Interpreting Allaah's Attributes
9-9-2004 | IslamWeb
Question:
Salafi scholars say that the Allaah's Attributes as mentioned in the Qur'aan and Sunnah should not be interpreted in figurative or metaphorical sense. They insist all Muslims to believe that Allaah have two eyes, two hands, feet, shin, face, heart, fingers, etc. But I really couldn't understand why the same Salafi scholars interpret the following verses and Hadeeth in figurative way.
"So wherever you turn yourselves or your faces there is the Face of Allaah."[2:115].
"And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near". [2:186]
"And We are nearer to him than his jugular vein." [50:16]
"Abu Hurayrah reported Allaah's Messenger, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, as saying that Allaah, the Exalted and Glorious, thus stated: I live in the thought of My servant as he thinks about Me." [Muslim]
"The heart of a believer is between two fingers of the All-Merciful." [Al-Bukhaari]
"I feel the breath of the All Merciful coming from the direction of Yemen."
"The son of Aadam abuses Dahr (the time), whereas I am Dahr since in My hand are the day and the night."[Al-Bukhaari]
"If he draws near Me by the span of a palm I draw near him by the cubit, and if he draws near Me by the cubit I draw near him by the space (covered by) two hands. And it he walks towards Me, I rush towards him." [Muslim]
"O son of Aadam, I fell ill and you visited Me not." He will say: 'O Lord, and how should I visit You when You are the Lord of the worlds?' He will say: "Did you not know that My servant So-and-so had fallen ill and you visited him not? Did you not know that had you visited him you would have found Me with him? O son of Aadam, I asked you for food and you fed Me not." He will say: 'O Lord, and how should I feed You when You are the Lord of the worlds?' He will say: "Did you not know that My servant So-and-so asked you for food and you fed him not? Did you not know that had you fed him you would surely have found that (the reward for doing so) with Me? O son of Aadam, I asked you to give Me to drink and you gave Me not to drink." He will say: 'O Lord, how should I give You to drink when You are the Lord of the worlds?' He will say: "My servant So-and-so asked you to give him to drink and you gave him not to drink. Had you given him to drink you would have surely found that with Me." [Al-Bukhaari]
"My servant draws not near to Me with anything more loved by Me than the religious duties I have enjoined upon him, and My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory works so that I shall love him. When I love him I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks." [Al-Bukhaari]
I have clearly seen Salafi scholars interpreting all the above Qur'aanic verses and Hadeeth in a figurative and metaphorical sense. My question is why such a difference in stance?
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 is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.
The method of our righteous predecessors, the companions of the Prophet 
and those who followed them, is to affirm all the Divine Names and Attributes of Allaah in a manner that suits His Majesty and Highness, without changing words from their true context and without resembling His Attributes with the attributes of His creatures. They establish a general principle in this concern based on the saying of one of them: "Believe in them (i.e. Names and attributes) according to their apparent meaning." There is a similar ruling the righteous predecessors have agreed upon which reads: 'We believe in Allaah and what was revealed regarding Allaah (i.e. Names and attributes) according to what is exactly meant by Allaah, and we believe in His Messenger and what is narrated from him exactly as meant by the Messenger.'
Therefore, our righteous predecessors rebuked and condemned strongly interpreting the Names and attributes in a way that changes the literal meaning of them.
However, interpreting them with a meaning which could be understood in the context of the sentence is approved. To support this one may consider the following examples:
First, Allaah says (interpretation of meaning): {And to Allaah belongs the east and the west. So wherever you [might] turn, there is the Wajh of Allaah.}[2:115].
Some scholars interpreted the word 'Wajh' in the above verse, with 'direction' instead of its literal meaning as 'Face'. The reason is that the word 'Wajh' literally can be used in the meaning of direction. This meaning also considered literally correct since it is used, in the above verse, in the context of the directions; 'East and West'. In addition, the word 'wherever' is also an additional indication that allows the latter meaning, since it reflects the meaning of direction.
Second, Allaah says (interpretation of meaning): {And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me-indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me.}[2:186].
'Near' in this verse is in the sense of speed in responding to the supplications of His slaves which is found in the saying "I respond to the invocation of the supplicant…" which determines the meaning of nearness.
An example for this kind of explanation from the Hadeeth is that the Prophet said: “Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, says: ‘The son of Aadam inveighs against Me, he inveighs against [the vicissitudes of] Time (Ad-Dahr), and I am Time, in My hand are all affairs, I alternate the night and the day.” [Muslim]
Allaah used the wording "Ad-Dahr" (Time) for Himself to reflect that He alone controls and alternates all the matters in the worlds.
Third, the Prophet said that Allaah says: "My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing optional acts of worship till I love him, and when I love him I become his sense of hearing with which he hears, and his sense of sight with which he sees…" [Al-Bukhari]
The scholars believe that the apparent meaning of the words that Allaah Himself manifest in His slave, is not meant here since the first part of the Hadeeth which reads: "I will declare war against him who shows hostility to a pious worshipper of Mine…" proves that Allaah distinguishes Himself from His slaves and He is totally separated from the existence of His slaves. So, the meaning is that Allaah takes special care of His pious slave and protects all his organs, so that he only acts in a manner that pleases Allaah. These meanings are very clear and are supported by a different narration that reads: "… he (the slave) hears through Me and sees through Me…"
We cannot cite here in this Fatwa all what is said and discussed about other texts that are related to Names and Attributes of Allaah.
Finally, we advise you to consult the scholars at Ahlus-Sunnah wa al-jamah in your area for more details.
Allaah knows best.