Explanation of the Author's Statement: A Middle Path in the Chapter on the Attributes of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He): Between the People of Denial (the Jahmiyyah) and the People of Likeness (the Mushabbihah)
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The Shaykh : Then the author (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned five principles in which the people of the Sunnah and the community hold a middle path between the sects of the Muslim community. He said: "A middle path in the chapter on the attributes of Allah, between the people of denial (the Jahmiyyah) and the people of likeness (the Mushabbihah)"
These are two extreme positions: the people of denial (the Jahmiyyah) and the people of likeness (the Mushabbihah). The Jahmiyyah deny the attributes of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). In fact, their extremists deny the names as well, saying it is not permissible to affirm for Allah a name or an attribute. They say it is not permissible to affirm for Allah a name or an attribute, because if you affirm a name for Him, you liken Him to the named things, or if you affirm an attribute, you liken Him to what? To the described things. So do not affirm a name or an attribute. And whatever names Allah has attributed to Himself are from the category of metaphor, from the category of metaphor, and not from the category of His possessing those attributes or being named with those names. The Mu'tazilah also deny the attributes but affirm
The student: The names
The Shaykh : the names. The Asha'irah affirm the names and seven
The student: Of the attributes
The Shaykh : Of the attributes. All these groups are included under the name of denial (ta'til), but some deny completely, like the Jahmiyyah, and some deny relatively, yes, like the Mu'tazilah.
The student: And the Asha'irah?
The Shaykh : And the Asha'irah. Now, the people of likeness (the Mushabbihah), the people of likeness affirm the attributes for Allah. They say it is obligatory to affirm the attributes for Allah, because Allah has affirmed them for Himself. We affirm for Him an eye, a face, a hand, feet, and a leg. Yes, we affirm all the attributes. In fact, they go beyond this as well. But they say that they are like the attributes of the created beings. We seek refuge in Allah from that. They exaggerated in what?
The student: In affirmation
The Shaykh : In affirmation. Yes, they exaggerated in affirmation, and those others exaggerated in transcendence (tanzih). The deniers (mu'til) exaggerated in transcendence, and these people exaggerated in affirmation. They said, "Affirm; it is obligatory for you to affirm a face. Yes, Allah has a face, and this face is like the face of the most handsome of the sons of Adam. Yes, why? They said: Because Allah addressed us with what we know. He said: And we do not know of the face except what we see, and the best of what we see is the human being. Correct? A donkey has a face, a dog has a face, and a camel has a face. Yes, but the human being is the best of the created beings. [At-Tin 95:4] So we liken Allah to the best of the created beings. We liken Him to the best of the created beings. Is that clear? Now, the best of the known created beings is the human being. But is the human being ugly or beautiful, or neither?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : They said, "We choose the best: a human being, an old man or a young man. We choose
The student: The young man
The Shaykh : The young man. So, in their claim—and may Allah protect us from that—they liken Him to the most handsome of the young human beings. And they claim that this is reasonable. They claim that this is what is reasonable. So the people of the Sunnah and the community came and said, "O people, we take the truth that is with both sides. We take the truth that is with both sides. So we take the truth in the chapter of transcendence, so we do not liken, and we take the truth in the side of
The student: Affirmation
The Shaykh : Affirmation. Yes, so we do not deny.
The student: We do not liken.
The Shaykh : No, no, O Shaykh.
The student: We do not deny.
The Shaykh : We do not deny. We take affirmation, so we do not deny, or do we?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : And we take negation, so we do not liken. Correct?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : Now, this means that we affirm against denial, and we do not liken against likeness. So it is affirmation without likeness, and transcendence without denial. Do you understand?
The deniers argued with the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Ash-Shuraa 42:11] The people of the Sunnah said, "Yes, we affirm, but without likeness." And these people said that Allah affirmed the likeness and left the texts negating likeness. So we say, "We affirm, and we do not leave the texts indicating the negation of likeness. So we take the evidence from here and from here."
In summary, they are in the middle in the chapter of attributes between two extreme groups: a group that exaggerated in transcendence and negation, who are the people of denial (ta'til), including the Jahmiyyah and others, and a group that exaggerated in affirmation, who are the Mushabbihah. The people of the Sunnah and the community say, "We do not exaggerate, neither in affirmation nor in negation. We affirm without likeness. We affirm without likeness." So they became the middle path. They took the truth. They took the truth from these and those.
These are two extreme positions: the people of denial (the Jahmiyyah) and the people of likeness (the Mushabbihah). The Jahmiyyah deny the attributes of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). In fact, their extremists deny the names as well, saying it is not permissible to affirm for Allah a name or an attribute. They say it is not permissible to affirm for Allah a name or an attribute, because if you affirm a name for Him, you liken Him to the named things, or if you affirm an attribute, you liken Him to what? To the described things. So do not affirm a name or an attribute. And whatever names Allah has attributed to Himself are from the category of metaphor, from the category of metaphor, and not from the category of His possessing those attributes or being named with those names. The Mu'tazilah also deny the attributes but affirm
The student: The names
The Shaykh : the names. The Asha'irah affirm the names and seven
The student: Of the attributes
The Shaykh : Of the attributes. All these groups are included under the name of denial (ta'til), but some deny completely, like the Jahmiyyah, and some deny relatively, yes, like the Mu'tazilah.
The student: And the Asha'irah?
The Shaykh : And the Asha'irah. Now, the people of likeness (the Mushabbihah), the people of likeness affirm the attributes for Allah. They say it is obligatory to affirm the attributes for Allah, because Allah has affirmed them for Himself. We affirm for Him an eye, a face, a hand, feet, and a leg. Yes, we affirm all the attributes. In fact, they go beyond this as well. But they say that they are like the attributes of the created beings. We seek refuge in Allah from that. They exaggerated in what?
The student: In affirmation
The Shaykh : In affirmation. Yes, they exaggerated in affirmation, and those others exaggerated in transcendence (tanzih). The deniers (mu'til) exaggerated in transcendence, and these people exaggerated in affirmation. They said, "Affirm; it is obligatory for you to affirm a face. Yes, Allah has a face, and this face is like the face of the most handsome of the sons of Adam. Yes, why? They said: Because Allah addressed us with what we know. He said:
And the Face of your Lord will remain
ويبقى وجه ربكWe have certainly created man in the best of stature;
لقد خلقنا الإنسان في أحسن تقويمThe student: Yes.
The Shaykh : They said, "We choose the best: a human being, an old man or a young man. We choose
The student: The young man
The Shaykh : The young man. So, in their claim—and may Allah protect us from that—they liken Him to the most handsome of the young human beings. And they claim that this is reasonable. They claim that this is what is reasonable. So the people of the Sunnah and the community came and said, "O people, we take the truth that is with both sides. We take the truth that is with both sides. So we take the truth in the chapter of transcendence, so we do not liken, and we take the truth in the side of
The student: Affirmation
The Shaykh : Affirmation. Yes, so we do not deny.
The student: We do not liken.
The Shaykh : No, no, O Shaykh.
The student: We do not deny.
The Shaykh : We do not deny. We take affirmation, so we do not deny, or do we?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : And we take negation, so we do not liken. Correct?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : Now, this means that we affirm against denial, and we do not liken against likeness. So it is affirmation without likeness, and transcendence without denial. Do you understand?
The deniers argued with the saying of Allah the Exalted:
There is nothing like unto Him
ليس كمثله شيءIn summary, they are in the middle in the chapter of attributes between two extreme groups: a group that exaggerated in transcendence and negation, who are the people of denial (ta'til), including the Jahmiyyah and others, and a group that exaggerated in affirmation, who are the Mushabbihah. The people of the Sunnah and the community say, "We do not exaggerate, neither in affirmation nor in negation. We affirm without likeness. We affirm without likeness." So they became the middle path. They took the truth. They took the truth from these and those.