ONTHEANTHROPOMORPHISMOF"SALAFIS"

MethodoftheTrueSalafRegardingAmbiguities

ThescholarsofthetrueSalafthatis,thepiousMuslimsofthefirstthreecenturiesaftertheHijraoftheProphetused
tointerpretthemutashabihatinthefollowingway:theyrefutedtheunacceptableinterpretationsbutdidnotspecifywhich
oneoftheacceptablemeaningswastheintendedmeaningoftheverseorthehadith.

WhenImamMalik,alShafi`i,andotherswereaskedabouttheinterpretationoftheversealrahman`alaal`arshistawain
particular,andaboutsimilarversesingeneral,theyusedtosay:"Accepttheseversesandhadithastheyweregiven
withoutbelievingthattheyhavemeaningswhichpertaintoamanner,suchasimages,descriptionsrelatedtocreations,
andthelike."ImamAhmadIbnHanbalsaid:"AllahmentionedEstablishment(alistiwa')andEstablishmentisonlywhat
Allahmentionedaboutit,notwhathumansimagineaboutit."

FromthesequotationsitisclearthattheSalaf,includingImamAhmad,rejectedthemeaningsthatimplyamodeor
manner(kayf)of"establishment"becausespecifyingthemannerimpliesaresemblancetocreatedthings.

ThusweseethatthewayoftheSalafwasmereacceptanceofexpressionsonfaithwithoutsayinghowtheyaremeant,
andwithoutadditions,subtractions,orsubstitutingmeaningsimaginedtobesynonyms,whilestressingAllah'sabsolute
transcendencebeyondthecharacteristicsofcreatedthingsinordertoprecludelikeningHimtoHiscreation.Tosuggestor
citeopinionsthattheyaddedtheterms:"sitting"or"inperson"(bialdhat)or"sittinginperson"or"literally"(haqiqatan)is
togivethelietotheirinsistanceonrejectingthekayfofAllah'sestablishment.

Whenforwardingtheiropinionsonthissubject,"Salafis"arefondofquoting,notthebilakayf(nomodality)opinionsofthe
greatImamsofAhlalSunna,butthoseoftheanthropomorphiststhatlivedaroundthemanddeviatedfromtheirviews,
althoughtheyclaimedtofollowtheirschools.Wehavealreadymentionedsomeofthem,liketheHanbalisIbnYa`laand
alZaghunicondemnedbyIbnalJawzi,andtheHanbalis`AbdullahibnAhmad,IbnSa`idalDarimi,andIbnKhuzayma
denouncedbyalRaziandKawthari:Aswesaidbefore,theirassertionthattheonlyalternativetotheJahmibeliefthat
"Allahisineveryplace"istosaythat"Heisinoneplaceonly,aboveHisthrone"isjustasfalseassayingHeisinevery
placeforAllahexistswithoutplace.YetthebeliefthatHeexistsinaplaceiswhatyesterday'sandtoday's
anthropomorphistspassastheopinionoftheSalaf.However,justbecausesomeonelivedinthefirstthreecenturies,it
doesnotmeanthatherepresentedthedoctrineoftheSalaf.ItwillbeclearfromtheforthcomingopinionsoftheSalafand
KhalafthatthecorrectpositionofAhlalSunnaneveradds"inperson"or"literally"whichistospecifyamodalityto
thementionofAllah'sestablishmentontheThrone,andthattosuggestspaceintheslightestmanneristoleaveIslam.b)
TheMethodologyoftheKhalafTheKhalafscholarsarethosewhocameinsucceedinggenerationsafterthoseofthefirst
threeHijricenturies.TheyaresonamedfortheirsuccessorshipoftheinheritanceoftheProphet(s),acquiringthe
knowledgeandunderstandingandofreligion.Anexampleoftheirmethodisintheinterpretationoftheverse:yadAllahi
fawqaaydihim(58:10)translatedas:"Allah'sHandisovertheirhands."Khalafscholarsusuallygiveanexplicitmeaningto
suchverses.Thiswayisacceptableinsofarasthereisafearthatpeoplewillotherwiseinterpretthem
anthropomorphically,likeningAllahtohiscreations(tashbih)andbegintospeakofHis"Hand"asaliteral(haqiqi)
attribute,inthemannerofIbnTaymiyya,IbnQayyim,andtheearlyHanbalianthropomorphistsdecriedbyIbnalJawzi.
ThustheKhalafscholarshereexplainthewordsyadAllah(Allah'shand)inthisverseasreferringto`ahdAllah,thatis,
"theCovenantwithAllah.Similarlytheyinterpretedthewordyadayy(Allah'stwohands)intheverselimakhalaktubi
yadayywhichisliterally"forwhatIcreatedwithMytwoHands"as"care"(al`inaya).

Theexplanationofthewordinotherversesconfirmstheabovemeanings.Thescholarshavepointedoutthatalyad
amongtheArabsalsosignifiesstrength(alquwwa).Theverse"Wehavebuilttheheavenwith(Our)hands"(51:47)is
citedinalHafizalZabidi'smassivedictionaryofArabic"Tajal`Arus"(10:417)asanillustrationthat"hands"maymean
"strength."Allahsays:"Andmakementionofourbondmen,Abraham,IsaacandJacob,menofparts(literallyoftwo
hands)andvision"(38:45)meaning,"menpossessingstrength."Italsomeansownership(almulk)asAllahsaid:"Lo!the
bountyisinAllah'shand"(3:73).Italsomeansfavor,asitissaid:"Soandsohasahandoversoandso,"tomeanthat
heoweshimafavor.Italsomeansakindoflink,asAllahsaid:"Orheagreestoforegoitinwhosehandisthemarriage
tie"(2:237).

AsNawawisaidinthepassagealreadyquotedfromhiscommentaryonMuslim,manyoftheSalafalsoappliedsuch
figurativeinterpretation(ta'wil)ofAllah's"Hand,"asshownfromtheexplanationofaydin(Hands)asmeaning"strength"in
theverse:

"Wehavebuilttheheavenwith(Our)hands"(51:47)IbnJariralTabarisaidinhisTafsir:Ibn`Abbassaid:"Itmeans:with
strength."HereportsanidenticalpositionfromMujahid,Qatada,Mansur,IbnZayd,andSufyanalThawri.1Thisisalso
ImamalAsh`ari'sexplanationaccordingtoIbnFurakinthelatter'srecensionofAsh`ari'sschool.2

TheseinterpretationsareallacceptableandtheydonotimplytheslightestdenialofanyofAllah'sAttributesonwhich
thereisconsensus.Weshouldneverthelessobligatorilybelievethatthewordyad(hand)doesnotmeananorganaswe
knowit,inaccordancewiththeversealreadycited:"ThereisnothinglikeHimwhatsoever"(42:11)andthatthewordyad
doesnotimplyaresemblancetocreatures.
AsfortheProphet'ssaying:"TheBlackStoneisAllah'srighthand,"ifitisestablishedastrue,thenthemindwitnesses
thatAllahisnotspatiallyconfinedanywhereandisnotdivisibleandthesenseswitnessthattheBlackStoneisnot
literallytherighthandofAllah,rather,thatitconsistsinprosperityandblessing.3Yetweseetheexcessesofthe
anthropomorphistsatworkherealso:IbnRajabrelatesinDhayltabaqatalhanabilathatIbnalFa'usalHanbaligavethe
hadithaliteralmeaning:"Heusedtosay:TheBlackStoneisAllah'sRightHandliterally(haqiqatan)."4Ash`ari's
biographerAbuBakribnFurakwritesthatheembarkedonastudyofkalam(theology)becauseofthishadithaccordingto
SubkiinTabaqatalshafi`iyya.5

1IbnJariralTabari,Tafsir7:27.

2AbuBakribnFurak,MujarradMaqalatalAsh`ari(Beirut,1987)p.44.

3ThishadithontheauthorityofIbn`AbbasandothersisrelatedbyIbnAbi`UmaralMa`daniinhisMusnad,Tabarani,
SuyutiinhisJami`alsaghir1:516(#38043805),Ibn`AsakirinTarikhDimashq15:90,92,andothers.Itisconsidered
da`if(weak)byIbnalJawzi,Ibn`Adi,andAlbani.IbnQutaybainGharibalhadith(3:107(1))saysthatitisasayingofIbn
`Abbas.

4IbnRajab,Dhayltabaqatalhanabila7:174175.

5alSubki,Tabaqatalshafi`iyya3:53.

ReproducedwithpermissionfromShaykhM.HishamKabbani's
_TheRepudiationof"Salafi"Innovations_(Kazi,1996)p.108112

BlessingsandPeaceontheProphet,hisFamily,andhisCompanions