Then, AlSabuny in his third article stated, "No one should think that we prefer the Madhhab of the Khalaf to that of the Salaf and we are not of the opinion claimed by AlKalam scholars that the Madhhab of the Salaf is more secure and that the Madhhab of the Khalaf is more accurate. Rather, we in belief and
certitude say that the Madhhab of the Salaf is the most secure and most accurate. Hence, we do not try to
the Attributes of the Creator (Glorified and Exalted be He) but we rather believe in them as they are stated and acknowledge them as they are mentioned, and deny comparison and anthropomorphism". Then, he
He went on to say, "If those who allegorically interpret the Attributes are aberrant, we would deem the righteous Salaf aberrant, because they interpreted Allah's (Exalted be He) saying, There is no Najwâ (secret counsel) of three but He is their fourth (with His Knowledge, while He Himself is over the Throne, over the seventh heaven), nor of five but He is their sixth (with His Knowledge) For, they said that Allah is with them by His Knowledge and not by His Self. They also interpreted Allah's (Exalted be He) saying, And He is with you (by His Knowledge) wheresoever you may be. claiming that His accompaniment of them is by His Knowledge, so that the (Divine) Self would not be (regarded as) multiple. Likewise, we will judge the hafizh Ibn Kathir as aberrant because he commented on Allah's (Exalted be He) saying, But We (i.e. Our angels who take the soul) are nearer to him than you, but you see not, (Tafsir AtTabarî) '(It means) Our angels are nearer to Him than you but you do not see them'. He also interpreted Allah's (Exalted be He) saying, And We are nearer to him than his jugular vein (by Our Knowledge). as, 'It means: Our angels are nearer to man than his jugular vein', while immanentism is unanimously refuted. May Allah be Glorified and Exalted!" He added, "Rather, we say that Ta'wil is sometimes incumbent as is the case with the following authentic Hadith: The Black Stone is Allah's Right Hand in His earth and with the verse in which Allah (Exalted be He) says about the Nuh's Ark, And We carried him on a (ship) made of planks and nails, Floating under Our
A: He did well in choosing the Madhhab of the righteous Salaf and believing that it is the most secure, most accurate, and most informed. However, he did not persist in it, but rather chose
the Madhhab of Ta'wil at times and the Madhhab of Tafwid at other times while it is obligatory that the Muslims adhere to the truth and never deviate from it. Furthermore, what he mentioned about the Salaf as regards their interpretation of Allah's (Exalted be He) saying, And He is with you (by His Knowledge) that it means "by His Knowledge", is not an allegorical interpretation. Rather, it is the meaning of the verses "on being in the company of Allah" in the sight of AhlulSunnah walJama'ah as related by Imam Abu `Umar ibn `AbdulBarr and Abu `Umar AlTelamnaky that AhlulSunnah unanimously agree to this view because it is affirmed by the related texts of the Qur'an and the Sunnah, which indicate Allah's Highness, Sublimity, and being far above immanentism. Thus, whoever contemplates the verses related to the present issue would perceive that the meaning of (Allah's) company is His encompassment of His Slaves' affairs and circumstances, while 'the special company' refers to His preservation, protection, safeguarding, and support of His prophets and Awliya', as well as His encompassment of their circumstances. Undoubtedly, the Arabs upon whom the Book was sent down and in whose language the Sunnah was expressed are acquainted with this meaning. As it was not ambiguous to them, they did not ask the Prophet (peace be upon him) about the meaning of such verses. Rather, it was crystal clear for them. However, the other texts need no allegorical interpretation since their meanings are clear, such as Allah's (Exalted be He) saying, Floating under Our Eyes , in order that you may be brought up under My Eye. and, So wait patiently (O Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ) for the Decision of your Lord, for verily, you are under Our Eyes For, none could ever imagine that the ship floats with Allah's Eye or that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is in Allah's Eye. Rather, it means that the ship floats through Allah's protection, preservation, safeguarding of and subjecting it, and that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is sheltered by His Lord's preservation, protection, and guardianship. This also applies to Allah's saying about Musa (Moses) in order that you may be brought up under My Eye. i.e. under My Preservation and Protection. This is also the case with the Hadith (in which Allah says), I would become his hearing with which he hears, and his sight with which he sees which is explained through His saying in
the other narration, I become his sense of hearing with which he hears, his sense of sight with which he sees, and his hand with which he grips, and his leg with which he walks. Anyone having the least acquaintance with the Arabic language could never take the text to mean that Allah is man's hearing, sight, hand, or leg; Glorified and High be He above such great falsehood. Rather, Allah (Exalted be He) intended to demonstrate through it that He guides His Awliya' and directs their sense and moves to the right because of their obedience to Him and performance of their religious duties. Other Hadith also carry this meaning. As for the Hadith, The Black Stone is Allah's Right Hand. it is a Da`if (weak) Hadith, which is narrated from Ibn `Abbas (without being attributed to the Prophet, peace be upon him) and its meaning is clear, whether it is Marfu` (a Hadith narrated from the Prophet with a connected or disconnected chain of narration) or Mawquf (words or deeds narrated from a Companion of the Prophet that are not attributed to the Prophet). It is also narrated in the same Hadith: It is as if he had shaken hands with Allah and kissed His Right Hand. which indicates that the Stone is not the Right Hand of Allah. Rather, the one who touches or kisses it is likened to the one who shakes hands with Allah and kisses
His Right Hand, to arouse interest in touching and kissing the Black Stone. Likewise, Allah's (Exalted be He) saying in the authentic Hadith to His Slave, I was sick but you did not visit Me and I asked food from you but you did not feed Me is explained in the same Hadith as Allah (Exalted be He) says, Do not you know that if you visit him, you will find Me there. And if you feed him, you will receive the reward from Me. This clarifies that Allah (Exalted be He) never gets sick or hungry. Rather, Allah (Exalted be He) urges people to visit the sick and feed the hungry.
As for Allah's (Exalted be He) saying, And We are nearer to him than his jugular vein (by Our Knowledge). and But We (i.e. Our angels who take the soul) are nearer to him than you, a group (of scholars) viewed that it refers to the angels because their nearness to the slave when the two receivers (recording angels) receive and at the time of death has been decreed by Allah's (Glorified be He) Command, Predestination, and Preservation of His Slaves.
Other exegetes, however, viewed that Allah's (Glorified be He) nearness is through His Omnipotence, Omniscience, and Encompassment of His Slaves, like His accompaniment of and nearness to His worshippers along with His (Glorified be He) Sublimity and Highness. It neither means immanentism or identicalness [with His Slaves], Glorified and Exalted be He above this, since conclusive evidence from the Qur'an and the Sunnah verify that He (Glorified be He)
is over the Throne, detached from His Creation, and high above them while His omniscience is pervasive everywhere. Hence, whoever contemplates the texts of the Qur'an and the Sunnah and interprets each through each will discover this meaning and will have no need to resort to Ta'wil. Abu Ja`far ibn Jarir (may Allah be merciful with him) chose the second view when interpreting (the verses of) Surah Qaf, and the first view when interpreting Surah AlWaqi`ah.
Moreover, Ahlu lSunnah condemned those who allegorically interpreted the texts on Attributes and branded them as innovators in religion, because such an interpretation results in various falsities, in displacement of words from their right place, in denial of Allah's (Glorified be He) Attributes of Perfection and mistrust of Him, and in the belief that He addressed His Slaves in what appears to likening and comparison while something else is intended.
Such is the discreditable Ta'wil, which was adopted by AhlulKalam. AhlulSunnah, however, condemned them and dismissed them as aberrant because of their deviation from real to allegorical interpretation of the texts, and distancing them from their manifest right meanings without evidence, argument, or Sunnah depending on their reasoning and views with no authority from Allah. As their views are neither sustained by argument nor corroborated by evidence, Ahlu lSunnah imputed to them all that they affirmed of allegorical interpretation. Indeed, no one is free from paradox and false conclusions except those who affirm what Allah and His Messenger affirmed and disaffirm what Allah and His Messenger disaffirmed, namely AhlulSunnah walJama`ah.