Answer to a question regarding the exaltation of Allah the Exalted
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From Abdul Aziz ibn Abdullah ibn Baz to the honorable brother Muhammad ibn Ahmad Sindi, may Allah guide him and increase him in knowledge and faith. Amen. Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. After that, your lengthy letter, dated without a date, may Allah guide you to the right path, and what it contained of the following matters:
Your statement at the beginning of the letter: (Allah is free from direction and is not encompassed by a place).
Your statement: (My attention was drawn and my interest aroused while I was browsing the book (Struggle Between Truth and Falsehood) by Professor Saad Sadiq, then I mentioned what he cited as evidence for the exaltation of Allah from verses and hadiths... until I said, and I do not know what that author and his like gain from this belief, which is mostly a cause of fitnah, turmoil, and division of ranks... until I said: especially since the common people hold fast to what is in this book, and they believe that Allah is present in the sky) etc., then you mentioned at the end of this book that you quoted the words of al-Razi, al-Qurtubi, and al-Sa'idi for the sake of comprehensiveness, and perhaps I can respond to them.
What appears to me from this book of yours is that you are not well-versed in the matter of creed in the chapter of names and attributes, and that you are in need of specific research and attention to what clarifies for you the correct creed. Therefore, know, may Allah bless you, that the people of the Sunnah and the community, from the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and those who followed them in excellence, are in agreement that Allah is in the sky, and that He is above the Throne, and that hands are raised to Him (Glorified and Exalted is He), as indicated by the verses and authentic hadiths. They also agreed that He (Glorified and Exalted is He) is free from need of the Throne and others, and that all created things are in need of Him. They also agreed that He (Glorified and Exalted is He) is in the direction of exaltation above the Throne, and above all created things, and is not inside the heavens—(Glorified and Exalted is He) above that with a great exaltation—rather, He (Glorified and Exalted is He) is above all created things. And He has established Himself over His Throne in a manner befitting His majesty and greatness, and He does not resemble His creation in that or in any of His attributes. As Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) said when asked about the establishment (istiwa'), he said: (The establishment is known, the how is unknown, belief in it is obligatory, and asking about it is an innovation), meaning asking about the manner of the establishment. And so did the people of the Sunnah say regarding all the attributes, like the statement of Malik: the meanings are known according to what the Arabic language requires, by which Allah addressed the servants, and the how is unknown. And those meanings are complete, established meanings by which our Lord (Glorified and Exalted is He) is described, and He does not resemble His creation in them. The discussion of this requires further elaboration, and we will do so, if Allah wills, after our arrival in Medina. We will read your book to you, point out the errors in it, and advise you to reflect on the Noble Qur'an and believe that everything it indicates is true and befitting Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) in relation to the chapter of names and attributes.
Likewise, everything it indicates is true in all the other chapters. It is not permissible to interpret the attributes, nor to divert them from their apparent meaning befitting Allah, nor to delegate them, rather all of this is from the belief of the people of innovation. As for the people of the Sunnah and the community, they do not interpret the verses of attributes and their hadiths, nor do they divert them from their apparent meaning, nor do they delegate them. Rather, they believe that everything they indicate of meaning is entirely true and established for Allah, befitting Him (Glorified and Exalted is He), and He does not resemble His creation in it. As He (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: [Surat al-Ikhlas:1-4], and He (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: [Surat al-Shura:11], so He negated for Himself the likeness of creation and affirmed for Himself hearing and seeing in the manner befitting Him, and so it is with the rest of the attributes.
We also advise you to read the response of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah to the people of Hama, and his response to the people of Tadmur. In the two responses is great good and a detailed explanation of the words of the people of the Sunnah, and a transmission of some of their words, especially the Hama response. Also, in them is a sufficient refutation of the people of innovation.
We also advise you to read (The Alfiyyah of Ibn al-Qayyim) and (Al-Mukhtasar al-Sawa'iq al-Mursalah), both by the scholar Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him). In them is an explanation and clarification of the words of the people of the Sunnah, and a refutation of the people of innovation, which you will perhaps not find in anything else, along with verification and attention to clarifying the evidence from the Book and the Sunnah and the words of the Salaf of the Ummah.
And Allah is the One to be asked to guide us and you to beneficial knowledge and righteous action, and to grant us all understanding in His religion and steadfastness upon it, and to protect us all from the deviation of hearts and the misguiding trials. Indeed, He is the All-Hearing, the Near. And peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
Your statement at the beginning of the letter: (Allah is free from direction and is not encompassed by a place).
Your statement: (My attention was drawn and my interest aroused while I was browsing the book (Struggle Between Truth and Falsehood) by Professor Saad Sadiq, then I mentioned what he cited as evidence for the exaltation of Allah from verses and hadiths... until I said, and I do not know what that author and his like gain from this belief, which is mostly a cause of fitnah, turmoil, and division of ranks... until I said: especially since the common people hold fast to what is in this book, and they believe that Allah is present in the sky) etc., then you mentioned at the end of this book that you quoted the words of al-Razi, al-Qurtubi, and al-Sa'idi for the sake of comprehensiveness, and perhaps I can respond to them.
What appears to me from this book of yours is that you are not well-versed in the matter of creed in the chapter of names and attributes, and that you are in need of specific research and attention to what clarifies for you the correct creed. Therefore, know, may Allah bless you, that the people of the Sunnah and the community, from the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and those who followed them in excellence, are in agreement that Allah is in the sky, and that He is above the Throne, and that hands are raised to Him (Glorified and Exalted is He), as indicated by the verses and authentic hadiths. They also agreed that He (Glorified and Exalted is He) is free from need of the Throne and others, and that all created things are in need of Him. They also agreed that He (Glorified and Exalted is He) is in the direction of exaltation above the Throne, and above all created things, and is not inside the heavens—(Glorified and Exalted is He) above that with a great exaltation—rather, He (Glorified and Exalted is He) is above all created things. And He has established Himself over His Throne in a manner befitting His majesty and greatness, and He does not resemble His creation in that or in any of His attributes. As Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) said when asked about the establishment (istiwa'), he said: (The establishment is known, the how is unknown, belief in it is obligatory, and asking about it is an innovation), meaning asking about the manner of the establishment. And so did the people of the Sunnah say regarding all the attributes, like the statement of Malik: the meanings are known according to what the Arabic language requires, by which Allah addressed the servants, and the how is unknown. And those meanings are complete, established meanings by which our Lord (Glorified and Exalted is He) is described, and He does not resemble His creation in them. The discussion of this requires further elaboration, and we will do so, if Allah wills, after our arrival in Medina. We will read your book to you, point out the errors in it, and advise you to reflect on the Noble Qur'an and believe that everything it indicates is true and befitting Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) in relation to the chapter of names and attributes.
Likewise, everything it indicates is true in all the other chapters. It is not permissible to interpret the attributes, nor to divert them from their apparent meaning befitting Allah, nor to delegate them, rather all of this is from the belief of the people of innovation. As for the people of the Sunnah and the community, they do not interpret the verses of attributes and their hadiths, nor do they divert them from their apparent meaning, nor do they delegate them. Rather, they believe that everything they indicate of meaning is entirely true and established for Allah, befitting Him (Glorified and Exalted is He), and He does not resemble His creation in it. As He (Glorified and Exalted is He) said:
(1) Say, "He is Allah, [who is] One, (2) Allah, the Eternal Refuge. (3) He neither begets nor is born, (4) Nor is there to Him any equivalent."
قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ * اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ * لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ * وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌThere is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing.
لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌٌ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُWe also advise you to read the response of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah to the people of Hama, and his response to the people of Tadmur. In the two responses is great good and a detailed explanation of the words of the people of the Sunnah, and a transmission of some of their words, especially the Hama response. Also, in them is a sufficient refutation of the people of innovation.
We also advise you to read (The Alfiyyah of Ibn al-Qayyim) and (Al-Mukhtasar al-Sawa'iq al-Mursalah), both by the scholar Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him). In them is an explanation and clarification of the words of the people of the Sunnah, and a refutation of the people of innovation, which you will perhaps not find in anything else, along with verification and attention to clarifying the evidence from the Book and the Sunnah and the words of the Salaf of the Ummah.
And Allah is the One to be asked to guide us and you to beneficial knowledge and righteous action, and to grant us all understanding in His religion and steadfastness upon it, and to protect us all from the deviation of hearts and the misguiding trials. Indeed, He is the All-Hearing, the Near. And peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.