The Hanbali School's Aqeedah on Allah's Attributes
This article seeks to shed light on where the Hanbali school stands regarding certain matters pertaining to Allah’s divine attributes.
© 2022 Bassam Zawadi
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This article seeks to shed light on where the Hanbali school stands regarding certain matters pertaining to Allah’s divine attributes.
Salams Bassam, we need some clarification.
Here is a line from p.32 … ‘’but he (Imam Ahmad) also clearly affirmed their *temporality*, which entails that Imam Ahmad also affirmed volitional attributes for Allah’’.
You’ve used the word temporal few times in this paper. Is it meant to be synonymous with simply god acting as he wills or does it denote time? So that god acts in time.
Do you think tafwid al ma'na means not ascribing an attribute altogether? If you do then this is not correct. Tafwid does not necessitate negation of an attribute. For example, observe the creed of Hafiz Ismaili mentioned below.
Start quote:
Similarly the Wahhabi editor of “I’itiqad A’immat Al-Hadith“, a book attributed to Al-Hafidh Abu Bakr Al-Isma’ili (d. 371 H.) objected to the following statement:
ولا يعتقد فيه الأعضاء، والجوارح، ولا الطول والعرض، والغلظ، والدقة، ونحو هذا مما يكون مثله في الخلق، وأنه ليس كمثله شيء تبارك وجه ربنا ذو الجلال والإكرام.
“We do not believe that He (Allah swt) is composed of parts or limbs, nor do we believe that He is attributed with length or width..”
In his explanatory footnote the editor said, as translated Here and posted on the ‘Salafi’ Multaqa Ahl al-Hadeeth forums here:
These terms are not from among the known terms to Ahlus-Sunnah wal- Jamaa`ah from among the Salaf (pious predecessors) of this nation, rather, it is from the innovated terms of the heretics, and expressing the truth with the Islaamic terms is the path of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaa`ah. So it is not needed for the seeker of the truth to pay attention to these types of terms and reliance upon them, and the Imaam, may Allaah have mercy upon him, the author, was not free from using these words. Indeed Allaah (), is attributed with the complete attributes and is described with the exalted descriptions. So regardless of the matter, the falsehood is rejected from the one who says it, regardless of whom it may be.
Note: In the introduction to the translation the editor of this text is mentioned to be the contemporary Pseudo-Salafi theologian ‘Shaykh’ Muhammad ibn `Abd al-Rahman Al-Khumayyis. And Allah knows best.
End Quote
Link for references: https://wahhabisrefuted.wordpress.com/2015/07/18/pseudo-salafis-object-to-muslims-declaring-allah-subhanahu-wa-taala-transcendent-beyond-possessing-body-parts-and-limbs/
If a person affirms attribute of Yadayn as Hafiz Ismaili does, the Sunnis have no issue and some of them do it like it that as well. As we see Salafis do not do this.