Ibn Taymiyya and Qadi Shawkani quote the following hadith:
‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud (radiyallahu anh) reported that our Prophet (sallallahu ’alaihi wa sallam), stated: “If you ever find yourselves stranded alone in a desolate place or jungle, then say, ‘O servants of Allah! Help me, Allah have mercy on you.’”
[Al-Kalim al-Tayyib, page 69, by ibn Taymiyya, and Qadi Shawkani in Tufhat ad-Dhakireen, page 130. Ibn Sunni, Imam Bazaar, Hafidhh al Hasamim and Imam Nawawi all quote this hadith also in their various books.]
Ibn Taymiyya says that:
In the time of a drought, a person came to our Prophet’s grave and complained about the drought. He then saw our Prophet, (sallallahu ’alaihi wa sallam), who said go to ‘Umar and tell him to perform the Salaah of Istisqah. There are numerous true narrations similar to this.
[Iqtisa Sirat al Mustaqim, page 373, Also Imam Bukhari has mentioned about this in his book, Tarikh al Kabir, biography of Malik al dar]
Ibn Taymiyya writes:
A person came to the blessed grave of the Messenger of Allah, (sallallahu ’alaihi wa sallam), and requested food from the Prophet and sat down. After a while a Hashmi [a member of the Prophet’s (sallallahu ’alaihi wa sallam) family] came to him. He had with him a tray of food, and said, “this food has been sent by the Prophet, (sallallahu ’alaihi wa sallam), and with it he gave a message: eat it and leave from here because whoever loves us does not make this kind of request”.
[Iqtida as Sirat al Mustaqim, page 290 by Ibn Taymiyya]
Ibn Taymiyya writes that:
Ibn Musayab’s listening of the adhan from the Prophet’s grave or the returning of salaam from the graves of the Awliya, is haqq [true] and we believe in it.
[Iqtida as Sirat al-Mustaqim, page 373]
Ibn Taymiyya writes:
Some people came to the grave of our Prophet, (sallallahu ’alaihi wa sallam), and requested something, and their needs were fulfilled. In the like manner, the pious people can also fulfill the needs of people - and we do not deny this.
[Iqtida as Sirat al-Mustaqim, - page 373, Ibn Taymiyya]
Imam Bukhari, Ibn Taymiyya and Qadi Shawkani all posed the same question, that if a person’s foot becomes numb, what should he do? Their recommendations were the same, and included with their answer, the following hadith:
Some time after Rasulallah (sallallahu ’alaihi wa sallam) had passed away, ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Umar (radiyallahu anh) was in Najd where one day his foot became numb. As a remedy to alleviate the pain, a person said to him: “Remember the one whom you love the most!” Upon hearing this Ibn ‘Umar said “Ya Muhammad! (sallallahu ’alaihi wa sallam)” and his foot made an immediate recovery from numbness.
[Imam Bukhari, Adab al Mufrad al Kalim al Tayyab; Ibn Taymiyya and Qadi Shawkani, Tuhfah al Dakireen chapter on Khadirat Rijluhu, and also Imam Nawawi’s Kitab al Adkar]
Ibn Taymiyya writes:
In the same way as ‘Abdullah ibn Umar’s foot became numb and he remembered the one he loves the most, ‘Abdullah Ibn Abbas’s foot also became numb. Someone also said to him to remember the one who he loves the most, whereupon ‘Abdullah Ibn Abbas said Ya! Muhammad (sallallahu ’alaihi wa sallam) and his foot immediately recovered from numbness.
[Ibn Taymiyya, Al Kalim al Tayyib chapter on Khadirat Rijluhu]
Source: Abu Ammar, Traditional Scholarship & Modern Misunderstandings; Understanding The Ahle al-Sunnah:
http://www.islamicinformationcentre.co.uk/alsunna.htm
Compiled by: Murat Yazıcı
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Sunday, October 4, 2009
It is not Permissible to Attribute Place or Direction to Allahu ta'ala
Imâm-i Rabbânî Mujaddid-i Alf-i thânî rahimahullah wrote:
Allâhu ta'âlâ is not with time, with place or with direction. He is not at a place or at any side. He created time, places and directions. An ignorant person thinks that He is up on the Arsh. .... He created all these afterwards. Can something which has been created afterwards ever be a place for One who is eternal and always exists?...
Allâhu ta'âlâ is not a substance, an object or a state. He is not limited; He does not have dimensions. He is not long, short, wide or narrow. We say that He is Wâsi, that is, wide. But this wideness is different from what we know and understand. He is Muhît; that is, He surrounds everything. But this surrounding is not like what we understand. He is Qarîb; that is, He is close to us, together with us, but unlike what we understand from it! We believe that He is wâsi, muhît, qarîb, and together with us. But we cannot know what these attributes mean. We say that everything which comes to the mind is wrong.
Maktubat, volume 2, letter 67.
Know that Allâhu ta'âlâ is neither inside nor outside the âlam. He is neither separated from nor adjacent to the âlam. Allâhu ta'âlâ exists. But He is not inside or outside, adjacent to or separated from it.
Volume 2, letter 34.
Allama Ibn Hajar al-Haytami rahimahullah writes:
"When a Jew asked Sayyidina Ali radiallahu ta'ala anh:
"Since when is the existence of our Allah?"
Sayyidina Ali's color changed and he said:
"He existed without how when there was no makan and nothing. He does not have a "before" or an "end" with respect to time. Everything other than Him comes to an end."
Source: Al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, Section on Imam Ali's virtues (Section 9, Part 4: The part on Sayyidina Ali's Karamats, Judgements, Knowledge, Wisdom and Zuhd). Translated from Turkish.
Al-Hakim al-Samarqandi, Abu'l-Qasim Ishaq b. Muhammad (d.342/953) rahimahullah stated:
46th MATTER:
The following is the correct position on this issue: One must know that Allahu ta'ala is not in a makan [place], that He does not need a makan, and that Arsh stands only with His power; one must not ascribe attributes like going and coming to Him. This is because going and coming are considered from three perspectives:
1. A person goes near something which he is unable to see from a distance.
2. One comes near an activity when he is unable to do something from a distance.
3. One approaches towards a sound when he is unable to hear that sound.
Thinking like these about Allahu ta'ala is kufr.
Source: Al-Sawad al-A'zam 'ala Madhhab al-Imam al-A'zam Abu Hanifah.
Imam al-Sharani rahimahullah (d. 973/1565) writes:
"Allahu ta'ala does not have a limit and He does not have directions."
Source: Al-Uhud al-Qubra, cf. two sections titled "Not to look upwards when praying" (285th Promise) and "Not to raise our eyes towards the sky when praying (314th Promise)."
Shaykhulislam Ebussu'ud Effendi (the 13th Shaykhulislam, d. 982/1574) wrote:
876. Matter: How should one believe? Allahu ta'ala exalted beyond makan, in the skies, or what else? Answer: It is necessary to believe that Allahu ta'ala is exalted beyond [being in a] makan [place], and that the skies and the grounds are under His dominion and ilm [knowledge] and power. Directing the hands towards the sky during prayer is due to the fact that the upper direction has been made the qibla of prayer.
Source: Mecmu'a-î Fetevâ (The original is in Turkish and has been published by M. Ertuğrul Düzdağ, Enderun Publishing House. A digital copy may be found in the web).
From the famous basic aqida and fiqh book Miftahu'l-Janna known as "Mızraklı İlmihal" and widely distributed and read during the Osmanlı (Ottoman) times:
"If somebody says that there is no place empty of Allah or Allah is in the sky, he becomes kafir [apostate]."
Source: Miftahu'l-Janna, Bedir Publishing, Istanbul, p. 116. (*)
Imam Birgivi (d. 981/1573) rahimahullah states:
"If a person says (Allahu ta'ala is my witness in the sky) he/she becomes kafir. Because, Allahu ta'ala is exalted beyond [being in a] makan [place]."
Source: Vasiyyatname of Birgivi, Bedir Publishing, Istanbul, p. 52. (*)
(*) Note: The importance of these last two books is, they have both been very widely used by the people, and distributed and approved by ulama [scholars] in the Osmanlı [Ottoman] lands over several centuries.
Imam Ash-Shafi'i (d. 204/820) rahimahullah has stated:
"If it is said that "Allahu ta'ala said "Rahman did istiwa over Arsh,"" then the following response is given:
These (types of) ayats are among the mutashabihat that perplex those who don't have the desire to achieve depth in ilm when answering these and others like them. That is, they should accept these ayats as they are and they should refrain from research and talking about them. This is because, one cannot ensure avoiding doubt and danger when he does not have rusukh [deep understanding] in ilm. He must believe in Allahu ta'ala's attributes as we have mentioned. No makan can contain Allahu ta'ala. Time does not pass over Him. He is exalted beyond having limits and end points; He is mustaghni [independent] from makan and directions. "There is nothing like Him." (42/11)"
Source: Imam Ash-Shafi'i, al-Fiqh al-Akbar, 17. Quoted by: Dr. Ebubekir Sifil, Milli Gazete [daily newspaper in Turkish], Jan 8, 2006. Dr. Sifil states: See Kashf al-Zunun, II, 1288. Katib Chalabi points out the doubt about the attribution of this book to Imam Ash-Shafi'i. However, Professor Fuad Sezgin reports that a copy of this book written in the year 292 is present in the al-Azhar Library and states: "If this date is correct, the doubt about the attribution of this book to Imam Ash-Shafi'i is removed." (Tarihu't-Turas, I, 491)
Imam Abu Mansur al-Maturidi (d. 333/944) rahimahullah stated:
"To suggest a place for Allah is idolatry."
Source: Dr. G. F. Haddad, Translation of "The Refutation of Him Who Attributes Direction to Allah" by Ibn Jahbal, Aqsa Publications, Birmingham, UK, 2008, p. 16.
Imam al-Ghazzali rahimahullah says:
"One who thinks of Allah as jism [material thing] that consists of organs will have worshipped an idol. One who worships an idol is kafir according to the ijma [unanimous agreement] of the imams of the salaf and the khalaf."
Source: Iljam al-`awam `an `ilm al-kalam.
Al-Qari said in Mirqat al-Mafatih (1892 ed. 2:137 = 1994 ed. 3:300):
"A whole group of them [the early Muslims], as well as later scholars, said that whoever believes Allahu ta'ala to be in a particular physical direction is an unbeliever, as al-`Iraqi has explicitly stated, saying that this was the position of Abu Hanifa, Malik, al-Shafi`i, al-Ash`ari, and [Ibn] al-Baqillani."
Al-Qari reiterates this fatwa in Sharh al-Fiqh al-Akbar (1984 'Ilmiyya ed. p. 57) and Sharh 'Ayn al-'Ilm (1989 ed. 1:34).
Source: Footnote #432 on p. 253 of the translation of Ibn Jahbal's "The Refutation of Him Who Attributes Direction to Allah" by Dr. G. F. Haddad, Aqsa Publications, Birmingham, UK, 2008.
(Several similar quotes will be added, inshaAllahu ta'ala)
Murat Yazıcı
Allâhu ta'âlâ is not with time, with place or with direction. He is not at a place or at any side. He created time, places and directions. An ignorant person thinks that He is up on the Arsh. .... He created all these afterwards. Can something which has been created afterwards ever be a place for One who is eternal and always exists?...
Allâhu ta'âlâ is not a substance, an object or a state. He is not limited; He does not have dimensions. He is not long, short, wide or narrow. We say that He is Wâsi, that is, wide. But this wideness is different from what we know and understand. He is Muhît; that is, He surrounds everything. But this surrounding is not like what we understand. He is Qarîb; that is, He is close to us, together with us, but unlike what we understand from it! We believe that He is wâsi, muhît, qarîb, and together with us. But we cannot know what these attributes mean. We say that everything which comes to the mind is wrong.
Maktubat, volume 2, letter 67.
Know that Allâhu ta'âlâ is neither inside nor outside the âlam. He is neither separated from nor adjacent to the âlam. Allâhu ta'âlâ exists. But He is not inside or outside, adjacent to or separated from it.
Volume 2, letter 34.
Allama Ibn Hajar al-Haytami rahimahullah writes:
"When a Jew asked Sayyidina Ali radiallahu ta'ala anh:
"Since when is the existence of our Allah?"
Sayyidina Ali's color changed and he said:
"He existed without how when there was no makan and nothing. He does not have a "before" or an "end" with respect to time. Everything other than Him comes to an end."
Source: Al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, Section on Imam Ali's virtues (Section 9, Part 4: The part on Sayyidina Ali's Karamats, Judgements, Knowledge, Wisdom and Zuhd). Translated from Turkish.
Al-Hakim al-Samarqandi, Abu'l-Qasim Ishaq b. Muhammad (d.342/953) rahimahullah stated:
46th MATTER:
The following is the correct position on this issue: One must know that Allahu ta'ala is not in a makan [place], that He does not need a makan, and that Arsh stands only with His power; one must not ascribe attributes like going and coming to Him. This is because going and coming are considered from three perspectives:
1. A person goes near something which he is unable to see from a distance.
2. One comes near an activity when he is unable to do something from a distance.
3. One approaches towards a sound when he is unable to hear that sound.
Thinking like these about Allahu ta'ala is kufr.
Source: Al-Sawad al-A'zam 'ala Madhhab al-Imam al-A'zam Abu Hanifah.
Imam al-Sharani rahimahullah (d. 973/1565) writes:
"Allahu ta'ala does not have a limit and He does not have directions."
Source: Al-Uhud al-Qubra, cf. two sections titled "Not to look upwards when praying" (285th Promise) and "Not to raise our eyes towards the sky when praying (314th Promise)."
Shaykhulislam Ebussu'ud Effendi (the 13th Shaykhulislam, d. 982/1574) wrote:
876. Matter: How should one believe? Allahu ta'ala exalted beyond makan, in the skies, or what else? Answer: It is necessary to believe that Allahu ta'ala is exalted beyond [being in a] makan [place], and that the skies and the grounds are under His dominion and ilm [knowledge] and power. Directing the hands towards the sky during prayer is due to the fact that the upper direction has been made the qibla of prayer.
Source: Mecmu'a-î Fetevâ (The original is in Turkish and has been published by M. Ertuğrul Düzdağ, Enderun Publishing House. A digital copy may be found in the web).
From the famous basic aqida and fiqh book Miftahu'l-Janna known as "Mızraklı İlmihal" and widely distributed and read during the Osmanlı (Ottoman) times:
"If somebody says that there is no place empty of Allah or Allah is in the sky, he becomes kafir [apostate]."
Source: Miftahu'l-Janna, Bedir Publishing, Istanbul, p. 116. (*)
Imam Birgivi (d. 981/1573) rahimahullah states:
"If a person says (Allahu ta'ala is my witness in the sky) he/she becomes kafir. Because, Allahu ta'ala is exalted beyond [being in a] makan [place]."
Source: Vasiyyatname of Birgivi, Bedir Publishing, Istanbul, p. 52. (*)
(*) Note: The importance of these last two books is, they have both been very widely used by the people, and distributed and approved by ulama [scholars] in the Osmanlı [Ottoman] lands over several centuries.
Imam Ash-Shafi'i (d. 204/820) rahimahullah has stated:
"If it is said that "Allahu ta'ala said "Rahman did istiwa over Arsh,"" then the following response is given:
These (types of) ayats are among the mutashabihat that perplex those who don't have the desire to achieve depth in ilm when answering these and others like them. That is, they should accept these ayats as they are and they should refrain from research and talking about them. This is because, one cannot ensure avoiding doubt and danger when he does not have rusukh [deep understanding] in ilm. He must believe in Allahu ta'ala's attributes as we have mentioned. No makan can contain Allahu ta'ala. Time does not pass over Him. He is exalted beyond having limits and end points; He is mustaghni [independent] from makan and directions. "There is nothing like Him." (42/11)"
Source: Imam Ash-Shafi'i, al-Fiqh al-Akbar, 17. Quoted by: Dr. Ebubekir Sifil, Milli Gazete [daily newspaper in Turkish], Jan 8, 2006. Dr. Sifil states: See Kashf al-Zunun, II, 1288. Katib Chalabi points out the doubt about the attribution of this book to Imam Ash-Shafi'i. However, Professor Fuad Sezgin reports that a copy of this book written in the year 292 is present in the al-Azhar Library and states: "If this date is correct, the doubt about the attribution of this book to Imam Ash-Shafi'i is removed." (Tarihu't-Turas, I, 491)
Imam Abu Mansur al-Maturidi (d. 333/944) rahimahullah stated:
"To suggest a place for Allah is idolatry."
Source: Dr. G. F. Haddad, Translation of "The Refutation of Him Who Attributes Direction to Allah" by Ibn Jahbal, Aqsa Publications, Birmingham, UK, 2008, p. 16.
Imam al-Ghazzali rahimahullah says:
"One who thinks of Allah as jism [material thing] that consists of organs will have worshipped an idol. One who worships an idol is kafir according to the ijma [unanimous agreement] of the imams of the salaf and the khalaf."
Source: Iljam al-`awam `an `ilm al-kalam.
Al-Qari said in Mirqat al-Mafatih (1892 ed. 2:137 = 1994 ed. 3:300):
"A whole group of them [the early Muslims], as well as later scholars, said that whoever believes Allahu ta'ala to be in a particular physical direction is an unbeliever, as al-`Iraqi has explicitly stated, saying that this was the position of Abu Hanifa, Malik, al-Shafi`i, al-Ash`ari, and [Ibn] al-Baqillani."
Al-Qari reiterates this fatwa in Sharh al-Fiqh al-Akbar (1984 'Ilmiyya ed. p. 57) and Sharh 'Ayn al-'Ilm (1989 ed. 1:34).
Source: Footnote #432 on p. 253 of the translation of Ibn Jahbal's "The Refutation of Him Who Attributes Direction to Allah" by Dr. G. F. Haddad, Aqsa Publications, Birmingham, UK, 2008.
(Several similar quotes will be added, inshaAllahu ta'ala)
Murat Yazıcı
Bismillâh-ir-Rahmân-ir-Rahîm
A significant amount of articles and documents have accumulated in my blog in Turkish. I plan to translate and post some of these in this blog. I also plan to collect and post beneficial material already in English. My goal is to generate a bank of documents and proofs useful in the defense of Ahl al-Sunna and for the refutation of the deviant Wahhabi and Shia sects. Like my blog in Turkish, this blog will also necessarily start as a very humble and limited compilation of my forum posts. I hope to expand the contents of this blog significantly (inshaAllahu ta'ala) over a time period perhaps spanning the next several years.
I start this blog with the hope that it will be useful. I pray to Allahu ta’ala for purity of intentions, for protection from harmful errors, and for success. All success is from Allah.
Murat Yazıcı
I start this blog with the hope that it will be useful. I pray to Allahu ta’ala for purity of intentions, for protection from harmful errors, and for success. All success is from Allah.
Murat Yazıcı
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