Answer to the one who said: Some of the Salaf interpreted the saying of the Exalted, “They flow under our eyes,” to mean “under our observation.” And you say that distortion is forbidden.
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The Shaykh : But it remains to be said that some of the Salaf interpreted the saying of the Exalted: They said “under our observation.” They interpreted it thus, and the imams, meaning well-known Salafi scholars, did so. And you say that distortion is forbidden and impossible. So what is the answer?
The student: The answer is that this is not distortion.
The Shaykh : Yes
The student: This is not distortion because one looks at the apparent meaning of the wording and its context according to the usage of the Arabs.
The Shaykh : Yes
The student: So the Arabs use some expressions for something, like the hand. When they say so-and-so is a man of a long hand, they mean he is generous.
The Shaykh : Yes, that is right.
The student: They left it as is; they did not negate it.
The Shaykh : Yes, they left it as is, they did not negate it, but they interpreted it by its necessary implication, by the necessary implication while affirming the original, which is the eye. And the people of distortion say it is “under our observation” without an eye. They say meaning it flows under our observation but without an eye. And the people of the Sunnah and the community say under our observation while affirming.
The student: The eye
The Shaykh : The eye. Yes, but this is more eloquent than saying “they flow under our observation,” because mentioning the eye here is stronger in emphasis and care than mentioning mere sight. For this reason, He said:
The Asha'irah said: Have you brought upon us horses and men in your denial of us regarding interpretation? You have interpreted, you have taken the verse away from its apparent meaning. Allah says: So take the apparent meaning. And if you take the apparent meaning, you will disbelieve. If you take the apparent meaning, you will disbelieve. And if you do not take the apparent meaning, you will fall into contradiction. Sometimes you say interpretation is permissible, and sometimes you say
The student: Interpretation is not permissible.
The Shaykh : Interpretation is not permissible. And is this anything but tyranny over the religion of Allah? Did you understand?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : We said: Fine, welcome. We take the apparent meaning, and by the eye and head, and that is our method, and we do not contradict it. They said: The apparent meaning of the verse is that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is in the eye of Allah, in the middle of the eye. I seek refuge in Allah. They said yes, meaning in the middle of it, just as you say Zayd is in the house, Zayd is in the mosque. Where is he?
The student: In the mosque.
The Shaykh : In the mosque, settled in it.
The student: Inside the mosque.
The Shaykh : Inside the mosque. So “they flow under our eyes” means inside the eye. Do you say this? If you say this, you have disbelieved, because you have made Allah a place for creation. So you are of the doctrine of incarnation. And if you do not say this, you have fallen into contradiction. We say to them: May Allah protect us, then may Allah protect us, then may Allah protect us, that what you mentioned is the apparent meaning of the speech of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Because what you mentioned is disbelief. And if you believe that this is the apparent meaning of the Qur'an, you have disbelieved. Because whoever believes that the apparent meaning of the Qur'an is disbelief and misguidance, he is
The student: A disbeliever.
The Shaykh : A disbeliever who is misguided. So you should repent to Allah from your saying that this is the apparent meaning of the wording. Repent to Allah and ask all the people of language, the poets and orators, do they intend by such an expression that the person being looked at by the eye is situated in the eyelid? Ask them. Ask the living and dead poets and orators, if you wish. Stand at their graves.
The student: Ask the madman.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The student: The madman.
The Shaykh : The important thing is we say: Ask whom you wish. And asking the dead, of course, does not mean standing at the grave, but going to their sayings.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Yes, their poems and sermons. They look to see if such an expression is intended to mean that the one who was spoken to and addressed with this address, “you are in my eye,” intends that he is situated in it. Yes, and what do you say?
The student: Absolutely not.
The Shaykh : Yes, absolutely not.
The student: This is not the study of the Arabic language.
The Shaykh : You, you, if you tell someone, “Go, my brother, go up and look at the soldiers, you are in my eye.” If he is in your eye, will he go look at the soldiers or not?
The student: He will not.
The Shaykh : He will not. He is with you now in the same eye. So if you see the styles of the Arabic language, you know that the meaning they mentioned and forced upon us does not occur in the Arabic language, let alone that it be attributed to the Lord (Mighty and Exalted). So its attribution to the Lord is denied, and it is denied linguistically, religiously, and rationally. So how do you interpret the preposition “in” in His saying “under our eyes”? What is its meaning?
The student: Accompaniment.
The Shaykh : Accompaniment means that my eye, if I say “you are in my eye,” means that my eye accompanies you and looks at you and does not leave you. So the meaning is that Allah (Mighty and Exalted) says to His Prophet: Be patient for the decree of Allah, for you are surrounded by our care and our seeing of you with the eye, so that no one may harm you. And Allah knows best.
In another aspect, we can say the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was addressed with this address. And where was his location?
The student: In Makkah.
The Shaykh : In Makkah, on the earth, or in the eye of Allah?
The student: On the earth.
The Shaykh : On the earth, of course. So if you say the verse means the Messenger, and may Allah protect us, is in the eye of Allah, the indication of the Qur'an becomes a lie, because the Messenger is on the earth and not in the eye of Allah, absolutely. Yes, and this is another aspect of what preceded. And Allah knows best.
It runs with our eyes
تجري بأعينناThe student: The answer is that this is not distortion.
The Shaykh : Yes
The student: This is not distortion because one looks at the apparent meaning of the wording and its context according to the usage of the Arabs.
The Shaykh : Yes
The student: So the Arabs use some expressions for something, like the hand. When they say so-and-so is a man of a long hand, they mean he is generous.
The Shaykh : Yes, that is right.
The student: They left it as is; they did not negate it.
The Shaykh : Yes, they left it as is, they did not negate it, but they interpreted it by its necessary implication, by the necessary implication while affirming the original, which is the eye. And the people of distortion say it is “under our observation” without an eye. They say
It runs with our eyes
تجري بأعينناIt runs with our eyes
تجري بأعينناThe student: The eye
The Shaykh : The eye. Yes, but this is more eloquent than saying “they flow under our observation,” because mentioning the eye here is stronger in emphasis and care than mentioning mere sight. For this reason, He said:
It runs with our eyes
تجري بأعينناThe Asha'irah said: Have you brought upon us horses and men in your denial of us regarding interpretation? You have interpreted, you have taken the verse away from its apparent meaning. Allah says:
It runs with our eyes
تجري بأعينناThe student: Interpretation is not permissible.
The Shaykh : Interpretation is not permissible. And is this anything but tyranny over the religion of Allah? Did you understand?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : We said: Fine, welcome. We take the apparent meaning, and by the eye and head, and that is our method, and we do not contradict it. They said: The apparent meaning of the verse is that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is in the eye of Allah, in the middle of the eye. I seek refuge in Allah. They said yes,
By Our eyes
بأعينناThe student: In the mosque.
The Shaykh : In the mosque, settled in it.
The student: Inside the mosque.
The Shaykh : Inside the mosque. So “they flow under our eyes” means inside the eye. Do you say this? If you say this, you have disbelieved, because you have made Allah a place for creation. So you are of the doctrine of incarnation. And if you do not say this, you have fallen into contradiction. We say to them: May Allah protect us, then may Allah protect us, then may Allah protect us, that what you mentioned is the apparent meaning of the speech of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Because what you mentioned is disbelief. And if you believe that this is the apparent meaning of the Qur'an, you have disbelieved. Because whoever believes that the apparent meaning of the Qur'an is disbelief and misguidance, he is
The student: A disbeliever.
The Shaykh : A disbeliever who is misguided. So you should repent to Allah from your saying that this is the apparent meaning of the wording. Repent to Allah and ask all the people of language, the poets and orators, do they intend by such an expression that the person being looked at by the eye is situated in the eyelid? Ask them. Ask the living and dead poets and orators, if you wish. Stand at their graves.
The student: Ask the madman.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The student: The madman.
The Shaykh : The important thing is we say: Ask whom you wish. And asking the dead, of course, does not mean standing at the grave, but going to their sayings.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Yes, their poems and sermons. They look to see if such an expression is intended to mean that the one who was spoken to and addressed with this address, “you are in my eye,” intends that he is situated in it. Yes, and what do you say?
The student: Absolutely not.
The Shaykh : Yes, absolutely not.
The student: This is not the study of the Arabic language.
The Shaykh : You, you, if you tell someone, “Go, my brother, go up and look at the soldiers, you are in my eye.” If he is in your eye, will he go look at the soldiers or not?
The student: He will not.
The Shaykh : He will not. He is with you now in the same eye. So if you see the styles of the Arabic language, you know that the meaning they mentioned and forced upon us does not occur in the Arabic language, let alone that it be attributed to the Lord (Mighty and Exalted). So its attribution to the Lord is denied, and it is denied linguistically, religiously, and rationally. So how do you interpret the preposition “in” in His saying “under our eyes”? What is its meaning?
The student: Accompaniment.
The Shaykh : Accompaniment means that my eye, if I say “you are in my eye,” means that my eye accompanies you and looks at you and does not leave you. So the meaning is that Allah (Mighty and Exalted) says to His Prophet: Be patient for the decree of Allah, for you are surrounded by our care and our seeing of you with the eye, so that no one may harm you. And Allah knows best.
In another aspect, we can say the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was addressed with this address. And where was his location?
The student: In Makkah.
The Shaykh : In Makkah, on the earth, or in the eye of Allah?
The student: On the earth.
The Shaykh : On the earth, of course. So if you say the verse means the Messenger, and may Allah protect us, is in the eye of Allah, the indication of the Qur'an becomes a lie, because the Messenger is on the earth and not in the eye of Allah, absolutely. Yes, and this is another aspect of what preceded. And Allah knows best.