Explanation of the author's statement: "And no denial of the divine attributes"
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The Shaykh :"And no denial of the divine attributes" The expression using "distortion" is more appropriate than the expression using "likening Allah to creation" from how many angles? From four angles.
"And no denial of the divine attributes" Denial of the divine attributes means leaving them empty and abandoning them, as in the saying of the Exalted: meaning an empty, abandoned place.
The intended meaning of denial of the divine attributes is denying what Allah has affirmed for Himself of names and attributes, whether general or specific, and whether that is through distortion or outright denial; all of this is called denial of the divine attributes. So, denial of the divine attributes in language means leaving empty and abandoning.
In technical terminology: denying what Allah described Himself with and named Himself by, whether general or specific, whether through distortion or denial. This is denial of the divine attributes. So, the people of the Sunnah and the community, may Allah make us among them, do not deny any name of Allah or any attribute of Allah, nor do they deny them; rather, they acknowledge them with complete acknowledgment.
If you ask: What is the difference between distortion and denial of the divine attributes?
We say: Distortion is in the evidence, and denial of the divine attributes is in the meaning. This is the difference between them: distortion is in the evidence, and denial of the divine attributes is in the meaning. For example, if someone says: The meaning of the saying of the Exalted:[Al-Ma'idah 5:64] is rather His two powers. This is a distortion of the evidence and a denial of the correct intended meaning, because the intended meaning is the real hand, and He said "hand" in the sense of power. So he denied the intended meaning and affirmed a meaning other than the intended one. And if someone says: Rather, His two hands are outstretched, I do not know, I delegate the matter to Allah, I do not affirm the real hand nor the hand to which the wording was distorted. We say: This is a denial of the divine attributes and not a distortion. This is a denial of the divine attributes, but it is a distortion because the wording remains as it is and he did not interpret it with other than its intended meaning, but he denied its intended meaning, which is affirming the hand for Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Did you understand now? Good.
I say: The difference between distortion and denial of the divine attributes: distortion is in the evidence and denial of the divine attributes is in the meaning. The example is clear: Let us take the example of the attribute of the hand for Allah, Mighty and Majestic.[Al-Ma'idah 5:64] The one who distorts says: "His two hands" means His two blessings. Is this a distortion or not? And is it a denial of the divine attributes or not? It is a denial of the divine attributes. You might say it is a denial of the divine attributes from one angle and not a denial of the divine attributes from another angle, but it is a denial of the divine attributes of the intended meaning, affirming a meaning other than the intended one. Is that right or not? Good.
The second one said: Rather, His two hands are outstretched. I read it as it was and do not interpret it, and I say I delegate it to Allah, Mighty and Majestic. We say: Is this a denial of the divine attributes, a distortion, or not a distortion? Not a distortion. He did not say anything, but it is a denial of the divine attributes.
The people of the Sunnah and the community disavow both methods:
The first method: which is the distortion of the wording by denying its real intended meaning to a meaning other than the intended one.
And the second method: which is the method of the people of delegation. They do not delegate, but they say: We say: meaning: His two real hands and they are not power or blessing. So these people did not deny and did not distort. I think it is clear now. If so, the creed of the people of the Sunnah and the community is free from distortion and from denial of the divine attributes. And by this you know the misguidance and lie of those who said: The method of the Salaf is delegation. Those who say that the method of the Salaf is delegation have gone astray. They have gone astray if they said that out of ignorance of the method of the Salaf, and they lied if they said that intentionally. Or we say they lied in both aspects. In the language of whom? The Hijaz, because lying among the people of the Hijaz means error.
In any case, those who say that the school of the people of the Sunnah is delegation, there is no doubt that they have erred and that they are wrong, because the school of the people of the Sunnah is affirming the attributes, affirming the meaning, and delegating the modality.
And let it be known that the statement of delegation, as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said: "is one of the worst statements of the people of innovation and atheism" When a person hears of delegation, he says: This is good, fine, I am safe from this and that. Yes, I do not say the school of the people of the Sunnah or the Salaf, and I do not say the school of the people of interpretation. I take a middle path. Yes, and I am safe from all of this, and I say: Allah knows best, and we do not know what it means. But Shaykh al-Islam says: "This is one of the worst statements of the people of innovation and atheism" And he spoke the truth, may Allah have mercy on him. If you reflect on it, you will find it a denial of the Qur'an and an ignorance of the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him. A denial of the Qur'an, because Allah says:[An-Nahl 16:89] And what clarification is there in words whose meaning is not known? And these are among the most frequent things in the Qur'an. Among the most frequent things in the Qur'an are the names of Allah and His attributes. If we do not know what they mean, will the Qur'an be a clarification for everything? Do not say that to please me, or I will write "correct" on you. If the Qur'an is unknown regarding the names of Allah and His attributes, where is the clarification? [An-Nahl 16:44] Where is the clarification? Yes, clear. Good.
A denial of the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him. How was it a denial? I mean an ignorance of the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him. Because these people say that the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, does not know the meanings of the Qur'an regarding the names and attributes. He does not know. And if the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, does not know, then others are even more so.
Listen to this wonder, the most wonderful thing. They say: The Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, speaks about the attributes of Allah and does not know their meaning. Yes, he says:Sunan Abi Dawud 3892Da'if (Al-Albani) What does it mean, O Messenger of Allah? He said: I do not know. Good. What does it mean, O Messenger of Allah? He said: By Allah, I do not know. And so on. Is there a greater defect than this defect in the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him? From the greatest defects. A Messenger from Allah to clarify for the people, and he does not know what the meaning of the verses of attributes and their hadiths is. He speaks words and does not know what their meaning is.
This is two aspects: denying the Qur'an and making the Messenger ignorant.
Opening the door for the atheists. How did the atheists say to the people of delegation: Sit down, you are Bedouins, you are Arabs, you do not know, you are ignorant. We know. And they began to interpret the Qur'an other than what Allah intended. They say: We are the ones with knowledge, because affirming meanings for the texts is better than being illiterate and ignorant. Is that right or not? They said: Stand in your place. We are in no need of you. Get out of our way. We will show you the meanings. Yes, and they came speaking with whatever meaning they wanted of the words of Allah and His attributes. The people of delegation cannot refute them. Can they refute them? They cannot, because they say: We do not know what Allah intended. It is possible that what Allah wants is what you said. So they opened the door to great evils. And for this reason, the false expression came: "The method of the Salaf is safer, and the method of the Khalaf is more knowledgeable and wiser" Shaykh al-Islam, may Allah have mercy on him, says: "This was said by some of the fools" And it is true. This word is one of the most false things in speech and meaning. "The method of the Salaf is safer, and the method of the Khalaf is more knowledgeable and wiser" How can it be more knowledgeable and wiser if it is safer? There is safety without knowledge and wisdom? Absolutely not. One who does not know the way. One said: My father, I will go to Riyadh, for example, and he does not know the way. And he started to wander, going right, going left, until the heat killed him and he died. Was he safe or not? Why? Because he did not have knowledge. If he had knowledge, he would have been safe. Good. There is also wisdom. One knows the way but said: I am going. And if I do not... on the way, I returned. Or... I reached my country, I returned. Even if I took three-quarters of the way, I returned. Why? He said: So that I can practice walking. Is this wisdom or not? He goes with a purpose, not just wanting to practice. He keeps going back and forth. Why? He said: This is what I want. Good. If there is no safety except with knowledge and wisdom.
If I say: The method of the Salaf is safer, it follows that you must say it is more knowledgeable and wiser, otherwise you would be inconsistent.
So what do we take from this expression? We take that "The method of the Salaf is safer, more knowledgeable, and wiser" And this is known.
The method of the Khalaf. Look at the method of the Khalaf that this speaker refers to: The method of the Khalaf, what the speaker said:
"By my life, I have traversed all the academies, *** And cast my gaze among those landmarks,
"I saw no one but one placing the hand of a perplexed man *** on his chin, or one striking the teeth of a regretful man"
This is the method of the one who says that he found no one but one placing the hand of a perplexed man on his chin. What knowledge is this? Does he have knowledge? Or one: striking his teeth, saying: What is the method? Show us. Do these people have knowledge and wisdom? Absolutely not.
And al-Razi, who is one of their great ones, says:
"The end of the feet of the intellects is a halt *** And most of the striving of the scholars is misguidance
And our souls are in loneliness from our bodies, *** And the end of our worldly life is harm and calamity.
And we did not benefit from our research throughout our lives *** except that we gathered therein "they say" and "they say"
Then he says: "I have examined the verbal paths and the philosophical methodologies, and I did not find them to cure an ailment or quench a thirst. I found the closest path to be the path of the Qur'an. I read in the chapter of affirmation:[Taha 20:5] [Fatir 35:10] and I read in the chapter of negation: [Ash-Shuraa 42:11] [Taha 20:110] All of this is correct. Whoever has experienced what I have experienced knows what I know."
Now, do we say that their path is more knowledgeable and more wise?
The one who says: "I wish that I would die upon the creed of the old women of Nishapur" — are the old women, in their view, scholars, or are they from the common people? It is the common people who wish to return to ignorance. Yes, and what is the knowledge that they have?
So it becomes clear, O brothers, that the path of tafwid (delegation) is a wrong path, because it entails three harms: denying the Qur'an, declaring the Messenger ignorant, and opening the door to atheism, yes, and to the Zindiqs. And those who said that the path of the Salaf is tafwid have lied about the Salaf. Rather, they affirm the wording and the meaning, and they establish it and explain it with the fullest explanation. Now, I mentioned to you that ta'til (denial of the divine attributes) returns to what? The meaning (al-madlul), and tahrif (distortion of a text's meaning) is for the evidence (al-dalil). The distortion is of the evidence, and the denial is of the meaning. And we said: we have two types, the distorter and the delegator, both of whom are deniers, but the first affirmed a meaning, and the second did not affirm a meaning.
The people of the Sunnah and the community do not distort and do not deny. They say with the meaning of the texts as Allah intended: meaning: He rose above it, and it does not mean He took possession of it.
A real hand, and it is not power and grace, so there is no distortion with them and no denial.
"And no denial of the divine attributes" Denial of the divine attributes means leaving them empty and abandoning them, as in the saying of the Exalted:
and a disused well
وَبِئْرٍ مُعَطَّلَةٍThe intended meaning of denial of the divine attributes is denying what Allah has affirmed for Himself of names and attributes, whether general or specific, and whether that is through distortion or outright denial; all of this is called denial of the divine attributes. So, denial of the divine attributes in language means leaving empty and abandoning.
In technical terminology: denying what Allah described Himself with and named Himself by, whether general or specific, whether through distortion or denial. This is denial of the divine attributes. So, the people of the Sunnah and the community, may Allah make us among them, do not deny any name of Allah or any attribute of Allah, nor do they deny them; rather, they acknowledge them with complete acknowledgment.
If you ask: What is the difference between distortion and denial of the divine attributes?
We say: Distortion is in the evidence, and denial of the divine attributes is in the meaning. This is the difference between them: distortion is in the evidence, and denial of the divine attributes is in the meaning. For example, if someone says: The meaning of the saying of the Exalted:
Rather, both His hands are extended
بَلْ يَدَاهُ مَبْسُوطَتَانِI say: The difference between distortion and denial of the divine attributes: distortion is in the evidence and denial of the divine attributes is in the meaning. The example is clear: Let us take the example of the attribute of the hand for Allah, Mighty and Majestic.
Rather, both His hands are extended
بَلْ يَدَاهُ مَبْسُوطَتَانِThe second one said: Rather, His two hands are outstretched. I read it as it was and do not interpret it, and I say I delegate it to Allah, Mighty and Majestic. We say: Is this a denial of the divine attributes, a distortion, or not a distortion? Not a distortion. He did not say anything, but it is a denial of the divine attributes.
The people of the Sunnah and the community disavow both methods:
The first method: which is the distortion of the wording by denying its real intended meaning to a meaning other than the intended one.
And the second method: which is the method of the people of delegation. They do not delegate, but they say: We say:
but His two hands
بَلْ يَدَاهُare outstretched
مَبْسُوطَتَانِIn any case, those who say that the school of the people of the Sunnah is delegation, there is no doubt that they have erred and that they are wrong, because the school of the people of the Sunnah is affirming the attributes, affirming the meaning, and delegating the modality.
And let it be known that the statement of delegation, as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said: "is one of the worst statements of the people of innovation and atheism" When a person hears of delegation, he says: This is good, fine, I am safe from this and that. Yes, I do not say the school of the people of the Sunnah or the Salaf, and I do not say the school of the people of interpretation. I take a middle path. Yes, and I am safe from all of this, and I say: Allah knows best, and we do not know what it means. But Shaykh al-Islam says: "This is one of the worst statements of the people of innovation and atheism" And he spoke the truth, may Allah have mercy on him. If you reflect on it, you will find it a denial of the Qur'an and an ignorance of the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him. A denial of the Qur'an, because Allah says:
And We have sent down to you the Book as clarification for all things
وَنَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ تِبْيَاناً لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍAnd We revealed to you the message that you may make clear to the people
وَأَنْزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِA denial of the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him. How was it a denial? I mean an ignorance of the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him. Because these people say that the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, does not know the meanings of the Qur'an regarding the names and attributes. He does not know. And if the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, does not know, then others are even more so.
Listen to this wonder, the most wonderful thing. They say: The Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, speaks about the attributes of Allah and does not know their meaning. Yes, he says:
Our Lord is Allah Who is in the heaven
ربنا الله الذي في السماءOur Lord descends to the lowest heaven
ينزل ربنا إلى السماء الدنياThis is two aspects: denying the Qur'an and making the Messenger ignorant.
Opening the door for the atheists. How did the atheists say to the people of delegation: Sit down, you are Bedouins, you are Arabs, you do not know, you are ignorant. We know. And they began to interpret the Qur'an other than what Allah intended. They say: We are the ones with knowledge, because affirming meanings for the texts is better than being illiterate and ignorant. Is that right or not? They said: Stand in your place. We are in no need of you. Get out of our way. We will show you the meanings. Yes, and they came speaking with whatever meaning they wanted of the words of Allah and His attributes. The people of delegation cannot refute them. Can they refute them? They cannot, because they say: We do not know what Allah intended. It is possible that what Allah wants is what you said. So they opened the door to great evils. And for this reason, the false expression came: "The method of the Salaf is safer, and the method of the Khalaf is more knowledgeable and wiser" Shaykh al-Islam, may Allah have mercy on him, says: "This was said by some of the fools" And it is true. This word is one of the most false things in speech and meaning. "The method of the Salaf is safer, and the method of the Khalaf is more knowledgeable and wiser" How can it be more knowledgeable and wiser if it is safer? There is safety without knowledge and wisdom? Absolutely not. One who does not know the way. One said: My father, I will go to Riyadh, for example, and he does not know the way. And he started to wander, going right, going left, until the heat killed him and he died. Was he safe or not? Why? Because he did not have knowledge. If he had knowledge, he would have been safe. Good. There is also wisdom. One knows the way but said: I am going. And if I do not... on the way, I returned. Or... I reached my country, I returned. Even if I took three-quarters of the way, I returned. Why? He said: So that I can practice walking. Is this wisdom or not? He goes with a purpose, not just wanting to practice. He keeps going back and forth. Why? He said: This is what I want. Good. If there is no safety except with knowledge and wisdom.
If I say: The method of the Salaf is safer, it follows that you must say it is more knowledgeable and wiser, otherwise you would be inconsistent.
So what do we take from this expression? We take that "The method of the Salaf is safer, more knowledgeable, and wiser" And this is known.
The method of the Khalaf. Look at the method of the Khalaf that this speaker refers to: The method of the Khalaf, what the speaker said:
"By my life, I have traversed all the academies, *** And cast my gaze among those landmarks,
"I saw no one but one placing the hand of a perplexed man *** on his chin, or one striking the teeth of a regretful man"
This is the method of the one who says that he found no one but one placing the hand of a perplexed man on his chin. What knowledge is this? Does he have knowledge? Or one: striking his teeth, saying: What is the method? Show us. Do these people have knowledge and wisdom? Absolutely not.
And al-Razi, who is one of their great ones, says:
"The end of the feet of the intellects is a halt *** And most of the striving of the scholars is misguidance
And our souls are in loneliness from our bodies, *** And the end of our worldly life is harm and calamity.
And we did not benefit from our research throughout our lives *** except that we gathered therein "they say" and "they say"
Then he says: "I have examined the verbal paths and the philosophical methodologies, and I did not find them to cure an ailment or quench a thirst. I found the closest path to be the path of the Qur'an. I read in the chapter of affirmation:
The Most Merciful [who is] above the Throne established.
الرَّحْمَنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوَىTo Him ascends good speech
إِلَيْهِ يَصْعَدُ الْكَلِمُ الطَّيِّبُThere is nothing like unto Him
لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌbut they do not encompass it in knowledge.
وَلا يُحِيطُونَ بِهِ عِلْماًNow, do we say that their path is more knowledgeable and more wise?
The one who says: "I wish that I would die upon the creed of the old women of Nishapur" — are the old women, in their view, scholars, or are they from the common people? It is the common people who wish to return to ignorance. Yes, and what is the knowledge that they have?
So it becomes clear, O brothers, that the path of tafwid (delegation) is a wrong path, because it entails three harms: denying the Qur'an, declaring the Messenger ignorant, and opening the door to atheism, yes, and to the Zindiqs. And those who said that the path of the Salaf is tafwid have lied about the Salaf. Rather, they affirm the wording and the meaning, and they establish it and explain it with the fullest explanation. Now, I mentioned to you that ta'til (denial of the divine attributes) returns to what? The meaning (al-madlul), and tahrif (distortion of a text's meaning) is for the evidence (al-dalil). The distortion is of the evidence, and the denial is of the meaning. And we said: we have two types, the distorter and the delegator, both of whom are deniers, but the first affirmed a meaning, and the second did not affirm a meaning.
The people of the Sunnah and the community do not distort and do not deny. They say with the meaning of the texts as Allah intended: