In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, and in Him we seek help.

And
may Allah bless our Prophet Muhammad, and his family and all of his companions.
What follows is taken from al-Ghunyah li-alibi ari! al-Ha!!, in the chapter dealing with
matters of creed, by the great Shaykh Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani, may Allah be pleased with him.
Chapter: Knowledge of the Maker, the Mighty and Majestic
We say: As for the knowledge of the aker, the ighty and a!estic, by way of the "erses
and e#idences, in s$mmary they are:
%o know and be certain that &e is Allah, 'ne, Single, (ternal and Absol$te )"amad*, &e
begets not nor is &e begotten, and there is none e+$al to &im, ,%here is nothing similar to
&im, and &e is the All-&earing, the All-Seeing.- .Ash-Sh$ra: //0
%here is none similar or e+$al to &im, neither any helper or assistant or s$pporter, nor has &e
any ri#al or ad#iser.
&e is not a body s$ch that &e may be to$ched, nor a s$bstance s$ch that &e may be sensed,
nor an occ$rrence s$ch that &e may cease occ$rring, neither is &e a being made $p of parts
or components, nor +$ality or limit.
And &e is Allah, Who has raised the hea#en and laid o$t the earth. &e has no nat$re from
among the #ario$s nat$res, nor has &e an appearance from among the #ario$s appearances.
&e is not a darkness that looms, nor is &e a light that shines.
&e is present with all things in &is knowledge, witnessing them all witho$t to$ching them.
Almighty, All-1$ling, 'mnipotent, ercif$l, 2orgi#ing, 3oncealing .of fa$lts0, &e grants
hono$r and #ictory, 3ompassionate, 3reator and 'riginator, 2irst and 4ast, ost &igh and
ost 5ear, Who alone deser#es to be worshipped.
4i#ing, ne#er to die, (ternally 6re-e7istent, ne#er to pass away, (#erlasting in dominion,
(ternal in power.
Self-S$fficient and ne#er sleeping, Almighty and ne#er harmed, 8nattainable and ne#er
reached.
%o &im belong the s$preme 5ames and the greatest 2a#o$rs. &e has decreed that all creation
will come to an end, for &e said: ,All $pon it will pass away, and the 2ace of yo$r 4ord will
abide, f$ll of 9lory and a!esty.- .Ar-1ahman: :;-:<0
And &e is in the direction of the heights, ha#ing risen o#er &is %hrone, with f$ll containment
of the dominion, and &is knowledge encompasses all things: ,%o &im ascend all good words,
and all good deeds does &e raise.- .2atir: /=0 ,&e controls e#ery affair from the hea#en to the
earth, then it ascends to &im in a >ay whose meas$re is a tho$sand years of yo$r reckoning.-
.As-Sa!dah: ?0
&e created all of the creat$res and their deeds, and &e pre-decreed all of their pro#isions and
their lifespans. 5one may bring forward what &e has delayed, and none may delay what &e
has bro$ght forward. &e willed all that &is creat$res wo$ld do, and if &e had protected them
from error they wo$ld ne#er ha#e opposed &im, and if &e had willed that they all obey &im
they wo$ld ha#e obeyed &im.
&e knows all that is secret and what is e#en more hidden@ .&e is0 All-Anowing of what the
hearts contain: ,>oes &e not know, &e Who createdB And &e is the ost S$btle, the All-
Aware.- .Al-$lk: /C0
&e is the o#er, &e is the 'ne Who p$ts things to rest. %he imaginations can ne#er concei#e
&im, nor can the minds concept$alise &im, and &e is not to be meas$red in accordance with
h$mans. 9lorified is &e abo#e being likened to that which &e has made, or that &e sho$ld be
associated with what &e has in#ented and bro$ght into being.
&e co$nts all breaths, &e o#ersees and !$dges e#ery so$l according to what it has earned: ,&e
has co$nted them, and n$mbered them in total. And e#ery one of them will come to &im on
the >ay of 1es$rrection alone.- .aryam: DC-D?0 ,So that e#ery so$l may be repaid
according to what it has stri#en for.- .%a &a: /?0 ,So that &e may repay those who did wrong
according to what they did, and repay those whose did well with the best reward.- .An-5a!m:
E/0
.&e is0 Fndependent of &is creation, 6ro#ider for &is creat$res, &e feeds and is not fed, &e
pro#ides and is not pro#ided, &e protects and is not in need of protection. All of creation is in
need of &im. &e did not create them to achie#e any benefit nor to ward off any harm, neither
for any p$rpose that compelled &im, nor d$e to any tho$ght or idea that occ$rred. 1ather it
was p$rely d$e to &is Will, as &e said G and &e is the ost %r$thf$l of speakers: ,%he 4ord
of the %hrone, the ost 9lorio$s, >oer of whate#er &e wills.- .Al-H$r$!: /?-/;0
&e alone is Able to create all s$bstances, to remo#e all harms and calamities, to alter all
s$bstances and to change all conditions: ,(#ery day &e is engaged in an affair.- .Ar-
1ahman: :D0 &e dri#es what &e has decreed to what &e has appointed for it.
And .one m$st know and belie#e0 that &e, the (7alted, is 4i#ing with 4ife, Anowing with
Anowledge, Able with Ability, Willing with Will, &earing with &earing, Seeing with Sight,
3omprehending with 3omprehension, Speaking with Speech, 3ommanding with command,
2orbidding with forbiddance, Fnforming with information.
And that &e, the (7alted, is J$st in &is !$dgement and decree, Heneficent and 9racio$s in
&is gifts and blessings, 'riginating and 1estoring, 3a$ser of life and death, the Hringer of
things into e7istence and being, 1ewarding and 6$nishing, 9enero$s and ne#er miserly,
2orbearing and ne#er hasty, All-Aware and ne#er forgetf$l, (#er-Awake and ne#er
neglectf$l, (#er-Watchf$l and ne#er heedless.
&e restricts and e7pands, &e la$ghs and re!oices, &e lo#es and &e dislikes, &e hates and &e
is pleased, &e becomes angry and is displeased, &e has mercy and forgi#es, &e grants and &e
withholds, &e has two &ands and both of &is &ands are 1ight &ands. &e said, 9lorio$s and
(7alted is &e: ,And the hea#ens shall be rolled $p in &is 1ight &and.- .AI-J$mar: ;<0
Ft is narrated from 5afiK, from Fbn 8mar, may Allah be pleased with them both, that he said:
,%he essenger of Allah, may AllahKs blessings and peace be $pon him, recited $pon the
p$lpit: And the hea#ens shall be rolled $p in &is 1ight &and,K and he said: %hey will be in
&is 1ight &and@ &e will throw them as a boy throws a ball, then &e will say: ,F am the
AlmightyL-K- .Fbn 8mar0 said: ,%hen F saw the essenger of Allah, may AllahKs blessings
and peace be $pon him, shaking on the p$lpit $ntil he almost fell from it.- .5arrated in a
similar wording by $slim.0
Fbn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, said: ,&e will grasp the earths and the
hea#ens in their entirety, and none of their e7tremities will be seen o$tside of &is 9rasp.-
And .it is narrated0 from Fbn Amr, from the 6rophet, may AllahKs blessings and peace be
$pon him, that he said: ,%hose who are !$st will be with Allah on the >ay of 1es$rrection, on
raised platforms of light at the 1ight &and of the All-ercif$l. And both of &is &ands are
1ight &ands.- .5arrated by $slim.0
And &e created Adam, $pon whom be peace, with &is &and, $pon &is Fmage. And &e
planted the 9arden of (den with &is &and, and &e planted the %ree of Hliss with &is &and,
and &e inscribed the %orah with &is &and, and ga#e it to oses from &is &and to his hand,
and &e spoke to him directly, witho$t any intermediary or interpreter.
And the hearts of AllahKs sla#es are between two 2ingers of the All-ercif$l, &e t$rns them
abo$t as &e wills, and fills them with whate#er &e wishes.
And the hea#ens and the earth on the >ay of 1es$rrection will be in &is &and, as has come in
the hadith. And &e will place &is 2oot in &ell, and a part of it will mo#e towards the other,
and it will say: ,(no$gh, eno$ghL- And &e will bring o$t a gro$p of people from the 2ire
with &is &and, and the people of 6aradise will look towards &is 2ace and see &im, witho$t
being discomfited from seeing &im nor harmed, as has come in the hadith that &e will re#eal
&imself to them and gi#e them all that they wish for. .5arrated by al-H$khari and $slim.0
And &e said, and how 9lorio$s &e is Who said it: ,2or those who did good, there is the best
reward, and yet more.- .M$n$s: :;0 Ft is said that the ,best reward- refers to 6aradise, and the
words ,yet more- refer to looking at &is 5oble 2ace.
&e said, (7alted is &e: ,2aces on that >ay will be radiant, looking towards their 4ord.- .Al-
Qiyamah: ::-:E0
And &is sla#es will be presented before &im on the >ay of J$dgement and 1epayment. &e
will &imself take charge of bringing them to acco$nt, and no-one else will take charge of that
on behalf of &im.
And indeed Allah, (7alted is &e, created se#en hea#ens, one abo#e the other, and se#en
earths, one below the other. And between the highest earth and the lowest hea#en is a
distance of fi#e h$ndred years, and between each hea#en is the distance of fi#e h$ndred
years, and the water is abo#e the se#enth hea#en, and the %hrone of the All-ercif$l is abo#e
the water, and Allah, (7alted is &e, is o#er the %hrone, and beneath &im are #eils of fire and
light and darkness, and whate#er else that &e knows best.
And the %hrone is borne $p by bearers@ Allah said, ighty and a!estic is &e: ,%hose who
bear the %hrone and those who are aro$nd itN- .9hafir: <0 $ntil the end of the "erse.
And the %hrone has a limit that Allah knows, (7alted is &e. Allah said, ighty and a!estic
is &e: ,And yo$ will see the angels circling aro$nd the %hrone.- .AI-J$mar: <?0
And it is from a red r$by, and its e7panse is like the e7panse of the hea#ens and the earths.
And the 2ootstool in relation to the %hrone is like a ring thrown into a wide e7panse of land.
And &e, the 9lorio$s and (7alted, knows all that is in the se#en hea#ens, and all that is
between them, and all that is beneath them, and all that is in the se#en earths, and all that is
beneath them, and all that is between them, and all that is beneath the soil, and all that is in
the depths of the seas, and the base of e#ery hair, e#ery tree, and e#ery plant that grows, and
where e#ery leaf will fall and the n$mber of all of that, and the n$mber of grains of sand,
stone and earth, the weight of the mo$ntains, the meas$re of the seas, and the deeds of &is
sla#es, their traces, their breaths, and their speech@ &e knows all things, nothing of that is
hidden from &im at all.
And &e is far-remo#ed from &is creation, and there is no place o$tside &is knowledge. Ft is
not allowed to describe &im as being e#erywhere, rather it is to be said that &e is in the
hea#en o#er the %hrone, as &e said, glorio$s is &is praise: ,%he All-ercif$l rose o#er the
%hrone.- .%a &a: ?0 And &e said: ,%hen &e, the All-ercif$l, rose o#er the %hrone.- .Al-
2$r+an: ?D0 And &e said, (7alted is &e: ,%o &im ascend all good words, and all good deeds
does &e raise.- .2atir: /=0
And the 6rophet, may AllahKs blessings and peace be $pon him, !$dged the correctness of the
Fslam of the sla#e girl when he said to her: ,Where is AllahB- and she pointed towards the
hea#en. .5arrated by $slim.0
And the 6rophet, may AllahKs blessings and peace be $pon him, said in the hadith of Ab$
&$rayrah, may Allah be pleased with him: ,When Allah created the creation, &e inscribed a
book and made it binding $pon &imself, and it is with &im abo#e the %hrone: "erily, y
mercy o#ercomes y wrath.K- .5arrated by al-H$khari and $slim.0
And according to another wording: ,When Allah, 9lorified is &e, completed the creation, &e
inscribed and made binding $pon &imself, in a book which is with &im abo#e the %hrone:
"erily, y mercy has o#ertaken y wrath.K-
%he attrib$te of 1ising )al-istiwa#* m$st be taken as it is, witho$t interpretation, and that it is
the 1ising of the (ssence o#er the %hrone, not with the meaning of ,sitting and to$ching- as
said by the $!assimah and Aarramiyyah, nor with the meaning of ,highness and loftiness-
as said by the AshKariyyah, nor with the meaning of ,o#ercoming and con+$ering- as said by
the $KtaIilah, beca$se the Sacred 4aw has not mentioned any of that, nor has it been
transmitted from any of the 3ompanions or the 2ollowers from the 1ighteo$s 6redecessors
from the 6eople of the &adith. 1ather, what is transmitted from them is that they took it as it
is.
Ft is narrated from 8mm Salamah, the wife of the 6rophet, may AllahKs blessings and peace
be $pon him, in regard to the Saying of Allah, ighty and a!estic is &e: ,%he All-ercif$l
rose o#er the %hrone,- that she said: ,%he howK of it cannot be $nderstood, the 1ising itself
is not $nknown, affirming it is obligatory, and denying it is $nbelief.- $slim b. al-&a!!a!
narrated it from her, from the 6rophet, may AllahKs blessings and peace be $pon him, in his
"ahih.O %he like of it has also been mentioned in the hadith of Anas, may Allah be pleased
with him.
$%&ditor#s note' he abo(e-mentioned hadith of )mm "alamah is not narrated in "ahih
Muslim, and it does not ha(e a reliable chain of narration, whether maw!uf or marfu#. Al-
*alika#i narrated it in "harh )sul al-I#ti!ad +,+-. from )mm "alamah as a maw!uf
narration, and it is inauthentic. "ee al-/atawa of "haykh al-Islam 0,+10.
Howe(er, a similar statement to the one in the hadith of )mm "alamah is authentically
attributed to Imam Malik b. Anas, may Allah ha(e mercy on him.2
Ahmad b. &anbal, may Allah ha#e mercy on him, said shortly before his death: ,%he
narrations of the Attrib$tes are taken as they ha#e come, witho$t likening them .to the
creation0 or negation.-
&e also said, as some ha#e narrated: ,F am not a person of theological disc$ssion )kalam*,
and F do not #iew that theological disc$ssion sho$ld be engaged in. %here is only that which
is in the Hook of Allah, ighty and a!estic is &e, or a hadith from the 6rophet, may AllahKs
blessings and peace be $pon him, or from his 3ompanions, may Allah be pleased with them,
or the 2ollowers. As for other than that, then disc$ssing it is not praiseworthy. 2or it is not to
be said regarding the Attrib$tes of the 4ord, ighty and a!estic is &e, ,howB- and no-one
b$t a do$bter wo$ld say that.-
And Ahmad, may Allah ha#e mercy on him, said as has been narrated from him in another
place: ,We belie#e that Allah, ighty and a!estic is &e, is o#er the %hrone howe#er &e
wills, and in the manner that &e wills, witho$t defining or describing this in any way that one
co$ld describe or define, d$e to what has been narrated from SaKid b. al-$sayyib from AaKb
al-Ahbar that he said: Allah, (7alted is &e, said in the %orah: ,F am Allah, o#er and abo#e
my sla#es, and y %hrone is abo#e y entire creation, and F am o#er y %hrone, from o#er
it do F administer the affairs of y sla#es, and nothing from my sla#es is hidden from e.-K-
And the fact that &e, the ighty and a!estic, is o#er &is %hrone is mentioned in e#ery
Hook that was sent down to e#ery 6rophet that was sent, witho$t describing ,how-. And
beca$se Allah, (7alted is &e, has eternally been described with (7altedness and 6ower, and
control and domination o#er all of &is creation, incl$ding the %hrone and e#erything else,
then the 1ising is not to be interpreted as referring to that.
So 1ising is from among the Attrib$tes of the (ssence, since &e has informed $s of that and
mentioned it clearly and emphasised it in se#en "erses of &is Hook, and it is also in the
transmitted S$nnah. Ft is an Attrib$te that is intrinsic to &im and befitting &im, like the &and,
the 2ace, the (ye, &earing, Sight, 4ife, 6ower, and &is being the 3reator, 6ro#ider, 3a$ser of
life and death, .&e is0 described with all of that.
And we do not depart from the Hook and the S$nnah@ we read the "erse and the report, and
we belie#e in what they contain, and we consign the ,howness- in regard to the Attrib$tes to
the knowledge of Allah, ighty and a!estic is &e, as S$fyan b. 8yaynah, may Allah ha#e
mercy on him, said: ,All that Allah, (7alted is &e, has described for &imself in &is Hook, its
e7planation is in its recitation, and there is no f$rther e7planation for it than that.- And we are
not obliged with more than that, for it is a matter of the $nseen which is beyond the ability of
the intellect to grasp.
And we ask Allah, the (7alted, to pardon $s and keep $s safe, and we seek &is ref$ge from
saying in regard to &im and &is Attrib$tes that of which neither &e nor &is 6rophet, $pon
whom be blessings and peace, ha#e informed $s.
And .one m$st know and belie#e0 that &e, (7alted is &e, descends e#ery night to the nearest
hea#en, howe#er &e wills and in the manner that &e wills, and forgi#es whoe#er &e wills
and chooses from &is sla#es who ha#e sinned, erred, committed crimes and disobeyed.
Hlessed and (7alted is &e, the 4ofty, the ost &igh. %here is no god b$t &e, to &im belong
the ost Hea$tif$l 5ames. .&is >escent0 is not with the meaning of the descent of &is mercy
and reward, as claimed by the $KtaIilah and the AshKariyyah, d$e to what was narrated by
8badah b. as-Samit, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: ,%he essenger of Allah,
may AllahKs blessings and peace be $pon him, said: Allah, Hlessed and (7alted is &e,
descends e#ery night to the nearest hea#en, d$ring the last third of the night, and says: ,Fs
there anyone asking of e, that F may grant his re+$estB Fs there anyone seeking forgi#eness,
that F may forgi#e himB Fs there anyone held capti#e, that he may be released from his
capti#ityB- $ntil the dawn breaks, then o$r 4ord, Hlessed and (7alted is &e, rises o#er &is
2ootstool.K- .5arrated by at-%abarani, and there is a break in its chain of narration.0
And in another wording from 8badah b. as-Samit, may Allah be pleased with him, from the
6rophet, may AllahKs blessings and peace be $pon him, that he said: ,Allah, Hlessed and
(7alted is &e, descends e#ery night to the nearest hea#en when one third of the night
remains, and &e says: Fs there not one from among y sla#es who will call $pon e, that F
may respond to himB Fs there not one who has wronged himself who will call $pon e, that F
may forgi#e himB Fs there not one whose pro#ision is lacking who will call $pon e, that F
may pro#ide for himB Fs there not an oppressed person who will make mention of e, that F
may help himB Fs there not one held capti#e who will call $pon e, that F may free himBK- &e
said: ,&e contin$es like this $ntil the break of dawn, then &e rises o#er &is 2ootstool.-
.5arrated by at-%abarani, and there is a break in its chain of narration also.0
%his hadith has been narrated in #ario$s wordings from Ab$ &$rayrah, Jabir b. Abdillah,
Ali, Abd$llah b. asK$d, Ab$Kd->ardaK, Fbn Abbas and AKishah, may Allah be pleased
with all of them, from the essenger of Allah, may AllahKs blessings and peace be $pon him.
2or this reason, they $sed to prefer praying in the last part of the night rather than the first.
And Ab$ Hakr as-Siddi+, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated from the 6rophet, may
AllahKs blessings and peace be $pon him, that he said: ,Allah, ighty and a!estic is &e,
descends on the night of the middle of ShaKban to the nearest hea#en, and &e forgi#es e#ery
so$l e7cept the person in whose heart there is hatred or the association of a partner with
Allah, ighty and a!estic is &e.- .5arrated by al-8+ayli, al-Haghawi and Fbn al-JawIi,
and it is a weak hadith.0
And it is narrated from Ab$ &$rayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said: ,F heard
the essenger of Allah, may AllahKs blessings and peace be $pon him, saying: Allah,
ighty and a!estic is &e, when half of the night has passed, descends to the nearest hea#en
and says: ,Fs there anyone seeking forgi#eness that F may forgi#e himB Fs there anyone asking
that F may grant himB Fs there any repentant one that F may accept his repentanceB- $ntil the
dawn breaks.K- .5arrated by al-H$khari.0
And it was said to Fsha+ b. 1ahawayh: ,What are these ahadith that yo$ narrate, that Allah,
(7alted is &e, descends to the nearest hea#enB >oes Allah ascend and mo#e from one place
to anotherB- &e said to the +$estioner: ,Wo$ld yo$ say that Allah is capable of descending
and ascending witho$t mo#ing from one place to anotherB- &e said: ,Mes.- .Fsha+0 said: ,So
why do yo$ ob!ect to itB-
And Mahya b. aKin said: ,When the Jahmi says to yo$: &ow does &e descendBK, then say
to him: &ow did &e ascendBK- And al-2$dhayl b. Fyadh, may Allah ha#e mercy on him,
said: ,When the Jahmi says to yo$: F do not belie#e in a 4ord Who descends,K then say to
him: F belie#e in a 4ord Who does whate#er &e wills.K-
Ft is narrated from Sh$rayk b. Abdillah, may Allah ha#e mercy on him, that it was said to
him: ,We ha#e among $s a gro$p of people who ob!ect to these ahadith regarding the
Attrib$tes, and that Allah descends to the nearest hea#en.- So he said: ,%hose who bro$ght
$s these ahadith are the same ones who bro$ght $s all of the %raditions from the essenger
of Allah, may AllahKs blessings and peace be $pon him: the prayer, fasting, charity and &a!!.
And we only came to know abo$t Allah by way of these ahadith.-
Section:
And we belie#e that the Q$rKan is the Speech of Allah, &is Hook, &is Address and &is
1e#elation that 9abriel bro$ght down $pon the essenger of Allah, may AllahKs blessings
and peace be $pon him, as Allah, ighty and a!estic is &e, has said: ,%he 2aithf$l Spirit
bro$ght it down $pon yo$r heart, that yo$ may be from among the Warners, in a clear Arabic
tong$e.- .Ash-Sh$KaraK: /DE-/D?0 Ft is that which the essenger of Allah, may AllahKs
blessings and peace be $pon him, con#eyed to his 8mmah, in compliance with the order of
the 4ord of the worlds in &is Saying, (7alted is &e: ,' essenger, con#ey that which has
been sent down to yo$ from yo$r 4ord.- .Al-aKidah: ;<0
And it is narrated from Jabir b. Abdillah, may Allah be pleased with them both, that he said:
,%he 6rophet, may AllahKs blessings and peace be $pon him, wo$ld present himself to the
people at the place of standing, and say to them: Fs there any man who will take me with him
to his peopleB 2or Q$raysh ha#e restricted me from con#eying the Word of my 4ord.-
.5arrated by Ahmad.0 And &e said, ighty and a!estic is &e: ,And if one of the
polytheists seeks yo$r protection, then gi#e him yo$r protection so that he may hear the Word
of Allah.- .At-%awbah: ;0 And the Word of Allah, (7alted is &e, is the Q$rKan, it is
$ncreated in whate#er manner it is read, recited or inscribed, and in whate#er manner a
person recites it, prono$nces it, or memorises it. Ft is the Speech of Allah, and an Attrib$te
from among the Attrib$tes of &is (ssence, it is not bro$ght into being, nor altered, nor
changed, nor assembled together, nor is anything decreased from it, nor is it made, nor can it
be added to. Fts sending down originated from &im, and its r$le )hukm* goes back to &im.
Ft is as the 6rophet, may AllahKs blessings and peace be $pon him, said in the hadith of
8thman b. Affan, may Allah be pleased with him: ,%he e7cellence of the Q$rKan o#er all
other speech is like the e7cellence of Allah o#er the rest of &is creation.- .5arrated by at-
%irmidhi, ad->arimi and others, and it is a weak hadith.0
%hat is beca$se the Q$rKan originated from &im, Hlessed and (7alted is &e, and will ret$rn to
&im. %he meaning of this is that its sending down and its beginning and manifestation is
from &im, ighty and a!estic is &e, and its r$le goes back to &im, meaning the acts of
worship, obedience to &is commands and a#oidance of &is prohibitions, all of which is done
for &is sake, therefore the r$les go back to &im, ighty and a!estic is &e.
And it is said: Ft originated from &im as &is r$le, and it goes back to &im by &is knowledge.
And it is the Speech of Allah, whether in the hearts of the memorisers, the tong$es of the
speakers, the hands of the writers, the sight of those who look at it, the written copies
)masahif* of the people of al-Fslam, and the tablets read by children, in whatsoe#er manner it
is seen or fo$nd.
So whoe#er claims that it is created, or that it is the representation .of the Speech of Allah0,
or that ,the recitation is other than that which is recited-, or who says: ,y pron$nciation of
the Q$rKan is created-, then he is an $nbelie#er in Allah the Almighty. Ft is not allowed to sit
with him, to eat with him, to be marry a $slim woman to him, or to keep company with
him. 1ather, he m$st be boycotted and h$miliated. &e is not to be prayed behind, nor is his
testimony accepted, nor is his g$ardianship #alid in regard to the marriage of his ward, nor is
he to be prayed $pon when he dies. Ff he is ca$ght, then he is to be gi#en three days to repent
as in the case of the apostate, and if he does not repent, then he is to be e7ec$ted.
Fmam Ahmad b. &anbal, may Allah be pleased with him, was asked abo$t the one who says:
,y pron$nciation of the Q$rKan is created.- &e said: ,&e has disbelie#ed.-
And he said, may Allah be pleased with him, regarding one who says: ,%he Q$rKan is the
Speech of Allah, $ncreated, b$t the recitation of it is created-, or: ,o$r pron$nciation of the
Q$rKan is created-, that he is an $nbelie#er.
And it is narrated from Ab$Kd->ardaK, may Allah be pleased with him, that he asked the
6rophet, may AllahKs blessings and peace be $pon him, abo$t the Q$rKan, and he said: ,%he
Speech of Allah, $ncreated.-O And it is narrated from Abd$llah b. Abd al-9haffar, and he
was a freed sla#e of the essenger of Allah, may AllahKs blessings and peace be $pon him,
from the 6rophet, may AllahKs blessings and peace be $pon him, that he said: ,When the
Q$rKan is mentioned, then say: %he Speech of Allah, $ncreated.K Whoe#er says that it is
created, then he is an $nbelie#er.-
$%&ditor#s note' A fabricated hadith. here is no authentic hadith narrated with such a
meanin3. "ee al-Mawdhu#at by Ibn al-4aw5i 6,678-67-, al-*a#ali al-Masnu#ah 6,9, an5ih
ash-"hari#ah 6,6+9-6+0, and al-Asrar p.:0.. As-"akhawi said in al-Ma!asid' ;his hadith is
false in all of its paths of transmission.< he second hadith mentioned abo(e is likewise
fabricated.2
Allah, ighty and a!estic is &e, said: ,Fndeed, &is is the creation and the command.- .Al-
AKraf: ?C0 So &e has disting$ished between the creation and the command. %herefore, if &is
command, that is, the word ,He- by which &e created the creation, is itself created, then it
wo$ld be a pointless repetition and fa$lt, as if &e were in fact saying: ,Fndeed, &is is the
creation and the creation.- Allah, ighty and a!estic is &e, is highly (7alted abo#e thatL
And it is narrated from Fbn asK$d and Fbn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them, that
they both interpreted &is Saying, ighty and a!estic is &e: ,An Arabic Q$rKan, witho$t
any crookedness- .AI-J$mar: :P0 as meaning $ncreated.
And Allah, (7alted is &e, threatened al-Walid b. al-$ghirah al-akhI$mi with &ellfire
when he called the Q$rKan the speech of a mortal, saying: ,%his is nothing b$t sorcery that
has been recei#ed, this is nothing b$t the speech of a mortal.K F will b$rn him in &ellfire.-
.Al-$ddaththir: :C-:;0
So anyone who says that the Q$rKan is a representation or a creation, or ,my pron$nciation of
the Q$rKan is created-, then for him will be &ellfire, as it was for al-Walid, $nless he repents.
And &e said, (7alted is &e: ,And if one of the polytheists seeks yo$r protection, then gi#e
him yo$r protection so that he may hear the Word of Allah.- .At-%awbah: ;0 And &e did not
say: ,So that he may hear yo$r speech, ' $hammad.-
And &e said, (7alted is &e: ,"erily, We sent it down in the 5ight of 6ower.- .Al-Qadr: /0
eaning, the Q$rKan which is within the hearts and the written copies )masahif*.
And &e said, ighty and a!estic is &e: ,And when the Q$rKan is recited, then listen to it
and hearken to it in silence, that yo$ may recei#e mercy.- .Al-AKraf: :=C0 And &e said,
(7alted is &e: ,And a Q$rKan which We ha#e made into parts, that yo$ may recite it to the
people at inter#als.- .Al-FsraK: /=;0 And the people heard only the recitation and
pron$nciation of the 6rophet, may AllahKs blessings and peace be $pon him, therefore his
own pron$nciation of the Q$rKan is the Q$rKan itself.
And Allah, 9lorified and (7alted is &e, praised the !inn who heard the recitation of the
6rophet, may AllahKs blessings and peace be $pon him: ,And they said: "erily, we ha#e
heard a wonderf$l Q$rKan, g$iding to what is right, so we ha#e belie#ed in it, and ne#er will
we associate with o$r 4ord any partner.K- .Al-Jinn: /-:0 And &e said, (7alted is &e: ,And
when We sent towards yo$ a gro$p of the !inn, listening to the Q$rKan.- .Al-Ah+af: :D0
And Allah named the recitation of 9abriel, $pon whom be peace, of the Q$rKan as a
,Q$rKan-. 2or he said, 9lorio$s and (7alted is &e: ,o#e not yo$r tong$e therewith in order
to complete it in haste. "erily, its gathering and recitation is $pon 8s, so when We ha#e
recited it, then follow its recitation.- .Al-Qiyamah: /;-/P0 And he said, (7alted is &e: ,So
recite what is easy for yo$ of the Q$rKan.- .Al-$IIammil: :=0
And there is a consens$s among all of the $slims that the one who has recited the 2atihah in
a prayer has recited the Hook of Allah, and that the one who made an oath not to speak and
then recited the Q$rKan is not considered to be in #iolation of his oath. So this pro#es that .the
Q$rKan0 is not a mere representation .of AllahKs Speech0.
And the 6rophet, may AllahKs blessings and peace be $pon him, said in the hadith of
$Kawiyah b. al-&akam, may Allah be pleased with him: ,Fn this prayer of o$rs, the speech
of h$mans is $nbefitting@ it is only recitation, glorification and praise of Allah, and reciting
the Q$rKan.- .5arrated by $slim.0 So he informed $s that the recitation of the Q$rKan is the
Q$rKan itself, and it is thereby made known that the recitation is the #ery thing that is recited.
And Allah, (7alted is &e, and &is essenger, may AllahKs blessings and peace be $pon him,
ha#e both ordered the belie#ers to recite the Q$rKan in the prayer, and they ha#e forbidden
speaking. %herefore, if o$r recitation was o$r own speech rather than the Speech of Allah,
then we wo$ld all be in #iolation of the prohibition .of speaking0 in the prayer.
Section:
And we belie#e that the Q$rKan is comprised of letters that are $nderstood, and so$nds that
are a$dible. Heca$se it is with these that one who is m$te or silent becomes speaking and
#erbalising. And AllahKs Speech, ighty and a!estic is &e, is not e7empted from that. So
whoe#er re!ects ,that Hook- .cf. al-Ha+arah: :0, then he has st$bbornly denied his own senses
and his insight has been blinded.
Allah has said, ighty and a!estic is &e: ,Alif 4am im. %hat is the Hook.- .Al-Ha+arah:
/-:0 ,&a im.- .9hafir: /0 ,%a Sin im. %hose are the "erses of the Hook.- .Al-Qasas: /-:0
So &e has mentioned certain letters, and has referred to them as the Hook. And &e said,
(7alted is &e: ,And if all the trees on earth were pens, and the sea were ink with se#en more
seas behind it, the Words of Allah wo$ld ne#er be e7ha$sted.- .4$+man: :<0 So &e affirmed
for &imself an endless amo$nt of Words. 4ikewise is &is Saying: ,Say: Ff the sea were ink
for the Words of my 4ord, the sea wo$ld be e7ha$sted before the Words of my 4ord became
e7ha$sted, e#en if We bro$ght the like of it again.- .Al-Aahf: /=D0
And the 6rophet, may AllahKs blessings and peace be $pon him, said: ,1ecite the Q$rKan, for
yo$ will be rewarded for it with e#ery letter ten good deeds. Fndeed, F do not say that Alif
4am eemK is a letter@ rather AlifK is ten, 4amK is ten, imK is ten, therefore the total is
thirty.- .5arrated by at-%irmidhi.0
And the 6rophet, may AllahKs peace and blessings be $pon him, said: ,%he Q$rKan was sent
down according to se#en dialects, all of them are s$fficient.- .5arrated by an-5asaKi and Ab$
>aw$d.0
And &e said, (7alted is &e, regarding oses, $pon whom be peace: ,And when yo$r 4ord
called to oses.- .Ash-Sh$KaraK: /=0 ,And We called to him from the right side of the
mo$ntain, and bro$ght him near to speak to him.- .aryam: ?:0 And &e said, (7alted is &e,
to oses, $pon whom be peace: ,"erily, F am Allah, no god is there b$t e, so worship e.-
.%a &a: /C0 All of this cannot refer to anything other than an a$dible "oice, and it is not
possible that this 3all, this 5ame, and this Attrib$te co$ld belong to any other than Allah,
ighty and a!estic is &e, not one of the angels or any other creat$re.
Ft is narrated from Ab$ &$rayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said: ,%he 6rophet,
may AllahKs blessings and peace be $pon him, said: 'n the >ay of 1es$rrection, Allah will
come, ighty and a!estic is &e, in the shades of the clo$ds, and &e will speak with perfect
and fl$ent Speech, saying G and &e is the ost %r$thf$l of speakers: ,&earken to e, for
long ha#e F hearkened to yo$L 2rom the time that F created yo$, F ha#e seen yo$r deeds and
heard yo$r words. %hese are b$t yo$r own records that are read o$t before yo$. So whoe#er
finds good, then let him praise Allah, and whoe#er finds other than that, let him blame none
b$t himself.- .5arrated by at-%abarani and al-&akim, and it is a weak hadith.0
And al-H$khari narrated in his "ahih with his chain of narration from Abd$llah b. 8nays,
may Allah be pleased with him, that he said: ,F heard the essenger of Allah, may AllahKs
blessings and peace be $pon him, saying: Allah, 9lorified is &e, will gather together &is
sla#es, and &e will call them with a "oice that will be heard e+$ally by those who are far-off
as it will be heard by those who are near: ,F am the Aing, F am the J$dge.-O
$%&ditor#s note' It is in fact narrated by al-=ukhari in his "ahih as a mu#alla! narration
without the chain of narration. Al-=ukhari narrated it with the chain of narration in >hal!
Af#al al-?Ibad @p.+10A, as did Ahmad @+,9-0A, and its chain of narration is weak.2
And Abd ar-1ahman b. $hammad al-$haribi narrated from al-AKmash, from $slim,
from asr$+, from Abd$llah .b. asK$d0, may Allah be pleased with him: ,When Allah
speaks the re#elation, the inhabitants of the hea#en hear &is "oice, so they fall in prostration,
$ntil when the fear has left their hearts, the inhabitants of the hea#en call to each other: What
has yo$r 4ord saidBK %hey say: %he %r$th. &e saidNK then they mention the re#elation.-
.5arrated by Ab$ >aw$d.0
And from Abd$llah b. al-&arith, from Fbn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with both of them,
that he said: ,When Allah, Hlessed and (7alted is &e, speaks the re#elation, the inhabitants
of the hea#ens hear a "oice like the so$nd of iron falling onto a stone, so they fall in
prostration to &im, then when the fear has left their hearts they say: What has yo$r 4ord
saidBK %hey say: %he %r$th, and &e is the ost &igh, the ost 9reat.K- .entioned by as-
S$y$ti in ad->$rr al-anth$r, and he attrib$ted it to Fbn Abi &atim, Abd b. &$mayd, Fbn al-
$ndhir, and Fbn ardawayh.0
As &is knowledge, &is power, and all the rest of &is Attrib$tes do not bear any likeness to
the attrib$tes of mankind, so likewise in regard to &is "oice. Fmam Ahmad, may Allah ha#e
mercy on him, has clearly stated the affirmation of the "oice in the narration of a large gro$p
of the 3ompanions, may Allah be pleased with them all, in contrast to what the AshKariyyah
say that AllahKs Speech is a meaning that is present inside &imself. Allah will call to acco$nt
e#ery misg$ided, misg$iding inno#atorL 2or Allah, 9lorified is &e, has always been
speaking, and &is Speech encompasses all meanings of commanding, prohibiting and
informing.
And Fbn Ah$Iaymah, may Allah ha#e mercy on him, said: ,%he Speech of Allah, (7alted is
&e, is contin$o$s, witho$t pa$se or #oice.- And it was said to Ahmad b. &anbal, may Allah
ha#e mercy on him: ,Fs it allowed for $s to say that Allah, (7alted is &e, speaksB And that it
is possible for &im to pa$se in &is SpeechB- So he said, may Allah ha#e mercy on him: ,We
say in general that Allah, (7alted is &e, has always been speaking. Ff there were narrated a
report attrib$ting pa$sing to &im, we wo$ld say according to that. H$t what we do say is that
&e speaks howe#er &e wills, witho$t asking ,howB- or likening .&im to &is creation0.-