What is the ruling on a questioner raising doubts regarding, for example, the rising above the Throne, in order to have them answered, fearing that they may be raised against him and he may become confused about them, while he knows that Allah is above the Throne?
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The questioner : O Shaykh, what is the ruling on buying a car?
The Shaykh : Did you not find the example?
The questioner : What is the ruling on buying a car for cash?
The Shaykh : In my view, the question he asked is an important one, but I am unable to answer according to my view. I am afraid that the issues he has are not what I imagine. Yes?
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : What is the example?
The questioner : For example, giving him a specific piece of information.
The Shaykh : What do you mean by a specific piece of information? Do you mean teaching him about something?
What do you mean by a specific piece of information?
The questioner : A benefit.
The Shaykh : A benefit.
The questioner : Giving him a benefit.
The Shaykh : A jurisprudential benefit, for example.
The questioner : A creedal benefit.
The Shaykh : What contradicts it, okay.
The questioner : He suggests... and then he sits down to discuss it with you, asking you why?
He says, "I am convinced, but I am afraid that another Shaykh will transmit it and discuss it with me, so I am afraid that I will fall into disbelief or something."
The Shaykh : It is an important question. For example, if a person said: "Allah created the heavens and the earth in six days, then He rose above the Throne," and he asked him, saying: "Rising above the Throne means: He is above it, Mighty and Majestic, in a manner befitting His majesty and greatness," and he was convinced that the meaning of "rose above the Throne" is "is above the Throne," and he was convinced with no objection, but he wanted to raise doubts against the one who issued the fatwa, fearing that someone among people might raise these doubts against him and he would not know the answer. Did you understand?
This is correct, this is good and fine.
For example, if he said to him: "He rose above the Throne," and then a person came and said: "No, 'rose above the Throne' means: He took possession of the Throne, because rising above a thing is only for a body or such," and he brought up doubts, then this is good, so that you can tell us: "He rose in a manner befitting His majesty. I do not say: He rose above the Throne as a person rises on a chair or on a mount, but in a manner befitting His majesty, and that is the end of it." Did you understand?
And if doubts are raised against him, I say: these doubts are refuted against him, because these doubts would only hold if we said that Allah's rising above the Throne is like a person's rising on a chair or on a camel or on a ship. But if we say: a rising befitting His majesty, Mighty and Majestic, there is no objection in that, and this is good.
I also advise every student of knowledge who does not have a strong subject in which he can argue: to raise as many doubts as possible against one who is more knowledgeable than him, in order to have them answered.
And I also advise the scholar who has knowledge, if such doubts are raised against him—because some scholars, if these doubts are raised against them, may think that the questioner wants to argue with them. I also advise the scholars—to be broad in their chests, because it may be that the one who raised the doubts is one to whom these doubts were raised before and he wants to resolve them, or he fears that they may be raised against you in the future and he wants to know the answer.
So the result is: that this is an important and good question, and I agree that it is obligatory for us to raise every doubt that is possible, whether it was raised against him before or he fears it may be raised in the future.
The questioner : Fine, regarding the question of Imam Malik: "How did He rise?" he said: "And asking about it is an innovation."
The Shaykh : No, my brother, he did not say that. This is our affliction; a person comes and transmits the thing in a way other than its proper manner. Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "The rising is known, the how is unknown, belief in it is obligatory, and asking about it is an innovation" and this is the truth.
The questioner : But did he not answer the issue of the how?
The Shaykh : He said to him: The how is unknown, the rising is known: it is being above a thing with a specific attribute. Is this attribute, which is the manner, known to us with respect to Allah?
No, so it is not permissible for us to speak about it or discuss it, and it is not permissible for us to compare it to our rising on a camel or on a chair or on a ship. Allah said:[Az-Zukhruf 43:12-13], if someone said to you, for example: "A person rose on a camel," and he talks and says: "Then so-and-so dismounted his camel and rose on it," and you do not know how he rose, is it possible for you to describe the manner of his rising on his camel? I am asking you?
The questioner : If you heard about it.
The Shaykh : I told you: in the street now, a camel is parked and its owner rose on it, just as Allah, Mighty and Majestic, said:[Az-Zukhruf 43:12-13] his owner rose on it and walked. Are you able to describe the manner of his rising on it when you have not seen it?
The questioner : No.
The Shaykh : No, if we are ignorant of the rising of the created being on the camel, and he is of our kind but he is absent from us, how can we not be ignorant of the manner of the rising of the Creator, Mighty and Majestic?!!
And therefore, the manner of the rising is unknown, and this is a sound answer.
The Shaykh : Did you not find the example?
The questioner : What is the ruling on buying a car for cash?
The Shaykh : In my view, the question he asked is an important one, but I am unable to answer according to my view. I am afraid that the issues he has are not what I imagine. Yes?
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : What is the example?
The questioner : For example, giving him a specific piece of information.
The Shaykh : What do you mean by a specific piece of information? Do you mean teaching him about something?
What do you mean by a specific piece of information?
The questioner : A benefit.
The Shaykh : A benefit.
The questioner : Giving him a benefit.
The Shaykh : A jurisprudential benefit, for example.
The questioner : A creedal benefit.
The Shaykh : What contradicts it, okay.
The questioner : He suggests... and then he sits down to discuss it with you, asking you why?
He says, "I am convinced, but I am afraid that another Shaykh will transmit it and discuss it with me, so I am afraid that I will fall into disbelief or something."
The Shaykh : It is an important question. For example, if a person said: "Allah created the heavens and the earth in six days, then He rose above the Throne," and he asked him, saying: "Rising above the Throne means: He is above it, Mighty and Majestic, in a manner befitting His majesty and greatness," and he was convinced that the meaning of "rose above the Throne" is "is above the Throne," and he was convinced with no objection, but he wanted to raise doubts against the one who issued the fatwa, fearing that someone among people might raise these doubts against him and he would not know the answer. Did you understand?
This is correct, this is good and fine.
For example, if he said to him: "He rose above the Throne," and then a person came and said: "No, 'rose above the Throne' means: He took possession of the Throne, because rising above a thing is only for a body or such," and he brought up doubts, then this is good, so that you can tell us: "He rose in a manner befitting His majesty. I do not say: He rose above the Throne as a person rises on a chair or on a mount, but in a manner befitting His majesty, and that is the end of it." Did you understand?
And if doubts are raised against him, I say: these doubts are refuted against him, because these doubts would only hold if we said that Allah's rising above the Throne is like a person's rising on a chair or on a camel or on a ship. But if we say: a rising befitting His majesty, Mighty and Majestic, there is no objection in that, and this is good.
I also advise every student of knowledge who does not have a strong subject in which he can argue: to raise as many doubts as possible against one who is more knowledgeable than him, in order to have them answered.
And I also advise the scholar who has knowledge, if such doubts are raised against him—because some scholars, if these doubts are raised against them, may think that the questioner wants to argue with them. I also advise the scholars—to be broad in their chests, because it may be that the one who raised the doubts is one to whom these doubts were raised before and he wants to resolve them, or he fears that they may be raised against you in the future and he wants to know the answer.
So the result is: that this is an important and good question, and I agree that it is obligatory for us to raise every doubt that is possible, whether it was raised against him before or he fears it may be raised in the future.
The questioner : Fine, regarding the question of Imam Malik: "How did He rise?" he said: "And asking about it is an innovation."
The Shaykh : No, my brother, he did not say that. This is our affliction; a person comes and transmits the thing in a way other than its proper manner. Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "The rising is known, the how is unknown, belief in it is obligatory, and asking about it is an innovation" and this is the truth.
The questioner : But did he not answer the issue of the how?
The Shaykh : He said to him: The how is unknown, the rising is known: it is being above a thing with a specific attribute. Is this attribute, which is the manner, known to us with respect to Allah?
No, so it is not permissible for us to speak about it or discuss it, and it is not permissible for us to compare it to our rising on a camel or on a chair or on a ship. Allah said:
and has made for you of ships and animals those which you mount. (13) That you may settle yourselves upon their backs
وَجَعَلَ لَكُمْ مِنَ الْفُلْكِ وَالْأَنْعَامِ مَا تَرْكَبُونَ * لِتَسْتَوُوا عَلَى ظُهُورِهِThe questioner : If you heard about it.
The Shaykh : I told you: in the street now, a camel is parked and its owner rose on it, just as Allah, Mighty and Majestic, said:
and has made for you of ships and animals those which you mount. (13) That you may settle yourselves upon their backs
وَجَعَلَ لَكُمْ مِنَ الْفُلْكِ وَالْأَنْعَامِ مَا تَرْكَبُونَ * لِتَسْتَوُوا عَلَى ظُهُورِهِThe questioner : No.
The Shaykh : No, if we are ignorant of the rising of the created being on the camel, and he is of our kind but he is absent from us, how can we not be ignorant of the manner of the rising of the Creator, Mighty and Majestic?!!
And therefore, the manner of the rising is unknown, and this is a sound answer.