What is the authenticity of the hadith: “Adam was created in His image,” and what is its meaning?

Question:
The first message in this session is from the Al-Jazirah Province in Sudan. It was sent by our brother, Khadhr Muhammad Daf Allah. Our brother asks and says: Please inform us about the hadith that ends with: ?
First: What is the authenticity of this hadith?
Second: What is the meaning of this hadith?
Third: To whom does the pronoun in the last word (His image) refer? We ask Allah for reward and abundant reward for you.

Answer:
This hadith is authentic. It was narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim in the two Sahihs. It contains: . The pronoun, according to the stronger opinion, refers to the Lord (Glorified and Exalted is He) . Some scholars denied this and considered it an error, but the verified scholars among the people of knowledge, such as Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him), Ishaq ibn Rahawayh, and a group of others, clarified that the pronoun refers to Allah. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), Ibn al-Qayyim, and others also said this. They stated that the pronoun refers to Allah, and the meaning is that Allah created Adam in His image: hearing, seeing, speaking, and choosing. It does not mean likening or comparing, for Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) [Al-Shura: 11] [Al-Ikhlas: 4]. So the meaning of “in His image” is without asking how, without likening, and without comparison. This is the truth and the correct view.
Our brother in Allah, the distinguished scholar Shaykh Hamud ibn Abdullah al-Tuwajiri, has compiled a treatise on this matter. He gathered the hadiths in it and quoted the words of the scholars. It is a beneficial, printed treatise.
Some people may think that this implies likening, but that is not the case. For this reason, the distinguished Imam Ibn Khuzaymah (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned in his book, Kitab al-Tawhid, the denial that the pronoun refers to Allah, out of fear of likening. But that is not the case. For this reason, the scholars said that there is no likening in this, such as Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on him), Imam Ishaq ibn Rahawayh, and others among the scholars, Ibn Qutaybah in Makhtilf al-Hadith, al-Dhahabi, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, and others. The point is that it is an authentic hadith, and the pronoun in it refers to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) .
Therefore, in another hadith narrated by Ahmad and others: . This clarified the pronoun and showed that it refers to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) . So he is in the image of the Most Merciful in the sense that He is hearing, seeing, and speaking if He wills, and so on.
That does not mean likening Allah to creation or asking how His attributes are; rather, Allah has no likeness or comparable being, as He said: [Surah al-Shura: 11]. He said: [Surah al-Nahl: 74]. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not intend likening, but rather intended to inform of the honor of Adam, and that Allah honored Adam by creating him in His image; for this reason, he forbade striking the face, saying: .
So it is not permissible for a believer to strike the face. It is not permissible to strike the face or to tattoo the face. Rather, it is obligatory to avoid this in accordance with the authentic hadith that prohibits it. Yes.