Istawa and Descent of Allah

8/4/2019 Istawa and Descent of Allah

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Istawa (Establishment) and Nazul (Descent) of Allah

Istawa (Establishment) and Nazul(Descent) of Allah

Existence of God is a widely discussed reality amongst people around the world (Muslims and

non-Muslims alike), some deny it without proper investigation (i.e. atheists), many make

co-sharers with Him (like Christians, Hindus etc), and many believe in His unity (oneness).

However there are some who strictly but falsely claim to be protectors and right advocators ofHis Oneness (tawhid) like Jews and the so called “reformers of Islam” but if we take a close look

at their beliefs we will find many similarities, for example seating the Lord on throne [Ibn

Taymiyya said in his Fatawa: "The establishment of Allah over the Throne is real, and the

servant's establishment over the ship is real

`Majmu] ( )

al-Fatawa, (5/199)],

believing Him to have literal hands, feet, shins, eyes, etc…This is something which is main

belief of Literalists and they propagate that Istawa al'al Arsh mentioned in Quran is to be taken

literally, and the descent of Lord ( ) mentioned in hadith along with him being in the

sky (fi al Sam'a) is also to be taken literally

They declare Ahlus Sunnah wal Jammah as people of Bidah because we give figurative

explanation which suits Allah’s Majesty. Amongst the fundamental proofs which they cite are

1) Hadith of the Slave girl

The Hadith of Muawiya ibn al-Hakam: He (the Holy Prophet) said: Bring her to me. So I brought

her to him. He said to her: Where is Allah? She said: He is in the heaven(fi al sama') He said:

Who am I? She said: Thou art the Messenger of Allah. He said: Grant her freedom, she is a

believing woman. (Muslim: Book 4, Hadith# 1094)

From this hadith they conclusively derive that ALLAH is literally in the sky as it is approved byProphet (Peace be upon him) himself thus they make it part of their aqida and whosoever differs

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to them becomes a bidati/Jahimi etc… However their reasoning is not only false but also

idiotic. Let’s see how

a) First of all the hadith is only ahad (singular and cannot be used for aqida) with this chain of

narrators

b) Secondly there are overwhelming Quranic ayahs and ahadith with multiple chains of

narrators which if taken literally prove their understanding false therefore even if the

classification of hadith as ahad is not accepted still the hadith cannot be taken literally at any

cost. [Note: This rule will also apply to other verses and ahadith which salafis take literally too]

c) Third In Sharah of this hadith Imam an Nawawi (rah) the leading commentator of Sahih

Muslim has given figurative explanation (according to Literalists the Ash'aris are Ahlul Bidah for

giving figurative explanation, so this false fatwa of them applies on Imam Nawawi too, let alone

Ibn Hajr al Asqalani and many other great scholars)

**Proof for (a) i.e. Hadith is ahad**

This version (where is Allah, in the sky) only comes from Muwaiya ibn al Hakam (ra) via the

route of At'a bin Yassar thus is therefore ahad, It is fundamental principle that “AHAD

NARRATIONS” cannot be taken as conclusive proof over “Aqida issues”

**Proof for (b) i.e. Ayahs and sahih ahadith which if taken literally will prove the above wording

of hadith completely false**

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Quran states: It was We Who created man, and We know what dark suggestions his soul

makes to him: for We are nearer to him than (his) jugular vein.(50:16)

Our dear Salafis turn towards figurative explanation of ALLAH's closeness and say He is close"By his knowledge only" and they run towards aqwaal of different ulama on this (i.e. hypocrisy in

simple words)

Quran states: He is Allah in(fi) the heavens and "IN THE EARTH ) "( Heknoweth both your secret and your utterance, and He knoweth what ye earn.(6:3)

“Fi” in Arabic literally means ''In'' and is used for both Heaven and Earth, The Literalists will die

but never believe ALLAH to be literally in earth

Hadith in Sahih Bukhari states: Volume 1, Book 12, Number 720:

Narrated Ibn 'Umar: The Prophet saw expectoration in the direction of the Qibla of the mosque

while he was leading the prayer, and scratched it off. After finishing the prayer, he said, "Whenever any of you is in prayer he should know that Allah is in front of him.So none shouldspit in front of him in the prayer."

Note: Ibn Taymiyyah is known to have compared existance of Allah to that of "moon and

sun" while explaining this hadith i.e Allah azza Wajjal is infront of us just like Sun and

Moon come in-front of us (Audhobillah Min Dhalik)

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Proof for (c) i.e. Sharah of Imam Nawawi (rah) on the same hadith

. ,, :, : , .

,;

, ,: , ,

. ,

Translation: This is one of the "hadiths of attributes" and there are two positions about it as itwas mentioned in the book of faith, First: is to have faith in it

"Without discussing its meaning, while believing of Allah Most High that "there is nothing

whatsoever like unto Him"

and that He is exalted above having any of the attributes of His creatures.

''The second is to FIGURATIVELY EXPLAIN IT"

in a fitting way, scholars who hold this position adduce that the point of the hadith was to ''test

the slave girl : Was she a monotheist"who affirmed that the Creator, the Disposer, the Doer, is

Allah alone and that He is the one called upon when a person making supplication (du'a) faces

the sky--just as those performing the prayer (salat) face the Kaaba,

since the sky is the qibla of those who supplicate, as the Kaaba is the qibla of those whoperform the prayer.

or was she a worshipper of the idols which they placed in front of themselves? So when she

said, In the sky, it was plain that she was not an idol worshipper(Sahih Muslim bi Sharh

al-Nawawi, Volume No.5, Page Nos. 19-20, Published by Dar ul Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon)

Imam Nawawi (rah) continues and gives conclusive answer over this issue, he quotes Imam

Qadhi Iyad (rah) [Also Quoted by Imam Jalal ud din Suyuti rah in his Sharah of Sunnan Nasa'i]

:

} :

, {

Qadhi Iyaad (rah) said: There is no disagreement amongst Muslims whether between Fuqaha,or hadith scholars, the theologians, polemicists and ordinary Muslims who do taqlid, they all say

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that outward meaning of texts such as Allah is in the sky is not meant, f

or example the words of the Exalted: “Are you assured that He who is in the sky will not cause

the earth to swallow you up?

"THESE AND SIMILAR TEXTS CANNOT BE TAKEN LITERALLY, RATHER THEY ARE TO BE

EXPLAINED WITH INTERPRETATION (I.E. TAWEEL)[ibid]

The same great Imam also says in his ''Majmu' sharh al Muhadhab''

The most well-known of the school of the theologians (mutakallimin) say that the divine

attributes are interpreted figuratively according to what befits them.

(Volume No. 1, Page No. 25)

Note: This is the same great Imam who is author of Kitaab al Adhkar which has been grossly

tampered by salafis, I wonder which Islamic text have they spared.

The great Hanafi Imam, Mullah Ali Qari (rah) says in his magnificent Mirqaat Sharh al Mishqaat:

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Translation: In another version of the same Ḥ adīth there is the wording: “Where is your Lord?”

It means that where is His place of decision, and His order, and the place where His dominion

and power are manifested. {She said: “In the sky”} Imam al-Qadi [‘Iyad] said: “The meaning is

that His command and His prohibition comes from the direction of the sky. The Prophet

[sallallahu alayhi wa sallam] did not mean to ask her about the whereabouts of Allāh, since He

transcends such an attribute as place, just as He transcends the attribute of time.

Rather, the Prophet [sallallahu alayhi wa sallam] intended to find out by his question to her

whether she was a monotheist declaring the uniqueness of Allah (muwahhidah), or whether she

was a polytheist (mushrikah) because the Arabs were worshipping idols. Each clan amongstthem had its special idol, which it worshipped and revered. Perhaps some of their ignorant and

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stupid people did not recognize any god whatsoever; therefore, the Prophet [sallallahu alayhi

wa sallam] wanted to ascertain what she worshipped. So when she said “in the sky,” or, as in

another version, she pointed to the sky, he [sallallahu alayhi wa sallam] understood that she

was a monotheist declaring the uniqueness of Allāh. In other words , he wanted to preclude the

gods on earth; that is, the idols.He did not mean to imply that He occupies a place in the sky, far-removed is Allāh from what

the transgressors ascribe to Him in their insolence. Moreover, the Prophet [sallallahu alayhi wa

sallam] had been ordered to speak to the people according to the extent of their intelligence,

and to guide them to the truth in way which was appropriate to their understanding.

So when the Prophet [sallallahu alayhi wa sallam] found that she believed that the one who

deserves to be worshipped is the God who implements His purpose from the sky to the earth,

not the gods which the pagans worshipped, he was satisfied with that much from her, and he

[sallallahu alayhi wa sallam] did not charge her with sheer unity (Sirf al-tauḤ īd )–the principle of

transcendence (Ḥaqīqat al-tanzīh) Some [of the ulamā’] have said that the meaning is that His

order and prohibition, His mercy and revelation comes from the sky. In that case, this hadīth is

similar [in its implications] to His word [sallallahu alayhi wa sallam]: “Do you feel secure from

Him who is in the sky…?” Furthermore, in some other [authentic] versions of this Ḥ adīth it

comes that this girl was dumb, and for that reason [Imām] al-Shafi‘ī [d.204 / 820; Cairo] permitted the freeing of a slave even if he is dumb. In such case, the words in

the Ḥ adīth “She said, ‘In the sky.’” mean that she pointed to the sky [since she could not speak,

obviously; and this is just what has come expressly in another version of the Ḥ adīth: “She

pointed to the sky.”] [Mullah Ali Qari in Mirqat Sharh al Mishqaat, Volume No. 6, Page nos.

452-453, Published by Dar ul Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon]

Now let's turn towards the Second fundamental proof which Literalists use to justify their

anthropomorphism and fool innocent Muslims in believing that Allah is an entity which literally

comes down to lowest heaven in the last part of night (Naudhobillah), the hadith which they citeis this

2) The Hadith of Descent

Book 004, Number 1656: (Sahih Muslim)

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Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Our Lord, the

Blessed and the Exalted, descends every night to the lowest heaven when one-third of the latter

part of the night is left,

and says: Who supplicates Me so that I may answer him? Who asks Me so that I may give to

him? Who asks Me forgiveness so that I may forgive him?

Before Sharah of this hadith is given, one has to understand that Allah is closest to believers

not only in the last part of night but everytime! H owever

He has stressed upon being very close at last part of the night so that Muslims strive to do more

Ibadah and wake up for Him. Similar metaphorical example is also given in a sahih hadith al

Qudsi that If we walk towards Him, He runs towards us! This however does not mean that Allah

is actually/literally running towards us.

Mullah Ali Qari (rah) said of this hadith:

You know that Imam Malik and al-Awazai, who are among the greatest of the early Muslims,

both gave detailed figurative interpretations to the hadith, Another of them was Jafar al-Sadiq.Indeed a whole group of them [the early Muslims], as well as later scholars, said that whoever

believes Allah to be in a particular physical direction is an unbeliever, as al-Iraqi has explicitly

stated, saying that this was the position of Abu Hanifa, Malik, al-Shafi'i, al-Ashari, and al-

Baqillani (

Mirqat al-mafatih: sharh Mishkat al-masabih. 5 vols. Cairo 1309/1892. Reprint. Beirut: Dar Ihya

al-Turath al-Arabi, n.d., 2.137)

In Sharah of this hadith Imam Nawawi (rah) also quotes Imam Malik (rah) and Awazai (rah) the

great Imams of our Islaaf who proved that such hadiths should be ''figuratively'' interpreted.

Imam Nawawi (rah) said:

: :

: .

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Translation: Imam Malik bin Anas (rah) and others (including Imam Awzai) interpreted it by

saying : ["your Lord descends"] means "His mercy, command, and angelsdescend," just as it is said, "The sultan did such-and-such," when his followers did it athis command. )

a is it that is second The ( :''METAPHOR ( )"signifying [Allah's] concern for those making supplication, by answering them and kindness

toward them (Sahih Muslim bi Sharh al-Nawawi, Volume No. 6, Page No.31, Published by Dar

ul Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon).

No acceptance by Imam Nawawi that Allah literally comes down (Naudhobillah) to the lowest

heaven as falsely asserted by salafis.

Imam Ibn Hajr al Asqalani (rah) says of this Hadith in his Fath al Bari

( ) :

, :.

Translation: Those who ''assert direction'' for Allah have used this hadith as proof that He is in

the direction of above-ness(uluww). The vast

majority of the scholars reject this, because saying such leads to establishing boundaries for

Him and Allah is exalted above that.[Fath ul Bari Sharh Sahih ul Bukhari, Volume No.3, Page No. 338 - Dar ul Fikr]

Ibn Baz the famous Salafi scholar gave a weird explanation to Imam Ibn Hajr’s quote by saying:

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Translation: Ibn Baz says: What he means by "the vast majority of the scholars" is the vast

majority of the scholars of kalam. As for Ahl al-Sunna -- and these are the Companions and

those who followed them in excellence – they assert a direction for Allah, andthat is the direction of elevation,

believing that the Exalted is above the Throne without giving an example and without enteringinto modality. The proofs from the Qur'an and the Sunna for this are innumerable, so take heed

and beware. And Allah knows best. [Fath ul Bari with forgeries added by Bin Baaz, Published by

Maktaba al Asriyyah, Beirut, Lebanon]

Audhobillah min Dhalik, However let's see forward in the same passage what Imam Ibn Hajr

has actually said and who he has quoted to conclude this issue, he has given detailed figurativeexplanation in light of other ahadith that it refers to Allah “Sending down (yunzilu) mercy and

angel rather than He descending himself (yanzilu) and nowhere has he said that Ahlus Sunnah,

companions and Islaaf pointed direction towards Allah.

Imam Ibn Hajr writes:

Translation: Some say that the ''Literal meaning is meant in true sense'': these are theMushabbiha and Allah is exalted above what they say.

Then he also wrote:

,

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Translation: Some have taken them as they have come, believing in them without specificity,

declaring Allah to be transcendent

above modality

(kayfiyya) and likeness to creation (tashbih): these are the vast majority of the Salaf. That

position is reported by Bayhaqi and others from the Four Imams, Sufyan ibn Ùyayna, Sufyan

al-Thawri, Hammad ibn Salama, Hammad ibn Zayd, al-Awzaì, al-Layth, and others.

Ibn Hajr al Asqalani (rah) continues

, , :

, .

, ,

,

. ,

, :

Translation: Imam(Abu Bakr) Ibn al-Àrabi(rah) said: "It is reported that the innovators have

rejected these hadiths, the Salaf let them pass as they came, and others interpreted them, and

my position is the last one. The saying: "He descends" refers to His acts not Hisessence, indeed it is an expression for His angels who descend with His command andHis prohibition.

And just as descent can concern bodies, it can also concern ideas or spiritual notions (maàni).If one takes the hadith to refer to a physical occurrence, then descent would be the attribute of

the angel sent to carry out an order. If one takes it to refer to a spiritual occurrence, that is, first

He did not act, then He acted: this would be called a descent from one rank to another, and this

is a sound Arabic meaning." In sum it is interpreted in two ways:

the first is: His command or His angel descends; the second is: it is a metaphor for Hisregard for supplicants, His answering them, and so forth.

,

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"

. " : ,

: . " "

: " ,

"

Translation: Abu Bakr ibn Furak said: Some of the masters have read it yu nzilu (He sends

down) instead of y a

nzilu (He descends), that is: He sends down an angel. This is strengthened by Nisa'i's narration

through al-Aghurr from Abu Hurayra and Abu Saìd al-Khudri: "Allah waits until the first part of

the night is over,then He orders a herald to say: Is there anyone supplicating so that he may be answered?..."

There is also the hadith of Ùthman ibn Abi al-Às: "The gates of heaven are opened in the

middle of the night and a herald calls out: Is there anyone supplicating so that he may be

answered?..." Al-Qurtubi said:

"This clears all ambiguity,

and there is no interference by the narration of Rufaàt al-Jahni whereby "Allah descends to the

nearest heaven and says: No-one other than I asks about My servants" for there is nothing in

this which precludes the above-mentioned interpretation. [Fath ul Bari, 3:339 - Dar ul Fikr]

:

, ,

Translation: Al-Baydawi said:"Since it is established with decisive proofs that the Exalted is

transcendent above having a body or being circumscribed by boundaries, it is

forbidden to attribute to Him descent in the sense of displacement from one place to another

place lower than it. What is meant is the light of His mercy: that is, He moves from what is

pursuant to the attribute of Majesty entailing wrath and punishment, to what is pursuant to the

attribute of Generosity entailing kindness and mercy.""

[ibid]

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Imam Ibn Hajr al Asqalani (rah) also states in his Fath al Bari that:

:

" "

, ( )

, , ,

Translation: And by including the hadith of Ibn Àbbas containing the words: "Lord of the

mighty Throne" into this chapter, Bukhari warned those that might predicate spatialelevation to Allah (ùluw fawqi) that both the direction in which the heaven is believed to

be

and that in which the Throne is believed to be are created, lorded over, and brought into

existence by Allah Who existed before all that and before everything else. Thus these places

were created, and his existence, being eternal without beginning, precludes reference to him as

being bounded by them. And Allah knows best.

Imam Ibn Hajr al Asqalani (rah) explains in his Fath al Bari again

,

Translation: The reality that the two directions of "above" and "below" are impossible for Allah

but it does not mean that he cannot be described with the attribute of elevation (ùluw), for such

description is only to denote highness, not that of sensory perception (Ibn Hajar, Fath al-bari

6:240 - Kitab ul Jihad, Published by Dar ul Fikr)

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3) The Book over the throne

Volume 9, Book 93, Number 643: (Sahih Bukhari)

Narrated Abu Huraira:

I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "Before Allah created the creations, He wrote a Book (wherein

He has written): My Mercy has preceded my Anger." and that (Book) is written with Him over

the Throne."

First of all ''With him'' refers to position of rank and definitely not location, becauselocations can never apply to him, if directed towards him then it contradicts the clear message in

Surat al Ikhlaas and verses like "there is nothing whatsoever like unto Him" (Qur'an 42:11)

Imam Ibn Hajr al-Asqalani (rah) explains in his Fath al Bari

, ,

,, " " .

, ( ) ,

: , ,

( )

Translation: When we say: "Allah is above the Throne" (Allah àla al-àrsh), it does not meanthat He is touching it or that He is located on it or bounded by a certain side of theThrone. Rather, it

is a report which is transmitted as is, and so we repeat it while at the same time negating any

modality for there is nothing like Him whatsoever, and from Him is all success.As for "over His

throne" (in the hadith) it refers to the Book. Some have taken it in the sense of "upwards from

His Throne," as in Allah's saying: "a gnat, or anything above it" (2:26), but this is far-fetched. Ibn

Abu Jamra (d. 695) said: "It may be said from the fact that the Book is mentioned as being

"above the Throne" that the divine wisdom has decreed for the Throne to carry whatever Allahwishes of the record of His judgment, power, and the absolute unseen known of Him alone, so

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as to signify the exclusivity of His encompassing knowledge regarding these matters, making

the Throne one of the greatest signs of the exclusivity of His knowledge of the Unseen. This

could explain the verse al-rahmanu àl al-àrshi istawa as referring to whatever Allah wills of His

power, which is the Book He has placed above His Throne." [Fath ul Bari, 15:371 - Dar ul Fikr]

Now these were the proofs in light of leading Commentators of Bukhari and Muslim (i.e. Imam

Ibn Hajr al Asqalani - Rahimuhullah and Imam Nawawi - Rahimuhullah), plus the greatest

Seerah Author i.e. Imam Qadhi Iyaad (rah), The expert in theology/hadith i.e. Imam Abu Bakr

Ibn Arabi (rah) and many others!

.

We would like to conclude with the explanation of Imam Bukhari (Rahimuhullah) himself on

"WAJH (FACE)" of Allah, according to Salafis all such attributes are to be taken literally and

giving Taweel on any of them makes the person as Jahimi, now let us see if Salafis are true to

their words.

.

28

.

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{ } .

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.

http://www.al-eman.com/hadeeth/viewchp.asp?BID=13&CID=139&SW=????-?????#SR1

.

Imam Bukhari (rah) interpreted “Wajh (Face)” as "DOMINION OF ALLAH" [Sahih Bukhari,

Kitab at-Tafseer]

.

So we ask Salafis whether Imam Bukhari (rah) was a Jahimi/Bidati? And remember we have

not diverted from topic because Salafis put all attributes of Allah in the same basket and take

them all literally, refutation of Salafis on false interpretation of one attribute is refutation of whole

Salafi sect.

Literalism is a Fitnah which had to be confronted and these Imams did a perfect job.



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Istawa and Descent of Allah