What is the ruling on one who denies one of the attributes on the grounds that there is a linguistic justification for it?
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The questioner : ... whether there is a justification for it or not?
The Shaykh : The one for which there is no justification.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : ... that there is no justification for it, while they consider it to be justified.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : The correct view is that there is no justification for it, and that this is not valid. However, they believe there is a justification, and they cite evidence, so we do not declare them disbelievers on this account. We do not declare them disbelievers. Yes.
The questioner : The book that Allah the Exalted wrote ...
The Shaykh : ... the Salaf said that He wrote the Torah with His Hand. This is what can be interpreted figuratively. As for the books in the Preserved Tablet, the intended meaning may be the command, because Allah the Exalted said in the authentic hadith: The apparent meaning of this hadith is that He commanded him to write.
The questioner : So it is not a figurative interpretation.
The Shaykh : As long as He did not explicitly mention His Hand, yes, is that clear? Therefore, anyone who has a doubt in this matter and the truth has not become clear to him is excused. This is Usamah ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him), who killed the man after he said, "There is no god but Allah," interpreting it figuratively. And Khalid ibn al-Walid killed those who said, "We have become apostates, interpreting it figuratively," and others among the ... A person is not burdened with more than he can bear. But for example, if one interprets "Hand" to mean "Self," is there a justification for that? We say that in some contexts there is a justification, and the meaning of His saying[Ash-Shuraa 42:30] is "by what you have earned." But in some cases there is no justification, such as [Al-Ma'idah 5:64] There is no justification for saying "His two Hands" to mean "His two Selves" are extended. There is no justification for that.
The Shaykh : The one for which there is no justification.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : ... that there is no justification for it, while they consider it to be justified.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : The correct view is that there is no justification for it, and that this is not valid. However, they believe there is a justification, and they cite evidence, so we do not declare them disbelievers on this account. We do not declare them disbelievers. Yes.
The questioner : The book that Allah the Exalted wrote ...
The Shaykh : ... the Salaf said that He wrote the Torah with His Hand. This is what can be interpreted figuratively. As for the books in the Preserved Tablet, the intended meaning may be the command, because Allah the Exalted said in the authentic hadith:
When Allah created the Pen, He said to it, "Write." It said, "What shall I write?" He said, "Write what is destined to happen."
إن الله لما خلق القلم قال له اكتب قال وماذا أكتب قال اكتب ما هو كائنThe questioner : So it is not a figurative interpretation.
The Shaykh : As long as He did not explicitly mention His Hand, yes, is that clear? Therefore, anyone who has a doubt in this matter and the truth has not become clear to him is excused. This is Usamah ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him), who killed the man after he said, "There is no god but Allah," interpreting it figuratively. And Khalid ibn al-Walid killed those who said, "We have become apostates, interpreting it figuratively," and others among the ... A person is not burdened with more than he can bear. But for example, if one interprets "Hand" to mean "Self," is there a justification for that? We say that in some contexts there is a justification, and the meaning of His saying