The article of delegation between the Salaf and the theologians, a faithful response

The article of delegation between the Salaf and the Mutakallimun (Theologians) by Dr. Muhammad bin Mahmoud Al Khudair First edition, 659 pages Size: 17*24 The article of delegation between the Salaf and the Mutakallimun (Theologians) (Reading and Definition) Muhammad bin Mahmoud Al Khudair Book title: The article of delegation between the Salaf and the Mutakallimun, including a response to the book titled "The perfect statement in establishing the delegation as an approach of the noble Salaf." Author's name: Dr. Muhammad bin Mahmoud Al Khudair Publisher: Markaz Taqweem for Studies and Researches Year of printing: 1437 - 2016 Number of pages: 663 Introduction to the subject of the book: One of the most prominent issues that occupied a large space in the writings and research of many scholars of the science of theology; the issue of (delegation) and its attribution to the Imams of the Salaf, which means that the meanings of divine attributes are beyond human comprehension, and they do not know anything about them. They gathered many sayings of the Imams of the Salaf that they believed indicated what they aimed to prove. This week's book: (The article of delegation between the Salaf and the Mutakallimun) is a precise tracking of this claim, recording its history, reasons, and refuting its principles and premises. The book also includes a response to one of the most important books that addressed the issue of delegation, titled "The perfect statement in establishing the delegation as an approach of the noble Salaf." The author divided his book into an introduction, five chapters, and a conclusion. In the first chapter, he explained the Salaf's doctrine regarding divine attributes, indicating that God's attributes are based on revelation; that is, they are contingent upon texts, and nothing is affirmed of them except what Allah has affirmed for Himself or what His Messenger (peace be upon him) affirmed. He then discussed the Salaf's stance on textual evidence, emphasizing that their reliance in affirming God's names and attributes was based on transmitted evidence, whether mutawatir or ahad. Whatever came in the Quran or was authentic from the Sunnah, it was their basis, and he indicated that this is well-known among the Salaf, citing many texts from them to support this. He also addressed the issue of the Salaf's affirmation of the voluntary attributes, related to Allah's will and ability—such as creation, ascension, laughter, etc.—and confirmed that the Salaf unanimously affirmed these attributes like others, and no letter from them can be transferred denying them. The first to deny these attributes was Abu Muhammad Abdullah bin Saeed bin Kulaab. He then presented several evidences for affirming the voluntary attribute and the voluntary act. He discussed the principle of saying regarding some attributes as it is said regarding others, and that this is a fundamental rule for controlling this subject. The Salaf agreed on its content, and there is no difference among them regarding the affirmation of any attribute mentioned in the Quran or authentic Sunnah. He also discussed the principle of applying the texts of attributes to their apparent meaning, and that Ahl al-Sunnah agree on affirming the attributes mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah, and on affirming their appropriate meanings for Allah, while delegating the how (Kefiyah), and they interpreted the texts literally and applied them to their apparent meaning. He then addressed the stance on ambiguous words, indicating that the original approach in the Salafi methodology is to avoid ambiguous and misleading expressions, and to avoid newly invented words in general, such as: essence, accident, direction, space, etc., which he discussed in this chapter. The second chapter is dedicated to discussing the doctrine of the Mufawwidhah (Delegators). He began with discussing delegation and its origins, explaining the meaning of delegation linguistically, and that in terminology there are two types: First: Delegation of knowledge of the essence of the attributes along with affirming their meanings to Allah, which is the Salaf's approach. Second: Delegation of the meaning and the how altogether, which is the approach of some theologians. Then, the author discussed the emergence of delegation, noting that it is not known precisely who first spoke of delegation, but it appears to be among the statements of the Jahmiyyah, who used it as a pretext to deny the attributes. He then began to mention the foundations on which delegation was based, noting that the most important foundations of detailed and general interpretation are: - That transmitted evidence does not convey certainty, and if it conflicts with reason, reason must be prioritized. - That rational evidence indicates the impossibility of Allah's attributes being characterized by newsworthy, intrinsic, or action-related attributes such as face, hands, or ascension. He discussed their arguments and responded to them in detail, covering the stance of theologians regarding transmitted evidence, the evidence of accidents, the occurrence of bodies, and other issues. At the end of the chapter, he discussed the relationship between interpretation (Tawil) and delegation, indicating that later scholars have reconciled between delegation and interpretation, allowing the adoption of either approach, contrary to the earlier practice among the early scholars. The third chapter is titled: "The innocence of the Salaf from the doctrine of the Mufawwidhah" and he pointed out that this chapter is the longest in the book, aiming to clear the Imams whom the opponents attributed to delegation, and believing that the claim of delegation regarding the Salaf or denying it should be settled through trustworthy transmission from the Salaf. He first discussed the invalidity of the claim of delegation, stating it is a corrupt idea in itself, and its corruption is evident from various aspects, including: - That it contradicts the texts commanding reflection on the Quran, as one cannot reflect on what is not understood. He cited many texts, including Allah's saying: {Do they not reflect upon the Quran? If it had been from other than Allah, they would have found in it much contradiction.} [An-Nisa: 82] - That it contradicts the texts indicating that the Quran is in Arabic; being Arabic entails that its meanings are understandable in the language of the Arabs. - That it is impossible that the Prophet (peace be upon him) taught his nation everything, even about fulfilling needs, then left teaching them what they believe in their hearts about their Lord and deity... and other evidences. He pointed out that the Salaf are innocent of delegation, explicitly affirming the meanings and magnifying the texts, and he explained this from many angles, including: - Many Imams of the Salaf explicitly affirmed the meanings of the attributes as understood by the Arabs from their language. - They explicitly affirmed the attributes and denied the how. - The Salaf explained some attributes that require interpretation, such as ascension, amazement, and descent. The author noted that this is sufficient to invalidate attributing delegation to them... and other reasons. He concluded the chapter with reports from the Salaf and their followers regarding affirming the meanings of the attributes, mentioning texts from 133 scholars of the Sunnah, starting with the Companions and ending with contemporary scholars. The fourth chapter is dedicated to responding to the doubts of the Mufawwidhah. He addressed the rebuttal to their reliance on some texts, such as Allah's saying: {There is nothing like Him} [Ash-Shura: 11], and {Say: He is Allah, the One} [Al-Ikhlas: 1], and the verse from Aal Imran: {It is He who sent down to you the Book. Some verses are precise—they are the foundation of the Book—and others are allegorical. As for those in whose hearts is deviation, they follow what is allegorical of it, seeking discord and seeking its interpretation. And none knows its interpretation except Allah. But those firm in knowledge say: We believe in it; all of it is from our Lord. And none will remember except those of understanding.} [Al Imran: 7], and he also responded to doubts of the Mufawwidhah regarding anthropomorphism, interpretation of attributes, and the limit (Hadd). He also responded to their doubts about the occurrence of manifestation (Tajsim) and the interpretation of attributes, and the limit. He further responded to their doubts about the occurrence of manifestation in the direction, and he quoted the words of the Mufawwidhah exactly as they said, which the author described as a great calamity, bringing disbelief unknowingly. Among the responses to their doubts about manifestation in the direction: - The consensus of the Salaf and Ahl al-Sunnah on affirming the attribute of Allah's self-existence (Al-‘Uluw). - That Ahl al-Sunnah did not agree on the explicit use of the word "direction" because it is not narrated, but they agreed on its meaning, which is Allah's exaltation above all creation. - That none of the Ahl al-Sunnah say that Allah is in something from His creation or surrounded by something from His creation, neither in the sky nor in a direction nor elsewhere. - That Allah is above all creation, and the created world has a surface, but nothing is above it except the Creator, Allah, and that this is the meaning of those who say Allah is in a direction of non-existence; there is no place above the universe, nor anything created, and Allah is not in a place nor surrounded by creation, exalted is He from that. The fifth and final chapter is titled: "The innocence of Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah and Ibn al-Qayyim from resemblance (Tashbih) and embodiment (Tajsim)." He dedicated it to clearing these two great Imams from the accusations of resemblance and embodiment, which many heretics have persistently attributed to Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah and his student Ibn al-Qayyim. He clarified that the truth is that both sheikhs are innocent of this heinous and ugly accusation, and that Salafis disavow it. They believe that likening Allah to His creation is disbelief. He quoted many texts from their books explicitly denying resemblance and embodiment, such as: "Denying contradiction between reason and transmission," "Al-Sunnah methodology," "The collection of Fatwas," "Explanation of the Hadith of Descent," and others by Ibn Taymiyah, as well as Ibn al-Qayyim's "Nuniya" and the books: "Bada’i’ al-Fawa’id" and "Al-Sawa’iq al-Mursalah," in which Ibn al-Qayyim explicitly denies resemblance and embodiment. He also transferred the clearance of the scholars and their personalities from this accusation, mentioning figures such as the Hafiz Ibn Hajar, Badr al-Din al-‘Ayni, Al-Balkini, Mulla Qari al-Hanafi, Jamal al-Din al-Qasimi, and others. This book is among the best writings on this subject, and we advise to keep and read it.