{"_id":"668d9fe70b76658b4c232898","title":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"What do scholars say about Tafwidh?\"}]}","question":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"Can you provide references of scholars who describe tafwidh as you described at the Friday classes and not saying, “Allah says He has a face, hands, etc but unlike what we can “imagine”?\"}]}","answer":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"Establishing the transcendence of Allah is a cornerstone of our religion. This is something grounded in both reason and scripture. Here are some references from well-known Sunni scholars:\\n\\n1. This is from Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani in his commentary on Sahih al-Bukhari:\\nالحديث: -1145-حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْلَمَةَ، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ وَأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْأَغَرِّ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: يَنْزِلُ رَبُّنَا تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى كُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا حِينَ يَبْقَى ثُلُثُ اللَّيْلِ الْآخِرُ يَقُولُ: مَنْ يَدْعُونِي فَأَسْتَجِيبَ لَهُ مَنْ يَسْأَلُنِي فَأُعْطِيَهُ مَنْ يَسْتَغْفِرُنِي فَأَغْفِرَ لَهُ. الشرح: قوله: (عن أبي سلمة وأبي عبد الله الأغر، عن أبي هريرة) في رواية عبد الرزاق، عن معمر، عن الزهري، \\\" أخبرني أبو سلمة بن عبد الرحمن وأبو عبد الله الأغر صاحب أبي هريرة، أن أبا هريرة أخبرهما\\\". قوله: (ينزل ربنا إلى السماء الدنيا) استدل به من أثبت الجهة وقال: هي جهة العلو، وأنكر ذلك الجمهور لأن القول بذلك يفضي إلى التحيز تعالى الله عن ذلك. وقد اختلف في معنى النزول على أقوال: فمنهم من حمله على ظاهره وحقيقته وهم المشبهة تعالى الله عن قولهم. ومنهم من أنكر صحة الأحاديث الواردة في ذلك جملة وهم الخوارج والمعتزلة وهو مكابرة، والعجب أنهم أولوا ما في القرآن من نحو ذلك وأنكروا ما في الحديث إما جهلا وإما عنادا. ومنهم من أجراه على ما ورد مؤمنا به على طريق الإجمال منزها الله تعالى عن الكيفية والتشبيه وهم جمهور السلف، ونقله البيهقي، وغيره عن الأئمة الأربعة والسفيانين والحمادين والأوزاعي والليث وغيرهمومنهم من أوله على وجه يليق مستعمل في كلام العرب. ومنهم من أفرط في التأويل حتى كاد أن يخرج إلى نوع من التحريف، ومنهم من فصل بين ما يكون تأويله قريبا مستعملا في كلام العرب وبين ما يكون بعيدا مهجورا فأول في بعض وفوض في بعض، وهو منقول عن مالك وجزم به من المتأخرين ابن دقيق العيد\\n\\nThe Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said: ‘Our Lord, the Blessed, the Superior, descends every night to the nearest Heaven when the last third of the night remains, saying: “Is there anyone to invoke Me, so that I may respond to invocation? Is there anyone to ask Me, so that I may grant him his request? Is there anyone seeking My forgiveness, so that I may forgive him?”’\\n\\nIbn Hajar's commentary: Some individuals who assert a specific direction for Allah have used this hadith as evidence that He is in the direction of above-ness (uluww). However, the majority of scholars reject this notion, as attributing a specific direction to Allah would imply setting boundaries for Him, a concept Allah is exalted above. There exists disagreement regarding the interpretation of 'Nuzool' among the scholars. Some take its meaning literally, and these individuals are known as the Mushabbihah (those who make tashbeeh, i.e., liken Allah to His creation). The majority of scholars reject this perspective, emphasizing that Allah is transcendent above any resemblance to His creation. Others outright reject the validity of the ahadith mentioned in this context. This viewpoint is held by the Khawarij and the Mu’tazila and is considered highly contentious. Strikingly, they interpret figuratively what is mentioned in the Qur'an while rejecting the corresponding ahadith, either out of ignorance or obstinacy.\\n\\nThe majority of the Salaf, including the four Imams, Sufyan ibn ‘Uyayna, Sufyan Ath-Thawri, Hammad ibn Salama, Hammad ibn Zayd, Al-Awza’i, Al-Layth, and others, accept these ahadith without specific interpretation, declaring Allah to be transcendent above modality (kayfiyya) and likeness to creation (tashbih). Some scholars interpret these ahadith in a manner consistent with the linguistic usage of the Arabs, while others over-interpret them, almost tampering with the text (tahrif). Malik and later scholars, notably Ibn Daqiq al-‘Id, make a distinction between two types of interpretation: one that aligns with the linguistic usage of the Arabs, and another that is far-fetched and archaic. In the former case, the interpretation is accepted, while in the latter, the meaning is left to Allah, practicing tafwid (committing the meaning to Allah).\\n\\n2. The is from Imam al-Suyuti, who like ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, needs no introduction.\\nThis is what he said regarding tafwidh in his book on the sciences of the Quran (al-Itqan fi Ulum al-Quran): ومن المتشابه آيات الصفات ... وجمهور أهل السنة، منهم السلف وأهل الحديث على الإيمان بها، وتفويض معناها والمراد منها إلى الله تعالى ولا نفسرها مع تنزيهنا له عن حقيقتها\\\" . اهـ\\n\\\"The majority of the Ahlus Sunnah, which includes the Salaf and the people of hadith, have opined that such verses should be believed in but their meanings should be consigned to Allah (tafwidh), and we do not interpret them while exonerating Allah from their literal meaning.\\\"\\n\\n3. From Ibn Qudama in his book \\\"Dham al-Tawil\\\" in which he argues against doing tawil and instead performing tafwidh. Notice that he explains tafwidh as not assigning a meaning to verse and not resembling Allah to the creation:\\nومذهب السلف رحمة الله عليهم : الإيمان بصفات الله تعالى وأسمائه التي وصف بها نفسه في آياته وتنزيله أو على لسان رسوله ، من غير زيادة عليها ، ولا نقص منها ، ولا تجاوز لها ، ولا تفسير ، ولا تأويل لها بما يخالف ظاهرها ، ولا تشبيه بصفات المخلوقين ، ولا سمات المحدثين ، بل أمروها كما جاءت ، وردوا علمها إلى قائلها ، ومعناها إلى المتكلم بها .\\n\\n\\\"The Madhab of the Salaf is to have Iman in the Attributes of Allah Ta'ala and His Names, with which He described Himself in the Qur'an and Sunnah without adding to it, and removing from it, and not exceeding the bounds of it, without giving explanation, or a ta’wil that opposes its dhahir, without resemblance to the attributes of the creation or the qualities of (things) brought into existence. Rather, they passed them on (narrated them) as they came and relegated the knowledge of them to the One who spoke them (Allah) and the meaning of them to the One that said them.\\\"\\n\\n4. From Ibn Daqiq al-Id, another notable scholar who needs no introduction:\\nوقال الحافظ قبل ذلك بأسطر في الفتح ( 13 / 383 ) ناقلا عن الحافظ ابن دقيق العيد رحمه الله تعالى في تقرير التأويل والتفويض : \\\" وقال ابن دقيق العيد في العقيدة : نقول في الصفات المشكلة إنها حق وصدق على المعنى الذي أراده الله ، ومن تأولها نظرنا فإن كان تأويله قريبا على مقتضى لسان العرب لم ننكر عليه ، وإن كان بعيدا توقفنا عنه ورجعنا إلى التصديق مع التنزيه\\n\\nThe above statement of Ibn Daqiq al-Id is quoted by al-Hafidh Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Bari. \\\"We say concerning the various attributes that they are real and true according to the meaning Allah wills for them. As for those who interpret them, we look at their interpretation: if it is close to the rules of language in use among the Arabs we do not reject it, and if it is far from them we relinquish it and return to believing while declaring transcendence.\\\"\\n\\n5. Ibn Kathir, another household name, says in his tafsir of verse 7:54: وأما قوله تعالى: { ثُمَّ ٱسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى ٱلْعَرْشِ } فللناس في هذا المقام مقالات كثيرة جداً ليس هذا موضع بسطها، وإنما نسلك في هذا المقام مذهب السلف الصالح مالك والأوزاعي والثوري والليث بن سعد والشافعي وأحمد وإسحاق بن راهويه وغيرهم من أئمة المسلمين قديماً وحديثاً، وهو إمرارها كما جاءت من غير تكييف ولا تشبيه ولا تعطيل، والظاهر المتبادر إلى أذهان المشبهين منفي عن الله، لا يشبهه شيء من خلقه\\n\\n\\\"People have many positions on this matter, and this is not the place to present them at length. On this point, we follow the position of the early Muslims (salaf)—Malik, Awza‘i, Thawri, Layth ibn Sa‘d, Shafi, Ahmad, Ishaq ibn Rahawayh, as well as others among the Imams of the Muslims, ancient and modern—namely, to let the verse pass as it has come, without saying how it is meant (bi la takyif), without any resemblance to created things (wa la tashbih), and without nullifying it (wa la ta‘til), and the literal outward meaning (dhahir) that comes to the minds of anthropomorphists (al-mushabbihin) is negated of Allah, for nothing created has any resemblance to Him: \\\"There is nothing whatsoever like unto Him, and He is the All-hearing, the All-seeing\\\"\\n\\n6. Quotes from imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal where he advises tafwidh and makes clear that tafwidh is to believe but not assign a meaning and without how, not that the how is unknown, but rather there is no how. In other words, affirming Allah's transcendence and dissimilarity to the creation: The Hanbali Imam Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Khallal, who died in Hijra year 311, and who took his fiqh from Imam Ahmad’s students, relates in his book al-sunnah through his chain of narrators from Hanbal ibn Ishaq al-Shaybani, the son of the brother of Ahmad ibn Hanbal’s father, that Imam Ahmad was asked about the hadiths mentioning “Allah’s descending,” “seeing Allah,” and “placing His foot on hell”; and the like, and Ahmad replied: “We believe in them and consider them true, without ‘how’ and without ‘meaning’ (bi la kayfa wa la ma‘na).” And he said, when they asked him about Allah’s istiwa’ [translated above as established]: “He is ‘established’ upon the Throne (istawa ‘ala al-‘Arsh) however He wills and as He wills, without any limit or any description that be made by any describer (Daf‘ shubah al-tashbih, 28). This demonstrates how far Imam Ahmad was from anthropomorphism, though a third example is even more explicit. The Imam and hadith master (hafiz) al-Bayhaqi relates in his Manaqib al-Imam Ahmad [The memorable actions of Imam Ahmad], through his chain of narrators that: Ahmad condemned those who said Allah was a “body,” saying, “The names of things are taken from the Shari‘a and the Arabic language. The language’s possessors have used this word [body] for something that has height, breadth, thickness, construction, form, and composition, while Allah Most High is beyond all of that, and may not be termed a “body” because of being beyond any meaning of embodiedness. This has not been conveyed by the Shari‘a, and so is rebutted” (al-Barahin al-sati‘a, 164). *\\n\\n7. Imam Bajuri, who was the Sheikh of al-Azhar (d.1860) said in his book Tuhfat al-Murid as he comments on line 40 of the Jawharah which says: \\\"Any text that implies similitude, interpret it or entrust (its knowledge to Allah), but seek complete transcendence (tanzīh).\\\" Imam Bajuri says that tafwidh establishes Allah's dissimilarity and transcendence, then it avoids assigning the literal/apparent meaning to the verse. As evident from the aforementioned references, the consistent message is that tafwidh entails believing in the verse, refraining from attributing the literal or apparent meaning to the word, entrusting the meaning to Allah, and absolving Allah from any resemblance to creation.\"}]}","tags":[{"_id":"668d9fe50b76658b4c232859","tag":"Aqeedah: Allah ﷻ‎","count":66},{"_id":"668d9fe70b76658b4c23288e","tag":"Knowledge: Scholars","count":22},{"_id":"668d9fe60b76658b4c232887","tag":"Tafwidh","count":4},{"_id":"668d9fe70b76658b4c232896","tag":"Salaf","count":2},{"_id":"668d9fe70b76658b4c232893","tag":"Ibn Hajar","count":1}],"createdOn":"2024-07-09T20:39:03.381Z"}