Is it correct to use the term "limb" for one who wishes to affirm the descriptive attributes, such as the hand?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : The limb is used when one intends to affirm an attribute
The Shaykh : When?
The questioner : When one wants to affirm one of the essential attributes, such as the hand, he says:
The Shaykh : The descriptive ones.
The questioner : The descriptive ones. Yes, he says Allah has a hand, meaning a limb. Is this expression correct?
The Shaykh : No, no. Those who deny the hand say: If we affirm the hand, it necessitates that we affirm a limb for Him. And what does "limb" mean? "Jarah" means earning, as He the Exalted said:[Al-Ma'idah 5:4] the earners, and as He said: [Al-An'am 6:60] This implies that Allah earns. We say that this is correct regarding the human being, but not regarding the Creator. Do not say "limb" or "non-limb." Say of the hand: with it He takes and with it He grasps. Yes.
The questioner : ... We advise him.
The Shaykh : Yes, yes. We say: It is forbidden for you to say this.
The Shaykh : When?
The questioner : When one wants to affirm one of the essential attributes, such as the hand, he says:
The Shaykh : The descriptive ones.
The questioner : The descriptive ones. Yes, he says Allah has a hand, meaning a limb. Is this expression correct?
The Shaykh : No, no. Those who deny the hand say: If we affirm the hand, it necessitates that we affirm a limb for Him. And what does "limb" mean? "Jarah" means earning, as He the Exalted said:
[game caught by] what you have trained of hunting animals
وما علمتم من الجوارحand knows what you have committed by day
ويعلم ما جرحتم بالنهارThe questioner : ... We advise him.
The Shaykh : Yes, yes. We say: It is forbidden for you to say this.