Explanation of the author's statement: "And no likening"
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The Shaykh :"And no likening" means: and without likening. The people of the Sunnah disavow likening Allah (Mighty and Majestic) to His creation, neither in His essence nor in His attributes.
And likening (tamthil) is: mentioning a similar thing to a thing. The relationship between it and asking how (takyif) is one of absolute generality and specificity, because every one who likens is one who asks how, but not every one who asks how is one who likens. This is because asking how is mentioning a manner not accompanied by a similar thing. If it is accompanied by a similar thing, it becomes likening. For example, if I say: "This recorder is like this recorder," this is likening because I mentioned a thing similar to a thing. Do you understand? Yes, by mentioning its similar, you know the manner of the recorder.
What is the definition of likening? It is mentioning a similar thing to a thing. The relationship between it and asking how is absolute generality and specificity, meaning that likening is absolutely more specific than asking how. So every one who likens is one who asks how, but not every one who asks how is one who likens. Is that clear? Good.
The people of the Sunnah and the community affirm for Allah (Mighty and Majestic) the attributes without similarity. They say that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has life, and it is not like our life; He has knowledge, and it is not like our knowledge; He has sight, and it is not like our sight; He has a Face, and it is not like our faces; He has a Hand, and it is not like our hands; and so on for all the attributes. They say that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) never resembles His creation in what He has described Himself with. And they have evidence from revelation and evidence from reason for this:
The evidences from revelation are divided into two categories: a report (khabar) and a command (talab). From the report is the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Ash-Shuraa 42:11] The verse contains an explicit negation of a similar.
And His saying:[Maryam 19:65] Although this is a command, it is in the meaning of a report, because it is a report in the meaning of negation.
And His saying:[Al-Ikhlas 112:4] All of this—three verses—indicates the negation of similarity, and they are all reports.
The command: Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Baqarah 2:22] And He said: [An-Nahl 16:74] So the evidences from revelation are two categories or types: a report and a command. Whoever likens Allah to His creation has lied to the report and disobeyed the command. For this reason, some of the Salaf stated the ruling of declaring someone a disbeliever (takfir) for whoever likens Allah to His creation. So Nu'aym ibn Hammad al-Khuzai, the shaykh of al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him), said: "Whoever likens Allah to His creation has committed disbelief" because he combined lying to the report and disobeying the command or request. Do you understand?
The evidences from reason: We say that it is not possible for similarity to exist between the Creator and the created in any way. Even if the only difference between them were the origin of existence, that would be sufficient. How?
The existence of the Creator is obligatory, so He is eternal and everlasting. The existence of the created is possible, preceded by non-existence and followed by annihilation. So it is not possible to say that they are similar. This is one point.
And likening (tamthil) is: mentioning a similar thing to a thing. The relationship between it and asking how (takyif) is one of absolute generality and specificity, because every one who likens is one who asks how, but not every one who asks how is one who likens. This is because asking how is mentioning a manner not accompanied by a similar thing. If it is accompanied by a similar thing, it becomes likening. For example, if I say: "This recorder is like this recorder," this is likening because I mentioned a thing similar to a thing. Do you understand? Yes, by mentioning its similar, you know the manner of the recorder.
What is the definition of likening? It is mentioning a similar thing to a thing. The relationship between it and asking how is absolute generality and specificity, meaning that likening is absolutely more specific than asking how. So every one who likens is one who asks how, but not every one who asks how is one who likens. Is that clear? Good.
The people of the Sunnah and the community affirm for Allah (Mighty and Majestic) the attributes without similarity. They say that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has life, and it is not like our life; He has knowledge, and it is not like our knowledge; He has sight, and it is not like our sight; He has a Face, and it is not like our faces; He has a Hand, and it is not like our hands; and so on for all the attributes. They say that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) never resembles His creation in what He has described Himself with. And they have evidence from revelation and evidence from reason for this:
The evidences from revelation are divided into two categories: a report (khabar) and a command (talab). From the report is the saying of Allah the Exalted:
There is nothing like unto Him
لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌAnd His saying:
Do you know of any similarity to Him?"
هَلْ تَعْلَمُ لَهُ سَمِيّاًAnd His saying:
Nor is there to Him any equivalent."
وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُواً أَحَدٌThe command: Allah the Exalted said:
So do not attribute to Allah equals
فَلا تَجْعَلُوا لِلَّهِ أَنْدَاداًSo do not assert similarities to Allah
فَلا تَضْرِبُوا لِلَّهِ الأَمْثَالَThe evidences from reason: We say that it is not possible for similarity to exist between the Creator and the created in any way. Even if the only difference between them were the origin of existence, that would be sufficient. How?
The existence of the Creator is obligatory, so He is eternal and everlasting. The existence of the created is possible, preceded by non-existence and followed by annihilation. So it is not possible to say that they are similar. This is one point.