format_quote Originally Posted by
Muslim Woman
:sl:
got this article through email . What do u think of this opinion ?
:w:
I will reply here and close the thread in order to prevent further discussions on this topic as it is sure to cross into sectarian discussion. I would have preferred to just delete this thread, but this article contains material that I believe needs some clarification. So I intend to just give you only the words of our Salaf and what they have stated on this topic, because to any person sincerely seeking the truth, their words are enough for proof.
I believe the article you posted seems to have missed that Imam Tahawi said in his universally accepted treatise, Aqeedah at-Tahawiyyah:
51. He encompasses everything and is above it, and what He has created is incapable of encompassing Him.
I believe Imaam Tahawi knew exactly what he was writing when he wrote this point.
The proofs for this are many:
The verse:
يخافون ربهم من فوقهم
“They fear their Lord from above them”
The ‘
min’ here cancels out ANY possibility of ta’wil.
The proofs for Allah’s literal elevation above His creation are too numerous to be denied:
1) “Then He rose over the throne” – as it occurs in many places in the Quran
2) “Do you feel secure from the one who is in the heavens” in two places
3) “To Him do ascend the good words and the good deeds”
4) “He plans the affairs from the heaven to the earth, then it will ascend to Him”
5) “The angels and the spirit ascend to Him”
6) “When Allah said: Isa, I will take you back and raise you up to Me”
7) “Rather, Allah raised him up to Him”
8) “(The Pharaoh said) O Haman! Build me a lofty palace, that I may attain the ways and means- The ways and means of (reaching) the heavens, and that I may mount up to the god of Moses: But as far as I am concerned, I think (Moses) is a liar!” Meaning: I believe Musa is lying when he tells me that there is a God in the heavens.
9) al-Bukhari’s narration that Zaynab used to say to the other wives of the Prophet: “You were married off by your families. I was married of by Allah from above the seven heavens”
10) Muslim’s famous narration about the Prophet asking the slave girl: Where is Allah? To which the slave girl responds: In the heavens. In response to this the Prophet says: Free her, for she is a believer. A Muslim slave girl puts you, the intellectual carrots, to shame!
11) The ascent of the Prophet – SallAllahu ‘alaihi wa-sallam – to the heavens, famously known as al-Isra wal-Mi’raj. Where did he go, if not UP TO THE HEAVENS?
12) The fact that Allah descends in the last third of the night to forgive, as explicitly mentioned in the ahadeeth.
13) The fact that the angels and His revelation, descend from Him. ‘We have sent down…’ is an often ‘blasphemous’ occurrence in the Quran.
14) The Hadeeth of Ibn Mas’ud about the day of judgement when Allah will gather the creation and everyone will be looking UP towards the heavens, waiting for Allah’s judgement. Al-Dhahabi declared it Hasan.
15) ‘Umar said: the order comes from here – pointing to the sky (sahih)
16) Ibn Mas’ud said: The Throne is above water, and Allah is above the throne. Nothing is hidden to him from your actions (Sahih)
17) ‘Aisha said: Allah knows, from above the Throne, that I did not like the killing of ‘Uthman. (Sahih)
18) Ibn ‘Abbas said: Allah was above His Throne before He had created anything (Sahih). He also said to ‘Aisha: Allah, from above the seven heavens, revealed the fact about your innocence. (Sahih)
19) Masruq would say whenever he related a hadeeth from ‘Aisha: I was informed by the truthful woman, beloved to Allah, the one who was declared innocent from above the seven heavens. (Sahih)
20) al-Dhahhak said: Allah is above His throne, whilst His knowledge is with them wherever they may be. (Sahih)
For point #8 in particular:
Allaah says:
And Fir'aun (Pharaoh) said: "O Haman! Build me a tower that I may arrive at the ways, The ways of the heavens, and I may look upon the Ilah (God) of Musa (Moses) but verily, I think him to be a liar." Thus it was made fair-seeming, in Fir'aun's (Pharaoh) eyes, the evil of his deeds, and he was hindered from the (Right) Path, and the plot of Fir'aun (Pharaoh) led to nothing but loss and destruction (for him).
Qur'an 40: 36-37
Imam al-Tabari (d 310) said, in his Tafseer of these verses:
“Meaning: That perhaps I (pharaoh) may reach the gates of heavens, the gates that would allow me to see the God of Moses; for I believe Moses to be a liar with respect to what he says and claims; that he has a Lord in the heavens who sent him”
Tafseer al-Tabari 24/64
Imam Abu Haneefah when asked of his opinion of the one who says, ‘I do not know whether Allah is above the heavens or on the earth.’ -“He has disbelieved, because Allah says, “The Most Merciful rose above the Throne,” and His Throne is above His seven heavens.’
He was then asked , ‘What if he said that Allah is above His Throne but he does not know whether the Throne is in the heavens or on the earth?’ He said, ‘He has disbelieved, because He has denied that He is above the heavens, and whosoever denied that He is above the heavens has disbelieved.”
‘Sharh Usul I'tiqaad Ahlus Sunnah’ of al-Laalikaaee (d.414AH), ‘al-Uluww’ of adh- Dhahabee, also ‘Sharh Aqueedah at-Tahaawiyyah’ of ibn Abee al-Izz al-Hanafee.
....Imam Ahmad declared a kafir whomever says these last two phrases that is a kafir, because they contain attributing a direction, boundary, and place to Allah.
Rather, Imaam Ahmad has a chapter in his Radd ala' al-Jahmiyyah that states:
Bab: An exposition of the denial by the Jahmiya that Allah is on the throne.
It is shown from 'Sharh Usul I'tiqaad' of al-Laalikaaee
:
660) Abdullaah bin Abbaas said, 'Verily Allaah was above His Throne before He created anything, then He created the creation and decreed what was to exist until the Day of Judgement.' (pg.396)
662) Bashr bin Umar said, 'I heard more then one of the Mufassir say about the verse, "The Most Merciful istawaa upon the Throne" - istiwaa means rose above.' (pg.397)
665) Rabee' (one of the teachers of Maalik) was asked about the verse, "The Most Merciful rose over His Throne" - 'how did He rise?' He replied, 'al-istiwaa (rising) is known, and the how is not comprehensible, and from Allaah is the message, and upon the Messenger is the preaching, and upon us is believing.' (pg.397)
670) Maqaatil bin Huyaan said about His saying, "and there is no secret discourse of 3 people except He is the fourth, or of 5 people and He is the sixth" - 'He is above His Throne, and nothing is hidden from His knowledge.' (pg.400)
673) Imaam Ahmad was asked, 'Allaah is above the seventh heaven, above His Throne because that is from His creation, and His power and knowledge are in every place?' And he replied, 'yes, above the Throne and His knowledge is in every place.' (pg.401)
675) Imaam Ahmad was asked about the verse, "and He is with you wheresover you are", and the verse, "there is no secret discourse of 3 people except that he is the fourth.." - and he said, ' (meaning) His Knowledge, He is the Knower of the seen and the unseen, His knowledge encompasses everything, and our Lord is above the Throne without setting limits and giving description , and His Kursi is as the expanse of the heavens and the earth with His Knowledge. ' (pg.402)
Imaam Abdullaah bin Ahmad said, '....
I bear witness that You are above Your Throne above the seven heavens. And this is not as the enemies of Allaah say, the heretics.' (Sharhus Sunnah of Imaam Abdullaah)
He also said, '
we know that our Lord is above the seven heavens over the Throne, and we do not say as the Jahmiyyah say that he is here,' and he pointed with his hand to the earth. (Sharhus Sunnah)
ash-Shafiee said:
"the belief that I am upon, and I saw Our Companions, the Ashaabul Hadeeth - like Maalik and Sufyaan and others - to be upon is: affirming the testimony that none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah. And that Allaah is Over His Throne, above His Heaven (alaa Arshihi fee Samaa’ihi), He comes close to His Creation howsoever He Wills, and He Descends to the lowest heaven howsoever He Wills."
‘Awn al-Ma’bood’ (13/41), and ibn Abu Ya’la reports it in ‘Tabaqaat al-Hanaabilaa’ (1/283) with a chain of narration linked back to ash-Shaafi’ee.
And ash-Shafiee also said in his last testament:
Shaykhul Islaam said: and we were informed by Abu Mansoor Muhammad bin 'Ali bin Muhammad bin al-Hasan bin Sahl bin Khaleefah bin as- Sabbaah al- Baladi who said: I was informed by my grandfather Muhammad bin al-Muhsin bin Sahal bin Khaleefah who said: we were informed by Abu 'Ali al-Husayn bin Hishaam bin 'Umar al- Baladi who said:
This is the last testament of Muhammad bin Idrees ash- Shaafi'i (رحمه الله), he left as his last testament:
[...]
13. And that He is above His throne.
The statement of Abdullah ibn Abbas is given above.
The Mushabbihah are those who liken Allah to the creation; they believe Allah resembles the creation. [...]
They attribute to Allah places, directions, shapes, and bodies, and they try to camouflage it by saying: «However, we do not know how His place is, or how He is sitting, or how His face is, or how His shin is, or how his light is.»
Rather, Ishaaq ibn Raahawaiah (one of the teachers of Imaam Bukhari) said:
"'Resemblance is if it is said: Hand like my hand, or similar to my hand. Or Hearing like my hearing, or similar to my hearing. So when it is said: Hearing like my hearing, or similar to my hearing, then this is making resemblance.
But if what is being said is what Allaah has said: Hand, Hearing, Seeing, and it is not asked how, nor is it said: like my hearing, or similar to my hearing, then this is not making resemblance.
Allaah - the Most Blessed, Most High - said in His Book: There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing.”
As reported by Imam Tirmidhee in his Sunan 1/128-129.
For more quotes you can see this thread:
http://www.islamicboard.com/tawheed-...es-allaah.html
For an explanation of point #51 of Aqeedah at-Tahawiyyah you can go
here, download part 3 of Ibn Abi al-'izz al-Hanafi's explanation, and read from pages 226-241. The author of this book has compiled more evidences and gathered even more quotes from the Companions and those that came after regarding this subject.
May Allaah guide us in regard to that wherein there is dispute concerning the Truth by His leave, indeed He guides whoever He wills to the straight path. Ameen.
And Allaah knows best.
:w: