What is the meaning of: {Indeed, Allah is not shy to present an example, whether it be a mosquito or something greater than it}?
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Question:
You are asking about the interpretation of the saying of the Truth, Blessed and Exalted is He: I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan: [al-Baqarah:26]?
Answer:
On the apparent meaning of the verse,[Al-Baqarah 2:26] modesty is attributed to the Lord, Glorified and Exalted is He, as in the hadith: Sunan Ibn Majah 3865Hasan (Darussalam) And in another hadith: , agreed upon for its authenticity.
So the meaning is that our Lord is described with modesty in the manner befitting Him. It is not of the same kind as our modesty. The modesty of Allah is befitting Him, and none knows its modality except He, Glorified and Exalted is He. Just as we describe Him as laughing, becoming angry, being pleased, showing mercy, loving, and hating, all of this in the manner befitting Him. : [al-Baqarah:222], [al-Mumtahanah:8], Muwatta Malik 56:20, Muwatta Malik 21:30, up to other hadiths.
The point is that Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) is described by the attributes by which He informed us of Himself, or by which His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) informed us in the authentic hadiths, but in the manner befitting Allah. We pass them over as they came, as the people of the Sunnah and the community said, passing them over as they came while believing in them and holding that they are the truth and that they befit Allah, and that He does not resemble His creation in them (Glorified and Exalted is He), as He (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: :[Al-Ikhlas 112:1-4], and He (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: [Ash-Shuraa 42:11], and He (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: [An-Nahl 16:74].
Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, Malik ibn Anas, the Imam of the City of Migration in his time in the second century, and likewise Sufyan al-Thawri and Ibn Uyaynah, and the statement of Ishaq ibn Rahawayh and al-Awza'i and their like, said regarding the verses of attributes and their hadiths: "Pass them over as they came, pass them over without asking how." Meaning: Pass them over and believe in their meaning, and that it is true and befitting Allah, and that He does not resemble His creation in that. So this is the case with modesty: [al-Baqarah:26], and in the verse of al-Ahzab: [al-Ahzab:53]. So He, Glorified is He, is not shy to present examples with a mosquito, or a spider, or a fly, as occurred in the chapter of al-'Ankabut, and in the chapter of al-Hajj, the example was presented with a fly. All of this is true for the clarification of the truth and the elucidation of the truth for His servants. So there is no modesty in this. And likewise His messengers and prophets and the people of knowledge are not shy to clarify the truth for people with examples, even if the examples are with lowly things from the animals.
So our Lord is described with modesty, and it is said: He is modest and generous, and it is said: He is not shy of such and such, in the manner befitting Allah. He does not resemble His creation in any of His attributes, nor is He like them. Rather, He is described with the attributes of perfection in the manner befitting Allah, and none knows their modality except He. So He laughs, and we do not know how He laughs. Allah, who knows this, Glorified is He. But we know that He laughed, not like us. Rather, it is a complete laugh befitting Allah, not resembling the laugh of the created. Likewise, He is pleased, and we know that He is pleased, but not like our pleasure. We know that He shows mercy, not like our mercy. We know that He becomes angry, not like our anger. We know that He is Hearing, not like our hearing. Seeing, not like our sight. Not like our sight and our hearing. All of this is befitting Allah. And so are the rest of the attributes, all of them befit our Lord, and He does not resemble His creation in any of them in any way. This is contrary to the people of innovation, the Jahmiyyah and the Mu'tazilah, and those who joined them in some of that, such as the Asha'irah, and the like of that.
It is obligatory for the Muslim to fear Allah, and to proceed upon the methodology of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and upon the methodology of the Imams of the Sunnah for the people of the Sunnah and the community. And that is by believing in the names of Allah and His attributes, and passing them over as they came, and believing that they are true, and that they are befitting Allah, and that He, Glorified is He, has no equal, no similar, and no counterpart. And that He is more knowledgeable about His attributes and their modality than His creation. : [al-Shura:11]. So we pass them over as they came, and we say: They are true, but without distortion, denial, asking how, or likening. Rather, we say as the righteous Salaf said: [al-Shura:11], .
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good, and may He benefit us with your knowledge.
You are asking about the interpretation of the saying of the Truth, Blessed and Exalted is He: I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan:
Indeed, Allah is not timid to present an example - that of a mosquito or what is smaller than it
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يَسْتَحْيِي أَنْ يَضْرِبَ مَثَلًا مَا بَعُوضَةً فَمَا فَوْقَهَاAnswer:
On the apparent meaning of the verse,
Indeed, Allah is not timid
إن الله لا يستحيYour Lord is Kind and Most Generous
إن ربكم حيي كريمThat three men entered the mosque and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was reminding the people, so one of them came and sat in the circle listening, and the second sat behind it, and the third left. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) finished his speech, he said: Shall I inform you about the state of the three? They said: Yes, O Messenger of Allah. He said: As for one of them, he sought shelter, so Allah sheltered him. And as for the second, he was shy, so Allah was shy of him. And as for the third, he turned away, so Allah turned away from him
أن ثلاثةً دخلوا المسجد والنبي ﷺ يذكر الناس، فجاء أحدهم فجلس في الحلقة يستمع، والثاني جلس خلفها، والثالث خرج، فلما فرغ النبي من حديثه عليه الصلاة والسلام، قال: ألا أنبئكم بشأن الثلاثة؟ قالوا: بلى يا رسول الله. قال: أما أحدهم فآوى فآواه الله، وأما الثاني فاستحيا فاستحيا الله منه، وأما الثالث فأعرض فأعرض الله عنهSo the meaning is that our Lord is described with modesty in the manner befitting Him. It is not of the same kind as our modesty. The modesty of Allah is befitting Him, and none knows its modality except He, Glorified and Exalted is He. Just as we describe Him as laughing, becoming angry, being pleased, showing mercy, loving, and hating, all of this in the manner befitting Him. :
Indeed, Allah loves those who are constantly repentant and loves those who purify themselves."
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِينَ وَيُحِبُّ الْمُتَطَهِّرِينَIndeed, Allah loves those who act justly.
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُقْسِطِينَAllah is pleased with three things from you
إن الله يرضى لكم ثلاثًاAllah laughs at two men. One of them kills the other, but each of them will enter the Garden
يضحك الله إلى رجلين يقتل أحدهما الآخر كلاهما يدخل الجنةThe point is that Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) is described by the attributes by which He informed us of Himself, or by which His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) informed us in the authentic hadiths, but in the manner befitting Allah. We pass them over as they came, as the people of the Sunnah and the community said, passing them over as they came while believing in them and holding that they are the truth and that they befit Allah, and that He does not resemble His creation in them (Glorified and Exalted is He), 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 شَيْءٌ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ البَصِيرُSo do not assert similarities to Allah. Indeed, Allah knows and you do not know.
فلا تَضْرِبُوا لِلَّهِ الأَمْثَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتُمْ لا تَعْلَمُونَMalik, may Allah have mercy on him, Malik ibn Anas, the Imam of the City of Migration in his time in the second century, and likewise Sufyan al-Thawri and Ibn Uyaynah, and the statement of Ishaq ibn Rahawayh and al-Awza'i and their like, said regarding the verses of attributes and their hadiths: "Pass them over as they came, pass them over without asking how." Meaning: Pass them over and believe in their meaning, and that it is true and befitting Allah, and that He does not resemble His creation in that. So this is the case with modesty:
Indeed, Allah is not timid to present an example - that of a mosquito
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يَسْتَحْيِي أَنْ يَضْرِبَ مَثَلًا مَا بَعُوضَةًBut Allah is not shy of the truth
وَاللَّهُ لا يَسْتَحْيِي مِنَ الْحَقِّSo our Lord is described with modesty, and it is said: He is modest and generous, and it is said: He is not shy of such and such, in the manner befitting Allah. He does not resemble His creation in any of His attributes, nor is He like them. Rather, He is described with the attributes of perfection in the manner befitting Allah, and none knows their modality except He. So He laughs, and we do not know how He laughs. Allah, who knows this, Glorified is He. But we know that He laughed, not like us. Rather, it is a complete laugh befitting Allah, not resembling the laugh of the created. Likewise, He is pleased, and we know that He is pleased, but not like our pleasure. We know that He shows mercy, not like our mercy. We know that He becomes angry, not like our anger. We know that He is Hearing, not like our hearing. Seeing, not like our sight. Not like our sight and our hearing. All of this is befitting Allah. And so are the rest of the attributes, all of them befit our Lord, and He does not resemble His creation in any of them in any way. This is contrary to the people of innovation, the Jahmiyyah and the Mu'tazilah, and those who joined them in some of that, such as the Asha'irah, and the like of that.
It is obligatory for the Muslim to fear Allah, and to proceed upon the methodology of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and upon the methodology of the Imams of the Sunnah for the people of the Sunnah and the community. And that is by believing in the names of Allah and His attributes, and passing them over as they came, and believing that they are true, and that they are befitting Allah, and that He, Glorified is He, has no equal, no similar, and no counterpart. And that He is more knowledgeable about His attributes and their modality than His creation. :
There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing.
لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ البَصِيرُThere is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing.
لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ البَصِيرُThe presenter: May Allah reward you with good, and may He benefit us with your knowledge.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.