Benefits Related to the Word "Dhat" (Self)

The Shaykh : As for the "dhat" (self), it is a word about which linguists have differed: is it a refined Arabic word, or is it a coined term and not Arabic? The majority of the most precise scholars hold that it is a coined term and has no place in Arabic at all. Rather, it is a term of the people of *kalam* (theology), whom they used as a substitute for the word "nafs" (soul/self). For example, one might say, "Zayd himself came" or "Zayd's self came," using it as a substitute for "nafs." However, it is from the speech of the pure Arabs, as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said, because its origin in the language is that it is not used in the meaning of "nafs" in Arabic. It is used in multiple ways, one of which is to mean "possessor of," as if you say, "I married a woman *dhat* 'ilm," meaning a woman possessing knowledge. Its masculine counterpart is *dhu*, as if you say, "A man *dhu* 'ilm contacted me," meaning a man possessing knowledge. It is also used in the meaning of "which" by the tribe of Tha'ib, the people of the North, who make *dhat* mean "which" just as they make *dhu* mean "which." Based on this is the saying of the poet:
"For the water is the water of my father and my grandfather, *** And my well is the one I dug and the one I covered"
Meaning, my well which I dug and which I covered. It is also said, "A woman came who nursed her child," meaning the one who nursed her child. Thirdly, it comes to mean "direction," and among this is the saying of Allah the Exalted: meaning the direction of the right and the direction of the left. The saying of Khubayb (may Allah be pleased with him), "And that is in the *dhat* of the Divine," and the saying of Ibrahim (peace be upon him), or the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding Ibrahim: meaning in His direction, and the intended meaning is in His path and obedience to Him, so it means "direction." Fourthly: it is an extra word for emphasis, specifically the emphasis of indefiniteness, like "We came to Makkah *dhat* a day and found the Haram light, or the mosque light." So saying "*dhat* a day" is an extra word for the emphasis of indefiniteness. If we said, "We came to Makkah one day and found the Haram light," the speech would be correct. This is found frequently in the hadith, such as "We went out with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) *dhat* a day, *dhat* a night," and the like. So it is an extra word for the emphasis of indefiniteness. From which of the four categories is the saying of Allah the Exalted: ? Who is the possessor of the breasts, the hearts? As Allah the Exalted said: These are four meanings of *dhat* in the Arabic language. As for *dhat* in the meaning of the thing itself and the reality of the thing, the scholars of Arabic have differed on this. Some denied its use in this meaning, while others permitted it and said there is no harm in it. The apparent practice of Imam al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) is the permissibility of using it in the meaning of the self. If someone asks: What is the relationship between this usage and the original meaning in the Arabic language? We say the original meaning in the Arabic language is that it comes to mean *dhat*, meaning the possessor of. So they say *dhat* 'ilm, meaning the possessor of knowledge. And Allah the Exalted is *Dhu* 'Ilm (Possessor of Knowledge). So its origin is attached (to a noun), but the attached noun was deleted, and it remained indefinite, then it was made definite by *al*. For this reason, some scholars prohibited saying *dhat* with respect to Allah. They said it is not permissible to say *dhat* with respect to Allah, because the *ta* is for femininity, and femininity is not permissible to use a word with the *ta* of femininity, even for exaggeration. For this reason, it is not permissible to say "Allah is a sign" (*'alamah*), but it is permissible to say "This man is a sign" (*'alamah*). As for Allah, you say *'Alim* (the Knower), *'Alim al-Ghayb* (Knower of the Unseen). So if you come with *dhat* intending by it the Lord (Mighty and Majestic), then this means feminizing what is attributed to Allah, and this is not permissible. But this is contrary to the usage of the majority of the precise scholars. And the summary is: how many ways is *dhat* used in the Arabic language? Four ways. As for in the technical terminology, and there is no dispute in the terminology, which is its new meaning, it is to be in the meaning of the self. So it is said *dhat* and *sifat* (self and attributes), *dhat* Allah (the self of Allah), meaning the self of Allah. "Zayd himself came," meaning his self, and so on. And it is attached, like *dhat* Allah, and it is cut off from attachment and made definite by *al*, like *al-dhat*. And this is what al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) held.
The Reader: Abu al-Yaman narrated to us.

The Shaykh : If someone says: Does al-Bukhari's (may Allah have mercy on him) argument using the saying of Khubayb: match what he translated with? Because al-Bukhari translated on the basis that *dhat* means the self, and did Khubayb intend that? No, because he does not intend the *dhat* of Allah which is His self, but rather he intends His *dhat* in the path of Allah, or in the obedience of Allah, or in the pleasure of Allah, or the like. But it is as if al-Bukhari is saying: It is sufficient in this that *dhat* was used attached to Allah, so he took from the permissibility of using *dhat* attached to Allah that Allah the Exalted can be described with it.