Tag: islam

THE UNCREATED CREATED QURAN

In this post I will be quoting from an online Muslim Q&A site, which asserts that the Arabic Quran recited by Muslims and written down is created. These authors/scholars state that the Quran as the speech of Allah is not identical to that which is in the possession of the Muslims. They differentiate between the two in that they argue that Quran as Allah’s speech is uncreated, whereas that which the Muslim masses recite, read and write down is part of the creation.  

Note the answer given to the following question:

Is Quran created or uncreated speech of Allah? I’ve read about this in Wikipedia encyclopedia. Can you please explain the term as I am confused?

Answer

Fatwa: 915/818=B/1429)

The unanimous faith of Ahl-e-Sunnah wal-Jamah is that the holy Quran is eternal and uncreated:

فأهل السنه كلهم من أهم المذاهب الأربعه و غيرهم من الخلف والسلف متفقون علی أن القرآن غير مخلوق (شرح الفقه الأكبر)

However, calling the holy Quran as eternal and uncreated means that the Word of Allah Almighty is eternal which is an attribute of Allah and is associated with Him. So far as written and recited words of Quran are concerned, these are the created ones AND THEY ARE NOT THE ATTRIBUTE OF ALLAH, but they indicate to the Words of Allah. A common person should avoid venturing such philosophical discussions, for sometimes a man may fall in suspicion and doubt. One must only believe in the fundamental beliefs mentioned in the Holy Quran and Hadith.

Allah knows Best

Darul Ifta,

Darul Uloom Deoband (IslamQA.org, Hanafi Fiqh, Is the Quran created or uncreated speech of Allah?; emphasis mine)

There’s more:

Answer by Ustadh Mohammed Tayssir Safi

Question: Assalamu alaykum, I read recently that the Ahl Al-Sunnah believe that the Quran is the ‘uncreated’ speech of God. Can you please elaborate on what exactly this means as I find it difficult to understand because the Quran is a physical thing we hold in our hands and recite on our tongues. So how is it uncreated?

Answer: Wa ‘alaykum as-salaam wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh,

May Allah reward you for your courage to ask when you don’t know. To answer your question, yes, the creed of Ahl al-Sunna is that the Qur’an is the “uncreated speech,” of Allah. Similarly, you are right in asserting that the Qur’an is a physical thing that we hold in our hands and recite on our tongues. In fact, in the celebrated creed written by Imam al-Nasafi he says, “The Qur’an is the uncreated Speech of Allah, and it is written in our Masaahif, memorized in our hearts, recited on our tongues, heard with our ears, and He does not dwell within it.” So to rephrase your question for you, how can both of those things be true?

The answer is: The word, “Qur’an,” is used sometimes to refer to God’s Attribute of Speech which is uncreated and other times the word, “Qur’an,” is used to refer to the physical texts we read from, the words we recite on our tongues etc. Therefore, when we use the word, “Qur’an,” to refer to God’s Attribute of Speech, it is uncreated. When we are using the word, “Qur’an,” to refer to the physical text, or what we memorize and recite, those things are all created and they are not the attribute of speech. Therefore, to remove any confusion all one needs to understand is that the physical text as well as the memorized or recited words are not the actual attribute even if we use one word, “Qur’an,” to refer to both. [Sharh al-Aqa’id – Taftazani]

I pray that clarified matters for you.

I leave you in Allah’s care,

[Ustadh] Mohammed Tayssir Safi

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani (IslamQA.org, Hanafi Fiqh, The Qur’an As The Uncreated Speech Of Allah; emphasis mine)

These Muslims are just beginning:

Question:

Assalamu Alaikum Wa rahmatullahi Wa barakatuhu,

Respected Ulamaa

I would like to have some detailed information regarding the Aqeedah in regards to the Speech of Allah.

I understand the following 4 points to be the Speech of Allah (uncreated). Please do correct me because my knowledge is limited and I’m ignorant of the details other than the Qur’an being the uncreated Speech of Allah!

1. Qur’an

2. The Previous Kitaabs (Taurah, Injeel) etc.

3. Whatsoever Allah Says (i.e. the incident of Moosa, the Me’raaj [and all other commands that Allah issues to the Angels such as Jibreel]

4. In other words everything that Allah Speaks is uncreated Speech, and unlike the speech of Mankind. We only don’t know the ‘how’ but we know Allah Speaks!

—

Now my queries:-

Q1. Please explain the objection that the Qur’an (Speech of Allah) did not exist in pre-eternity and that it came into being at a particular time when Allah Ta’ala willed … and that it is only applicable till Qiyaamah and not eternal! Similarly the argument that the Speaking to Hadhrat Moosa came into existence at a particular time when Allah willed … and it was only applicable then … that was also Speech of Allah so how is it eternal?

Q2. If a person says that Allah does not Speak or denies that the Qur’an is the uncreated Speech of Allah will he become an apostate?

Q3. What if someone says, yes it’s Speech of Allah in terms of that it was created by Allah and that no one else can create it. Like how Allah created the Arsh and no one but Allah can create the Arsh? How do we argue that?

—

Q4. Below is an objection from a deviant, please address them and in particularly the event of Speaking of Allah with Hadhrat Moosa. How did it take place? I’m sure it wasn’t the tree used as a medium and how is the Speech heard by the creation?

Q4a. Deviant: “You have totally missed the point. Allah Ta’ala does not speak, rather he creates speech.

Reply: Allah Ta’ala indeed Spoke DIRECTLY to Hadhrat Moosa (Alayhis salaam). However one is incapacitated to understand “the how” … questioning it is innovation … it is beyond human grasp!

Deviant: “He can create speech through anything. Why a tree and why not a being. Are you likening the tree to him when u say that He spoke through the tree. A medium is a medium – albeit any creation.”

—

Please reply ASAP

Jazakallah Khair

Answer:

It is the belief of the Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaat that Allah Himself as well as his attributes are even existing. One of His attributes is “Speech”. The Qur’an is the Book of Allah therefore it is asserted that “the Qur’an is the speech of Allah, not a creation.”

“Speech of Allah” over here means “Kalaam-e-Nafsi” (Speech with Allah). A man when he speaks, then before speaking of before expressing the words, the speech exists in his mind in an unorderly manner that cannot even be indicated to, although those thoughts are preserved in the mind. Hence that is what we call Kalaam-e-Nafsi. When the person then utters this speech in word form it will be known as “Kalaam-e-Lafzi” (expressed speech).

After a thought occurs in a person i.e. Kalaam-e-Nafsi, sometimes it is expressed immediately in words, hence becoming Kalaam-e-Lafzi, and sometimes it is expressed at a later stage as per need. Thus we conclude that Kalaam-e-Nafsi does exist without Kalaam-e-Lafzi, which is an obvious fact.

Likewise all the information and knowledge that is with Allah is ever-existing as Allah himself is Ever-Existing and free from being a creation. Then according to expedience, when Allah expressed His knowledge to the creation, such as through the voice that Moosa heard and the gradual revelation of the Qur’an upon Rasoolullah, this speech which is now heard and available in print form on paper is now known as Kalaam-e-Lafzi. The Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaat maintain that Kalaam-e-Nafsi (speech with Allah) is ever-existing and non-creation but Kalaam-e-Lafzi (expressed speech) i.e. the voice and print form has come into existence freshly thus falls into the category of creation. (Sharhul Aqaaid An-Nasafiyyah, Page 58-59)

The speech of Allah with Moosa and Rasoolullah is Qadeem (ever existing) but the voice and print form is Haadith and a creation. To claim that Allah does not speak is the belief of the Mu’tazilah sect. The true belief is that the attribute of speech in Allah is an established fact, besides it is also Qadeem, but the voice and words through which the speech is declared to the creation is Haadith and creation in essence.

The voice Moosa heard was from a tree. Allah had created the voice therein for it to denote on His actual speech. This voice was Haadith and part of His creation. It was not His personal voice. (Sharhul Aqaaid An-Nasafiyyah, Page 62)

This may be compared to music to which a person tunes his voice to. That tune is not the voice of the man, it is not him that is speaking, rather it is a tune that denotes on some meaningful speech.

In conclusion we may suggest that you avoid discussing this topic in depth. Such topics were not prevalent during the age of the Sahabah. It is the creation of the Mu’tazilah sect. They misinterpreted this issue in the light of philosophy of their age. Initially the Muhadditheen went only this far to assert that “The Qur’an is the speech of Allah, not creation.” They added nothing more, then when people started claiming that “the pages of the Qur’an and the ink is not creation”, which the Mu’tazilah made a mockery of, then the Mutakallimeen crystallised this issue in light of authentic beliefs and philosophical principles. They declared that “Allah is Mutakallim.” Speech is an attribute of His, which is Kalaam-e-Nafsi, non-creation and Qadeem. The words and voices that denote Kalaam-e-Nafsi are Haadith and creation.

And Allah knows best

Mufti Muhammad Ashraf

Darul Iftaa

Jameah Mahmoodiyah

Springs

10 December 2004

27 Shawwal 1425 (IslamQA.org, Hanafi Fiqh, Aqeedah on Speech of Allah; emphasis mine)

Finally:

as-salamu ‘alaikum shaikh,

could you please explain if Allah’s actions are created or uncreated and could you tie this in with His speech. Does His speech consist of letters and sounds or are the letters and sounds of the revealed books part of His creation? If they are from His creation then who said, for example, Alif Laam Meem? Is it really the letters and sounds of Jibreel as an expression of Allah’s eternal Kalam or did Allah literally say them?


Answer  

According to the Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama’ah belief, the pre-eternal attributes (essential and active) are essentially eight. They are the attributes of life (Hayah), power (Qudrah), knowledge (‘Ilm), speech (Kalam), hearing (Sam’), sight (Basar), will (Iradah), and bringing into being (Takween). All the *active attributes (or actions) are a subset of the eighth attribute, Takween. All these are not created.  

(*Note: They are giving life (Ihya), causing death (Imata), causing growth (Inbat), developing (Inma), shaping (Taswir), Takhliq (creating), Tarziq (sustaining) and others.)

In Fiqhul Akbar it is mention that:  

“He has eternally existed, and will everlastingly exist, with His names and attributes, both relating to Him and His actions.”  

“As for the attributes relating to Him, they are: Life, Power, Knowledge, kalam, Hearing, Sight, and Will. As for those relating to His actions, they are: Creating, Sustenance, Originating, Making, Fashioning, and other attributes of actions.” (Fiqhul Akbar, Chapter: The basics of Monotheism (Tawheed)) “And all of His attributes are unlike the attributes of the creation.”  

“He is attributed with knowledge, which is unlike our knowledge.”  

“He is attributed with Power, which is unlike our power.”  

“He is attributed with Sight, which is unlike our sight.”  

“He is attributed with Hearing, which is unlike our hearing.”  

“Allah Ta’ala is attributed with Kalam which is unlike our speech, as it is neither by means of organs, parts, limbs, sounds, nor letters (alphabets).”  

“Letters (alphabets or Sounds) are a creation. Yet Allah’s Kalam is not created.” (Fiqhul Akbar, Chapter: Dissimilar from every creation in every respect)  

“The Qur’an is the Kalam of Allah Ta’ala, written on books (Masahif), preserved in the hearts, recited on the tongues, and revealed to the Prophet. Our utterance of the Qur’an is created, and our recitation of the Qur’an is created, but the Qur’an (as the attribute of Kalam of Allah) is not created.”  

“And what Allah mentioned in the Qur’an about Musa and other of the prophets and also about the Pharaoh and Satan, all of it is Allah’s Kalam, informing us about them. Allah’s Kalam is not created, but the speech of Musa and other creation is created. The Qur’an is the Kalam of Allah, hence, it is not created, unlike the creation.”  

“Musa received the Kalam of Allah, as Allah mentioned (which means) : “and Allah addressed Musa in speech.” Therefore, Allah was always attributed with Kalam in eternity, before willing to reveal anything to Musa. Just as Alla, was The Creator in eternity, even without having created anything.: “Nothing is like Him, and He is attributed with Hearing and Sight.” When Allah addressed Musa He did so with His Kalam that is an eternal attribute.” (Fiqhul Akbar, Chapter: The Quran, the speech of Allah Ta’ala)  

In ‘Aqeedatut Tahawiyah it is mentioned that:  

“The Qur’an is the word of Allaah. It came from Him as speech without it being possible to say how. He sent it down on His Messenger as revelation. The believers accept it, as absolute truth. They are certain that it is, in truth, the word of Allaah. It is not created, as is the speech of human beings, and anyone who hears it and claims that it is human speech has become an unbeliever. Allaah warns him and censures him and threatens him with Fire when He says, Exalted is He: ‘I will burn him in the Fire.’ (al-Muddaththir 74: 26) When Allaah threatens with the Fire those who say ‘This is just human speech’ (al-Muddaththir 74: 25) we know for certain that it is the speech of the Creator of mankind and that it is totally unlike the speech of mankind.”  

“Anyone who describes Allaah as being in any way the same as a human being has become an unbeliever. All those who grasp this will take heed and refrain from saying things such as the unbelievers say, and they will know that He, in His attributes, is not like human beings.” (Al ‘Aqeedatut Tahawiyah)  

“His attributes existed in eternity; they did not exist after being non-existent, nor were they created. Whoever says that they are created, existed after being non-existent, or is uncertain about the attributes and doubts them, is a disbeliever in Allah Ta’ala.” (Fiqhul Akbar, Chapter: The basics of Monotheism (Tawheed))   (Imam Abu Hanifa’s Al Fiqh Al Akbar Explained)   ————————————–
Moulana Qamruz Zaman

London, UK (IslamQA.org, Hanafi Fiqh, Is Allah’s speech created and do the letters and sounds of revealed books belong to His creation?; emphasis mine)

Hence, the Sunni ulema distinguish the speech of Allah with the expressed speech in that the Quran as the expressed speech is created and, therefore, it is not identical nor the exact same as the speech of Allah. This view inevitably leads to the conclusion that there are actually two Qurans, the one which is Allah’s uncreated speech, and the other which is not the actually speech of Allah. Rather, it is a finite, temporal, created facsimile or copy of the real uncreated Quran.

FURTHER READING

The Quran As A Model For the Incarnation and Hypostatic Union Pt. 1

Revisiting The Issue of the Uncreated Quran Pt. 1

ETERNALLY CREATED TABLETS?

 THE TALKING QURAN: UTHMAN IBN FAROOQ’S LIES EXPOSED

MUHAMMADAN JALAL’S CENTENARIANITY EXPOSED

DEBATE CHALLENGE TO MUSLIM METAPHYSICIAN PT. 2

A Critique of Shabir Ally’s Debate Tactics Pt. 2a, Pt. 2b

ALLAH THE FOULMOUTHED!

In this post I will share examples of Allah using foul language in describing and/or insulting disbelievers.

For instance, Allah likens unbelievers to dogs:

Recite unto them the tale of him to whom We gave Our revelations, but he sloughed them off, so Satan overtook him and he became of those who lead astray. And had We willed We could have raised him by their means, but he clung to the earth and followed his own lust. Therefor his likeness is as the likeness of a dog: if thou attackest him he panteth with his tongue out, and if thou leavest him he panteth with his tongue out. Such is the likeness of the people who deny Our revelations. Narrate unto them the history (of the men of old), that haply they may take thought. Evil as an example are the folk who denied Our revelations, and were wont to wrong themselves. He whom Allah leadeth, he indeed is led aright, while he whom Allah sendeth astray – they indeed are losers. S. 7:175-178 Pickthall

Allah also claims that the disbelievers are filthy:

You who believe, associators are nothing but filthy (najasun), so they should not approach the Hallowed Mosque after this year that they still have. If you should fear destitution, God will enrich you out of His bounty if He so wishes. God is Aware, Wise. S. 9:28 (T.B. Irving https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/9/st47.htm)

Allah further describes folks who oppose him and Muhammad as bastards:

Do not obey every contemptible oathmonger, any faultfinder who goes around spreading gossip, hindering good, defiant, vicious, brawling, and a bastard (zaneemin) besides that even though he possesses both money and children. S. 68:10-14 (T.B. Irving https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/68/st47.htm)

Moreover, Allah classifies Jews who are ignorant of the Torah as dumb asses/donkeys:

Those who were entrusted with the burden of the Torah but failed to bear its obligations, are actually like a jackass (al-himari) carrying a load of books. Worse (in fact) is the example of a nation who rejects the signs of Allah; and Allah does not guide the nation of evil doers. S. 62:5 (Dr. Munir Munshey)

Allah even goes as far as to classify the disbelievers, be they Jews, Christians, idolators, etc., as the being the very worst of all beasts/creatures:

The unbelievers among the People of the Book and the pagans shall in the fire of Hell abide for ever. They are the vilest of all creatures (sharru al-bariyyati). S. 98:6 (N.J. Dawood https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/98/st50.htm)

Those who disbelieved among the People of the Scripture and the polytheists will abide eternally in the fire of Hell. They are the vilest of all beings. (Talal Itani https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/98/st88.htm)

This means disbelieving Jews, Christians, idolators are even worse than rodents, dogs, asses, swine, adulterers, fornicators, murderers, pedophiles, demons and even Satan himself!     

FURTHER READING

MORE EXAMPLES OF MUHAMMAD’S FOUL MOUTH

Muhammad’s Vulgar Language Exposed

MUHAMMAD AND ANAL SEX

Islam – The Religion of Pedophilia

ISLAMIC INCEST

The Quran’s Confused Stance on Sexual Ethics

REVISITING ISLAM’S GROSS SEXUAL ETHICS

Al-Qurtubi’s Explanation of Mary’s Conception

THE QURAN’S GOSPEL

In this post I am going to cite verses from the Quran testifying to the existence of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ at the time of Muhammad. I will show how the Muslim scripture affirms that the original revelations which were entrusted to both the Jews and Christians were still in their possession at the time of Muhammad. I will aim to prove from this fact that the Muslims are forced to acknowledge that the canonical books of the NT must be the very inspired records of the revelation that Christ himself gave to and through his disciples and their followers.

Since the NT writings were the very Gospel which Christians possessed during Muhammad’s lifetime, and since Muhammad confirmed the authenticity of these very writings, this means that Muhammad basically confirmed the inspiration and preservation of the NT canon, and by extension the canonical Gospels as the inscripturation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

UNCORRUPT SCRIPTURES AT JESUS’ TIME

You John/Yahya, take The Book with power/strength, and We gave/brought him the judgment/rule (as) a boy/child/infant. S. 19:12 (Muhammad Ahmed–Samira https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/19/st19.htm) 

So she came with him (to) her nation carrying him , they said: “You Mary, you had come (with) a strange and confusing thing.” You Aaron’s sister, your father was not (a) human/man of bad/evil , and your mother was not an fornicatress/adulteress/prostitute So she pointed/indicated to him, they said: “How (do) we converse/speak (to) whom was in the crib/cradle a boy/child/infant?” He said: “That I am God’s worshipper/slave, He gave/brought me The Book and He made me a prophet.” S. 19:27-30 (Muhammad Ahmed–Samira)

And Mary, Imran’s daughter, who guarded her virginity, so We breathed into her of Our Spirit, and she confirmed the Words of her Lord and His Books (wa’saddaqat bi-kalimati rabbiha wa’kutubihi), and became one of the obedient. S. 66:12 Arberry

And He teaches/instructs him The Book and the wisdom and the Torah and the Bible/Holy book descended on Jesus… And confirming to what (is) between my hands from the Torah (wa’musaddiqan lima bayna yadayya mina al-tawrati) and to permit/allow for you some (of) what was forbidden on you, and I came to you with a sign/evidence from your Lord, so fear and obey God and obey me. S. 3:48, 50 (Muhammad Ahmed–Samira https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/3/st19.htm)

When God said, ‘Jesus Son of Mary, remember My blessing upon thee and upon thy mother, when I confirmed thee with the Holy Spirit, to speak to men in the cradle, and of age; and when I taught thee the Book, the Wisdom, the Torah, the Gospel; and when thou createst out of clay, by My leave, as the likeness of a bird, and thou breathest into it, and it is a bird, by My leave; and thou healest the blind and the leper by My leave, and thou bringest the dead forth by My leave; and when restrained from thee the Children of Israel when thou camest unto them with the clear signs, and the unbelievers among them said, “This is nothing but sorcery manifest.” S. 5:110 Arberry

And when Jesus Mary’s son said: “You Israel’s sons and daughters, that I am God’s messenger to you, confirming to what (is) between my hands from the Torah (musaddiqan lima bayna yadayya mina al-tawrati), and an announcer of good news with a messenger (that) comes from after me, his name (is) Ahmad.” So when he came to them with the evidences, they said: “That (is) clear/evident magic/sorcery.” S. 61:6 (Muhammad Ahmed–Samira https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/61/st19.htm)

UNCORRUPT SCRIPTURES AT MUHAMMAD’S TIME

A. Muhammad confirmed the scriptures which were between his/it’s (the Quran’s) hands.

He descended on you The Book with the truth, confirming to what (is) between His hands (musaddiqan lima bayna yadayhi), and He descended the Torah and the New Testament/Bible. From before guidance to the people, and He descended the Separator of Right and Wrong/Koran, that those who disbelieved with God’s verses, for them (is) a strong (severe) torture, and God (is) glorious/mighty, (owner) of a revenge/punishment. S. 3:3-4 (Muhammad Ahmed–Samira https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/3/st19.htm)

And We descended to you The Book with the truth , confirming to what (is) between his hands from The Book (musaddiqan lima bayna yadayhi mina al-kitabi), and guarding/protecting on it, so judge/rule between them with what God descended and do not follow their self attractions for desires about what came to you from the truth, to each from you We made/put God’s decreed way of life/method/law and order , and a clear/easy/plain way , and if God wanted/willed, He would have made you one nation/generation, and but to test you in what He gave you, so race/surpass (to) the goodnesses/generosity (good deeds), to God (is) your return altogether, so He informs you with what you were in it differing/disagreeing (P) S. 5:48 (Muhammad Ahmed–Samira https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/5/st19.htm)

And this the Koran was/is not that it be fabricated from (by) other than God, and but confirmation (of) what (is) between his (Prophet Mohammad’s) hands (tasdeeqa allathee bayna yadayhi), and detailing/explaining The Book, no doubt/suspicion in it, (it is) from the creations all together’s/(universes’) Lord. S. 10:37 (Muhammad Ahmed–Samira https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/10/st19.htm)

In their narration/information (stories there) had been an example/warning to those of the pure minds/hearts (it) was not an information/speech to be fabricated and but confirmation (to) which (is) between his hands (tasdeeqa allathee bayna yadayhi) and detailing/explaining/clarifying every thing, and guidance, and mercy to (a) nation believing. S. 12:111 (Muhammad Ahmed–Samira https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/12/st19.htm)

And those who disbelieved said: “We will never/not believe with this the Koran, and nor with what (is) between its hands (bayna yadayhi).” And if you see/understand if the unjust/oppressive (were) made to stand/suspended at their Lord, some of them return to some the saying/words/opinion and belief, those who were weakened say to those who became arrogant: “Where it not for you, we would be believers/believing.” S. 34:31 (Muhammad Ahmed–Samira https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/34/st19.htm)

And what We inspired/transmitted to you from The Book, it is the truth confirming to what (is) between his hands (musaddiqan lima bayna yadayhi), that truly God (is) with His worshippers/slaves expert/experienced (E), seeing/knowing. S. 35:31 (Muhammad Ahmed–Samira https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/35/st19.htm)

And from before it (is) Moses’ Book, a leader/example, and mercy, and that (is a) confirming Book (in an) Arabic tongue/speech, to warn/give notice (to) those who caused injustice/ oppression, and good news to the good doers… They said: “You our nation that we heard/listened to a Book (that) was descended from after Moses, confirming to what (is) between his hands (musaddiqan lima bayna yadayhi), it guides to the truth and to (a) straight/direct road/path.” S. 46:12, 30 (Muhammad Ahmed–Samira https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/46/st19.htm)

B. Muhammad confirmed whatever Scriptures that the Jews and Christians possessed at that time.  

Children of Israel, remember My blessing wherewith I blessed you, and fulfil My covenant and I shall fulfil your covenant; and have awe of Me. And believe in that I have sent down, confirming that which is with you, and be not the first to disbelieve in it. And sell not My signs for a little price; and fear you Me. And do not confound the truth with vanity, and do not conceal the truth wittingly. And perform the prayer, and pay the alms, and bow with those that bow. Will you bid others to piety, and forget yourselves while you recite the Book? Do you not understand? S. 2:40-44 Arberry  

When there came to them a Book from God, confirming what was with them — and they aforetimes prayed for victory over the unbelievers — when there came to them that they recognized, they disbelieved in it; and the curse of God is on the unbelievers. S. 2:89 Arberry    

And when they were told, ‘Believe in that God has sent down,’ they said, ‘We believe in what was sent down on us’; and they disbelieve in what is beyond that, yet it is the truth confirming what is with them. Say: ‘Why then were you slaying the Prophets of God in former time, if you were believers?’ S. 2:91 Arberry

Say: “Who was an enemy to Gabriel, so that he descended it on your heart/mind with God’s permission, confirming to what (is) between his hands (musaddiqan lima bayna yadayhi), and (a) guidance and a good news to the believers.” S. 2:97 (Muhammad Ahmed–Samira https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/2/st19.htm)

When there has come to them a Messenger from God confirming what was with them, a party of them that were given the Book reject the Book of God behind their backs, as though they knew not, S. 2:101 Arberry

You who have been given the Book, believe in what We have sent down, confirming what is with you, before We obliterate faces, and turn them upon their backs, or curse them as We cursed the Sabbath-men, and God’s command is done. S. 4:47 Arberry

C. Muhammad exhorted Jews and Christians to live in accord with the Torah and Gospel which they still had.

And how (do) they ask you to judge/rule, and at them (is) the Torah/Old Testament, in it (is) God’s judgment/rule, then they turn away from after that, and those are not with the believing. That We descended the Torah/Old Testament, in it (is) guidance and light, the prophets those who submitted/surrendered , judge/rule with it, to those who guided/Jews , and the knowledgeable Lord worshippers , and the religious scholars with what they memorized/safe kept (learned) from God’s Book , and they were not on it witnessing/present ; so do not fear the people and fear Me, and do not buy/volunteer with My signs/verses a small price, and who does not judge/rule with what God descended, so those, they are the disbelievers.

And We wrote/decreed on them in it, that the self (is) with the self, and the eye (is) with the eye, and the nose (is) with the nose, and the ear (is) with the ear, and the tooth (is) with the tooth, and the wounds/cuts (are) equal revenge/punishment equal to crime, so who gave charity (forgave) with it, so it is cover/substitution for him, and who does not judge/rule with what God descended, so those, those are the unjust/oppressors.

And We sent after (following) on their tracks with Jesus, Mary’s son confirming for what (is) between his hands from the Torah/Old Testament (musaddiqan lima bayna yadayhi mina al-tawrati), and We gave him the New Testament/Bible in it (is) guidance and light, and confirming to what (is) between his hands from the Torah/Old Testament (wa’musaddiqan lima bayna yadayhi mina al-tawrati), and guidance and a sermon/advice/warning to the fearing and obeying. And the New Testament’s/Bible’s people should judge/rule with what God descended in it, and who does not judge/rule with what God descended, so those, they are the debauchers. S. 5:43-47 (Muhammad Ahmed–Samira https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/5/st19.htm)

Had they followed the Laws of the Old and New Testaments and what was revealed to them from their Lord, they would have received Our bounties from above and below in abundance. Some of them are modest people, but many of them commit the worst sins… (Muhammad), tell the People of the Book, “You have nothing unless you follow the Old and New Testaments and that which (the Quran) God has revealed to you.” Whatever has been revealed to you (Muhammad) from your Lord will only increase their disbelief and rebellion (against you). Do not grieve for the unbelieving people. 5:66, 68 (Muhammad Sarwar https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/5/st23.htm)

Here’s another translation:

And if that they took care of the Torah/Old Testament, and the Bible/New Testament and what was descended to them from their Lord, they would have eaten from above them and from below their feet; from them (is) a nation economizing/moderate , and many from them what they were making/doing became bad/evil/harmful… Say: “You The Book’s people, you are not on a thing, until you keep up the Torah/Old Testament and the Bible/New Testament , and what was descended to you from your (P) Lord.” And what was descended to you (S/M) from your Lord increases (E) many of them tyranny/arrogance, and disbelief, so do not grieve/sadden on the nation, the disbelieving. (Muhammad Ahmed–Samira https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/5/st19.htm)

D. Muhammad believed Jews and Christians still possessed the Books revealed to them.

The Jews say: “The Christians are misguided”, and the Christians say: “The Jews are misguided”, yet all read the same Book the Bible. Similarly, those who know nothing say the same thing as them. Allah will decide between them on Judgement Day regarding their differences. S. 2:113 (Muhammad Ahmed–Samira https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/2/st77.htm)

And there is a sect of them twist their tongues with the Book, that you may suppose it part of the Book, yet it is not part of the Book; and they say, ‘It is from God,’ yet it is not from God, and they speak falsehood against God, and that wittingly. It belongs not to any mortal that God should give him the Book, the Judgment, the Prophethood, then he should say to men, ‘Be you servants to me apart from God.’ Rather, ‘Be you masters in that you know the Book, and in that you study.’ S. 3:78-79 Arberry        

All food was lawful to the Children of Israel save what Israel forbade for himself before the Torah was sent down. Say: ‘Bring you the Torah now, and recite it, if you are truthful.’ S. 3:93 Arberry

Those who follow the messenger, the prophet the illiterate/belonging to a nation, whom they find him written AT THEM in the Torah/Old Testament, and the New Testament/Bible , He orders them with the kindness/goodness , and forbids/prevents them from the obscenity , and He permits/allows for them the pure/allowed/permitted , and forbids/prohibits on them the bad/spoiled/wicked , and lays/raises from them their weight/crime/burden, and the leather or iron collars or handcuffs which was on them, so those who believed with him and supported/aided him , and gave him victory/aid and followed the light which was descended with him, those are the successful/winners. S. 7:157 (Muhammad Ahmed–Samira https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/7/st19.htm)

Truly it is the revelation of the Lord of all Being, brought down by the Faithful Spirit upon thy heart, that thou mayest be one of the warners, in a clear, Arabic tongue. Truly it IS IN the Scriptures of the ancients. Was it not a sign for them, that it is known to the learned of the Children of Israel? S. 26:192-197 Arberry

Hast thou considered him who turns his back and gives a little, and then grudgingly? Does he possess the knowledge of the Unseen, and therefore he sees?  Or has he not been told of what IS IN the scrolls of Moses, and Abraham, he who paid his debt in full? S. 53:33-37 Arberry

STUDY QURAN

In 2015 HarperOne published The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary (SQ), the first major English Quran commentary, whose editor-in-chief happens to be the renowned Muslim philosopher and Sufi scholar Seyyed Hossein Nasr. The notes and articles are the work of several prominent Muslim scholars/theologians/philosophers from different Islamic perspectives, which helps limit sectarian biases filtering their way into the interpretation of the passages.

I quote from the SQ to see what it has to say in regards to the identity of the Gospel which the Quran affirms. All emphasis will be mine.

Here’s the commentary to Q. 3:3-4, where Muhammad is depicted as confirming the scriptures “between his hands”:

For Muslims, Tawrāt (Torah) usually refers to the five books of Moses (much less commonly, it is thought to denote the entire Tanakh), and Injīl (Gospel) refers to the revelation given to Jesus. But questions remain as to whether the Injīl is the same as the evangelion (Greek, “Gospel”), and whether the Tawrāt is the same as the Pentateuch as we now have it. There was most likely no Arabic translation of the Bible at the time of the Quranic revelation; such a translation only appeared at least a century later. It is unlikely that in the early seventh century the texts in circulation would have been significantly different from the texts approved by Jewish and Christian authorities at the end of the fourth century, when both canons and the central doctrines of Christianity, including the Trinity, were formally established.

These verses state that these books were revealed in the past, but the Quran confirms what was before it (ma bayna yadayhi), which is understood to mean “previous to” by the commentators, but which can also mean “in the presence of,” as does the English word “before.” Sensitive to this question, al-Rāzī asks himself, “How can this phrase refer to what is past?” and answers, “That lore, owing to how familiar it is, is referred to in that way,” namely, as though it is present to the revelation of the Quran and commonly known if only in a general way. Jesus is spoken of in a similar fashion in 5:46, where Jesus and the message given to him confirm the Torah, and 5:47 follows with language very similar to that in 3:6.

The Quran confirms (e.g., 2:41; 2:101; 6:92) what was before it, but does not describe the content of that existing teaching. If both the texts and interpretation of the People of the Book are true and correct, it would be through their moral shortcomings that they fail in their religion. This seems unlikely, since the Quran criticizes some of their doctrines (4:171), not only their behavior. If the texts are true, but the interpretation is incorrect, this would support the position of those who accuse the People of the Book of distorting (taḥrīf) the meaning, but not the text of scripture (see 2:75; 4:46; 5:13, 41). For example, in later times some Muslims argued that the Trinity, as described in the Nicene Creed, is nowhere to be found in the Biblical text, but results from a faulty interpretation.

Another possibility is that the Injīl given to Jesus is conveyed by the existing Gospel, but is not coterminous with it, yet is still recognized and sanctioned by God. In this connection, it should be noted that, although monks are praised in the Quran (5:82), it is asserted that monasticism was not prescribed for them, but was a practice they initiated themselves (57:28). This would make the existing Gospel a different kind of Divine book than the Quran, constituting a work of Divinely inspired or approved authors rather than a message delivered directly through Gabriel. This would agree with the view of Christians themselves that the text is guided and sanctioned by God, but not directly revealed. In this way, the truths and commands of the Injīl given to Jesus are communicated to Christians through that which they had with them (2:89) and what is before the Quran. One could thus hold that the Quran, when referring to the Injīl that the Christians have with them, includes both the text and the normative tradition around that text insofar as they convey Christ’s original message to his apostles, which was given to him by God.

A similar approach could be taken regarding the Tawrāt (the Torah), which would allow Muslims to acknowledge the scriptures of the People of the Book, since God acknowledges them in the Quran, without affirming some of the interpretations and practices that may diverge from the original revelation. Such distinctions between text and interpretation are necessary, since God holds Himself and the People of the Book to their covenant (2:40; 9:111); mentions a partial (hence not total) forgetting of the original message (5:14); describes Islam as a fulfillment of prophecies in the Bible (7:157); enjoins Jews and Christians to govern themselves according to their scriptures (5:43– 47, 68); and advises the Prophet to ask the people of the Reminder, interpreted by most as the People of the Book (16:43; 21:7). For those reasons and because there is little to support a belief that the Bible has changed significantly since the seventh century, it becomes necessary to see the Quranic statements about the Jewish and Christian scriptures in light of the existing Jewish and Christian traditions and not as an alleged variation existent at the time. A ḥadīth states, “Do you not see these Jews and Christians? They read the Torah and the Gospel and do not act in accord with them.” See the essay “The Quranic View of Sacred History and Other Religions” and the commentary on 3:113– 15; 48:28. The description of God as Mighty, Possessor of Vengeance is also found in 5:95; 14:47; 39:37. (Pp. 146-147)

And this is what the SQ writes in respect to Q. 3:184:

184 The clear proofs are various demonstrations of truth (IK, Q). Scriptures renders zubur, which etymologically means something that is written; according to some it can refer to any book containing wisdom (R). It is different from zabūr, which refers specifically to the Psalms of David (al-Zabūr). Luminous Book refers to the Torah and the Gospel, but is not necessarily something different from the scriptures (zubur); the and in and the luminous Book signifies that scriptures and luminous Book are the same object (R), although scriptures can refer to Divine revelations sent to messengers in a more general sense (e.g., to Abraham, as mentioned in 87:18– 19; IK). (P. 190)

And here’s the notes to Q. 5:43-48:

43-44 … This verse then, along with vv. 44-47, indicates that the Torah and Gospel REMAIN VALID SOURCES of moral and legal judgment AND GUIDANCE for Jews and Christians, respectively, EVEN AFTER THE COMING OF THE PROPHET–INDEED, EVEN IN HIS PRESENCE. See also v. 68 where the People of the Book are likewise enjoined to observe their scriptures… (P. 298)

46 … In the present verse both Jesus and the Gospel he brings are separately described as confirming the Torah. Jesus is also described as confirming the Torah in 3:50 and 61:6, as is John the Baptist in 3:39. That Jesus “confirms the Torah” means that he upholds all Torah rulings not specifically abrogated by the Gospel (T); see also 3:50, where Jesus comes to make lawful unto the Israelites part of that which was forbidden to them. The Gospel here, like the Torah in v. 44, is described as containing a guidance and a light. The Quran is also described as a light in v 15; 7:157; 64:8.

47 Several commentators note that enjoining the people of the Gospel to judge by what God has sent down therein means that they should follow the rulings of the Torah in most cases, since Jesus himself lived largely according to the Torah rulings, with the exception of those that the Gospel abrogates (IK), and since the Gospel itself contains teachings and exhortations, but relatively few legal rulings (Z). This verse indicates that the Gospel REMAINS A VALID SOURCE OF GUIDANCE for the people of the Gospel, just as vv. 43-44 suggest that the Jews can continue to find guidance in the Torah. The CONTINUING VALIDITY of these two scriptures is also suggested in v. 68… Several commentators, however, argue that the exhortation here to follow the Gospel indicates only that they should have followed the Gospel prior to the coming of the Quran, which thereafter abrogated the scripture that came before it (IK, R). This reading seems implausible in light of other Quranic verses, however, since v. 43 questions why the Jews have come to the Prophet for judgment (regarding two Jewish adulterers) when they have the Torah indicating that Prophetic adjudication is not necessary (EVEN DURING HIS LIFETIME) AS LONG AS THEY FOLLOW THEIR OWN SCRIPTURE. And indeed, in issuing his ruling in that case–namely, the implementation of the penalty of stoning, the Prophet stated that his actions were intended to revive (AND THUS LEGITIMATE) the Torah ruling for the Jews (see commentary on 5:41-44). (Pp. 299-300)

48 This verse addresses the Prophet directly and describes the Book sent down to him–that is, the Quran– as confirming the Book that came before it, just as the Gospel confirms the Torah. The Quran is also described as “confirming” earlier scriptures in 2:41, 89, 91, 97, 101; 3:3, 81; 6:92; 35:31; 46:30. The Quran is further described as a protector (muhaymin) over the previous scriptures, meaning that the Quran testifies to THE VALIDITY OF THE EARLIER SCRIPTURES and serves as their trustee, keeper, and guardian (T, Z). “Protector” (al-Muhaymin) is also one of the Names of God in the Quran (59:23). The idea of the Quran as guardian and keeper of previous revelations is consistent with 5:41c and 5:45c, which report that the Prophet ordered the sentence of stoning for the two idolaters as well as retribution for killing and injury in order to reestablish the original Torah ruling on these matters. When the Prophet “judges between them”–that is, the People of the Book–this verse enjoins him to do so in accordance with what God has sent down, which most major commentators understand to mean that he should judge according to what God had revealed to him, namely the Quran (Bd, T, Z). Alternately, it could mean that he should judge the People of the Book according to what God has sent down TO THEM, namely, THEIR OWN SCRIPTURES (WHICH IS WHAT THE PROPHET EXPLICITLY DOES IN THE INCIDENT DISCUSSED IN VV. 41-43). That he should follow not their caprices means that he should not rule in accordance with their unwarranted digressions from or alterations to their own law, as discussed in vv. 41-47 (T), or that he should comply with their desire to alter or neglect what has come to the Prophet himself in the Quran (Bd). The Prophet is similarly warned against following the caprices of the People of the Book in the following verse, as well as in 2:120, 145; 42:15.

Although vv. 41-47, taken together, suggest THE VALIDITY OF JEWS AND CHRISTIANS JUDGING BY THEIR OWN SCRIPTURES, AND THUS THE CONTINUING SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE TO BE FOUND IN THOSE SCRIPTURES, this verse goes farther by asserting the providential nature of different religious communities and their distinct laws and practices. Indeed, the verse does not pertain only to Jews and Christians, but rather makes a universal statement about all religions. For each among you We have appointed a law and a way indicates that different religious communities may have different ritual and legal formulations specifically “appointed” for them by God, and that each religious community is independent of the laws of other such communities, even if the essential truths and principles of the religions are the same (IK, Q, R, T). (Pp. 300-301)

Here, now, are a few snippets from one of SQ’s essays:

Other verses reiterate that the Quran confirms previous revelations and even religions (e.g., 2:97; 3:3; 10:37; 35:31; 46:30).5

The notion that previous scriptures have been abrogated in the sense of being nullified or excessively distorted to such an extent that their message no longer reflects the particularity of the original teachings, as some Muslims maintain,6 would seem to be contradicted by verses such as 5:43: And how is it that they come to thee for judgment, when they have the Torah, wherein is God’s Judgment? and 5:68: Say, “O People of the Book! You stand on naught till you observe the Torah and the Gospel, and that which has been sent down unto you from your Lord.” In this same vein, 5:47 says of Christians: Let the people of the Gospel judge by that which God has sent down therein. It would be contradictory for the Quran to speak of the efficacy of judging by the Torah and the Gospel if it were to also maintain that these scriptures have been abrogated or excessively distorted. It would also make little sense to say that the religions in which these scriptures are applicable are defunct, or were defunct at the time the Quran was revealed, for it is the methodologies developed within the religions that would provide their followers with the ability to judge in accord with them. If previous religions were abrogated by the revelation of the Quran, it would be implausible to tell the Prophet Muhammad to seek their counsel when it says, Ask the people of the Reminder, if you know not (16:43; cf. 21:7).7 (Joseph Lumbard, “The Quranic View of Sacred History and Other Religions,” pp. 1530-1531)

Although there are many correspondences between the stories of Jesus in the Quran and the Gospels, most of the divergences can be understood and even resolved by contextualizing them within the different theological environments in which they arise. It is, however, almost impossible to reconcile the greatest divergence, that between the different accounts of Jesus’ death. Christians maintain that Jesus took on the sins of all humanity and was crucified for their salvation, but the Quran states:

And for their saying, “We slew the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, the messenger of God”—though they did not slay him, nor did they crucify him, but it appeared so unto them. Those who differ concerning him are in doubt thereof. They have no knowledge of it, but follow only conjecture; they slew him not for certain. But God raised him up unto Himself, and God is Mighty, Wise. (4:157– 58, emphasis added)

Most Muslim scholars throughout the centuries up to this day have viewed these verses as a straightforward denial of the crucifixion. They maintain that Jesus was assumed directly into Heaven and that another was crucified in his place. In the exegetical tradition, it is usually suggested that the one who betrayed Jesus was made to appear like him and then made to suffer on the cross. Other exegetes maintain that Jesus was nailed to the cross, but that he only lost consciousness and was then taken down and placed in the tomb.32 There is, however, no direct support for any of these interpretations in the Quran itself or in the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. One of the most prominent Muslim exegetes, Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī (d. 606/1210), even states that all of these interpretations “are mutually contradictory and incompatible.”33 The crucifixion is thus one aspect of Jesus’ mission regarding which Muslims and Christians may not be able to find common ground. Nonetheless, both agree that God raised him up unto Himself (4:158), and that those who follow Jesus are favored by God over those who do not, as God said, O Jesus, I shall take thee and raise thee unto Me, and purify thee of those who disbelieved, and place those who followed thee above those who disbelieved, until the Day of Resurrection (3:55).

The fundamental difference between the Islamic and Christian understandings of Jesus is that Islam follows the Quran in always seeking to reaffirm the transcendence of the Divine by focusing upon Jesus’ humanity, whereas traditional Christian theology presupposes his divinity, while confirming his humanity. This derives from the different nature of each religious tradition. Islam focuses upon the Absolute, Who is one in and of Himself, beyond all else, while Christianity emphasizes the manifestation of the Absolute in Jesus.

These different emphases are reflected in the different religious, historical, and sociological circumstances under which Jesus and the Prophet Muhammad appeared. Jesus came to a mostly Jewish community that was already well versed in the teachings of Abrahamic monotheism and alert to the dangers of idolatry. The Prophet Muhammad arose within a community still under the influence of polytheism and idol worship. The community to which Jesus preached was accused of forgetting the true meaning and purpose of scripture and focusing upon the minutiae of the law instead of the spirit. The community to which the Prophet Muhammad preached was accused of forgetting completely that there was even such a thing as revelation. (Pp. 1537-1538)

5. Several verses also speak of Jesus as confirming what came before him (3:50; 5:46; 61:6), and Moses is said to confirm what was already with his people, i.e., the Torah (2:41, 89, 91; 4:47).

7. That the people of the Reminder refers to the People of the Book, or more specifically to the believers among the People of the Book, is the position of the majority of the classical exegetes. See, e.g., Muḥammad ibn Jarīr al-Tabarī, Jāmiʿ al-bayānʿan taʾwīl āy al-Qurʾān, ed. Maḥmūd Shākir al-Ḥaristānī, 30 vols. (Beirut: DārIḥ yāʾal-Turāth al-ʿArabī, 1421/2001), 14:130; Abū Muḥammad Farrāʾ al-Baghawī, Maʿālim al-tanzīl, 4 vols. (Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah, 1424/2004), 3:58; and Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-aḥ kām al-Qurʾ ān, ed. Muḥammad Ibrahīm al-Ḥafnāwī, 10 vols. (Cairo: Dār al-Ḥadīth, 1323/2002), 5:460.

8. Al-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-bayān, 1:369. Regarding the claim that 2:62 is abrogated by 3:85, the sixth/twelfth-century commentator al-Ṭabrisī says: “This is far [from the mark], because it is not permissible for abrogation to be applied to a report that contains a [Divine] Promise.” Abū ʿ Alī al-Faḍ l al-Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān, 10 vols. (Beirut: Muʾassasat al-ʿ Ālamī, 1415/1995), 1:244. (Pp. 1727-1728)

23. Jewish scholarship recognizes that Abraham did not practice the central rites of Judaism, which were revealed on Mt. Sinai, and was not technically a Jew. The term “Judaism” originates as a designation for the tribe that descended from Jacob’s fourth son, Judah. The religion that we now know as Judaism (Yahadut) was first given that name in 2 Maccabees 2:21 and 8:1, written seventeen hundred years after Abraham. The term “Jews” (Yahudim) appears before this, in Esther 8:17, which is still over a millennium after the period in which Abraham is believed to have lived.

30. Al-Bukhārī 60.47 (no. 3468), 65.[3].2 (no. 4590). Another account of this saying reads: “No child is born but that he is pricked by Satan and begins to weep because of the pricking of Satan, except for the son of Mary and his mother” (Muslim 44.40 [no. 6282]). A third version states: “Satan touches every son of Adam on the day when his mother gives birth to him, except for Mary and her son” (Muslim 44.40 [no. 6284]).

31. That the Oneness of God is fundamental to traditional Christianity is clear from the beginning of the Nicene Creed: “We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.” As the third-century church father Tertullian writes: “Father and Son and Spirit are three, however, not in status but in rank, not in substance but in form, not in power but in appearance; they are, however, of one substance and of one status and of one power, because God is one, from whom these ranks and forms and appearances are designated in name as Father and Son and Holy Spirit” (Adversus Praxean, chap. 2; cited in Luke Timothy Johnson, The Creed [New York: Doubleday, 2004], 121).

32. For an examination of the treatment of Jesus and Christianity in the exegetical tradition, see Jane Dammen McAuliffe, Quranic Christians: An Analysis of Classical and Modern Exegesis (Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1981); and Mahmoud Ayoub, “Jesus the Son of God: A Study of the Terms Ibn and Walad in the Qurʾān and Tafsīr Tradition,” in Christian-Muslim Encounters, ed. Yvonne Haddad and Wadi Z. Haddad (Gainesville: Univ. Press of Florida, 1995).

33. Muḥammad Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī, al-Tafsīr al-kabīr, 32 vols. (Beirut: DārIḥ yāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿ Arabī, 1422/2001), 4:260. (P. 1729)

FURTHER READING

THE QURAN’S CONFIRMATION OF THE HOLY BIBLE REVISITED

What the Qur’an says about the Bible (overview page)

Does the Quran confirm the Bible and the Canonical Gospels?

The Quran’s Confirmation of the Judeo-Christian Scriptures

AN OPEN CHALLENGE TO MUSLIMS CONCERNING THE BIBLE

The Quranic Affirmation of the Holy Bible Revisited Pt. 1

More on the Islamic Witness to the Incorruptibility of the Holy Bible

The Greek Quran Confirms That Allah Revealed the Holy Bible

NOTES FOR THE LIVESTREAM ON ADNAN RASHID AND HIS MISUSE OF Q. 5:48

Refuting One Muhammadan’s Rabbit Trails

Let the Study Quran Speak! Pt. 1, Pt. 1b, Pt. 2

SHIA ISLAM ON ALLAH’S BODY-PARTS

In this article I will cite particular hadiths from the collection titled Al-Kafi in respect to Allah’s body-parts and the Quran’s relationship to him. Unlike Salafis who affirm that references to Allah’s hands, eyes, shin etc., are to be affirmed to really exist as Allah’s attributes without allegorizing, Shia Muslim vehemently oppose such anthropomorphizing of the Muslim deity.

I will be referencing the narrations found in the section titled  Al-Tawḥīd (The Book of Divine Unity). All emphasis will be mine.  

UNCREATED QURAN

Book 2, Chapter 30

What is the Qur’an?

Ḥadīth #1: 279

1 – حدثنا أحمد بن زياد بن جعفر الهمداني، رضي الله عنه، قال: حدثنا علي بن إبراهيم، عن أبيه إبراهيم بن هاشم، عن علي بن معبد، عن الحسين بن خالد، قال: قلت للرضا علي بن موسى عليهما السلام: يا ابن رسول الله أخبرني عن القرآن أخالق أو مخلوق؟ فقال: ليس بخالق ولا مخلوق، ولكنه كلام الله عز وجل.

1. Ahmad Ziyad ibn Ja`far al-Hamdani (may Allah be pleased with him) said: `Ali ibn Ibrahim said, on the authority of his father Ibrahim ibn Hashim, on the authority of `Ali ibn Ma`bad, on the authority of al-Husayn ibn Khalid that I asked al-Rida `Ali ibn Musa: “O son of the Messenger of Allah! Tell me about the Qur’an. Is it creator or created?” Therefore, he replied, “It is neither a creator nor created; rather it is the Word of Allah, the Might and High.”

Ḥadīth #3: 281

3 – حدثنا الحسين بن إبراهيم بن أحمد المؤدب رضي الله عنه، قال: حدثنا محمد بن أبي عبد الله الكوفي، قال: حدثنا محمد بن إسماعيل البرمكي، قال: حدثنا علي بن سالم، عن أبيه، قال: سألت الصادق جعفر بن محمد عليهما السلام فقلت له: يا ابن رسول الله ما تقول في القرآن؟ فقال: هو كلام الله وقول الله وكتاب الله ووحي الله و تنزيله، وهو الكتاب العزيز الذي لا يأتيه الباطل من بين يديه ولا من خلفه تنزيل من حكيم حميد.

3. Al-Husayn ibn Ibrahim ibn Ahmad al-Ma`addab said: Muhammad ibn Abu `Abd Allah al-Kufi said: Muhammad ibn Isma`il al-Barmaki said: `Ali ibn Salim said, on the authority of his father that I enquired from al-Sadiq Ja`far ibn Muhammad: “O son of the Messenger of Allah! What do you say about the Qur’an?” Hence, he responded, “It is the Word of Allah, His Speech, His Book, the Revelation He revealed. It is the Honorable Book, which falsehood shall not come to it from before it not from behind it; a revelation from the Wise, the Praised One.”

Ḥadīth #4: 282

4 – حدثنا أبي رحمه الله، قال: حدثنا سعد بن عبد الله، قال: حدثنا محمد بن عيسى بن عبيد اليقطيني، قال: كتب علي بن محمد بن علي بن موسى الرضا عليهم السلام إلى بعض شيعته ببغداد: بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم عصمنا الله وإياك من الفتنة فإن يفعل فقد أعظم بها نعمة وإن لا يفعل فهي الهلكة، نحن نرى أن الجدال في القرآن بدعة، اشترك فيها السائل والمجيب، فيتعاطى السائل ما ليس له، ويتكلف المجيب ما ليس عليه، وليس الخالق إلا الله عز وجل، وما سواه مخلوق، والقرآن كلام الله، لا تجعل له اسما من عندك فتكون من الضالين، جعلنا الله وإياك من الذين يخشون ربهم بالغيب وهم من الساعة مشفقون.

4. My father (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Sa`d ibn `Abd Allah said: Muhammad ibn `Isa ibn `Ubayd al-Yaqtini that `Ali ibn Muhammad ibn `ali ibn Musa al-Rida wrote to some of his Shi`ites in Baghdad: In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. May Allah guard us all from mischief! If He does, then it is a great bounty. And if He does not, then it is a disaster. The argument regarding the Qur’an is an innovation [bid`ah] in which both the questioner and the answerer is equally responsible. The questioner engages into what he should not. And the answerer is constrained to answer what is incorrect. There is no creator except Allah, the Mighty and High. Anything other than Him is created. The Qur’an is Word of Allah. Do not make a name for it from your own self or you will be led astray. May Allah count us among those who fear their Lord and those who are apprehensive of the coming of the Hour (of Judgment).

Ḥadīth #6: 284

6 – حدثنا علي بن أحمد بن محمد بن عمران الدقاق رحمه الله، قال: حدثنا محمد بن أبي عبد الله الكوفي، قال: حدثنا محمد بن إسماعيل البرمكي، قال: حدثنا جعفر بن سليمان (كذا) الجعفري، قال: حدثنا أبي، عن عبد الله بن الفضل الهاشمي، عن سعد الخفاف، عن الأصبغ بن نباتة، قال: لما وقف أمير المؤمنين علي بن أبي طالب عليه السلام على الخوارج ووعظهم وذكرهم وحذرهم القتال قال لهم: ما تنقمون مني؟ ألا إني أول من آمن بالله ورسوله فقالوا: أنت كذلك، ولكنك حكمت في دين الله أبا موسى الأشعري، فقال عليه السلام: والله ما حكمت مخلوقا، وإنما حكمت القرآن، ولولا أني غلبت علي أمري وخولفت في رأيي لما رضيت أن تضع الحرب أوزارها بيني وبين أهل حرب الله حتى أعلي كلمة الله وأنصر دين الله ولو كره الكافرون والجاهلون. قال مصنف هذا الكتاب: قد جاء في الكتاب أن القرآن كلام الله ووحي الله وقول الله وكتاب الله، ولم يجئ فيه أنه مخلوق، وإنما امتنعنا من إطلاق المخلوق عليه لأن المخلوق في اللغة قد يكون مكذوبا، ويقال: كلام مخلوق أي مكذوب، قال الله تبارك وتعالى: ﴿إنما تعبدون من دون الله أوثانا وتخلقون إفكا﴾ أي كذبا، وقال تعالى حكاية عن منكري التوحيد: ﴿ما سمعنا بهذا في الملة الآخرة إن هذا إلا اختلاق﴾ أي افتعال وكذب، فمن زعم أن القرآن مخلوق بمعنى أنه مكذوب فقد كفر، ومن قال: إنه غير مخلوق بمعنى أنه غير مكذوب فقد صدق وقال الحق والصواب، ومن زعم أنه غير مخلوق بمعنى أنه غير محدث وغير منزل وغير محفوظ فقد أخطأ وقال غير الحق والصواب، وقد أجمع أهل الإسلام على أن القرآن كلام الله عز وجل على الحقيقة دون المجاز، وأن من قال غير ذلك فقد قال منكرا من القول وزورا، ووجدنا القرآن مفصلا وموصلا وبعضه غير بعض وبعضه قبل بعض كالناسخ الذي يتأخر عن المنسوخ، فلو لم يكن ما هذه صفته حادثا بطلت الدلالة على حدوث المحدثات وتعذر إثبات محدثها بتناهيها وتفرقها واجتماعها. وشئ آخر وهو أن العقول قد شهدت والأمة قد اجتمعت على أن الله عز وجل صادق في إخباره، وقد علم أن الكذب هو أن يخبر بكون ما لم يكن، وقد أخبر الله عز وجل عن فرعون وقوله: ﴿أنا ربكم الأعلى﴾ وعن نوح: أنه نادى ابنه وهو في معزل: ﴿يا بني اركب معنا ولا تكن مع الكافرين﴾. فإن كان هذا القول وهذا الخبر قديما فهو قبل فرعون وقبل قوله ما أخبر عنه، وهذا هو الكذب، وإن لم يوجد إلا بعد أن قال فرعون ذلك فهو حادث لأنه كان بعد أن لم يكن. وأمر آخر وهو أن الله عز وجل قال: ﴿ولئن شئنا لنذهبن بالذي أوحينا إليك﴾ وقوله: ﴿ما ننسخ من آية أو ننسها نأت بخير منها أو مثلها﴾ وما له مثل أو جاز أن يعدم بعد وجوده فحادث لا محالة.

6. `Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn `Imran al-Daqqaq said: Muhammad ibn Abu `Abd Allah al-Kufi said: Muhammad ibn Isma`il al-Barmaki said: Ja`far ibn Sulayman al-Ja`fari said: My father said, on the authority of `Abd Allah ibn al-Fadl al-Hashimi, on the authority of Sa`d al-Khaffaf that al-Asbagh ibn Nubatah that: When Amir al-Mu’mineen Ali ibn Abut Talib was facing the Khawarij, admonishing them, reminding them, and cautioning them before the battle, he warned them, “Do you want to take revenge from me? Beware! Verily, I was the first to believe in Allah and His Messenger.” They said: “You are as you claim, except you made Abu Musa al-Ash`ari the arbitrator [Hakam] in the religion of Allah.” Hence, he responded: “By Allah, I did not make any created being an arbitrator. Verily, I made the Qur’an the arbitrator. Had I not, I would have been defeated in my affair and opposed for my view. When I agreed to the battle between me and the enemies of Allah, it was to raise the Word of Allah and help the Religion of Allah, even if the unbelievers and the ignorant abhorred it.”[1]

Ḥadīth #7

7. The confirmation of this is of this is what our Shaykh Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Ahmad ibn al-Walid has mentioned in his Jami`; and said, on the authority of Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Saffar, on the authority of al-‘Abbas ibn Ma`rub that `Abd al-Rahman ibn Abu Najran related to me, on the authority of Hammad ibn `Uthman, on the authority of `Abd al-Rahim al-Qasir that I wrote to Abu `Abd Allah al-Sadiq and sent it with `Abd al-Malik ibn A“yun: May I be your ransom! I write to you regarding matters in which people have differed. If you seem it appropriate, may Allah take me as your ransom, then please answer me. The people of Iraq have differed regarding recognition and denial. May I be your ransom, are they created? They have also differed regarding the Qur’an. One group claims that the Qur’an is the uncreated Word of Allah, and the other group claims that it is the created Word of Allah… Hence, he wrote and sent it back with `Abd al-Malik ibn A`yun… You asked about the dispute that people have concerning the Qur’an. They say that the Qur’an, is the Word of Allah, that it is accidental, that it is uncreated, and that it is not eternal alongside Allah, may His Remembrance be Exalted. Exalted is Allah, the Elevated, and the Great, from such things! Allah, the Mighty and high, existed when nothing other than Him was known or unknown. The Mighty and High existed when there was no speaker, no intender, no mover, and no doer. High and Mighty is our Lord. The Qur’an is the Word of Allah, and is not created. It contains information of those who came before you and those who will come after you. It was revealed by Allah to Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, peace and salutations be upon him and his progeny… You also asked, may Allah have mercy on you, about divine Unity and the views of your companions on that subject. Exalted is Allah, who has nothing whatsoever like unto Him. He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing. Exalted is Allah from the descriptions of the anthropomorphist who compare Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, with His Creatures, attributing lies to Allah, the Mighty and High. Point out, may Allah have mercy on you, that the correct position regarding Divine Unity is to be found in the Attributes of Allah, the Mighty and High, which were revealed in the Qur’an. Do not apply annulment or anthropomorphism to Allah. He cannot be described by means of negation or anthropomorphism. Allah is the Firm, the Existent. Exalted is Allah from the descriptions of the describers. Do not stray from the Qur’an otherwise you will stray after clarity has reached you… The Compiler of this Book explains: the purpose of this tradition is to prove that the words of the Qur’an have not been created or made-up. It does not mean that the Qur’an is not accidental, because he who said: “accidental, not created, and not sempiternal with Allah, may His Remembrance be Exalted.”

ALLAH: BODILESS, IMAGELESS, SHAPELESS

Book 2, Chapter 6

The Mighty and High is Devoid of both Body and Image

Ḥadīth #2: 95

2 – حدثنا علي بن أحمد بن محمد بن عمران الدقاق رحمه الله، قال: حدثنا محمد بن يعقوب، قال: حدثنا علي بن محمد، رفعه، عن محمد بن الفرج الرخجي، قال: كتبت إلى أبي الحسن عليه السلام: أسأله عما قال هشام بن الحكم في الجسم، و هشام بن سالم في الصورة، فكتب عليه السلام: دع عنك حيرة الحيران، واستعذ بالله من الشيطان، ليس القول ما قال الهشامان .

2. Ali ibn ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn `Imran al-Daqqaq said: Muhammad ibn Ya`qub said: `Ali ibn Muhammad, who eliminated the source of report, on the authority of Muhammad ibn al-Faraj al-Rukhkhaji that I wrote to Abu al-Hasan al-Kadhim asking hm about what Hisham ibn al-Hakam said about the body of Allah, and what Hisham ibn Salim had said about the image of Allah. So he replied to me: “Leave the confusion of the baffled, and take refuge in Allah from Satan. Things are not as the two Hishams claim.

Ḥadīth #3: 96

3 – حدثنا محمد بن الحسن بن أحمد بن الوليد رضي الله عنه، قال: حدثنا محمد بن الحسن الصفار، عن سهل بن زياد، عن حمزة بن محمد، قال: كتبت إلى أبي – الحسن عليه السلام: أسأله عن الجسم والصورة، فكتب عليه السلام: سبحان من ليس كمثله شئ لا جسم ولا صورة.

3. Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Ahmad ibn al-Walid said: Muhammad ibn al-Hasan Al-Saffar, on the authority of Sahl ibn Ziyad, on the authority of Hamzah ibn Muhammad saying, “I wrote to Abu al-Hasan al-Kadhim asking him about the body and the appearance of Allah; therefore, he wrote to me: “Glory to the One who has nothing like Him, and who has no body and no image.”

Ḥadīth #4: 97

4 – أبي رحمه الله، قال: حدثنا أحمد بن إدريس، قال: حدثنا محمد بن عبد الجبار، عن صفوان بن يحيى، عن علي بن أبي حمزة، قال: قلت لأبي عبد الله عليه السلام: سمعت هشام بن الحكم يروي عنكم: أن الله عز وجل جسم، صمدي، نوري، معرفته ضرورة، يمن بها على من يشاء من خلقه فقال عليه السلام: سبحان من لا يعلم أحد كيف هو إلا هو، ليس كمثله شئ، وهو السميع البصير، لا يحد، ولا يحس، ولا يجس ولا يمس، ولا تدركه الحواس، لا يحيط به شئ، لا جسم، ولا صورة، ولا تخطيط، ولا تحديد.

4. My father that Ahmad ibn Idris said: Muhammad ibn `Abd al-Jabbar, on the authority of Safwan ibn Yahya, on the authority of `Ali ibn Abu Hamzah that I said to Abu `Abd Allah al-Sadiq: I heard Hisham ibn al-Hakam narrating from you that Allah, the Mighty and High, has a Needless body of Light; His Recognition is necessary, and He grants it to whoever He desires from His Creation. He said: Glory to Him who is known only to Himself! There is none like Him, and He is the All-Hearing and the All-Seeing. He cannot be confined, sensed, touched, or felt. The senses perceive Him not, and nothing can comprehend Him. He does not have a body or an image, nor lineation or delineation.

Ḥadīth #5: 98

5 – حدثنا محمد بن الحسن بن أحمد بن الوليد رضي الله عنه، قال: حدثنا محمد بن الحسن الصفار، عن سهل بن زياد، عن محمد بن إسماعيل بن بزيغ، عن محمد ابن زيد، قال: جئت إلى الرضا عليه السلام أسأله عن التوحيد، فأملي علي: الحمد لله فاطر الأشياء إنشاء ومبتدعها ابتداء بقدرته وحكمته، لا من شئ فيبطل الاختراع، ولا لعلة فلا يصح الابتداع خلق ما شاء كيف شاء، متوحدا بذلك لا ظهار حكمته وحقيقة ربوبيته، لا تضبطه العقول، ولا تبلغه الأوهام، ولا تدركه الأبصار، ولا يحيط به مقدار، عجزت دونه العبارة، وكلت دونه الأبصار، وضل فيه تصاريف – الصفات، احتجب بغير حجاب محجوب. واستتر بغير ستر مستور، عرف بغير رؤية ووصف بغير صورة، ونعت بغير جسم، لا إله إلا الله الكبير المتعال.

5. Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Ahmad ibn al-Walid said: Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Saffar, on the authority of Sahl ibn Ziyad, on the authority of Muhammad ibn Isma`il ibn Bazi, on the authority of Muhammad ibn Zayd that I came to (`Ali) al-Rida asking him about Divine Unity, so he dictated to me: All praise be to Allah, the Originator, Producer, and Innovator [Mubtadi`] of all things from the beginning by His Power and Wisdom, not from anything that could invalidate His Invention, nor for nay wrong cause. He created whatever He wanted how He wanted, and He did so independently in order to manifest His Wisdom, and the Reality of His Lordship. Intellects cannot grasp Him. Imagination cannot reach Him. Eyes cannot perceive Him, and scale cannot encompass Him. Speech is incapable without Him. Eyes are expressionless without Him, and rhetoric of description goes astray in Him. He is hidden without a veil and is covered without a covering. He is recognized without seeing. He is described without an image. And He is praised despite the fact that He does not possess a body. There is no god but Allah, the great, the Most Exalted.”

Ḥadīth #6: 99

6 – حدثنا علي بن أحمد بن عبد الله بن أحمد بن أبي عبد الله البرقي رضي الله عنه، عن أبيه، عن جده أحمد بن أبي عبد الله، عن أحمد بن محمد بن أبي نصر، عن محمد بن حكيم، قال: وصفت لأبي إبراهيم عليه السلام قول هشام الجواليقي، وحكيت له قول هشام بن الحكم: إنه جسم، فقال: إن الله لا يشبهه شئ، أي فحش أو خناء أعظم من قول من يصف خالق الأشياء بجسم أو صورة أو بخلقة أو بتحديد أو أعضاء؟! تعالى الله عن ذلك علوا كبيرا.

6. `Ali ibn Ahmad ibn `Abd Allah ibn Ahmad ibn `Abu `Abd Allah al-Barqi said, on the authority of his father, on the authority of his grandfather Ahmad ibn Abu `Abd Allah, on the authority of Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Abu Nasr, on the authority of Muhammad ibn Hukaym that I described the statement of Hisham al-Jawaliqi, and narrated for Musa al-Kadhim the statement of Hisham ibn al-Hakam that He possesses a body. Hence, he said: “Verily, nothing resembles Allah. Indecent language is better than words which give the Creator a created body or image composed of parts. Exalted from these, the High, the Great.”

Ḥadīth #7: 100

7 – حدثنا علي بن أحمد بن محمد بن عمران الدقاق رضي الله عنه، قال: حدثنا محمد بن أبي عبد الله الكوفي، قال: حدثنا محمد بن إسماعيل البرمكي، عن الحسين بن الحسن، والحسين بن علي، عن صالح بن أبي حماد عن بكر بن صالح، عن الحسين بن سعيد، عن عبد الله بن المغيرة، عن محمد بن زياد، قال: سمعت يونس بن ظبيان يقول: دخلت على أبي عبد الله عليه السلام فقلت له: إن هشام بن الحكم يقول قولا عظيما إلا أني أختصر لك منه أحرفا، يزعم: أن الله جسم لأن الأشياء شيئان: جسم و فعل الجسم، فلا يجوز أن يكون الصانع بمعنى الفعل، ويجوز أن يكون بمعنى الفاعل، فقال أبو عبد الله عليه السلام: ويله، أما علم أن الجسم محدود متناه، والصورة محدودة متناهية، فإذا احتمل الحد احتمل الزيادة والنقصان، وإذا احتمل الزيادة والنقصان كان مخلوقا، قال: قلت: فما أقول؟ قال: لا جسم ولا صورة، وهو مجسم الأجسام، ومصور الصور، لم يتجزء، ولم يتناه. ولم يتزايد، ولم يتناقص، لو كان كما يقول لم يكن بين الخالق والمخلوق فرق، ولا بين المنشئ والمنشأ، لكن هو المنشئ، فرق بين من جسمه وصوره وأنشأه إذ كان لا يشبهه شئ ولا يشبه هو شيئا .

7. `Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn `Imran al-Daqqaq said: Muhammad ibn Abu `Abd Allah al-Kufi said: Muhammad ibn Isma`il al-Barmaki said: on the authority of al-Husan ibn al-Hasan, and al-Husayn ibn `Ali, on the authority of Salih ibn Abu Hammad, on the authority of Bakr ibn Salih, on the authority of Muhammad ibn al-Husayn ibn Sa`id, on the authority of `Abd Allah in al-Mughayrah, on the authority of Muhammad ibn Ziyad said: I heard Yunus ibn Zabyan say I entered in the presence of Abu `Abd Allah al-Sadiq and told him: Hisham ibn al-Hakam made a long statement. I will simply summarize it: He considers Allah to be a body because things are of two types: bodies or actions of bodies. Hence, if it is not possible for the creator to be an action, it is only possible that He be a Doer. Then Abu `Abd Allah replied: “Woe to him! Does he not know that a body is extremely limited, and an image is absolutely limited? Hence, if a limit is possible then increase and decrease are possible, and if increase and decrease are possible, then He is created. I asked: “Then what should I say? He answered: He has neither body nor image for He is the creator of bodies and images. He is devoid of parts and limits. He does not increase, nor does He decrease. If He were as he (Hisham) says then there would be no difference between the Creator and the created, or between the Inventor and the invented. However, He is the Inventor. The Creator of Bodies and Images does not resemble anything nor does anything resemble Him.

Ḥadīth #8: 101

8 – حدثنا علي بن أحمد بن محمد بن عمران الدقاق رضي الله عنه، قال: حدثنا محمد بن أبي عبد الله الكوفي، عن محمد بن إسماعيل البرمكي، عن علي بن العباس، عن الحسن بن عبد الرحمن الحماني ، قال: قلت لأبي الحسن موسى ابن جعفر عليهما السلام: إن هشام بن الحكم زعم: أن الله جسم ليس كمثله شئ، عالم سميع، بصير، قادر متكلم، ناطق، والكلام والقدرة والعلم تجري مجرى واحدا ليس شئ منها مخلوقا، فقال: قاتله الله، أما علم أن الجسم محدود، والكلام غير المتكلم معاذ الله وأبرء إلى الله من هذا القول، لا جسم ولا صورة ولا تحديد، وكل شئ سواه مخلوق وإنما تكون الأشياء بإرادته ومشيته من غير كلام ولا تردد في نفس، ولا نطق بلسان.

8. `Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn `Imran al-Daqqaq said: Muhammad ibn Abu `Abd Allah al-Kufi said: on the authority of Muhammad ibn Isma`il al-Barmaki, on the authority of `Ali ibn al-`Abbas, on the authority of al-Hasan ibn `Abd al-Rahman al-Hammani that I said to Abu al-Hasan Musa ibn Ja`far : Hisham ibn al-Hakam thinks that Allah is a body. There is nothing whatsoever like unto Him, the All-knowing, the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing, the Omnipotent, the Speaker, and the Communicator. Speech, Omnipotence, and Knowledge flow from the One Same Source, None of these things are created. So he said: May Allah kill him! Does he not know that a body is limited, and that speech is other than the speaker? Allah forbid, I am free from such words. He is devoid of both body and image. He has not limits, and everything other than Him is created. Verily, everything that exists is the result of His Will and Intent which is expressed without words, the use of the tongue, or any reluctance or hesitation.

Ḥadīth #10: 103

10 – حدثنا محمد بن الحسن بن أحمد بن الوليد رضي الله عنه، قال: حدثنا محمد بن يحيى العطار، قال: حدثنا محمد بن أحمد، قال: حدثنا محمد بن عيسى، عن هشام بن إبراهيم، قال: قال العباسي قلت له – يعني أبا الحسن عليه السلام -: جعلت فداك أمرني بعض مواليك أن أسألك عن مسألة قال: ومن هو؟ قلت: الحسن بن سهل قال: في أي شئ المسألة؟ قال: قلت في التوحيد، قال: وأي شئ من التوحيد؟ قال: يسألك عن الله جسم أو لا جسم؟ قال: فقال لي: إن للناس في التوحيد ثلاثة مذاهب مذهب إثبات بتشبيه، و مذهب النفي، ومذهب إثبات بلا تشبيه. فمذهب الاثبات بتشبيه لا يجوز، ومذهب النفي لا يجوز، والطريق في المذهب الثالث إثبات بلا تشبيه.

10. Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Ahmad ibn al-Walid said: Muhammad ibn Yahya al-`Attar said: Muhammad ibn Ahmad said: Muhammad ibn `Isa said, on the authority of Hisham ibn Ibrahim who said: al-`Abbasi said I said to him, meaning Abu al-hasan al-Rida: “May I be your ransom! One of your followers told me to ask you a question about something.” He said: “And who would that be?” I said: “Al-Hasan ibn Sahl.” He asked: “What is the issue about?’ I replied: “It is about Divine Unity.” He said: “What about Divine Unity?” I said: “He wants to know whether Allah possesses a body or not?” He answered me: There are three positions regarding Divine Unity. The first group attempts to describe Him through anthropomorphism. The second group attempts to describe Him through negation. And the third group attempts to describe Him without falling into anthropomorphism. Describing Him through anthropomorphism is not allowed, and describing Him through negation is not allowed. The correct position is attempting to describe him without falling into anthropomorphism.

Ḥadīth #11: 104

11 – حدثنا محمد بن علي ماجيلويه رحمه الله، قال: حدثنا محمد بن يحيى العطار، قال: حدثنا محمد بن أحمد، عن عمران بن موسى، عن الحسن بن العباس ابن حريش الرازي، عن بعض أصحابنا، عن الطيب يعني علي بن محمد، وعن أبي جعفر الجواد عليهما السلام أنهما قالا: من قال بالجسم فلا تعطوه من الزكاة ولا تصلوا وراءه.

11. Muhammad ibn `Ali Majilwayh said: Muhammad ibn Yahya al-`Attar said: Muhammad ibn Ahmad said: on the authority of `Imran ibn Musa, on the authority of al-Hasan ibn al-`Abba ibn Huraysh al-Razi, on the authority of some of our scholars that The purified [Tayyib], `Ali ibn Muhammad, and Abu Ja`far al-Jawad both said: “He who claims that Allah has a body, do not give him the poor-rate, and do not pray behind him.”

Ḥadīth #15: 108

15 – حدثنا محمد بن الحسن بن أحمد بن الوليد رحمه الله، قال: حدثنا محمد بن الحسن الصفار، قال: حدثنا العباس بن معروف، قال: حدثنا ابن أبي نجران عن حماد بن عثمان، عن عبد الرحيم القصير، قال: كتبت على يدي عبد الملك بن أعين إلى أبي عبد الله عليه السلام بمسائل، فيها: أخبرني عن الله عز وجل هل يوصف بالصورة وبالتخطيط؟ فإن رأيت جعلني الله فداك أن تكتب إلي بالمذهب الصحيح من التوحيد فكتب عليه السلام بيدي عبد الملك بن أعين: سألت رحمك الله عن التوحيد وما ذهب إليه من قبلك، فتعالى الله الذي ليس كمثله شئ وهو السميع البصير، تعالى الله عما يصفه الواصفون المشبهون الله تبارك وتعالى بخلقه المفترون على الله، واعلم رحمك الله أن المذهب الصحيح في التوحيد ما نزل به القرآن من صفات الله عز وجل، فانف عن الله البطلان والتشبيه، فلا نفي ولا تشبيه، هو الله الثابت الموجود، تعالى الله عما يصفه الواصفون، ولا تعد القرآن فتضل بعد البيان.

15. Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Ahmad ibn al-Walid (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Saffar said: al-`Abbas ibn Ma`ruf said: Ibn Abu Najran said, on the authority of Hammad ibn `Uthman, on the authority of `Abd al-Rahim al-Qasir that I wrote a letter, and sent it by hand via `Abd Al-Malik ibn A`yan to Abu `Abd Allah al-Sadiq. In it, I asked about several issues, one of which was: “Please inform me about Allah, the Mighty and High. Can He be described with image and lineation? If this letter reaches you, may Allah make me your ransom, write back to me with the correct vies about Divine Unity.”

So he wrote back to me, sending the letter via `Abd al-Malik ibn A`yan: May Allah have mercy on you! You have enquired about Divine Unity. Allah is Greater than what your companions have ascribed. He is All-Hearing and All-Seeing, and there is nothing like unto Him. Allah is greater than the descriptions of the describers, those who describe Him inhuman terms, and those who compare Him with His creation, thus slandering Allah. Beware! May Allah have mercy on you! The correct view about Divine Unity is to be found in the attributes that Allah, the Mighty and High, revealed in the Qur`an. Reject anthropomorphism, and do not apply to Allah what is vain. Allah is Firmly Present. Allah is high above the descriptions of the describers. Do not exceed the Qur`an, as you will be misled after the clear explanation has reached you.

Ḥadīth #16

:109

16 – حدثنا أحمد بن محمد بن يحيى العطار رحمه الله، عن أبيه، عن سهل بن زياد، عن بعض أصحابنا، قال: كتبت إلى أبي الحسن عليه السلام أسأله عن الجسم و الصورة، فكتب: سبحان من ليس كمثله شئ ولا جسم ولا صورة.

16. Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Yahya al-`Attar said, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Sahl ibn Ziyad, on the authority of some of our scholars that I wrote to Abu al-Hasan al-Kadhim asking him about the body and image of Allah, so he replied in writing: “Glory be to Him who has nothing whatsoever like unto Him, and who is devoid of both body and image.”

Ḥadīth #19: 112

19 – حدثني محمد بن موسى بن المتوكل رحمه الله، قال: حدثنا عبد الله بن جعفر الحميري، عن أحمد بن محمد بن عيسى، عن الحسن بن محبوب، عن يعقوب السراج، قال: قلت لأبي عبد الله عليه السلام: إن بعض أصحابنا يزعم أن لله صورة مثل صورة الإنسان، وقال آخر: إنه في صورة أمرد جعد قطط، فخر أبو عبد الله ساجدا، ثم رفع رأسه، فقال: سبحان الله الذي ليس كمثله شئ، ولا تدركه الأبصار، ولا يحيط به علم، لم يلد لأن الولد يشبه أباه، ولم يولد فيشبه من كان قبله، ولم يكن له من خلقه كفوا أحد، تعالى عن صفة من سواه علوا كبيرا.

19. Muhammad ibn Musa ibn al-Mutawakkil said: `Abd Allah ibn Ja`far al-Himyari said, on the authority of Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn `Isa, on the authority al-I Hasan ibn Mahbub, on the authority of Ya`qub al-Sarraj that I said to Abu `Abd Allah al-Sadiq : “Some of our scholars think that Allah looks like a human being, while others think that HE IS BEARDLESS AND HAS CURLY HAIR.” Abu `Abd Allah fell down in prostration, then raised his head, and said: Glory be Allah who has nothing whatsoever like unto Him! Vision cannot perceive Him, and knowledge cannot encompass Him. He begets not, because the son resembles his father, not is He begotten, so that He could resemble the one before Him. And none is like Him. Exalted is He, the High, and Mighty from such attributions!

Ḥadīth #20: 113

20 – حدثنا محمد بن موسى بن المتوكل رحمه الله، قال: حدثنا علي بن إبراهيم بن هاشم، عن أبيه، عن الصقر بن (أبي) دلف، قال: سألت أبا الحسن علي بن محمد بن علي بن موسى الرضا عليهم السلام عن التوحيد، وقلت له: إني أقول بقول هشام ابن الحكم، فغضب عليه السلام ثم قال: ما لكم ولقول هشام، إنه ليس منا من زعم أن الله عز وجل جسم ونحن منه براء في الدنيا والآخرة، يا ابن (أبي) دلف إن الجسم محدث، والله محدثه ومجسمه. وأنا أذكر الدليل على حدوث الأجسام في باب الدليل على حدوث العالم من هذا الكتاب إن شاء الله. باب أنه تبارك وتعالى شيء

20. Muhammad ibn Musa ibn al-Mutawakkil said: `Ali ibn Ibrahim ibn Hashim said, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Saqr ibn [Abu] Dulaf that I asked Abu al-Hasan `Ali ibn Muhammad ibn `Ali ibn Musa al-Rida about Divine Unity: “Verily, I say what Hisham ibn al-Hasam said.” So he became angry and said: What is the matter with you and Hisham? Indeed, he is not from us who thinks that Allah, the Mighty and High, has a body. We are free from such a person in this world, and in the Hereafter. O son of [Abu] Dulaf! Verily, the body is created and Allah is its Creator. The Compiler of this book says: Allah willing, I will mention the proof that bodies are created in the chapter of this book titled “The Proof of the Creation of the World.”

ADAM & ALLAH’S IMAGE

Book 2, Chapter 12

The Commentary of verse 88 of Chapter 28 the Narrative [al-Qasas] Everything is perishable but He.

Ḥadīth #10: 206

10 – حدثنا أحمد بن الحسن القطان، قال: حدثنا أبو سعيد الحسن بن علي بن الحسين السكري، قال: حدثنا الحكم بن أسلم، قال: حدثنا ابن علية عن الجريري، عن أبي الورد بن ثمامة، عن علي عليه السلام، قال: سمع النبي صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم رجلا يقول لرجل: قبح الله وجهك ووجه من يشبهك، فقال صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم: مه، لا تقل هذا، فإن الله خلق آدم على صورته. قال مصنف هذا الكتاب رحمه الله تركت المشبهة من هذا الحديث أوله و قالوا: إن الله خلق آدم على صورته، فضلوا في معناه وأضلوا.

10. Ahmad ibn al-Hasan al-Qittan said: Abu Sa`id al-Hasan ibn `Ali ibn al-Husayn al-Sukkari said: al-Hakam ibn Aslam said: Ibn `Ulayyah on the authorityi of al-Jariri, on the authority of Abu al-Ward ibn Thumamah, on the authority of `Ali that The Prophet heard a man say to the other: “May Allah make your face and the one who resembles you ugly!” So He said: “Wait a minute! Do not say this for verily Allah created Adam in His Image.” The Compiler of this book says: The anthropomorphists took out the first part of this tradition and said: Verily, Allah created Adam in His Image.”1 Hence, they went astray in this meaning and led others astray.

Ḥadīth #11: 207

11 – حدثنا أحمد بن زياد بن جعفر الهمداني رحمه الله، قال: حدثنا علي – ابن إبراهيم بن هاشم، عن أبيه، عن علي بن معبد، عن الحسين بن خالد، قال: قلت للرضا عليه السلام: يا ابن رسول الله إن الناس يروون أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم قال: إن الله خلق آدم على صورته، فقال: قاتلهم الله، لقد حذفوا أول الحديث، إن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم مر برجلين يتسابان، فسمع أحدهما يقول لصاحبه: قبح الله وجهك ووجه من يشبهك، فقال صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم: يا عبد الله لا تقل هذا لأخيك، فإن الله عز وجل خلق آدم على صورته (١). باب تفسير قول الله عز وجل: (يا إبليس ما منعك أن تسجد لما خلقت بيدي)

11. Ahmad ibn Ziyad ibn Ja`far al-Hamadani said: `Ali ibn Ibrahim ibn Hashim, on the authority of His father, on the authority of `Ali ibn Ma`bad, on the authority of al-Husayn ibn Khalid that I said to al-Rida: “O Son of the Messenger of Allah! Verily, the people relate that the Messenger of Allah said: “Verily, Allah created Adam in His Image.” He replied: May Allah kill them! They have certainly removed the first part of the tradition. The Messenger of Allah passed by two men who were cursing each other. He heard one of them say to the other: “May Allah make your face and the one who resembles you ugly!” He said: “O servant of Allah! Do not say this to your brother for, verily Allah, the Mighty and High, created Adam in His Image.”

ALLAH’S EYES, EARS & TONGUE

Book 2, Chapter 24

Meaning of the Eye, the Ear, and the Tongue of Allah

Ḥadīth #1: 231

1 – أبي رحمه الله، قال: حدثنا سعد بن عبد الله، قال: حدثنا أحمد بن محمد ابن عيسى، عن الحسين بن سعيد، عن فضالة بن أيوب، عن أبان بن عثمان، عن محمد بن مسلم قال: سمعت أبا عبد الله عليه السلام يقول: إن لله عز وجل خلقا من رحمته خلقهم من نوره ورحمته من رحمته لرحمته (١) فهم عين الله الناظرة، وأذنه السامعة ولسانه الناطق في خلقه بإذنه، وأمناؤه على ما أنزل من عذر أو نذر أو حجة، فبهم يمحو السيئات، وبهم يدفع الضيم، وبهم ينزل الرحمة، وبهم يحيي ميتا، وبهم يميت حيا، وبهم يبتلي خلقه، وبهم يقضي في خلقه قضيته، قلت: جعلت فداك من هؤلاء؟ قال: الأوصياء.

1. My father that Sa`d ibn `Abd Allah said: Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn `Isa on the authority of Husayn ibn Sa`id on the authority of Fudalah ibn Ayyub on the authority of Aban ibn `Uthman on the authority of Muhammad ibn Muslim that Abu `Abd Allah al-Sadiq said: “Verily, Allah, the Mighty and High created a creation from His own Light and a mercy from His Mercy. Hence, they are the Eye through which Allah sees, the Ear through which Allah listens, and the Tongue through which Allah speaks His Will. They are the Guardians of His Revelation which He sends down as a mercy, a warning and a proof. Hence, He wipes out their sins, removes injustice from them, sends down mercy from them, gives life to the deceased from them, kills the living for them, tries His Creation through them, and fulfils the needs of His Creation through them.” I asked, “May I be sacrificed for you! Who are these?” He said: “The successors (of Muhammad).”

ALLAH’S HANDS

Book 2, Chapter 13

The Commentary of Verse 75 of Chapter 38 Sad O Iblis! What prevented you that you should do obeisance to him whom I created with My Two Hands?

Ḥadīth #1: 208

1 – حدثنا علي بن أحمد بن محمد بن عمران الدقاق رحمه الله قال: حدثنا محمد بن أبي عبد الله الكوفي، قال: حدثنا محمد بن إسماعيل البرمكي، قال: حدثنا الحسين بن الحسن، قال: حدثنا بكر، عن أبي عبد الله البرقي، عن عبد الله بن بحر، عن أبي أيوب الخزاز، عن محمد بن مسلم، قال: سألت أبا جعفر عليه السلام فقلت: قوله عز وجل: ﴿يا إبليس ما منعك أن تسجد لما خلقت بيدي﴾ (٢)؟ فقال: اليد في كلام العرب القوة والنعمة، قال: ﴿واذكر عبدنا داود ذا الأيد﴾ (٣) وقال: ﴿والسماء بنيناها بائيد﴾ (٤) أي بقوة وقال: ﴿وأيدهم بروح منه﴾ أي قواهم ويقال: لفلان عندي أيادي كثيرة أي فواضل وإحسان، وله عندي يد بيضاء أي نعمة .

1. `Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad `Imran al-Daqqaq, may Allah have mercy on him, said, Muhammad ibn Abu `Abd Allah al-Kufi said: Muhammad ibn Isma`il al-Barmaki said: alHusayn ibn al-Hasan said: Bakr on the authority of Abu `Abd Allah al-Barqi on the authority of `Abd Allah ibn Bahr on the authority of Abu Ayyub al-Khazzaz on the authority of Muhammad ibn Muslim that I asked Abu Ja`far al-Baqir about the Word of the Mighty and High: “O Iblis! What prevented you that you should do obeisance to hi whom I created with My Two Hands?” He replied: In the Arabic language, the hand symbolized power and bounty. As Allah says: And remember Our servant Dawud, the Possessor of Power. He also says: And the Heaven, We raised it high with power. Here the word hands [aydi] mean power. He says: And whom He has strengthened with an inspiration from Him. Here the word hand [ayyad] means strengthening. It is also said (in Arabic): I have many hands with me from so and so, implying excess and beneficence, and me so and so has a white hand, implying bounty.

Ḥadīth #2

:209

2 – حدثنا محمد بن محمد بن عصام الكليني رحمه الله، قال: حدثنا محمد بن يعقوب الكليني، قال: حدثنا أحمد بن إدريس، عن أحمد بن محمد بن عيسى، عن علي بن – سيف، عن محمد بن عبيدة، قال: سألت الرضا عليه السلام عن قول الله عز وجل لإبليس: (ما منعك أن تسجد لما خلقت بيدي أستكبرت)؟ قال: يعني بقدرتي وقوتي. قال مصنف هذا الكتاب: سمعت بعض مشايخ الشيعة بنيسابور يذكر في هذه الآية أن الأئمة عليهم السلام كانوا يقفون على قوله: (ما منعك أن تسجد لما خلقت) ثم يبتدؤون بقوله عز وجل: (بيدي أستكبرت أم كنت من العالين) وقال: هذا مثل قول القائل: بسيفي تقاتلني وبرمحي تطاعنني، كأنه يقول عز وجل: بنعمتي قويت على الاستكبار والعصيان. باب تفسير قول الله عز وجل: ﴿يوم يكشف عن ساق ويدعون إلى السجود﴾

2. Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn `Isam al-Kulayni, may Allah have mercy on him, said: Muhammad ibn Ya`qub al-Kulayni said: Ahmad ibn Idris on the authority of Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn `Isa on the authority of `Ali ibn Sayf on the authority of Muhammad ibn `Ubaydah that I asked al-Rida about the Word of Allah, the Mighty and High, to Iblis: What prevented you that you should do obeisance to him whom I created with My Two Hands? Are you proud?1 He replied: “It means `With My Omnipotence and My Power.’” The Compiler of this book says: I have heard on of the Shi`ite scholars in Naysabur mentioning that Imams used to stop at these Word of Allah when mentioning this verse: What prevented you that you should do obeisance to him whom I created. Then they would continue with Word of the Mighty and High: “With My Two Hands, are you proud or are you of the exalted ones?”2 He also said: It is like the statement of a person: “With my sword you are fighting with me, and with my spear you are attacking me.” It is as if the Mighty and High is saying that “My Bounties have strengthened your pride and insubordination.”

Book 2, Chapter 25

The Meaning of Allah’s Hand is Tied Up

Ḥadīth #1: 232

1 – أبي رحمه الله قال: حدثنا سعد بن عبد الله، قال: حدثنا أحمد بن أبي – عبد الله البرقي، عن أبيه، عن علي بن نعمان، عن إسحاق بن عمار، عمن سمعه عن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام أنه قال في قوله الله عز وجل: (وقالت اليهود يد الله مغلولة): لم يعنوا أنه هكذا، ولكنهم قالوا: قد فرغ من الأمر، فلا يزيد ولا ينقص، فقال الله جل جلاله تكذيبا لقولهم: ﴿غلت أيديهم ولعنوا بما قالوا بل يداه مبسوطتان ينفق كيف يشاء﴾ ألم تسمع الله عز وجل يقول: (يمحو الله ما يشاء ويثبت و عنده أم الكتاب). (١)

1. My father that Sa`d ibn `Abd Allah said: Ahmad ibn Abu `Abd Allah al-Baqi said on the authority of his father, on the authority of `Ali ibn Nu`man, on the authority of Ishaq ibn `Ammar, on the authority of someone who heard it on the authority of Abu `Abd Allah that Abu `Abd Allah al-Sadiq was asked to interpret the Word of Allah: `And the Jews say: The hand of Allah is tied up!’ He said: They do not mean that literally. What they mean is that, “His Command is complete.” Therefore, His Bounties do not increase nor decrease. So Allah, exalted by His glory, demonstrated the error of their view that their hands shall be shackled and they shall be cursed for what they say. Nay, both His hands are spread out, He expends as He pleases. Have you not heard Allah, the Mighty and High say: Allah makes to pass away and establishes what He pleases, and with Him is the basis of the Book?

Ḥadīth #2: 233

2 – حدثنا محمد بن الحسن بن أحمد بن الوليد رحمه الله، قال: حدثنا محمد ابن الحسن الصفار، عن محمد بن عيسى، عن المشرقي، عن عبد الله بن قيس (٢) عن أبي الحسن الرضا عليه السلام قال: سمعته يقول: (بل يداه مبسوطتان) فقلت: له يدان هكذا، وأشرت بيدي إلى يده، فقال: لا، لو كان هكذا لكان مخلوقا. باب معنى رضاه عز وجل وسخطه

2. Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Ahmad ibn al-Walid said: Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Saffar said on the authority of Muhammad ibn `Isa, on the authority of al-Mashriqi, on the authority of `Abd Allah ibn Qays that Abu al-Hasan al-Rida said: “Nay, both His Hands are spread out.” So I asked him “Does He have hands like this? And I pointed with my hand to his hand. Consequently, he replied, “No, for if that were the case, He would have been created.”

ALLAH’S SIDES & WAIST

Book 2, Chapter 22

The Meaning of Allah’s Side

Ḥadīth #1: 225

1 – حدثنا علي بن أحمد بن محمد بن عمران الدقاق رحمه الله: قال: حدثنا محمد بن جعفر الكوفي (١)، قال: حدثنا موسى بن عمران النخعي الكوفي، عن عمه الحسين بن يزيد، عن علي بن الحسين، عمن حدثه، عن عبد الرحمن بن كثير، عن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام، قال: إن أمير المؤمنين عليه السلام قال: أنا علم الله، وأنا قلب الله الواعي، ولسان الله الناطق، وعين الله، وجنب الله، وأنا يد الله. قال مصنف هذا الكتاب رضي الله عنه: معنى قوله عليه السلام: وأنا قلب الله الواعي أي أنا القلب الذي جعله الله وعاء لعلمه، وقلبه إلى طاعته، وه�� قلب مخلوق الله عز وجل كما هو عبد الله عز وجل، ويقال: قلب الله كما يقال: عبد الله وبيت الله وجنة الله ونار الله. وأما قوله: عين الله، فإنه يعني به: الحافظ لدين الله، وقد قال الله عز وجل: ﴿تجري بأعيننا﴾ (٢) أي بحفظنا، وكذلك قوله عز وجل: ﴿و لتصنع على عيني﴾ معناه على حفظي.

1. `Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn `Imran al-Daqqaq said: Muhammad ibn Ja`far alKufi said: Musa ibn `Imran al-Nakha`i al-Kufi said on the authority of his paternal uncle alHusayn ibn Yazid, on the authority of `Ali ibn al-Husayn, on the authority of who related to him, on the authority of `Abd al-Rahman ibn Kathir, o the authority of Abu `Abd Allah that The Commander of the Faithful said: “I am the Knowledge of Allah. I am the Containing Heart of Allah. I am the Speaking Tongue of Allah. I am the Eye of Allah. I am the Side of Allah. And I am the Hand of Allah.” The Compiler of this book says: When `Ali says that `I am the Heart of Allah that contains,” he means that “I am the heart that Allah has made a container for His Knowledge and made obedient to Him.” The heart is a creation of Allah, the Mighty and High, in the same sense that `Ali is a servant of Allah, the Mighty and High. One says “the Heart of Allah” [qalb Allah] in the same way that one says “the Servant of Allah,” “the House of Allah,” “Allah’s Paradise,” and “Allah’s Hell.” As for `Ali’s statement that “I am the Eye of Allah,” he means that he is the one who watches over the Religion of Allah. Similarly, the Mighty and High, has said: `Sailing, before our eyes,’1 which means “with Our Observance.” The Mighty and High has also said: `And that you might be brought up before My eyes,’2 which means `with My Observance.”

Book 2, Chapter 23

The Meaning of the Waistband

Ḥadīth #1: 227

1 – حدثنا محمد بن علي ماجيلويه رحمه الله، عن عمه محمد بن أبي القاسم، عن أحمد بن أبي عبد الله البرقي، عن أبيه، عن محمد بن سنان، عن أبي الجارود، عن محمد بن بشر الهمداني قال: سمعت محمد بن الحنفية يقول: حدثني أمير المؤمنين عليه السلام أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم يوم القيامة آخذ بحجزة الله، ونحن آخذون بحجزة نبينا، و شيعتنا آخذون بحجزتنا، قلت: يا أمير المؤمنين وما الحجزة؟ قال: الله أعظم من أن يوصف بالحجزة أو غير ذلك، ولكن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم آخذ بأمر الله، ونحن آل محمد آخذون بأمر نبينا وشيعتنا آخذون بأمرنا.

1. Muhammad ibn `Ali Majilwayh said on the authority of his paternal uncle Muhammad ibn Abu al-Qasim, on the authority of Ahmad ibn Abu `Abd Allah al-Barqi, on the authority his father, on the authority of Muhammad ibn Sinan, on the authority of Abu al-Jarud, on the authority of Muhammad ibn Bishr al-Hamdani that: I heard Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah say The Command of the Faithful related to me: “The Messenger of Allah will take hold of Allah’s Waistband [hujzah]. We will take hold of the Prophet’s Waistband, and our Shi`ites will take hold of our Waistband.” I asked, “O Commander of the Faithful, what is the Waistband.” He answered, “Allah is greater than being characterized with a waistband or other than that. However, the Messenger of Allah will take hold of Allah’s Affair [amr]. We will take hold of the Prophet’s Affair, and our followers [Shi`ah] will take hold of Our Affair.”

Ḥadīth #2: 228

2 – أبي رحمه الله، قال: حدثنا سعد بن عبد الله، قال حدثنا أحمد بن محمد بن عيسى عن الحسن بن علي الخزاز، عن أبي الحسن الرضا عليه السلام قال: إن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم يوم القيامة آخذ بحجزة الله، ونحن آخذون بحجزة نبينا، وشيعتنا آخذون بحجزتنا ثم قال: والحجزة النور.

2. My father that Sa`d ibn `Abd Allah said: Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn `Isa said on the authority of al-Hasan ibn `Ali al-Khazzaz, that Abu al-Hasan al-Rida said: “Verily, the Messenger of Allah will take hold of Allah’s Waistband [hujzah]. We will grab the Prophet’s Waistband and our Shi`ites will take hold of our Waistband.” He then said: “the Waistband is the Light [al-nur].”

Ḥadīth #3: 229

3 – حدثنا علي بن أحمد بن محمد بن عمران الدقاق رحمه الله قال: حدثنا محمد بن أبي عبد الله الكوفي، قال: حدثنا محمد بن إسماعيل البرمكي، قال: حدثني علي بن العباس، قال: حدثنا الحسن بن يوسف (١)، عن عبد السلام، عن عمار ابن أبي اليقظان (٢) عن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام قال: يجئ رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم يوم القيامة آخذا بحجزة ربه، ونحن آخذون بحجزة نبينا، وشيعتنا آخذون بحجزتنا، فنحن وشيعتنا حزب الله، وحزب الله هم الغالبون، والله ما نزعم أنها حجزة الإزار ولكنها أعظم من ذلك، يجئ رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم آخذا بدين الله، ونجئ نحن آخذين بدين نبينا وتجئ شيعتنا آخذين بديننا.

3. `Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn `Imran al-Daqqaq said: Muhammad ibn Abu `Abd Allah al-Kufi said: Muhammad ibn Isma`il al-Barmaki said: `Ali ibn al-`Abbas related to me that al-Hasan ibn Yusuf said on the authority of `Abd al-Salam, on the authority of `Ammar ibn Abu al-Yaqzan, that Abu `Abd Allah al-Sadiq said: The Messenger of Allah will take hold of the Waistband of his Lord on the Day of Judgment. We will take hold of the Prophet’s Waistband, and our Shi`ites will take hold of our Waistband. We and our Shi`ites are the Party of Allah, and the Party of Allah shall be triumphant.1 By Allah, we do not declare it to be Waistband of the cloth; rather, it is greater than that. The Messenger of Allah will take hold of Allah’s religion [din]. We will take hold of the religion of our Prophet, and our Shi`ites will take hold of our religion.

ALLAH’S SHIN

Book 2, Chapter 14

The Commentary of Verse 42 of Chapter 68 Qalam – On the Day when there shall be a severe affliction, and they shall be called upon to make obeisance

Ḥadīth #2: 211

2 – أبي رحمه الله، قال: حدثنا سعد بن عبد الله، عن إبراهيم بن هاشم، عن ابن فضال، عن أبي جميلة، عن محمد بن علي الحلبي، عن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام في قوله عز وجل: (يوم يكشف عن ساق) قال: تبارك الجبار، ثم أشار إلى ساقه فكشف عنها الإزار، قال: ويدعون إلى السجود فلا يستطيعون، قال: أفحم القوم ودخلتهم الهيبة، وشخصت الأبصار، وبلغت القلوب الحناجر، خاشعة أبصارهم ترهقهم ذلة وقد كانوا يدعون إلى السجود وهم سالمون. قال محمد بن علي مؤلف هذا الكتاب: قوله عليه السلام: تبارك الجبار وأشار إلى ساقه فكشف عنها الإزار، يعني به: تبارك الجبار أن يوصف بالساق الذي هذا صفته.

2. My father, may Allah have mercy on him, that Sa`d ibn `Abd Allah on the authority of Ibrahim ibn Hashim on the authority of Ibn Fuddal on the authority of Abu Jamiilah on the authority Muhammad ibn `Ali al-Halabi that Abu `Abd Allah al-Sadiq said regarding the Word of the Mighty and High: `On the Day when there shall be severe affliction.” He replied: “Blessed be the Supreme [Jabbar]! Then be pointed towards his shin, lifted the clothing which covered it, and read: “And they shall be called upon the make obeisance, but they shall not be able.”1 He then said: “The people will e silenced, fear will enter them, their eyes will look fixedly, their hearts will reach their throats, their eyes will be in a state of humbleness, and they will be humiliated when they are called upon to make obeisance, although they are sound.” Muhammad ibn `Ali the Compiler of this book says: What he meant by his statement “Blessed be the Supreme!” after which he pointed to his shin and uncovered it,” was “Blessed be the Supreme! He is far above having a shin, Who is such.”

Ḥadīth #3: 212

3 – حدثنا محمد بن الحسن بن أحمد بن الوليد رحمه الله قال: حدثنا محمد بن الحسن الصفار، عن أحمد بن محمد بن عيسى، عن أحمد بن محمد بن أبي نصر، عن الحسين بن موسى، عن عبيد بن زرارة، عن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام قال: سألته عن قول الله عز و جل: (يوم يكشف عن ساق) قال: كشف إزاره عن ساقه، ويده الأخرى على رأسه فقال: سبحان ربي الأعلى. قال مؤلف هذا الكتاب: معنى قوله: (سبحان ربي الأعلى) تنزيه لله عز وجل أن يكون له ساق. باب تفسير قول الله عز وجل: ﴿الله نور السماوات والأرض – إلى آخر الآية﴾

3. Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Ahmad ibn al-Walid, may Allah have mercy on him, said: Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Saffar on the authority of Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn `Isa on the authority of Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Abu Nasr on the authority of al-Husayn ibn Musa on the authority of `Ubayd ibn Zurarah that I enquired Abu `Abd Allah al-Sadiq about the Word of Allah, the Mighty and High: “On the Day when there shall be a severe affliction.” He lifted the clothing that covered his shin, placed his hand on his head, and said: “Glory be to my Lord, the Most High!” The Compiler of this book says; The meaning of his statement “Glory be to my Lord, the Most High” is that Allah, the Mighty and High, is far Exalted form having human attributes like a shin.

ALLAH’S THRONE & HEAVEN ABOVE

Book 2, Chapter 49

His Empyrean was on the Water

Ḥadīth #1: 361

1 – حدثنا علي بن أحمد بن محمد بن عمران الدقاق رحمه الله، قال: حدثنا محمد بن أبي عبد الله الكوفي، عن محمد بن إسماعيل البرمكي، قال: حدثنا جذعان بن نصر أبو نصر الكندي، قال: حدثني سهل بن زياد الآدمي، عن الحسن بن محبوب، عن عبد الرحمن بن كثير عن داود الرقي، قال: سألت أبا عبد الله عليه السلام عن قوله، عز وجل: (وكان عرشه على الماء) فقال لي: ما يقولون في ذلك؟ قلت: يقولون إن العرش كان على الماء والرب فوقه، فقال: كذبوا، من زعم هذا فقد صير الله محمولا ووصفه بصفة المخلوقين ولزمه أن الشئ الذي يحمله أقوى منه، قلت: بين لي جعلت فداك، فقال: إن الله عز وجل حمل علمه ودينه الماء قبل أن تكون أرض أو سماء أو جن أو إنس أو شمس أو قمر، فلما أراد أن يخلق الخلق نثرهم بين يديه فقال لهم: من ربكم؟! فكان أو من نطق رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وأمير المؤمنين عليه السلام و الأئمة صلوات الله عليهم، فقالوا: أنت ربنا، فحملهم العلم والدين، ثم قال للملائكة: هؤلاء حملة علمي وديني وأمنائي في خلقي وهم المسؤولون ثم قيل لبني – آدم: أقر والله بالربوبية ولهؤلاء النفر بالطاعة، فقالوا: نعم ربنا أقررنا، فقال للملائكة: اشهدوا، فقالت الملائكة شهدنا على أن لا يقولوا إنا كنا عن هذا غافلين أو يقولوا إنما أشرك آباؤنا من قبل وكنا ذرية من بعدهم أفتهلكنا بما فعل المبطلون يا داود ولايتنا مؤكدة عليهم في الميثاق.

1. `Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn `Imran al-Daqqaq (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Muhammad ibn Abu `Abd Allah al-Kufi said, on the authority of Muhammad ibn Isma`il alBarmaki that Jadh`an ibn Nasr al-Kandi said: Sahl ibn Ziyad al-Adami related to, on the authority of al-Hasan ibn Mahbub, on the authority of `Abd al-Rahman ibn Kathir, on the authority of Dawud al-Raqqi that I asked Abu `Abd Allah al-Sadiq about the Word of the Mighty and High: His Empyrean was on the Water. So he asked me, “How do they interpret it?” I answered, “They say that the Empyrean was on the water, and that the Lord was on it.” Thus, he responded, “They have lied, Whoever claims that implies that Allah is carried, and has described Him on the basis of the attributes of the created, necessarily implying that the thing that carries Him is mightier than He is.” I said: “May I be your ransom! Could you clarify that for me?” Consequently, he responded, Verily, Allah, the Mighty and High, burdened the water with His Knowledge and His Religion, before the existence of the heavens and the earth, jinn or man, and sun or moon. When He intended to create the world, He scattered them before Him, and asked them: `Who is your Lord?’ So the first to speak were the Messenger of Allah, the Commander of the Faithful, and the Imams, may the blessings of Allah be upon them. They said: `You are our Lord. So he bore them with knowledge and religion.’ He then said to the angels: `These are the bearers of My Knowledge and My Religion. They are My Authorized Representatives in My Creation, and they are the ones to be asked.’ Then He said to the children of Adam: `Acknowledge the Lordship of Allah, and obey those to whom obedience is due!’ Hence, they all replied: `Yes our Lord, we acknowledge.’ Then He ordered the angels: `Bear witness!’ The angels said: We bear witness. Lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection: Surely we were heedless of this. Or you should say: Only our fathers associated others (with Allah) before, and we were an offspring, after them: Wilt Thou then destroy us for what the vain doers died?” O Dawud, our guardianship [wilayah] was emphasized in the covenant.

Ḥadīth #2: 362

2 – حدثنا تميم بن عبد الله بن تميم القرشي قال: حدثنا أبي، عن أحمد بن علي الأنصاري، عن أبي الصلت عبد السلام بن صالح الهروي قال: سأل المأمون أبا الحسن علي بن موسى الرضا عليهما السلام، عن قول الله عز وجل: (وهو الذي خلق السماوات والأرض في ستة أيام وكان عرشه على الماء ليبلوكم أيكم أحسن عملا) فقال: إن الله تبارك وتعالى خلق العرش والماء والملائكة قبل خلق السماوات والأرض، وكانت الملائكة تستدل بأنفسها وبالعرش والماء على الله عز وجل، ثم جعل عرشه على الماء ليظهر بذلك قدرته للملائكة فيعلموا أنه على كل شئ قدير، ثم رفع العرش بقدرته ونقله فجعله فوق السماوات السبع وخلق السماوات والأرض في ستة أيام، وهو مستول على عرشه، وكان قادرا على أن يخلقها في طرفة عين، ولكنه عز وجل خلقها في ستة إيام ليظهر للملائكة ما يخلقه منها شيئا بعد شئ وتستدل بحدوث ما يحدث على الله تعالى ذكره مرة بعد مرة، ولم يخلق الله العرش لحاجة به إليه لأنه غني عن العرش وعن جميع ما خلق، لا يوصف بالكون على العرش لأنه ليس بجسم، تعالى الله عن صفة خلقه علوا كبيرا. وأما قوله عز وجل: (ليبلوكم أيكم أحسن عملا) فإنه عز وجل خلق خلقه ليبلوهم بتكليف طاعته وعبادته لا على سبيل الامتحان والتجربة لأنه لم يزل عليما بكل شئ، فقال المأمون: فرجت عني يا أبا الحسن فرج الله عنك. باب العرش وصفاته

2. Tamim ibn `Abd Allah ibn Tamim al-Qurashi said: my father said, on the authority of Ahmad ibn `Ali al-Ansari, on the authority of Abu al-Salt `Abd al-Salam ibn Salih al-Hirawi that Al-Ma’mum asked Abu al-Hasan `Ali ibn Musa al-Rida about the Word of Allah, the Mighty and High: And He it is who created heaves and the earth in six days, and His Empyrean was on the water, that He might try you, which of you is the best in action. He thus, replied, Verily, Allah the Blessed and Exalted, created the Empyrean, the water, and the angels before the creation of heavens and the earth. The angels use to ponder over the existence the Empyrean, the existence of the water, and the existence of Allah, the Mighty and High. Then He place His Empyrean over the water to make His Omnipotence evident to the angels so that they may know that He had power over all things. He then raised the Empyrean by means of His Omnipotence, moving it and placing it over the seven heavens. He created the heavens and the earth in six days, while He was in possession of the Empyrean. Although He has the power of creating them in the blink of an eye, He, the Mighty and High, created them over six days to show to the angels that He was creating, one after another, so that they could ponder over what Allah, exalted be His Remembrance, brought about in stages. Allah did not create the Empyrean because He was in need of it. On the contrary, He is Self-Sufficient without any need for the Empyrean and of anything He has created. He is not subject to location within the Empyrean, because He does not possess a body. Exalted is Allah, the Elevated and high, from the attributes of is Creation! As for His Word, the Mighty and High: that He might try you, which of you is best in action. Sao verily, He, the Mighty and High, crated His Creation to try them through His Obedience, and His service, and not for the sake of trial and experiment, because He has always been the All-knowing of Everything. Al-Ma’mum said: “You have relieved me. May Allah relive you!”

FURTHER READING

MUHAMMAD’S GOD: A YOUNG CURLY HAIRED, BEARDLESS BOY!

Islam Portrays Allah as a Finite, Limited, Temporal Embodied Soul

FOR ALLAH SO LOVED THE UMMA THAT HE GAVE UP ONE OF HIS FEET!

ALLAH’S AMAZEMENT AND LAUGHTER

Allah – An Immaterial Entity or an Invisible Man?

The Annihilation of Allah

Allah: An Exalted Woman? Examining the Issue of Allah’s Veil

Revisiting the Face of Allah

Revisiting the Irrationality of Salafi Anthropomorphism

UNDRESSING ALLAH’S GARMENTS