19. KNOWLEDGE FALSIFIERS (WOULD-BE PEOPLE OF KNOWLEDGE)
I wonder at those who claim to possess knowledge (ilm) and yet incline towards anthropomorphism (tashbih) because of their understanding of religious texts based on their apparent meanings. Had they accepted these hadiths as they had received them, they would have assured their own safety because when a person takes these hadiths as they are, without objection or interpretation, this is a person who neither said what can be used against him nor in his favour.
In the other extreme, knowledge of some people was inadequate so this caused them to assume the understanding of divine texts differently to their apparent meaning, which is a type of negation [of Allah’s attributes] (ta’til) while, if they comprehended the broad scope of the Arabic language, they would not have assumed so.
The example of this group who only take the apparent meaning is like when al-Haj jaj said to his servant after hearing al-Khansa’s poetry praising him: ‘Cut her tongue.’ The foolish servant immediately pulled out a knife in order to cut her tongue but al-Khansa stopped him and said, ‘Woe to you!’ The meaning of what he said implied giving her what she wants until she is content. Then she went to al-Hajjaj complaining to him saying, by Allah, your servant was about to cut my tongue for real. This was also the method of the Dhahiri people who were not sufficed with accepting texts as they are. In contrast however, if a person recited verses and hadiths without adding his own interpretation, I would never blame him or criticize him because that is the method of the righteous.
As for those who say the hadith entails such and such or is interpreted to have such and such a meaning, are actually adding to the hadith what they understood based on the five senses and not based on divine text. For example, when someone says, “Allah rose above His throne by His Essence or He descends to the lower sky by His Essence”, he actually adds “by His Essence” to it as he understands such actions based on the (natural) laws of his surroundings and not based on Qur’an and hadiths texts.
I also wonder at a man from the land of Andalusia, named Ibn ‘Abdu’l-Barr, who authored a book titled al-Tamhid, in which he commented on the hadith of Allah’s descending to the lower sky, saying: “This indicates that Allah, Most High, is above His throne because otherwise descending would have no meaning.” This statement cannot be said by anyone except a person, who lacks the knowledge about Allah, Exalted is He, because such an understanding is deduced by his senses that explains to him the mechanism of the descending of objects, upon which he used it to analogize Allah’s Attribute.
How’ far are some people from adhering to the transmitted texts only? Their statements are the worst of what interpreters may say, and yet ironically, they condemn the mutakallimun (speculative theologians).
O you, seeker of guidance! You should know that sound reasoning and divine texts established for us two profound principles through which Prophetic narrations are understood i.e. The divine text is the statement of Allah,
“There is nothing like unto Him.” [al-Shura (42): 11 ]
wherein He negates all possibility of understanding Allah’s Attributes based on what is necessitated and deduced by our senses.
The second principle is the sound reasoning of mankind that understands that the Creator is separate from the creation, and has concluded such a fact by realising the changes happening and effecting the creation, and so deduced, by affirmation, the eternity of the Creator.
I truly wonder at those who respond without understanding the nature of speech.
The authentic hadith mentioned that death will be slaughtered in a location between Paradise and Hell?
Would the intellect of mankind not interpret this incident differently to what it appears, if it was sufficed by none but its capacity, because the intellect of human beings perceive death as an event that necessitates the negation of life, thus knowing the death of death will be impossible?
If someone asked, what is the response to the fact mentioned in the hadith about the death of death, the response would be: ‘This is a portrait given to inform the creation about the end of death.’ It could be argued, as is reported in the authentic hadith that the Surah al-Baqarah and Al-‘Imran would come on the Day of Judgment just like two clouds!
The reply would be that words cannot be a cloud or even resemble it. However, the counter-argument to this response will necessitate denying the reported text of the hadith. But, the response in such a case is that, there is no denial or objection to the text. This is because the hadith means that the clouds that are mentioned actually mean the reward, [however, some have suggested they are real clouds].
The question that will arise accordingly is: ‘what is the evidence that made the apparent meanings of these hadiths be discarded?’
The answer is: ‘Knowledge tells us that words cannot resemble bodies and death cannot be slaughtered like animals.’
Besides, the Arabic language, as everyone knows, is very robust, rich and very commonly expressed in this way. The would-be people of knowledge would then interfere to affirm all this and accept what has been stated as the truth.
To which I say, ‘1 wonder at you! You refused to ascribe to death and words what does not suit or conform to them because you wanted to maintain what you understand about their real nature and reality, yet you do not seem to negate what necessitates the resemblance between the Creator and His creation, even though evidence is established in this regard!’
Opponents insist on arguing and refusing to admit the truth until the truth prevails.
(source: al-Hafiz Abu’l-Faraj ibn al-jawzl [d. 597AH] “CAPTURED THOUGHTS being” a translation of his masterpiece ‘Sayd al-K hatir)
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