Kitaab Sharh us-Sunnah
by Al-Barbahaaree
Trans. Abu Talhah Dawud Burbank


50: One must accept all narrations from Allah and His Messenger (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam), even if one does not understand their true reality.

One must accept, affirm and perform tafweed [1] (i.e. abandon delving into how they are, but be pleased with them) everything in the narrations that one has heard, but cannot fully understand, like the saying of the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam), “The hearts of the servants are between two fingers of the Most Merciful, the Mighty and Majestic” [2], his (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) saying, “Indeed, Allah descends to the lowest heaven” [3], and “He descends on the Day of ‘Arafah” [4], and “He descends on the Day of Resurrection” [5], and “Hellfire does not cease having them thrown into it until He, the Majestic, places His foot upon it” [6] and Allah, the Most High’s saying to the servant, “If you walk towards me, I run towards you” [7], and the Messenger’s (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) saying, “Allah created Adam in His image” [8], and the saying of Allah’s Messenger (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam), “I saw my Lord in the most excellent form” [9], and the like of these ahaadeeth. Do not explain any of them with your feelings/desires, since believing in them is obligatory. Anyone who explains anything from them according to his desires, or rejects them, is a Jahmee. [10]

NOTES

[1] Tafweed: The salaf did not delve into ‘how’ the attributes of Allah are. The knowledge of that is with Allah alone. As for the Ash’arees and others, ‘Tafweed’ to them is that they believe that what is apparent from the attributes is not what is meant. To them, the Aayaat about the attributes of Allah are mutashaabih, i.e. of uncertain meaning and, thus, they were not known about by the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) and the Companions. This is clearly wrong! Refer to Risaalah ‘Alaaqaatul-Ithbaat wat-Tafweed bi Siffat Rabbil-‘Aalameen of Dr. Ridaa Mu’tee and Shaikh ‘Abdul-Azeez ibn Baaz’s (rahimahullah) reply to as-Saaboonee 9pp.8-14).

[2] Reported by Muslim (Eng. trans. 4/1397/no.6418).

[3] The hadeeth about Allah descending is authentic and has many routes of narration. For example, refer to al-Bukhaaree (Eng. trans. 2/136/no.246) and Muslim (Eng. trans. 1/365/no.1656)

[4] He (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) said, “Allah descends on the evening of ‘Arafah to the lowest heaven and boasts about the people of the earth to the Angels.” Reported by Ibn Mandah in at-Tawheed (147/1). Its chain of narration is weak, as explained in Silsilatud-Da’eefah (no.679) of Shaikh al-Albaanee. However, it is authentic as the saying of Umm Salamah (radiallaahu anhaa), reported by ad-Daarimee in ar-Radd ‘alal-Jahmiyyah, ad-Daaraqutnee in an-Nuzool (95,96) and al-Laalikaa’ee (no.768). It has the ruling of being the saying of the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam), since it is something that Umm Salamah could not have known except from him.

[5] Refer to ar-Radd ‘alal-Jahmiyyah of ad-Daarimee (p.72). Allah, the Most High, says:

Your Lord comes with His angels, rank upon rank. Soorah al-Fajr (89): 22

[6] Reported by al-Bukhaaree (Eng. trans. 6/353/no.371) and Muslim (Eng. trans. 4/1483/no.6819).

[7] Reported by al-Bukhaaree (Eng. trans. 9/369/no.502).

[8] Reported by Muslim (Eng. trans. 4/1378/no.6325) and Ibn Abee ‘Aasim in as-Sunnah. The explanation of this hadeeth, by Shaikh Hammaad al-Ansaaree, can be found in Kitaabus-Sifaat of ad-Daaraqutnee (p.58, checking of Dr. ‘Alee Naasir Faqeehee)

[9] Musnad Ahmad (1/285 and 290) and Ibn Abee ‘Aasim in as-Sunnah and declared saheeh by Shaikh al-Albaanee, who has mentioned that “this was in a dream as indicated by some wordings of the hadeeth.” Refer also to as-Sunnah (no.1117) of ‘Abdullah ibn Ahmad.

[10] Jahmee: a denier of Allah’s attributes, following the way of Jahm ibn Safwaan and his teacher al-Ja’d ibn Dirham, both of whom were executed for their wicked beliefs and heretical teachings.

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