Verses and Traditions that appear blasphemous to Ash’ari heretics

‘Blasphemy’ #1: God is the light of the heavens and the earth

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This is blasphemous only according to your Jahmi beliefs, which is contrary to al-Ash’ari’s belief in Maqalat al-Islamiyyin as also confirmed by al-Qurtubi. Al-Ash’ari clearly states that Allah is light, but not like any other light, just as He has a face not like any other face, etc.

This is not only due to the verse, but also many other ahadeeth where clear reference is made to Allah’s light. From such ahadeeth is the Prophet seeking refuge from the light of Allah’s face.


‘Blasphemy’ #2: God is with us

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This is old. Bring us something new.

The dhahir of ‘God is with us’ is that He is with us with His help, aid and knowledge. No one understands from this that God is sitting next to you.

Just as your Arab friend my right to you via email: ‘Go and take on these Wahhabis, comrade! I am with you!’ The first meaning that comes to your mind is that he is with you with help and support. Unless you are really stupid and begin to think: ‘Really?! Are you really with me? Where? In my pocket?!’

‘Blasphemy’ #3: God’s coming

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And where is the isnad? Is it authentic? Do you even care? Seriously, do you even care? Or as usual, you are throwing at me whatever you can get your hands on?

In fact, I challenge you to quote to me one scholar from the Salaf who said that Allah cannot move, come, descend, etc, because he is beyond all the hawadith, which is the attribute of all created things. I challenge you to quote to me one scholar from the Salaf that Allah will not come, and that the texts are not to be understood as they appear!

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The quote from Ibn al-Qattan does not mean anything, nor does the fact that he is a muhaddith. Al-Bayhaqi was also a muhaddith and al-Ash’ari.

As for his claim about Ijma’ over negation of movement or change, then that is negating by many of the Salaf (including Imam Ahmad) censuring the one who negates such, and even some going to the lengths of affirming movement for Allah, as Ibn Rajab states towards the end of his published Fath al-Bari.

And of course, the claim that Imam Ahmad made ta’wil has been dealt with again and again, such as here, and in this very thread.


‘Blasphemy’ #4: Nowhere is there a secret counsel between three persons but He is the fourth of them

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The dhahir of this is that He IS with us with knowledge, and not that he is standing next to us listening carefully to what is being said, quite like ‘God is with us’. What matters is what first comes to the mind, and this is the dhahir that we affirm.


‘Blasphemy’ #5: Build the ark under our eyes

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Yes, because being watched under one’s eyes means under observation and knowledge. It does not mean that Allah does not have eyes.

This is why you cannot bring to us ONE QUOTE from the Salaf (and this another challenge to you), where they explicitly state that Allah is not a substance, nor an accident, nor a body, and is not divisible, and therefore, He cannot move, nor have a face, nor eyes, nor hands, etc… NOT ONE QUOTE from the Salaf. Because your Salaf are none other than Ja’d b. Dirham and Jahm b. Safwan, tracing their lineage back to Aristotle.


‘Blasphemy’ #6: Lest any soul should say: Alas, my grief that I was unmindful of Allah’s side (i.e. His right), and I was indeed among the scoffers!

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The vast majority of the scholars from the Salaf did not understand this verse to be pertaining to Allah’s Attributes, which is the correct opinion, as al-Imam al-Darimi states in his rebuttal of one of your ancestors, al-Marrisi.

This is because a person cannot do wrong in Allah’s Attribute. One can only do wrong with respect to Allah’s right, and this is what is meant by Janb here, and surely, this is the first thing that comes to mind.


‘Blasphemy’ #7: God laughs

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Prove that al-Bukhari said it. Besides, as I have said elsewhere:

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‘Blasphemy’ #8: They fear their Lord from above them

And then you say:

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Further proof that you are a pure Jahmi Mu’tazili heretic, even according to al-Ash’ari who you claim to follow.

This is what al-Ash’ari says in his maqalat about al-Jubbai al-Mu’tazili:

وزعم انه لا يجوز ان يوصف البارىء بأنه فوق عباده على الحقيقة فان وجدنا ذلك في صفات الله تعالى فهو مجاز وقد قال الله سبحانه وهو القاهر فوق عباده واراد به القادر المستولى على العباد فجعل قوله فوق بدلا من قوله مستعل قال وقد نقول فوق عباده في العلم والقدرة اى هو اعلم واقدر منهم وهو توسع

“He claimed that God may not be described being literally above His servants. If such were to be found in the texts pertaining to God’s attributes, then that is to be regarded as a metaphor”

And this is what you, too, believe.

Furthermore, the verse:

يخافون ربهم من فوقهم

“They fear their Lord from above them”

The ‘min’ here cancels out ANY possibility of ta’wil.

Besides, the proofs for Allah’s literal elevation above His creation are too numerous to be denied by a simple re-interpretation of just one verse. If you really want to take that route, then go ahead and get busy with interpreting the following:

1) “Then He rose over the throne” – as it occurs in many places in the Quran

2) “Do you feel secure from the one who is in the heavens” in two places

3) “To Him do ascend the good words and the good deeds”

4) “He plans the affairs from the heaven to the earth, then it will ascend to Him”

5) “The angels and the spirit ascend to Him”

6) “When Allah said: Isa, I will take you back and raise you up to Me”

7) “Rather, Allah raised him up to Him”

8) “(The Pharaoh said) O Haman! Build me a lofty palace, that I may attain the ways and means- The ways and means of (reaching) the heavens, and that I may mount up to the god of Moses: But as far as I am concerned, I think (Moses) is a liar!” Meaning: I believe Musa is lying when he tells me that there is a God in the heavens.

9) al-Bukhari’s narration that Zaynab used to say to the other wives of the Prophet: “You were married off by your families. I was married of by Allah from above the seven heavens”

10) Muslim’s famous narration about the Prophet asking the slave girl: Where is Allah? To which the slave girl responds: In the heavens. In response to this the Prophet says: Free her, for she is a believer. A Muslim slave girl puts you, the intellectual carrots, to shame!

11) The ascent of the Prophet – SallAllahu ‘alaihi wa-sallam – to the heavens, famously known as al-Isra wal-Mi’raj. Where did he go, if not UP TO THE HEAVENS?

12) The fact that Allah descends in the last third of the night to forgive, as explicitly mentioned in the ahadeeth.

13) The fact that the angels and His revelation, descend from Him. ‘We have sent down…’ is an often ‘blasphemous’ occurrence in the Quran.

14) The Hadeeth of Ibn Mas’ud about the day of judgement when Allah will gather the creation and everyone will be looking UP towards the heavens, waiting for Allah’s judgement. Al-Dhahabi declared it Hasan.

15) ‘Umar said: the order comes from here – pointing to the sky (sahih)

16) Ibn Mas’ud said: The Throne is above water, and Allah is above the throne. Nothing is hidden to him from your actions (Sahih)

17) ‘Aisha said: Allah knows, from above the Throne, that I did not like the killing of ‘Uthman. (Sahih)

18) Ibn ‘Abbas said: Allah was above His Throne before He had created anything (Sahih). He also said to ‘Aisha: Allah, from above the seven heavens, revealed the fact about your innocence. (Sahih)

19) Masruq would say whenever he related a hadeeth from ‘Aisha: I was informed by the truthful woman, beloved to Allah, the one who was declared innocent from above the seven heavens. (Sahih)

20) al-Dhahhak said: Allah is above His throne, whilst His knowledge is with them wherever they may be. (Sahih)

And I can go on and on, but the 20 quotes I have listed, from the Quran, the Sunna and the Athar should be enough to keep you busy with their ta’wil for a year to come.

Unless, Allah decides to be merciful with you and open up your eyes to the fact that you are on a deen contrary to the deen depicted and explicitly stated above in our religious texts.


‘Blasphemy’ #9: Then God ascended to the heavens…

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Firstly, this is a clear example to all the readers of your wretched heart. You are a distorter of texts and religion by profession.

From what you quoted, Ibn Jarir clearly states:

وأوْلى المعاني بقول الله جل ثناؤه:"ثم استوى إلى السماء فسوَّاهن"، علا عليهن وارتفع

“The most befitting/appropriate/suitable/preferred of all the (aforementioned) meanings with respect to Allah’s saying: ‘He then rose to the heavens’ and then He made them…’, meaning He rose (‘ala) and ascended (irtafa’a) over them”.

‘Ala and Irtafa’a literally means to rise over something.

You distorted al-Tabari’s words and translated them as following:

“The original meaning of God’s words “then He Istiwa” is to be high and above”

Ye shameless heretic!

Secondly, don’t you realise that al-Tabari is actually refuting your own ta’wilat in his brilliant statement above, O brainless heretic?! Or just as you quoted Yasir Qadhi (out of all people!) in support for your doctrine, not knowing what he’s saying, you did the same with al-Tabari and shot yourself in the foot!

Thirdly, al-Tabari by saying: ‘not that of movement nor change of locality’, is refuting those who state that rising to the heavens necessitates movement, because as he argues, iqbal – to turn to – also necessitates movement. Otherwise, he has already made his position crystal clear, that the most appropriate of all interpretations is to say that God literally rose and ascended to the heavens!

Besides, Al-Tabari is the LAST person you want to quote in defence of ta’wil, for his views are more than explicit, as I have often quoted him in this post alone contradicting your manhaj from head to toe.

Further proof of al-Tabari’s belief that Allah is in the heavens is when he explains the meaning of 40:36-37: “Meaning: That perhaps I (pharaoh) may reach the gates of heavens, the gates that would allow me to see the God of Moses; for I believe Moses to be a liar with respect to what he says and claims; that he has a Lord in the heavens who sent him” 24/64

Look for a heretic like yourself to defend your heresies. You won’t find support for your heresies in Sunni literature, like that of al-Tabari.


‘Blasphemy’ #10: For his Lord is between him and the Qibla…

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Who are you trying to convince here by quoting Ibn Hajar?! Yourself? Good for you, then.

Ibn Hajar isn’t a proof for us, at least, anyway. So we say in refutation of Ibn Hajar’s aforementioned claim:

Firstly, this could only be a refutation of those who believe God is by Himself upon the Throne, if Ibn Hajar and you think that God is by Himself between the person and the Qibla, in a horizontal line as it were. But since I know that neither you, nor Ibn Hajar believe that to begin with, how can that, then, be a refutation of those who believe that God by Himself is upon the Throne?

Secondly, the dhahir of the hadeeth does not even dictate what you and Ibn Hajar have understood from it. Rather, it is possible for something to be in front of a person and above, both at the same time. The moon is a good example where if a person faces the moon and addresses it with some words, we would say that the person is actually facing the moon, while the moon still remains above him. If this is possible between two creations, then even more so with the creator.
‘Blasphemy’ #11: He is a God in the heavens and God on the earth.

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Blame your own ignorance, shallow understanding and a diseased heart for such absurd understanding.

We literally believe that Allah is al-Ilah – the one who is worshiped – in the heavens and the earth, and this is the dhahir of the Quran.

Or would you now disagree and say contrary to the dhahir of the Quran, that Allah is neither worshipped in the heavens nor the earth?!

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Idiots should speak for themselves.
Allah is a derivative of the word ilah – the one who is worshiped, and the meaning of this verse as exactly the same as above. I.e. the dhahir of this verse is that He is Allah – the one who deserves our worship in the heavens and the earth.

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No. You learnt this rhetoric from the Christians, as Imam Ahmad said; Zanadiqat al-Nasara – a heretical group amongst the Christians, and he is obviously referring to Hellenistic Christianity.

You did not invent the philosophy of substances, bodies and accidents. You borrowed it in bulk from Zanadiqat al-Nasara. You are too dumb to be original in any of this nonsense.
‘Blasphemy’ #12: The black stone is God’s right hand on earth…

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The Hadeeth is your own refutation because you fail to understand the apparent meaning of the hadeeth (rather the athar of Ibn ‘Abbas).

“The Black Stone is God’s right hand on this earth. Whoever shakes it or kisses it, it is as if he shook or kissed God’s right hand”

Firstly: The dhahir of the athar does not just say: ‘Allah’s right hand’, rather it restricts it by saying: ‘Allah’s right hand on earth’, by which we know that this is NOT Allah’s attribute.

Secondly, the dhahir of the athar clearly shows that the stone is NOT Allah’s attribute, since it states: ‘Whoever shakes or kisses it, it is as if he shook or kissed God’s right hand”’. ‘it is as if’ means, in actual fact he is NOT shaking or kissing Allah’s hands… but this is the closest one can get. This is called tashbeeh in ‘ilm al-bayan, and as it is well known, al-mushabbah is NOT al-mushabbah bihi. If I say, if you go to Scotland, it is as if you are in Paradise, everyone knows that Scotland is NOT paradise, due to the phrase ‘as if’.


‘Blasphemy’ #13: Both of His hands are on the right…

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There are two sets of reports about this issue, and hence the difference of opinion amongst the scholars as to whether Allah has a left or are both of Allah’s hands His right.

Those of the scholars who believed that Allah also has a left relied on narrations stating that Allah will grab the earth by his left hand and will say: ‘I am the king! Where are the tyrants now?!’ These scholars include al-Darimi, al-Qadhi Abu Ya’la and others. In order to reconcile these narrations with the other set of narrations mentioning two right hands for Allah, they concluded that the two right hands were only mentioned in order to negate deficiency from Allah, for the left hand is usually seen to be deficient.

The other group of scholars considered the narrations with ‘the left hand’ mentioned therein to be weak, and therefore supported other narrations that emphasise that both of Allah’s hands are on his right, and that Allah has no left hand. This group of scholars include the two Shafi’i Imams, one Sunni and the other Ash’ari; Ibn Khuzayma in his Tawheed and al-Bayhaqi in his al-Asma wal-Sifat.

Whatever the case, the Sunnis and the early Ash’aris, including al-Baqillani, Ibn Furak, al-Bayhaqi and others, all affirmed two hands for Allah. Whether they are both on the right, or if He has a left, is a matter of dispute.


‘Blasphemy’ #14: Until I become his hand with which he strikes…

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And how ironic is it that you believe in this hadeeth ‘literally’ when you’re in your Sufi mode in order to support Wahdat al-Wujud!

Yet, the dhahir of the hadeeth isn’t even what you think! The Hadeeth clearly states the following:

ولئن سألني لأعطينه ولئن استعاذني لأعيذنه

“If he were to ask me, I will grant him. If he were to seek refuge in me, I would grant him refuge”

The dhahir of this clearly shows that the person does NOT become God, for if he did, he wouldn’t be able to ask himself for refuge!

This is why we have often repeated that all praise due to Allah, there is NOTHING in our religious texts the dhahir of which is Kufr! It is utterly absurd for a believer to think that the religious texts of his OWN religion, apparently, call him to disbelieve in his own religion! Who would say this except a dumb hypocrite?


‘Blasphemy’ #15: Today We forget you…

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Look, dear heretic, just forget about this whole discussion. This is all way over you, and besides, we have responded to it all, anyway.

And in case you didn’t notice the usage of the word ‘forget’ above, it doesn’t mean to erase something from your useless memory. It means to simply leave the issue alone, don’t worry about it, and simply neglect it. And this is also its dhahir in the Arabic language.

The disbelievers did not forget Allah because they erased him from their memories. They were simply negligent of their duty towards Him, and likewise, He too would neglect them that day. This is the dhahir that comes to our minds!

If the dhahir that comes to your mind is other than that then blame your own stupidity, but don’t abuse the Quran to suite your stupidity.


‘Blasphemy’ #16: No person is more jealous than God…

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Shakhs in Arabic (as in fact even ‘person’ in English) does not only refer to a human being, but it may also refer to any other genre of being that has a real existence. The word refers to the actual being of anything that may exist.

On this basis, ‘there is no person more jealous than God’, actually means that there is no real being more jealous than God, which is also supported by another version: ‘there is nothing more jealous than God’. Based on this many scholars believed that God could be referred to as Shakhs or a person, amongst them al-Bukhari when he called the chapter in his Sahih: ‘Chapter on the Prophet’s saying: There is no person more jealous than God’. Al-Qawariri used to say about this hadeeth: ‘There is no hadeeth more troubling for the Jahmis than this hadeeth’, and how true he was, looking at you.

Also, in the hadeeth of Laqit b. ‘Amir that we would all see Allah, yet everyone of us being on our own, he asked the Prophet: ‘How is that possible when we would all fill this earth, while He is one person (shakhs wahid), as He looks at us and we look at Him?’, and the Prophet did not correct Him for calling Allah a person, or a Shakhs.

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Again, convince yourself by quoting Ibn Daqiq al-‘Eid.

We affirm what Allah’s messenger affirmed, that Allah is more jealous than he is and any of his companions. He is jealous that His limits be over-stepped, just as we believe that He is pleased and He becomes angry.

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Use your brains. Why refer to Fath al-Bari of Ibn Hajar if you are trying to convince us of Ash’ari beliefs? Not to mention that he is often contradictory because he was not a full-blown Ash’ari, but only influenced by them.

It is like me quoting from Majmu’ al-fatawa of Ibn Taymiyya. Would you accept that? You wouldn’t, because to you he is closer to Hell than paradise!


‘Blasphemy’ #17: I became sick and you didn’t visit me…

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The dhahir of this hadeeth is NOT that God became sick. The hadeeth clearly explains itself, “did you not know that so-and-so servant of mine became sick, and you didn’t visit him?’. Hence, it doesn’t even require ta’wil, because dhahir does not even suggest that God himself became sick. Remember that dhahir is determined by the entire context.

Also, it is not as you absurdly claim that God is teaching us the art of ta’wil! The servant already knew that God is not saying that He is sick, which is why he asked further as to what God exactly means by him not visiting God? Because as the hadeeth states, even the man did not understand what you understood to be the dhahir. And if God really taught you the art of ta’wil, as you claim, then all heretics have been taught the art of ta’wil, including the Mu’tazila when the make ta’wil of Allah’s vision, the scales, the bridge, etc, and the Batinis when they make ta’wil of Allah’s Laws, Paradise and Hell, etc. Your excuse is akin to a homosexual who says: ‘Oh well, God made me gay!’

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Again, convince yourself and your heretic friends by quoting al-‘Izz b. ‘Abd al-Salam.

Anyhow, contrary to what al-‘Izz states, the man knew that ‘I became sick’ is NOT the dhahir, rather it needs to be placed in a context in order for it to have a dhahir, and hence, he asked God for more in order to understand the dhahir.

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Speak for yourself, as you are the only one here who believes that the dhahir of the hadeeth is that God became sick!

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Again, convince yourself with what Ibn Daqiq al-‘Eid has to say. But in response to Ibn Daqiq we would say: Who decides whether or not ta’wil is far-fetched?! If you be honest to yourselves, you would realise that a ta’wil being far-fetched is only relative, for the earlier Ash’aris like al-Baqillani to al-Bayhaqi regarded the ta’wil of two hands to be far-fetched and refuted the Mu’tazila and other Jahmis for making ta’wil. Yet, the latter Ash’aris, such as al-Juwayni, al-Razi and al-Iji thought the ta’wil of Allah’s hands is not at all far-fetched, but rather very appropriate. And this is within ONE madhab – your own Ash’ari madhab. Yet if you look beyond, you will find the Mu’tazila making ta’wil of Allah’s hearing and seeing, which you think is far-fetched. But someone like al-Zamakhshari , being a professional linguist can easily defend his case in Kashaf that the Mu’tazili ta’wilat are NOT far-fetched. After all, it is the Mu’tazila who are experts on ta’wilat. You plagiarised from their works bits that agreed with your theology word-by-word!

Then, as usual, you end your long and boring essay with Yasir Qadhi’s quote. Well done! This quote alone refutes all the garbage you’ve written!

Let’s end this discourse with a pivotal quote by al-Imam al-Dhahabi:

“If Ta’wil is allowed, the Salaf would have been the first ones to resort to it, especially in order to negate anthropomorphism, as claimed by those who believe that the dhahir of these texts that suit Allah’s existence is anthropomorphism. However, to the contrary, when al-Jahm b. Safwan appeared on the scene – and he is the first to make ta’wil – the Imams contemporary to him declared him a heretic, such as Sufyan b. ‘Uyayna, al-Fudhayl b. ‘Ayadh, Ibn al-Mubarak, Abu Yusuf, Muhammad b. al-Hasan, ‘Abd al-Rahman b. Mahdi, al-Shafi’i, Ahmad, Ishaq, and countless others whom only Allah knows. There were those from them who declared him a disbeliever, as there were those who allowed for him to be killed”.