According to Ashari, what are Allah’s attributes of khabar?
- According to Imam Ashari, is Allah in the sky and does He have a hand? Can you answer briefly?
Submitted by on Mon, 13/01/2025 - 16:48
Dear Brother / Sister,
Allah is beyond space and time. It is against divinity to impose a place and time limitation on Allah, who is infinite.
In the Quran and hadiths, there are some attributes that do not comply with the principle of glorification of Allah Almighty with their apparent meanings. Since these attributes come only in narrations and news, they are called as-Sifatul-khabariyya (attributes mentioned in news).
Salaf scholars accepted these attributes without anthropomorphism, without embodiment (without likening them to the attributes of creatures and without attributing embodiment), without simile and by referring their quality to Allah; and they did not make any interpretations or comments about them.
Imam Ashari and Imam Maturidi followed the path of Salaf in this regard.
Hashawiyya (those who take every piece of information they find and stick to its apparent meaning regardless of being sound or weak) and some Shia fell into the valley of anthropomorphism by clinging to the apparent meanings of these words reported in the news. For the first time, Hisham ibn Hakam and Hisham ibn Salim al-Jawaliqi likened Allah Almighty to a human being, attributed organs to Him like the organs of humans, and established the madhhab of Mushabbiha and Mujassima. Muhammad b. Karram, the founder of the Karramiyya madhhab, says that Allah Almighty stands on the Throne and touches it.
Fearing that “the Muslim people will attach themselves to the apparent meanings of these words and liken Allah Almighty to other things”, the later kalam scholars of the Ash’ariyya and Maturidiyya, interpreted the attributes of khabar by ascribing them to their metaphorical meanings and interpreted them with a meaning befitting the majesty of Allah Almighty; they did not say that the meaning they expressed was definite, and said that Allah knows their real intended meaning and quality.
Examples of the attributes of khabar in the Holy Quran and their meanings according to later scholars:
1. Istiwa’: “(Allah) Most Gracious is firmly established on the Throne.” (Taha, 20/5). Istiwa is interpreted as destruction, victory, invasion, domination, subjection, control and sublimity.
2. Yad, Yadayn: Power, blessing, honoring. Lord said:
“O Iblis! What prevents thee from prostrating thyself to one whom I have created with my hands?” (Sad, 38/75).
3. Wajh: Person, body (see ar-Rahman, 55/27).
4. Qabda: Power, property, control (see az-Zumar, 39/67).
5. Yamin: Full power and might (see az-Zumar, 39/67).
6. Ayn, A’yun: It is referred to the attribute of basar (sight) (see Taha, 20/39; Hud, 11/37). It means supervision, observation and care. It also expresses retaining and helping.
7. Janb: This word, which means side, is interpreted as commandment and obedience:
“Lest the soul should (then) say: ‘Ah! Woe is me!- In that I neglected (my duty) towards Allah... “ (az-Zumar, 39/56).
8. Istihya: This word, which means feeling ashamed, is interpreted as leaving, avoiding and abstaining:
“Allah disdains not to use the similitude of things, lowest as well as highest....” (al-Baqara, 2/26).
9. Ityan and Maji’: Allah Almighty is beyond the meaning of coming and going from one place to another, which is used for creatures.
“And thy Lord (His commandment) cometh (al-Fajr, 89/22);
“An ya’tiyahumullahu: Allah (His wrath and sign) comes to them” (Bakara, 2/210).
Allah Almighty uses those words as metaphors in His Holy Quran in order to explain and introduce His greatness and the infinity of His perfections to His servants and to facilitate their understanding. Otherwise, Allah Almighty is beyond the meanings of these words in the attributes of khabar that apply to His creatures.
(Sa’duddin at-Taftazani, Sharhul-Maqasid, Istanbul 1305, II /61-79, 108-111; Sharhul-Aqaid, Istanbul 1310, pp. 65-84; as-Sayyidush-Sharif al-Jurjani, Sharhul-Mawaqif, Istanbul 1239, pp. 147, 471-479; Imam Zaynuddin Mar’i, Aqawilus-Siqat Ta’wilul-Asmai was-Sifat, Beirut 1406/1985; Ahmet Asım, Merahul-Meâli Şerhul-Emali, Istanbul 1304; Abdullatif Harput, Tankihul Kalam; Abdussalam b. Ibrahim al-Laqqani, Sharhu Jawvharatit-Tawhid; İzmirli İsmail Nakkı, Yeni İlm-i Kelam; Shahristani, al-Milal wan-Nihal).
Questions on Islam
- How should we understand the attribute “the hand of Allah”?
- How should “Allah’s being established on the throne” mentioned in the verse be understood?
- What are the attributes of Allah?
- What are the attributes of Allah?
- Answers to the claims of those who deny intercession
- Can the word sympathetic be used for Allah?
- What is the wisdom behind the mutashabih verses in the Quran?
- Are angels Allah's daughters?
- If a person exits the religion of Islam and becomes a murtad (apostate), and becomes a Muslim again, what will happen to his previous deeds?
- Why do we take precautions against acts of God though Allah creates everything?