable Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Moderation in religion, or wasatiyyah, is that a person be between the extremist and the one who falls short.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : This applies to matters of knowledge and creed, as well as to practical matters of worship. For example, in matters of creed, people divided into three groups regarding the names and attributes of Allah: two extremes and a middle. One extreme went too far in transcending Allah, denying to Allah what He named and described Himself with.
And a group went too far in affirming, affirming for Allah what Allah affirmed for Himself of names and attributes, but with the belief of likeness.
And a middle group affirmed for Allah the Exalted what He affirmed for Himself of names and attributes, but without the belief of likeness, rather with the belief of difference, and that nothing of His creation is like Allah the Exalted.
An example of the first group, those who went too far in transcending, are those who say that Allah the Exalted is not described except with specific attributes that they defined, and they claim that reason indicated them, and that anything else is not affirmed because, in their claim, reason did not indicate them. For example, they affirmed the attribute of will for Allah and said that Allah the Exalted is a Willer, but they denied the attribute of mercy from Him and said that the meaning of mercy is doing good or the will to do good, and that it is not an attribute in Allah Mighty and Majestic. You will find that these people erred in that they denied what Allah described Himself with, and indeed they denied what the indication of reason is clearer for than the indication of reason for what they affirmed. For their affirmation of will by the way of reason is that they said that the specification of creations with what they are specified with, such as this is a sky and this is an earth and this is a camel and this is a horse and this is a male and this is a female, this specification indicates the will of the Creator that He willed for the thing to be this way, so it became so. So we say to them: The indication of the blessings of Allah the Exalted and the repelling of His harms indicates mercy more than the specification indicates will. But despite that, they denied mercy and affirmed will based on a doubt that occurred to them.
The second group, those who went too far in affirming, are the people of likening. They said: We affirm for Allah Mighty and Majestic the attributes, but in a manner similar to the creation. These people went astray and were heedless of the saying of Allah the Exalted:
There is nothing like unto Him
ليس كمثله شيءAnd the third group, the middle, said: We affirm for Allah everything that Allah affirmed for Himself in His Book or in what is authentic from His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) of names and attributes, with the belief of no likeness, and that what is affirmed for the Creator of that is different from what is affirmed for the creation. For what is affirmed for the Creator is more perfect and higher, as He said the Exalted:
and for Allah is the highest attribute. And He is Exalted in Might, the Wise.
ولله المثل الأعلى وهو العزيز الحكيمLikewise, in physical actions, some people go too far by adding and being severe on themselves, and some people are negligent and fall short, wasting a great deal. The best of matters is the middle, and the middle is regulated by what the Shari'ah brought; that is the middle. And what contradicts the Shari'ah is not the middle, but it is inclined either to excess or to falling short. The Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned in al-'Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah five principles, in which he (may Allah have mercy on him) clarified that the people of the Sunnah are in the middle between the sects of innovators. How wonderful it would be if the questioner returned to it, for the benefit in it. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you, O honorable Shaykh.