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Fatwa CenterImaam Ahmad rejected the non-literal interpretation of the Quran
Question
Salamu alaykum Shaykh Did Imam Ahmad and the Salafs, had maked taw'il, on this ayah's: “Do they wait except that Allah should come to them in the shade of clouds along with the angels.” [2:210] And: “Do they wait except that the angels should come to them or your Lord should come or some of the signs of your Lord should come.” [6:158] And: “And your Lord shall come with the angels, rank upon rank.” [89:22]. Did Imam Ahmed said this word's: “It is the Coming of His Command.'' May Allah reward you Shaykh.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
Al-Bayhaqi reported from Hanbal that Imaam Ahmad figuratized this verse (interpreted it in contrast to its literal meaning); however, revisers such as Shaykh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and others preferred the view that the methodology of Imaam Ahmad in this verse is that he did not figuratize it; and this is the methodology of the Salaf as stated by Al-Ash‘ari in Al-Ibaanah, Sheikh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and others.
Shaykh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah 
said: "This is what the Qaadhi and others mentioned – that Hanbal reported it from Ahmad in the book entitled Al-Mihnah (The Ordeal), that he stated that in a debate with them on the day of the Ordeal when they provided as evidence the saying of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam: 'The Soorahs of Al-Baqarah and Aal ‘Imraan will come,' they said, 'to come' is only ascribable to a created being. So, Imaam Ahmad contested them with the saying of Allaah: {And your Lord has come} [Quran 89:22] and {…or your Lord should come} [Quran 6:158], and he [Imaam Ahmad] said: what is meant by the Prophet's saying: 'The Soorahs of Al-Baqarah and Aal Imraan will come' is their reward, as in the words of Allaah {And your Lord has come}, meaning His Command and His Power.
However, the scholars following the School of Ahmad differed in opinion in regard to what Hanbal quoted; there is no doubt that it is contrary to the Mutawaatir (continuously and consecutively related) texts from Imaam Ahmad in which he prohibited interpreting this according to anything other than its literal meaning and prohibited also figuratizing the Descent (i.e. Allaah descending to the first heaven), the Istiwaa' (i.e. Allaah mounting the Throne) and other actions of Allaah The Almighty.
There are three opinions concerning this:
The First: It was said that this is a mistake from Hanbal as he was the only one who mentioned it while the others who mentioned the debate did not mention it, such as Saalih, ‘Abdullaah, Al-Marwathi and others…. Hanbal sometimes reported narrations about which a group of scholars rejected, like al-Khallaal and his companion. Abu Is-haaq ibn Shaaqila said: 'This is a mistake from Hanbal, there is no doubt about it.'
The Second: A group of scholars of the companions of Ahmad said: He said so to compel his opponents to follow his view (on the very basis of their conviction)…and it is not that he himself says so, as his methodology was to reject the interpretation of verses according to anything other than their literal meaning.
The Third: They considered this as one narration from Ahmad. Indeed, there may be different narrations about the statements of Imaams in matters such as this one, but the correct opinion that is well-known from him is that he objects to interpreting the verses according to anything other than their literal meaning." [End of quote]
Allaah Knows best.
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