What is the position of the people of the Sunnah regarding metaphor?
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The questioner : The question will be in creed: What is the position of the people of the Sunnah and the community regarding metaphor, and may Allah reward you with good?
The Shaykh : What do you mean by metaphor?
The questioner : What is meant by it in the context of rhetoric is the denial of the literal truth.
The Shaykh : If this metaphor necessitates denying what Allah described Himself with, or distorting the texts from their meaning, then it is invalid without a doubt. This is like those who said: The statement of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He): means: within my sight, without affirming the eye, and that the mention of the eye is a metaphor for vision. This is invalid and cannot be accepted. Or they said: He rose above the Throne means He took control of it, as a euphemism for taking control of it. This cannot be accepted.
However, if they say it is a metaphor, but they did not distort the words from their places, then there is no harm. However, the stronger opinion is that there is no metaphor in language at all, neither in language nor in the Qur'an. The scholars differed on this in three opinions:
The first opinion is that there is no metaphor in the Arabic language. This is the choice of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and his student Ibn al-Qayyim.
Another opinion is that metaphor is established in the Qur'an and in the Arabic language. This is the opinion of most rhetoricians and theologians.
The third opinion is that metaphor exists in the Arabic language but not in the Qur'an. This is the opinion chosen by a group of scholars, among them al-Shanqiti, Muhammad al-Amin, the author of *Al-Du'a al-Bayan*.
The correct view is that there is no metaphor at all. For example, if you say: "I saw a lion entering with his sword," can it occur to any person's mind that it is the known animal lion? No. So, due to this context, this sentence becomes a literal truth in its meaning. This literal truth is a literal truth in its meaning.
Therefore, metaphor must have a connection and must have a context. This context makes what was the subject of a previous meaning no longer capable of bearing that previous meaning. And in that case, it becomes a literal truth in its context. This is an apparent aspect for anyone who reflects on it. Is it clear? Did you hear, my brother? May Allah bless you.
This short meeting ends here, and we hope, if Allah wills, that the meeting will be sufficient in the future. I think you have excused us. May Allah bless you. Glory be to You, O Allah, and praise be to You.
The Shaykh : What do you mean by metaphor?
The questioner : What is meant by it in the context of rhetoric is the denial of the literal truth.
The Shaykh : If this metaphor necessitates denying what Allah described Himself with, or distorting the texts from their meaning, then it is invalid without a doubt. This is like those who said: The statement of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He):
And it is made before My eyes
وَلِتُصْنَعَ عَلَى عَيْنِيHowever, if they say it is a metaphor, but they did not distort the words from their places, then there is no harm. However, the stronger opinion is that there is no metaphor in language at all, neither in language nor in the Qur'an. The scholars differed on this in three opinions:
The first opinion is that there is no metaphor in the Arabic language. This is the choice of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and his student Ibn al-Qayyim.
Another opinion is that metaphor is established in the Qur'an and in the Arabic language. This is the opinion of most rhetoricians and theologians.
The third opinion is that metaphor exists in the Arabic language but not in the Qur'an. This is the opinion chosen by a group of scholars, among them al-Shanqiti, Muhammad al-Amin, the author of *Al-Du'a al-Bayan*.
The correct view is that there is no metaphor at all. For example, if you say: "I saw a lion entering with his sword," can it occur to any person's mind that it is the known animal lion? No. So, due to this context, this sentence becomes a literal truth in its meaning. This literal truth is a literal truth in its meaning.
Therefore, metaphor must have a connection and must have a context. This context makes what was the subject of a previous meaning no longer capable of bearing that previous meaning. And in that case, it becomes a literal truth in its context. This is an apparent aspect for anyone who reflects on it. Is it clear? Did you hear, my brother? May Allah bless you.
This short meeting ends here, and we hope, if Allah wills, that the meeting will be sufficient in the future. I think you have excused us. May Allah bless you. Glory be to You, O Allah, and praise be to You.