The Third Section on the Conditions of the Attribute of the Hand

The Shaykh : These are two studies. The third study is that the attribute of the hand has come in the text using the word "hand" and the word "palm," and both are correct. In the Arabic language, "hand" and "palm" have the same meaning and do not differ. If "hand" is used in a general sense in the Arabic language, it means the palm. If it is qualified, it is qualified by whatever it is qualified with. For this reason, when Allah used the word "hand" in a general sense in His saying regarding dry ablution , the dry ablution did not extend beyond the area of the palm. And when it was used in a general sense in His saying: , the cutting did not extend beyond the area of the palm. And when it was intended to go beyond that, it was qualified. Allah said in the verse of ablution: So, "hand" and "palm" have the same meaning. However, had the word "palm" not come in an authentic hadith, we would have affirmed for Allah a hand and not said a palm, because the attributes of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, require complete caution regarding them, because they are beyond what the intellect can grasp.