Is it correct for a person to use gestures when speaking about the attributes of Allah to facilitate understanding?
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The questioner : Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. After that:
Your Eminence, the Shaykh, you teach people. In the section on attributes in creed, you are seen using gestures to facilitate understanding. For example, when you mention the hadith about the manifestation of the Lord to Musa, where He showed His little finger, you gesture with your little finger or similar gestures regarding the hadiths of the attributes. Is this action permissible? And if it is permissible, how do we understand the prohibition of some of the Salaf regarding it, such as the statement of al-Shafi'i and others? May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : This is a serious issue. We are not more eager than the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to convey the message to the Ummah. It was not his (peace and blessings be upon him) habit to gesture when speaking about the attributes. He informed his Ummah that the Lord (Mighty and Majestic) descends to the lowest heaven and says:Sahih al-Bukhari 1145 He descends in the last part of the night, in the final third of the night, and says: Sahih al-Bukhari 1145 Did the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) extend his leg so that people could see how Allah descends?
Absolutely not. And he said: He did not tell people to say "like this and like this."
Likewise, Allah rose above the Throne, and he did not say "like my rising above the bed" or try to imitate it.
Undoubtedly, the one who tells the common people and then gestures with his hand to the meaning of an attribute will undoubtedly cause likening (tashbih) in the hearts of the common people. That is, they will move from the meaning to likening, because the common person does not understand and does not distinguish.
So we say to the one who wants to clarify or convey what Allah informed about Himself regarding the names and attributes from Allah and His Messenger: We say: The guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) is sufficient for you.
Then it may be brought to us: أن الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم لما تكلم على قوله تعالى : إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ سَمِيعاً بَصِيراً جعل أصبعه على عينه، والثانية على أذنه That the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), when he spoke about the saying of Allah the Exalted: "Indeed, Allah is Hearing and Seeing," placed his finger on his eye and the other on his ear
We say: The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) intended to clarify the realization of this attribute. Then, he was speaking to a group who had understanding and awareness. As for the common people, especially in our time, if they were told about the description of all the attributes, the attributes of Allah the Exalted in reality, it would be a trial for some of them. Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: And Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
So if someone brings to us something like what happened with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding hearing and sight, or regarding the grasping of the heavens on the Day of Resurrection, we say to him: Every occasion has its own speech.
Then we restrict ourselves to what came in the text only, and we do not gesture in anything else, because it did not come in the text. Yes.
Your Eminence, the Shaykh, you teach people. In the section on attributes in creed, you are seen using gestures to facilitate understanding. For example, when you mention the hadith about the manifestation of the Lord to Musa, where He showed His little finger, you gesture with your little finger or similar gestures regarding the hadiths of the attributes. Is this action permissible? And if it is permissible, how do we understand the prohibition of some of the Salaf regarding it, such as the statement of al-Shafi'i and others? May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : This is a serious issue. We are not more eager than the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to convey the message to the Ummah. It was not his (peace and blessings be upon him) habit to gesture when speaking about the attributes. He informed his Ummah that the Lord (Mighty and Majestic) descends to the lowest heaven and says:
Is there anyone to invoke Me, so that I may respond to invocation?
من يدعوني فأستجيب لهIs there anyone to invoke Me, so that I may respond to invocation?
من يدعوني فأستجيب لهAbsolutely not. And he said:
Indeed, He comes to judge between His servants on the Day of Resurrection
إنه يأتي للفصل بين عباده يوم القيامةLikewise, Allah rose above the Throne, and he did not say "like my rising above the bed" or try to imitate it.
Undoubtedly, the one who tells the common people and then gestures with his hand to the meaning of an attribute will undoubtedly cause likening (tashbih) in the hearts of the common people. That is, they will move from the meaning to likening, because the common person does not understand and does not distinguish.
So we say to the one who wants to clarify or convey what Allah informed about Himself regarding the names and attributes from Allah and His Messenger: We say: The guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) is sufficient for you.
Then it may be brought to us: أن الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم لما تكلم على قوله تعالى : إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ سَمِيعاً بَصِيراً جعل أصبعه على عينه، والثانية على أذنه That the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), when he spoke about the saying of Allah the Exalted: "Indeed, Allah is Hearing and Seeing," placed his finger on his eye and the other on his ear
We say: The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) intended to clarify the realization of this attribute. Then, he was speaking to a group who had understanding and awareness. As for the common people, especially in our time, if they were told about the description of all the attributes, the attributes of Allah the Exalted in reality, it would be a trial for some of them. Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
You will not tell a people a story that their minds cannot grasp except that it will be a trial for some of them
إنك لن تحدث قومًا حديثا لا تبلغه عقولهم إلا كان لبعضهم فتنةTell the people what they know. Do you want Allah and His Messenger to be lied about?
حدثوا الناس بما يعرفون أتريدون أن يكذب الله ورسوله؟!So if someone brings to us something like what happened with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding hearing and sight, or regarding the grasping of the heavens on the Day of Resurrection, we say to him: Every occasion has its own speech.
Then we restrict ourselves to what came in the text only, and we do not gesture in anything else, because it did not come in the text. Yes.