Discussion of those who oppose the people of the Sunnah and the community and refuting them

The Shaykh : Did anyone oppose the people of the Sunnah and the community regarding this attribute? The answer is yes, the people of distortion opposed them. They said that Allah does not come. How does Allah come? If you affirm that Allah comes, you have affirmed that He is a body, and bodies are similar to one another. We say this is a claim and an invalid analogy. Why? Because it contradicts the text. "Everything that leads to the invalidation of the text is itself invalid". This is a principle of the scholars of knowledge: "Everything that leads to the invalidation of the text is itself invalid". Why? Because of the saying of Allah the Exalted: . If you say that what leads to the invalidation of the text is the truth, then the text becomes invalid, and that is inevitable. And if you say that the text is the truth, then that claim becomes invalid. So we say that this claim you mentioned leads to the invalidation of the text, and thus it is
The student: invalid.

The Shaykh : invalid. Second: We say to them, what prevents Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) from coming Himself in the manner He wills? Is there any preventer? There is no preventer. They say that if you affirm that, you are likening Allah to creation. We say this is an error on your part. We know that coming and arrival differ even among created beings. An active person who comes and strikes the ground with his foot out of his energy—yes, but he does not walk cheerfully. Or if you wish, say he walks cheerfully; that is not our concern, for this is not forbidden and that is not forbidden. It is like a person who walks with a cane and moves his leg only after great effort; he cannot move his leg from its place without effort. Does their manner of coming differ or not? It differs. For example, the coming of a dignitary of the country or one of the rulers is not like the coming of a poor person who is not honored. No, it is not so. Thus, the manner of coming differs in its reality, its effects, and the preparation for it among created beings. So how is it with regard to
The student : the Creator

The Shaykh : the Creator? Well, what do they say about:
The student : Your Lord’s command comes

The Shaykh : He says: Your Lord’s command comes. Yes, Your Lord’s command comes. Yes, how is this not consistent? He said: No, it is consistent, because Allah the Exalted said: . So we must interpret every "coming" that Allah attributed to Himself in this verse and say: The meaning is that Allah’s command has come.
We say: This evidence you cited is evidence against you, not for you. It is evidence against you. Why? If Allah the Exalted had intended His command in the other verses, He would have said "His command." What prevents Him from saying "His command"? When He intended the command, He expressed it as "the command." And this is, in reality, evidence against you, because the other verses are not ambiguous such that we would say they were clarified by this verse. The other verses are clear, and they contain a division that prevents the use of metaphor. Is it consistent for a person to say: meaning His command, or the angels come to them, meaning: the angels? Yes, they say the angels come. They say some come. How is the distortion? So a verse contains three things: that the angels come to them, and they say yes, the angels come; or that some of the signs of your Lord come, and they say yes, they come; or that your Lord comes, and they say He does not come. Glory be to Allah! So two-thirds of the noble verse are understood according to what the wording indicates, and one is taken out of them. Meaning, if the two-thirds were taken out of the apparent meaning of the wording, we would say the third could follow them. But how can you take them out? You affirm the reality in two of the three categories and deny it in the third category? This is undoubtedly arbitrary and a rejection of the evidence based on desires. So we say to them that the saying of Allah the Exalted: is, in reality, an argument against you, not for you. If Allah the Exalted had intended it, He would have clarified it in all the verses so that no confusion or ambiguity would arise.
Well, if someone says that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) sometimes says "He comes with the punishment," does this coming mean the coming of Allah in reality, or the coming of His punishment? We say it is the coming of His punishment, because the meaning of "He comes with the punishment" is that He punishes them. Thus, the punishment comes from Him, because the punishment that descends upon these people descends from Allah (Mighty and Majestic). So He came to them with the punishment, and the one who actually comes is the punishment. This is a known style in the Arabic language. You say "I came to them with punishment," meaning I punished them. "I came to them with wealth," meaning I gave them wealth, even if I did not come myself. So it is now clear that when "coming" is restricted by a preposition, the meaning is that prepositional object. And when it is used absolutely and attributed to Allah without restriction, the meaning is: Allah the Exalted in reality. Yes.

The questioner : Shaykh, our saying

The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may the prayers and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. We have previously discussed the attributes of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), the attribute of coming and arrival, and their meanings are the same. What type of attribute is this? Which of the attributes is it?
The student: ...

The Shaykh : Yes... There is no textual or rational evidence that prevents Allah the Exalted from coming Himself. And if that is the case, it is obligatory to take every verse according to what it indicates. The verses that indicate that His command comes are to be understood as such, and the verses that indicate that He comes Himself are to be understood as such as well. By doing this, we give the texts their due and are saved from the burden. Because Allah will ask us: What made you know that the meaning is "My command came"? You will not be able to say anything, because you will say, "By Allah, my Lord, because it is not possible for Him to come Himself." He will say to you: "What made you know? What made you know that it is not possible?" And I have affirmed that for myself. Yes, and this matter is a matter of debate, it is a matter of religion and creed. Do we believe in what the texts brought, as they are? That is it. Because these are matters of the unseen, and Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is not compared to creation. So we must say as Allah said about Himself, in negation and affirmation. And by this, we are saved from the burden. We are saved. We say yes, the verses that contain or are as they came: His command came and His command will come. As for those that contain "He came Himself," it is obligatory for us to say yes, He came Himself, and there is no clear preventer. Well, what are the behavioral implications of believing in this?
The student : A rational proof, O Shaykh

The Shaykh : Yes
The student : They argue with rational proof

The Shaykh : Rational proof. Yes, all their rational proofs are built on what preceded, that action necessitates movement, and movement necessitates a body. Yes, and similar to that are the causes they cite. The whole of their denial revolves around the fact that events do not befit Allah. This is one of the principles, meaning the principles they rely on in negation: that events do not befit Allah. The second is that it necessitates ascribing a body to Allah. The third is that ascribing a body to Allah necessitates likening Him to creation. Look, all these are principles that are demolished, as we have passed through them.
The student : The emptiness of the Throne

The Shaykh : Yes
The student : It necessitates the emptiness of the Throne

The Shaykh : No, they do not speak of the emptiness of the Throne because they do not believe that He is established above the Throne. They do not believe in this.
The student : The created things are above Him

The Shaykh : They do not believe in this because they say it is not possible, it is not possible for Him to come at all, whether above Him or below Him.

The questioner : And movement, O Shaykh?

The Shaykh : Yes, they also say that movement cannot be attributed to Him. Well, now the practical fruit of believing in the coming of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is fear of this station and this great scene in which the Lord (Mighty and Majestic) comes to judge between His servants. The angels descend; the angels of every heaven surround the creatures, and no scene remains before you except the Lord (Mighty and Majestic) and all the creatures. So if you did good, you will be rewarded for it, and if you did otherwise, yes, you will be recompensed for it. As the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: meaning the left hand . So believing in such great things undoubtedly generates in a person awe and fear of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He).