What is the meaning of the statement by some of the people of the Sunnah: "We believe in the attributes without asking how or what they mean"?
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... The Shaykh : This phrase is from al-Muwaffaq (may Allah have mercy on him) in his creed, and it is what Imam Ahmad brought forth. Imam Ahmad himself explained it, saying: "We believe in that without asking how or what it means". By "without what it means," he meant the meaning adopted by the people of tahrif (distortion of a text's meaning), who assign a specific meaning to the verses of the attributes that they themselves determine. Because he said: "without asking how" in response to the people of tashbih (likening Allah to creation), and "without what it means" in response to the people of ta'til (denial of the divine attributes). Therefore, the meaning intended by Imam Ahmad, and followed by Ibn Qudamah (may Allah have mercy on him), is the meaning invented by these people of ta'til.
