Rattibha

A (🧵) on the question if describing Allāh as He, or His Prophet ﷺ, described Himself entails tashbīh
We often see the followers of kalām dissmiss the description of Allāh and His Messenger ﷺ in regards to the sifāt
Instead they rely on dictionaries or blame Salafi's for it

In the next tweet is an example of how the average conversation with these lot goes. Notice the inconsistency in their approach.
After that i'll cite the stance of the ʾaʾimma of the salaf and those who followed them

ʾAʾimma of the salaf: Allāh has a hand, as He described Himself
Ahlul kalām: No, that's tashbīh because a hand is a limb!
Salafi's: So u also deny hearing then?
Ahlul kalām: No we don't!
Salafi's: Why not?
Ahlul kalām: Because He said "Laysa kamitlihi Shay"
😒

That's how the average conversation goes
When a hand is affirmed it must be a limb according to them, but when hearing is affirmed it doesn't have to be an ear because "Laysa kamitlihi shay"

The ʾaʾimma of the salaf and those who followed them were clear tho
Nuʿaim ibn Hammād:
"مَنْ شَبَّهَ اللَّهَ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ فَقَدْ كَفَرَ , وَمَنْ أَنْكَرَ مَا وَصَفَ اللَّهُ بِهِ نَفْسَهُ فَقَدْ كَفَرَ , فَلَيْسَ مَا وَصَفَ اللَّهُ بِهِ نَفْسَهُ وَرَسُولُهُ تَشْبِيهٌ"

Nuʿaim ibn Hammād رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ:
"Whoever makes a comparison between Allāh and his creation has disbelieved, and whoever denies that which Allāh has described himself with has disbelieved, and that which Allāh and his Messenger ﷺ have described does not entail tashbīh"

Abū Isḥāq al-Ḥanbalī in a debate when he was accused of tashbīh:
"فَقَالَ لي: أنتم المشبهة فقلت: حاشا لله المشبه الذي يقول: وجه كوجهي ويد كيدي فأما نحن فنقول: لَهُ وجه كما أثبت لنفسه وجها وله يد كما أثبت لنفسه يدا وليس كمثله شئ وهو السميع البصير ومن قَالَ هَذَا فقد سلم"

*The anthropomorphist is the one who says (Allāh's) Face is like my face and (Allāh's)Hand is like my hand. "
1/2

"Rather, we say: ‘He has a Face just as He has affirmed a face for Himself, and He has a Hand just as He affirmed a Hand for Himself (and) [There is nothing like Him; and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer 42:11] Whoever says this is indeed safe."
2/2

al-Ṣābūnī in his chapter "عقيدة أهل السنة والجماعة في باب الصفات":
"ولا يحرفون الكلم عن مواضعه؛ بحمل اليدين على النعمتين أو القوتين تحريف المعتزلة والجهمية أهلكهم الله.
ولا يكيفونهما بكيف أو يشبهونهما بأيدي المخلوقين، تشبيه المشبهة خذلهم الله"

al-Ṣābūnī: They (ahl as-sunnah) don't distort the meaning by interpreting two hands as two powers like the muʿtazilah & jahmiyyah, may Allāh destroy them
They don't assign howness nor liken the Hands of Allāh to the creation, as the anthropomorphists do, may Allāh foresake them

adh-Dhahabī: "فإن التشبيه إنما يقال: يد كيدنا، وأما إذا قيل يد لا تشبه الأيدي، كما أن ذاته لا تشبه الذوات، وسمعه لا يشبه الأسماع، وبصره لا يشبه الأبصار، ولا فرق بين الجميع فإن ذلك تنزيه"

adh-Dhahabī: It's only tashbīh when one says a Hand like we have, But if it's said, (He has) a Hand that does not resemble hands (of man) just as His Essence does not resemble (the) essence (of man), His hearing does not resemble (the) hearing (of man), and-
1/2

"His sight does not resemble (the) sight (of man), then that is indeed freeing Him from imperfection"
2/2

al-Asbahānī:
"فَلَيْسَ كمثله شَيْء يَنْفِي كل تَشْبِيه وتمثيل، وَهُوَ السَّمِيع الْبَصِير، يَنْفِي كل تَعْطِيل وَتَأْويل، فَهَذَا مَذْهَب أهل السّنة وَالْجَمَاعَة"

"[laysa kamithlihi shay 42:11] rules out any form of tashbīh and tamt̲h̲īl, and [He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer] negates any form taʿṭīl and taʾwīl. And this is the maḏhab of ahl as-sunnah wa l-jamāʻah"

Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr on the accussations of the muʿtazilah:
"وَمُحَالٌ أَنْ يَكُونَ مَنْ قَالَ عَنِ اللَّهِ مَا هُوَ فِي كِتَابِهِ مَنْصُوصٌ مُشَبِّهًا إِذَا لَمْ يُكَيِّفُ شَيْئًا وَأَقَرَّ أَنَّهُ لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ"

Ibn-ʿAbd-al-Barr:
"It's impossible to say that the one who says about Allāh that which is in His Book is an anthropomorphist when He does not describe howness, and He affirms that there is nothing like Him"

Imām Al-Qāsim:
"لَا يَنْبَغِي لِأَحَدٍ أَنْ يَصِفَ اَللَّهَ إِلَّا بِمَا وَصَفَ بِهِ نَفْسَهُ فِي اَلْقُرْآنِ، وَلَا يُشَبِّهُ يَدَيْهِ بِشَيْءٍ، وَلَا وَجْهَهُ بِشَيْءٍ، وَلَكِنْ يَقُولُ: لَهُ يَدَانِ كَمَا وَصَفَ نَفْسَهُ فِي اَلْقُرْآنِ، وَلَهُ وَجْهٌ كَمَا وَصَفَ نَفْسَهُ"

"It's not for anyone to describe Allāh except with what He has described Himself with in the Qurʼān, and he does not compare His Hand with anything, nor His Face with anything."

"But, he should say: "He has two Hands just as He described Himself in the Qurʼān, He has a Face as He has described Himself with."

Ishāq b.Rāhwayh:
إنما يكون التشبيه إذا قال: يد كيد، أو مثل يد، أو سمع كسمع، أو مثل سمع، فإذا قال: سمع كسمع، أو مثل سمع، فهذا التشبيه.
وأما إذا قال كما قال: لله تعالى يد، وسمع، وبصر، ولا يقول: كيف، ولا يقول: مثل سمع، ولا كسمع، فهذا لا يكون تشبيهًا، وهو كما قال الله تعالى في كتابه

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