How do we respond to the Asha'irah who say that Allah is free from parts?
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The questioner : The response to them, O Shaykh, is with a text... regarding His being free from parts, we say:
The Shaykh : We say, what do you mean by parts? Do you say that Allah does not have a part? We agree with you in negating the term. We do not say that Allah is a part, nor do we say that the Hand is a part of Allah. We say that the hand is a part of us, which is correct, but we declare Allah free from parts because it implies a false meaning. A part of a thing is that which can be separated from the thing while the thing remains. Here, can a person's hand be separated from him, or not?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : And does it remain with him after its separation? Do we say that the Hand of Allah the Exalted is subject to this permissible thing? Never do we say that. Therefore, you will not find it in the words of the scholars of the Salaf that the Hand is a part of Allah, or that the Face is a part of Him, or the Eye, or the Leg, or the Foot.
The Shaykh : We say, what do you mean by parts? Do you say that Allah does not have a part? We agree with you in negating the term. We do not say that Allah is a part, nor do we say that the Hand is a part of Allah. We say that the hand is a part of us, which is correct, but we declare Allah free from parts because it implies a false meaning. A part of a thing is that which can be separated from the thing while the thing remains. Here, can a person's hand be separated from him, or not?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : And does it remain with him after its separation? Do we say that the Hand of Allah the Exalted is subject to this permissible thing? Never do we say that. Therefore, you will not find it in the words of the scholars of the Salaf that the Hand is a part of Allah, or that the Face is a part of Him, or the Eye, or the Leg, or the Foot.