How do we reconcile the hadith (that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by a Bedouin who was supplicating in his prayer, saying, “O He whom the eyes do not see, whom the thoughts do not mix with, and whom the describers do not describe”)?
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The questioner : May Allah reward you, Shaykh: Al-Tabarani narrated in al-Awsat from the hadith of Anas ibn Malik: that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by a Bedouin who was supplicating in his prayer.
The Shaykh : And what is it?
The questioner : And he was supplicating in his prayer.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : The Bedouin says: “O He whom the eyes do not see, whom the thoughts do not mix with, and whom the describers do not describe,” so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) approved of him by giving him gold. He came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with gold, and he gave it to him, as you know. May Allah reward you with good. So how can it be that the describers do not describe Him, when we know the methodology of the people of the Sunnah and the community that it is part of the creed of the people of the Salaf that Allah is described as He has described Himself, and as His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) described Him? And likewise, Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) is seen in the Hereafter, while he says: “O He whom the eyes do not see”?
The Shaykh : This hadith, may Allah bless you, is denounced and fabricated against the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), because it contradicts the verse:[Al-Qiyamah 75:22-23] and it contradicts the Sunnah, for the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used to describe his Lord as He describes Him, and likewise the Salaf agreed upon describing Allah the Exalted as He has described Himself and as He described His Messenger.
And I advise you and others who are listening: do not rely on the chain of narration alone, even if we were to examine the chain of this hadith. Although I suspect that if you went back to its chain, you would find that it is not reliable. But even if we assume that the chain is acceptable, we must know the text. Therefore, one of the conditions of an authentic hadith is that it not be defective and not be anomalous.
And this is undoubtedly a great defect if it contradicts the apparent meaning of the Qur'an, so it is not to be considered, and there is no need for us to interpret it and say: “The eyes do not see Him in this world, and the describers do not describe Him” meaning: they do not encompass His description. What is the need to interpret the hadith in this way, since the hadith itself is not authentic?
The questioner : We have heard, may Allah bless you, the imams supplicating in Ramadan and otherwise in...
The Shaykh : Allah is the Helper. If we were to follow the supplications of the imams, we would find much error. Yes, it is not permissible to supplicate with this. Yes, supplicating with this is not permissible.
The Shaykh : And what is it?
The questioner : And he was supplicating in his prayer.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : The Bedouin says: “O He whom the eyes do not see, whom the thoughts do not mix with, and whom the describers do not describe,” so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) approved of him by giving him gold. He came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with gold, and he gave it to him, as you know. May Allah reward you with good. So how can it be that the describers do not describe Him, when we know the methodology of the people of the Sunnah and the community that it is part of the creed of the people of the Salaf that Allah is described as He has described Himself, and as His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) described Him? And likewise, Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) is seen in the Hereafter, while he says: “O He whom the eyes do not see”?
The Shaykh : This hadith, may Allah bless you, is denounced and fabricated against the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), because it contradicts the verse:
(22) [Some] faces, that Day, will be radiant, (23) Looking at their Lord.
وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ نَاضِرَةٌ * إِلَى رَبِّهَا نَاظِرَةٌAnd I advise you and others who are listening: do not rely on the chain of narration alone, even if we were to examine the chain of this hadith. Although I suspect that if you went back to its chain, you would find that it is not reliable. But even if we assume that the chain is acceptable, we must know the text. Therefore, one of the conditions of an authentic hadith is that it not be defective and not be anomalous.
And this is undoubtedly a great defect if it contradicts the apparent meaning of the Qur'an, so it is not to be considered, and there is no need for us to interpret it and say: “The eyes do not see Him in this world, and the describers do not describe Him” meaning: they do not encompass His description. What is the need to interpret the hadith in this way, since the hadith itself is not authentic?
The questioner : We have heard, may Allah bless you, the imams supplicating in Ramadan and otherwise in...
The Shaykh : Allah is the Helper. If we were to follow the supplications of the imams, we would find much error. Yes, it is not permissible to supplicate with this. Yes, supplicating with this is not permissible.