4 Imaams On The Asmaa Wa Sifaat Of Allah

[Nasir.Mahmood]

What was the creed of the Four Imaams concerning Tawheed al-Asmaa was-Sifaat?
Imaam Abu Hanifa (d.150H)

“Allaah is not to be described with the attributes of the creation. And His Anger and His Pleasure are two Attributes from His Attributes, without inquiry into their modality (bilaa kayf), and this is the statement of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah. He becomes Angry, and He becomes pleased, and it is not to be said: His Anger is His Punishment and His Pleasure is His Reward. And we describe Him as He described Himself, One, Eternal, He does not beget, nor is He begotten, and there is none equal to Him, the Ever-Living, All-Capable, All-Hearing, Ever-Watchful, All-Knowing. The Hand of Allaah is above their hands. It is not like the hands of His creation, and His Face is not like the faces of His creation.”

[al-Fiqhul-Absat (p.56)]
“And He has a Hand and a Face and an Essence (dhaat), as Allaah the Exalted mentions in the Qur’aan. So whatever Allaah the Exalted mentioned in the Qur’aan in regards to the Face and the Hand and the Essence, then these are His Attributes without inquiry into their modality (bilaa kayf). And it is not to be said that His Hand is His Power, or His Bounty (ni’mah), because it is nullification of the Attribute, and it is the statement of the people of al-Qadar and al-I’tizaal.”

[al-Fiqhul-Akbar (p.302)]
“And His Attributes are not like the attributes of the creation, and His Knowledge is not like our knowledge, and His Capability is not like our capability, and His Sight is not like our sight, and His Hearing is not like our hearing, and His Speech is not like our speech.”
[al-Fiqhul-Akbar (p.302)]

Imaam Maalik Ibn Anas (d.179H)

ad-Daaraqutnee (d.385) – rahimahullah – relates from Waleed Ibn Muslim who said,
‘I asked Maalik and ath-Thawree (d.161H) and al-Awzaa’ee (d.157H) and al-Layth Ibn Sa’d about the narrations concerning the Attributes (sifaat). So they all said: ‘Pass them on as they have come.”

[ad-Daaraqutnee in as-Sifaat (p. 75) and by al-Aaujurree in ash-Sharee'ah (p. 314) and by al-Bayhaqee in al-I'tiqaad (p. 118) and Ibn 'Abdul-Barr in at-Tamheed (7/149)]
Aboo Nu’aym relates from Ja’far Ibn ‘Abdullaah who said,
‘We were with Maalik Ibn Anas, so a man came, so he said, “O Abaa ‘Abdullaah,
“The Most Merciful has ascended above His Throne,” [Soorah Taa Haa 20:5]
How has He ascended?
So anger came over Maalik such that no affair like this had ever caused to come over him. So he looked towards the earth and scratched with his cane in his hand, until he raised his hand and wiped the sweat from his forehead, tossed the cane aside, and said, ‘The modality (kayf) of it cannot be comprehended by the intellect, and al-istiwaa’ (ascent) is not unknown, and having faith in it is obligatory, and the question concerning it is an innovation. And I think that you are a person of innovation,’ and he commanded him to leave.”

[Related in al-Hilyah (6/325-326), and it is also related by as-Saaboonee in 'Aqeedatus-Salaf wa Ashaabul-Hadeeth (p. 17-18) by way of Ja'far Ibn 'Abdullaah from Maalik, and Ibn 'Abdul-Barr in at-Tamheed (7/151) by way of 'Abdullaah Ibn Naafi' from Maalik, and al-Bayhaqee in al-Asmaa' was-Sifaat (p. 408) by way of 'Abdullaah Ibn Wahb from Maalik. Ibn Hajar said in Fathul-Baaree (13/406-407) that its isnaad (chain of narrators) is hasan (good). And it was authenticated by adh-Dhahabee in al-'Uluww (p. 103)]

Imaam Ash-Shaafi’ee (d.204H)

“And the praise is for Allaah…who is as He described Himself, and far above whatever His creation is described with.”

[ar-Risaalah (p. 7-8) of ash-Shaafi'ee]

Adh-Dhahabee mentions in as-Siyar from ash-Shaafi’ee that he said,
“We affirm these Attributes that the Qur’aan came with, and that are mentioned in the Sunnah. And we negate tashbeeh (resemblance) from Him[1], as He negated from Himself, so He said,
“There is nothing like unto Him.” [Sooratus-Shooraa 42:11]

[1] Imaam Ishaaq Ibn Raahawayh (d.238H) said, “Tashbeeh can only occur if one says, ‘The Hand is like my hand,’ or, ‘The Hearing is like my hearing,’ so this is tashbeeh. As for when he says Hand, Hearing and Sight as Allaah said, then he must not ask how, nor must he inquire about the likeness. So this cannot be tashbeeh.” Refer to Mukhtasirul-’Uluww (p. 191).
[Siyar A'laamun-Nubalaa' (20/341)]

Imaam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal (d.241H)

‘Abdullaah Ibn Ahmad said in Kitaabus-Sunnah, that Ahmad said,
“Whosoever alleges that Allaah does not speak, then he is a disbeliever. Verily we pass these ahaadeeth on as they come.”

[as-Sunnah (p. 71) of 'Abdullah Ibn Ahmad Ibn Hanbal]
Ibn Taymiyyah mentions in ad-Dar’ that Imaam Ahmad said,
“We believe that Allaah is above His Throne however He wishes and as He wishes, without a limit (hadd), nor an Attribute that the describer can comprehend, nor a limit which the describer can place. So the Attributes of Allaah are from Him and for Him, and He is as He described Himself, He cannot be encompassed (in vision) by the eyes.”

[Dar'ut-Ta'aarudul-'Aql wan-Naql (2/30)]
[For more detailed information please refer to the book, The Creed of the Four Imaams, T.R.O.I.D Publications]
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