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Hisham Kabbani
  Exposing Kabbani 19 : Why Oppose the Salaf?
Author: Abu Hudhayfah
Article ID : NDV070019  [12989]  


WHY THERE IS OPPOSITION TO THE WAY OF THE PIOUS PREDECESSORS IN AFFIRMING THE NAMES AND ATTRIBUTES OF ALLAAH

Those who oppose the way of the Pious Predecessors in affirming the Names and Attributes of Allaah do so under the pretext that they are avoiding making any resemblance between the Attributes of the Creator and those of the creation. They resort to interpreting the verses and hadeeth that mention the Names and Attributes and accused those who affirm them on their apparent meaning as being Mushabbihah (Anthropomorphists).

The futility of their claim is known from a number of angles:

i. They automatically assume that because the Attributes Hand, Face etc. have been affirmed for Allaah in the Qur’aan and Hadeeth that this somehow constitutes a resemblance to the creation. Therefore, they interpret away such words for no other reason than that their minds cannot dispel making resemblance. In so doing they have forgotten the verse "There is nothing like unto Him..." since in it is a denial of any resemblance and a cure for the disease of anthropomorphism. The resemblance is only in the wording and not in the reality of the Attributes of Allaah and those of the creation.

ii. Allaah - the Most Perfect - describes both Himself and the creation by means of the same word in many places in His Book, such as His saying about Himself: "Indeed, Allaah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing" (Soorah al-Mujaadilah 58:1) and He says in respect of the creation: "How clearly will they see and hear..." (Soorah Maryam 19:38). So is there any resemblance between the Seeing and Hearing of Allaah and that of the creation, simply because they have both been described with the same words? No! Rather the resemblance is only in the wording and not in the reality of the respective attributes. And the same applies for the remainder of the Names and Attributes of Allaah: there is no resemblance between them and anything else, and there is no need to resort to the distortion and twisting of the words of the Qur’aan and Sunnah to try to avoid resemblance since resemblance did not exist to begin with.

iii. Allaah - the Most High - says: "The description of Paradise which the pious have been promised is that in it are rivers of water the taste and smell of which are not changed, rivers of milk of which the taste never changes..." (Soorah Muhammad 47:15) Our Lord has informed us that in Paradise there are rivers of water and milk, but are they the same as the water and milk of this world? No! Because their taste and smell does not change whereas the water and milk of this world alters in smell and taste after a time. So there is no true resemblance between the two except for the names - they can both be described as water and milk. In this is a further reply to the one who, for example, claims that affirming the Attribute of Hand for Allaah is resembling Him to the creation, since the likeness is only in the name, not in the reality.

iv. They are forced to affirm some of the Attributes for Allaah since affirming them is required by necessity. They affirm for Him the Attributes of Life and Knowledge since denial of these would result in the worship of one who was without life and knowledge. So they affirm such attributes, unlike others, such as Hand, despite the fact that all of them have been mentioned in the same Qur’aan. Therefore, it may be said to them: But in the Qur’aan we also find that the creation has been described with the attributes of life and knowledge, such as the verse: "And peace on him (i.e. Yahya) the day he was born, the day he dies, and the day he will be raised up to life" (Soorah Maryam 19:15) and the verse: "They said: Do not be afraid! We give you glad tidings of a boy possessing much knowledge and wisdom." (Soorah al-Hijr 15:53). So we say: You have resembled Allaah to His creation since you have affirmed life and knowledge for both of them. Their reply is: No, rather the Life and Knowledge of the Creator in no way resembles that of the creation! So we say: Then why are you not able to affirm for Him a Hand that likewise in no way resembles the hand of the creation? Why the inconsistency?


 


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