It Is The People Of Ta’weel Who Liken Allaah To The Creation

Know dear readers that it is the person of ta’weel who is in fact likening Allah to the creation, not the one who affirms what Allaah has affirmed for himself.

It is a fact, that the Mu’awwil (the one who does ta’weel) of the Attributes of Allaah, in fleeing from tashbeeh (saying there is any resemblance, i.e, anthropomorphism) and fearing it, has been ignorant of a great reality and this is the impossibility of there being any likeness between the Attributes of Allaah and the attributes of His slaves, since there can be no likeness between the Attributes of the Creator and the attributes of the creation (1) ever.

And this is due to the fact that Allaah has informed us that there is nothing like Him and He is the All-Hearing, and the All-Seeing, and that He is Unique (Ahad) and that there is no equal to Him.

The one who perform ta’weel is also a denier (mukadhdhib) because he has rejected (2) Allaah with respect to His saying:

“There is nothing like Him,” [42:11]

And this is because he understood the Attributes with which Allaah has described Himself with to be similar to those of the creation, so the anthropomorphism (tashbeeh) initiated in him and in his understanding.

Know, that “There is nothing like Him, and He is the All-Hearing, The All-Seeing.” [42:11]

And from this, the falsehood of the people of Innovation – when they say about those who are upon the way of the Salaf – that they commit tashbeeh (resemble Allaah to the creation) but seek to protect themselves by the saying, “But we do not know how,” is known. For the Ahlu Sunnah are the most furthest from committing tashbeeh.

Footnotes:

(1) Just like the Life of Allaah is different form our life. Allaah is Alive (Al-Hayy) yet His life differs from our life. We require air to live, He does not. Our life was with a beggining and an end, His is not. Refer to this post for more info.

(2) When a person twists the meaning of one of the Attributes of Allaah (i.e. does ta’weel), then he has, whether he sees it or not, denied that Attribute. And it is for this reason that Abul-Qaasim Ibn mandah said in his book “Ar-radd ‘Alal Jahmiyyah” that “to the Ashaabul Hadeeth, ta’weel is a form of rejection (takdheeb).” And the same has been stated by many of the Salaf including Imaam Aboo Hanefah as I have quoted previously in one of me older posts.

[Taken from “Foundations Of The Sunnah, Pp. 127-128 with slight editing]

From The Dangers Of Ta’weel (Twisting The Meanings Of The Attributes Of Allaah)

Muhammad Ibn ‘Abdul-‘Aleem Abdul-Hammaam said, after addressing the issue of interpolating istiwaa (He ascended) to mean istawlaa (He conquered):

“…And from this is the danger of ta’weel (i.e, that it necessitates the consideration of Allaah and His Messenger (saw) to have lied) and Ibn al-Qayyim explains that it (ta’weel) is more evil than ta’teel (denial), which is merely, ‘denying the Divine Attributes and rejecting their being established with the Self of Allaah (Dhaat), the Most Perfect‘, because it (ta’weel) contains both tashbeeh (resemblance), and ta’teel (denial) (1) and also playing and fooling with the texts as well as having a bad opinion of them.

The Mu’attil (deniar of the Atributes) and the Mu’awwil (one who interpolates them (i.e. does ta’weel)) have shared (with each other) in the denial of the realities of the Names and Attributes, but the Mu’awwil (one who interpolates them (i.e. does ta’weel)) has exceeded in his playing and fooling with the texts and having a bad opinion of them and also ascribing to the one who speaks with them – that he speaks with their apparent (meanings), that he is astray and leads others astray.”

Muhammad Ibn ‘Abdul-‘Aleem Abdul-Hammaam then goes on to mention some more dangers of ta’weel. In short  a person who does ta’weel is indirectly saying:

(a) The apparent meaning of what Allaah and His Messenger has said is false, kufr and impossible.

(b) Believing in the apparent meaning of what Allaah and His Messenger has said makes you resemble Allaah to the creation.

(c) Allaah and His Messenger should have been more clearer in speach!

(d) Those who perform ta’weel are more clearer and eloquent in describing Allaah.

(e) It (i.e. doing ta’weel) is being a form of correcting and rectifying Allaah and His Messenger.

Footnotes:

(1) Because one sees in his mind some sort of resemblance (tashbeeh) so then he resorts to changing their meanings (ta’weel) which is an indirect ta’teel (denial) of that Attribute.