Does likening Allah to creation necessarily follow from our saying that the hand is known?
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The questioner : Why do we not say regarding the attributes... established... if we say...
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Yes, very well. No, it is correct. The hand is known and the manner is unknown. The brother 'Abd Allah says, if we say the hand is known, does that mean it is like this hand? Is this correct?
The student: No.
The Shaykh : Never. If we say that the camel has a hand, do we say it is like this hand? No. We do not say the cat has a hand like this hand, nor that the lion has a hand. So, establishing the reality does not necessitate likening Allah to creation, not at all, absolutely not. This is what necessitated likening Allah to creation and denial of the divine attributes. I mean, now, establishing the reality necessitated for some people distortion and denial of the divine attributes, and for some people likening Allah to creation. The ones who liken Allah to creation said, "We do not understand a real hand except one like the hand of a created being." The people of distortion said, "If we do not understand anything except the hand of a created being, then establishing it necessitates likening Allah to creation, and likening Allah to creation is prohibited. Therefore, we must deny the real hand." There is no doubt about this.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : And what do we say? It is established.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Rising above the Throne is established. What? What does it mean? What does it mean?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Nothing prevents you except that rising above the Throne is established.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Very well, what do we say? Tell me the phrase.
The student: Rising above the Throne is known, as he said.
The Shaykh : Rising above the Throne is known. Very well.
The student: As for the hand of Allah and His face, this is connected to Him.
The Shaykh : And the difference? No, no difference. Rising above the Throne is His act, and the hand is His hand.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Why don't we visualize it? I am now, look at me now, on this bed.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : No, never, no difference. Because if you wanted to make the hand a metaphorical hand, you would have departed from the apparent meaning.
The student: No.
The Shaykh : Yes, you must say the hand is known, on the condition that its counterpart for us is a part. Therefore, the attributes of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) include attributes of meaning and attributes whose counterparts for us are parts, such as the face, the eye, the hand, and the foot. But we do not say that they are parts for Allah, because a part in language is that which can exist without the original, and the original is diminished by its absence. Therefore, the scholars avoid saying that they are parts, but their counterparts for us are parts.
The student: Parts.
The Shaykh : Parts. And for this reason, they are called the descriptive attributes, and not the attributes of meaning, because they are restricted to the report. Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Yes, very well. No, it is correct. The hand is known and the manner is unknown. The brother 'Abd Allah says, if we say the hand is known, does that mean it is like this hand? Is this correct?
The student: No.
The Shaykh : Never. If we say that the camel has a hand, do we say it is like this hand? No. We do not say the cat has a hand like this hand, nor that the lion has a hand. So, establishing the reality does not necessitate likening Allah to creation, not at all, absolutely not. This is what necessitated likening Allah to creation and denial of the divine attributes. I mean, now, establishing the reality necessitated for some people distortion and denial of the divine attributes, and for some people likening Allah to creation. The ones who liken Allah to creation said, "We do not understand a real hand except one like the hand of a created being." The people of distortion said, "If we do not understand anything except the hand of a created being, then establishing it necessitates likening Allah to creation, and likening Allah to creation is prohibited. Therefore, we must deny the real hand." There is no doubt about this.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : And what do we say? It is established.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Rising above the Throne is established. What? What does it mean? What does it mean?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Nothing prevents you except that rising above the Throne is established.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Very well, what do we say? Tell me the phrase.
The student: Rising above the Throne is known, as he said.
The Shaykh : Rising above the Throne is known. Very well.
The student: As for the hand of Allah and His face, this is connected to Him.
The Shaykh : And the difference? No, no difference. Rising above the Throne is His act, and the hand is His hand.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Why don't we visualize it? I am now, look at me now, on this bed.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : No, never, no difference. Because if you wanted to make the hand a metaphorical hand, you would have departed from the apparent meaning.
The student: No.
The Shaykh : Yes, you must say the hand is known, on the condition that its counterpart for us is a part. Therefore, the attributes of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) include attributes of meaning and attributes whose counterparts for us are parts, such as the face, the eye, the hand, and the foot. But we do not say that they are parts for Allah, because a part in language is that which can exist without the original, and the original is diminished by its absence. Therefore, the scholars avoid saying that they are parts, but their counterparts for us are parts.
The student: Parts.
The Shaykh : Parts. And for this reason, they are called the descriptive attributes, and not the attributes of meaning, because they are restricted to the report. Yes.