Is it correct to say that Allah has a body?
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The Shaykh : I see, meaning, that many people do this, and this is what I am calling for now: that we do not speak about such matters except with what the Salaf said. But if we are compelled, we must speak. For example, those who ask: Is Allah a body, or is He not a body?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The student: What do we say?
The Shaykh : We do not speak, but we believe that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) is distinct from His creation, and that He has a Face, and that He has a Hand, and that He has an Eye, and that He descends and rises above the Throne. As for saying "body" or "not a body," this has not come in the texts. But we must clarify the meaning. We say: If by "body" you mean a composite thing made of parts, where some parts depend on others, and it is deficient if some parts are missing, then Allah the Exalted, in this sense, is what?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : He is not a body. And if by "body" you mean what is described with the attributes befitting Him, then this is a body. But we do not use the term "body" in that way, and by doing so, we are saved from many objections, whether Satan casts them into our hearts or the allies of Satan cast them upon us. Yes.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The student: What do we say?
The Shaykh : We do not speak, but we believe that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) is distinct from His creation, and that He has a Face, and that He has a Hand, and that He has an Eye, and that He descends and rises above the Throne. As for saying "body" or "not a body," this has not come in the texts. But we must clarify the meaning. We say: If by "body" you mean a composite thing made of parts, where some parts depend on others, and it is deficient if some parts are missing, then Allah the Exalted, in this sense, is what?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : He is not a body. And if by "body" you mean what is described with the attributes befitting Him, then this is a body. But we do not use the term "body" in that way, and by doing so, we are saved from many objections, whether Satan casts them into our hearts or the allies of Satan cast them upon us. Yes.