Discussion of those who oppose the people of the Sunnah and the community in this matter and the refutation of them.
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The Shaykh : A group opposed them, and this is found in today’s lesson. A group opposed them, and they are the people of denial of the divine attributes from the Mu'tazilah, the Jahmiyyah, the Asha'irah, and others like them. They said, "It is not possible for us to affirm a real hand for Allah; rather, the meaning of 'hand' is a conceptual matter, not a real one. What is it?" They said, "The meaning of 'hand' is power, or the meaning of 'hand' is grace, because 'hand' is used in the Arabic language for grace and for power. It is used for grace and for power. In the authentic hadith, the long hadith of al-Nu'man ibn Sam'an: Mishkat al-Masabih 5475 The meaning is that no one has power to fight them.
The student: No power.
The Shaykh : No one has power to fight them, and they are Gog and Magog. As for 'hand' meaning grace, there are many instances. Among them is the statement of the messenger of Quraysh to Abu Bakr:Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 37:317 meaning 'hand' means
The student: Favor
The Shaykh : grace. And the statement of al-Mutanabbi:
"And how many hands of the darkness of night are with you *** that testify that Manichaeism lies"
Manichaeism is a sect, a faction of the Zoroastrians who say that darkness creates evil and light creates good. So al-Mutanabbi says that you give many gifts at night that indicate that Manichaeism lies, because your night brings good and not evil.
The student: Good.
The Shaykh : Good. So the meaning of 'hand' is grace, and the meaning of 'hand' is not the real hand. Why, my brothers? He said, "Because if you affirm a real hand for Allah, it necessitates ascribing a body to Allah, that Allah the Exalted is a body, and bodies
The student: Are similar.
The Shaykh : are similar. And in that case, it falls into what Allah forbade:[An-Nahl 16:74] We are happier with the evidence than you, O you who affirm the truth. We say, "Glory to Him who is free from accidents
The student: And parts.
The Shaykh : and parts.
The student: And purposes.
The Shaykh : and purposes. And 'purposes' is better than this rhyming couplet. Yes, yes.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : They say, "Glory to Him who is free from accidents, purposes, and parts." You will not find this rhyming couplet in the Book or the Sunnah. So what is our answer to this? Our answer to this is from several angles:
First, that interpreting 'hand' as power or grace contradicts the apparent meaning of the word. And what contradicts the apparent meaning of the word is rejected. It is rejected unless there is evidence.
Second: that it contradicts the scholarly consensus of the Salaf. All of the Salaf agreed that the meaning of 'hand' is the real hand. Pay attention to this point. If someone said to you, "Give me one word from Abu Bakr, or 'Umar, or 'Uthman, or 'Ali," you would say, "The meaning of Allah's hand is the real hand?" I would say to him, "Give me one word from Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, 'Ali, and others of the Companions and the imams after them, that says the meaning of 'hand' is power or grace." He cannot answer. He cannot answer. So if they had a meaning that contradicted the apparent meaning of the word, they would have
The student: Said it.
The Shaykh : said it. So when they did not say it, when they did not say it, it is known that they took the apparent meaning of the word and agreed upon it. And in that case, it is not possible, because it is not possible to refute the consensus we claimed. Because if they said to us this statement, perhaps some people would hesitate and say, "By Allah, I actually did not find that Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, and 'Ali said that the meaning of 'hand' is the real hand. I did not find that." We say, "You do not need to find this. Ask them for the evidence?"
The student: No, they said...
The Shaykh : Precisely, precisely, but ask them for the evidence... for what?
He says, "Bring me evidence that they said the meaning of 'hand' is power or grace." So if you do not have evidence, then keeping the text as it is is their method. Keeping it as it is is their method. And if they had interpreted it contrary to the apparent meaning, it would have been transmitted to us, because it is a belief that must be cared for and transmitted. Is that clear, my brothers? So it contradicts the scholarly consensus of the Salaf.
Third: that it is impossible to the utmost degree that 'hand' means grace or power in His saying:[Sad 38:75] What is the aspect of it being impossible to the utmost degree?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Because it necessitates that grace be two, or that it necessitates that Allah's grace be only two, and Allah's graces are innumerable. It necessitates that power be two, and power is a single concept that does not multiply. Power is a single concept that does not multiply. So this construction prevents to the utmost degree that the meaning of 'hand' be what?
The student: Power and grace.
The Shaykh : Power and grace. Suppose it might be possible in His saying:[Al-Ma'idah 5:64] that they mean grace by interpretation. Yes, but it is not possible that His saying: [Sad 38:75] means grace, never. As for power, it is impossible that the meaning of 'hands' is power in both verses, in His saying: and in His saying: [Sad 38:75], because power does not repeat. It does not multiply. Power does not multiply. Is that clear, my brothers?
The fourth aspect: that if the meaning of 'hand' were power, Adam would have no distinction over Iblis, nor over donkeys and dogs, right?
The student: Because they were all created like him.
The Shaykh : Why? Because they were all created by the power of Allah. And if this were the case, if the meaning of 'hand' were power, the argument against Iblis would not be valid, because Iblis would immediately say, "And I, O Lord, You created me by Your power. So what is his distinction over me?" Is that clear?
The fifth aspect: that it can be said that this hand which Allah affirmed came in various forms. It is impossible that it means grace or power. So it came
The student: ...
The Shaykh : with fingers, grasping, extending, palm, yes, and right hand. And all of this is impossible to mean power, because power is not described with these descriptions. It is not described with these descriptions. So it is clear by this that the statement of these distorters who said the meaning of 'hand' is power is invalid from several angles. It is invalid from several angles. And we have previously stated the general statement in such matters that the attributes of Allah Mighty and Majestic are from the matters of unseen information for which the intellect has
The student: No scope.
The Shaykh : no scope. And what is of this nature, it is obligatory for us to keep it on its apparent meaning without addressing it. So here they said, the Jews said:[Al-Ma'idah 5:64] So Allah the Exalted said: [Al-Ma'idah 5:64] What is the connection between the difference in the two expressions? Yes.
The student: They said:[Al-Ma'idah 5:64]
The Shaykh : Yes
The student: So they expressed stinginess with the singular hand. So Allah said:[Al-Ma'idah 5:64] He made the hand plural.
The Shaykh : They, when they wanted to describe Allah with stinginess,
The student: Made the hand singular.
The Shaykh : made the hand singular. And Allah Mighty and Majestic, when He wanted to clarify...
God will reveal to Jesus that He has brought forth servants of His with whom no one will be able to fight
أن الله يوحي إلى عيسى أني أخرجت عبادا لا يدان لأحد بقتالهمThe student: No power.
The Shaykh : No one has power to fight them, and they are Gog and Magog. As for 'hand' meaning grace, there are many instances. Among them is the statement of the messenger of Quraysh to Abu Bakr:
"If it were not for a hand of yours with me, I would not have accepted it from you, I would have answered you."
لولا يد لك عندي لم أجزك بها لأجبتكThe student: Favor
The Shaykh : grace. And the statement of al-Mutanabbi:
"And how many hands of the darkness of night are with you *** that testify that Manichaeism lies"
Manichaeism is a sect, a faction of the Zoroastrians who say that darkness creates evil and light creates good. So al-Mutanabbi says that you give many gifts at night that indicate that Manichaeism lies, because your night brings good and not evil.
The student: Good.
The Shaykh : Good. So the meaning of 'hand' is grace, and the meaning of 'hand' is not the real hand. Why, my brothers? He said, "Because if you affirm a real hand for Allah, it necessitates ascribing a body to Allah, that Allah the Exalted is a body, and bodies
The student: Are similar.
The Shaykh : are similar. And in that case, it falls into what Allah forbade:
So do not assert similarities to Allah
فلا تضربوا لله الأمثالThe student: And parts.
The Shaykh : and parts.
The student: And purposes.
The Shaykh : and purposes. And 'purposes' is better than this rhyming couplet. Yes, yes.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : They say, "Glory to Him who is free from accidents, purposes, and parts." You will not find this rhyming couplet in the Book or the Sunnah. So what is our answer to this? Our answer to this is from several angles:
First, that interpreting 'hand' as power or grace contradicts the apparent meaning of the word. And what contradicts the apparent meaning of the word is rejected. It is rejected unless there is evidence.
Second: that it contradicts the scholarly consensus of the Salaf. All of the Salaf agreed that the meaning of 'hand' is the real hand. Pay attention to this point. If someone said to you, "Give me one word from Abu Bakr, or 'Umar, or 'Uthman, or 'Ali," you would say, "The meaning of Allah's hand is the real hand?" I would say to him, "Give me one word from Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, 'Ali, and others of the Companions and the imams after them, that says the meaning of 'hand' is power or grace." He cannot answer. He cannot answer. So if they had a meaning that contradicted the apparent meaning of the word, they would have
The student: Said it.
The Shaykh : said it. So when they did not say it, when they did not say it, it is known that they took the apparent meaning of the word and agreed upon it. And in that case, it is not possible, because it is not possible to refute the consensus we claimed. Because if they said to us this statement, perhaps some people would hesitate and say, "By Allah, I actually did not find that Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, and 'Ali said that the meaning of 'hand' is the real hand. I did not find that." We say, "You do not need to find this. Ask them for the evidence?"
The student: No, they said...
The Shaykh : Precisely, precisely, but ask them for the evidence... for what?
He says, "Bring me evidence that they said the meaning of 'hand' is power or grace." So if you do not have evidence, then keeping the text as it is is their method. Keeping it as it is is their method. And if they had interpreted it contrary to the apparent meaning, it would have been transmitted to us, because it is a belief that must be cared for and transmitted. Is that clear, my brothers? So it contradicts the scholarly consensus of the Salaf.
Third: that it is impossible to the utmost degree that 'hand' means grace or power in His saying:
to that which I created with My hands
لما خلقت بيديThe student: ...
The Shaykh : Because it necessitates that grace be two, or that it necessitates that Allah's grace be only two, and Allah's graces are innumerable. It necessitates that power be two, and power is a single concept that does not multiply. Power is a single concept that does not multiply. So this construction prevents to the utmost degree that the meaning of 'hand' be what?
The student: Power and grace.
The Shaykh : Power and grace. Suppose it might be possible in His saying:
Rather, both His hands are extended
بل يداه مبسوطتانto that which I created with My hands
لما خلقتُ بيديBut His two Hands
بل يداهto that which I created with My hands
لما خلقت بيديThe fourth aspect: that if the meaning of 'hand' were power, Adam would have no distinction over Iblis, nor over donkeys and dogs, right?
The student: Because they were all created like him.
The Shaykh : Why? Because they were all created by the power of Allah. And if this were the case, if the meaning of 'hand' were power, the argument against Iblis would not be valid, because Iblis would immediately say, "And I, O Lord, You created me by Your power. So what is his distinction over me?" Is that clear?
The fifth aspect: that it can be said that this hand which Allah affirmed came in various forms. It is impossible that it means grace or power. So it came
The student: ...
The Shaykh : with fingers, grasping, extending, palm, yes, and right hand. And all of this is impossible to mean power, because power is not described with these descriptions. It is not described with these descriptions. So it is clear by this that the statement of these distorters who said the meaning of 'hand' is power is invalid from several angles. It is invalid from several angles. And we have previously stated the general statement in such matters that the attributes of Allah Mighty and Majestic are from the matters of unseen information for which the intellect has
The student: No scope.
The Shaykh : no scope. And what is of this nature, it is obligatory for us to keep it on its apparent meaning without addressing it. So here they said, the Jews said:
The hand of Allah is chained
يد الله مغلولةRather, both His hands are extended
بل يداه مبسوطتانThe student: They said:
The hand of Allah is chained
يد الله مغلولةThe Shaykh : Yes
The student: So they expressed stinginess with the singular hand. So Allah said:
Rather, both His hands are extended
بل يداه مبسوطتانThe Shaykh : They, when they wanted to describe Allah with stinginess,
The student: Made the hand singular.
The Shaykh : made the hand singular. And Allah Mighty and Majestic, when He wanted to clarify...