What is the methodology of the people of the Sunnah and the community regarding the names and attributes, and what is the meaning of “let them pass as they came”?
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The questioner : What is the methodology of the people of the Sunnah and the community regarding the names and attributes? And what is the meaning of “let them pass as they came”?
The Shaykh : Yes, their methodology in the chapter of names and attributes is to affirm what Allah has affirmed for Himself in the Noble Qur'an or what is authentically reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the pure Sunnah. So, everything that comes in the Qur'an regarding the names and attributes of Allah is truth, and everything that comes in the Sunnah that is authentically reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) is truth. They disavow four matters: likening Allah to creation, distortion, denial of the divine attributes, and asking how an attribute is. They do not liken the attributes of Allah to the attributes of His creation, nor do they distort the Qur'an and Sunnah from their apparent meanings by an interpretation that is not permissible. They do not deny Allah the Exalted of the attributes He affirmed for Himself, nor do they deny the texts of the implications Allah intended by them. They do not ask how the attributes of Allah are, but rather they believe that there is nothing like Allah, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing. They do not delve deeply into investigating the names and attributes of Allah, but rather they remain silent about what Allah and His Messenger remained silent about, and what the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) remained silent about. The meaning of their saying: “Let them pass as they came without asking how” is: keep their implications as they are, and affirm what they imply of affirmation, and do not ask how the attributes of Allah are, or liken the attributes of Allah to an attribute you imagine, even if it contradicts the attribute of creation, because Allah the Exalted informed us about His attributes but did not inform us about their modality.
The questioner : May Allah reward you and bless you. This questioner says in this question: O honorable Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes, their methodology in the chapter of names and attributes is to affirm what Allah has affirmed for Himself in the Noble Qur'an or what is authentically reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the pure Sunnah. So, everything that comes in the Qur'an regarding the names and attributes of Allah is truth, and everything that comes in the Sunnah that is authentically reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) is truth. They disavow four matters: likening Allah to creation, distortion, denial of the divine attributes, and asking how an attribute is. They do not liken the attributes of Allah to the attributes of His creation, nor do they distort the Qur'an and Sunnah from their apparent meanings by an interpretation that is not permissible. They do not deny Allah the Exalted of the attributes He affirmed for Himself, nor do they deny the texts of the implications Allah intended by them. They do not ask how the attributes of Allah are, but rather they believe that there is nothing like Allah, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing. They do not delve deeply into investigating the names and attributes of Allah, but rather they remain silent about what Allah and His Messenger remained silent about, and what the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) remained silent about. The meaning of their saying: “Let them pass as they came without asking how” is: keep their implications as they are, and affirm what they imply of affirmation, and do not ask how the attributes of Allah are, or liken the attributes of Allah to an attribute you imagine, even if it contradicts the attribute of creation, because Allah the Exalted informed us about His attributes but did not inform us about their modality.
The questioner : May Allah reward you and bless you. This questioner says in this question: O honorable Shaykh.