Ridiculous criticism of Ibn Taymiyyah
assalamualaykum,
I saw a criticism regarding a statement by Ibn Taymiyya by an apparently stuanch 'Wahhabi' hater in which they say, and I quote:
Ibn Taymiyya establishes a clear-cut case of tamthil or similitude for Allah and His attributes by comparing Him to the moon in his interpretation of the verse 57:4: "He is with you wherever you are":The phrase "and He is with you" does not mean that He blends into creation... Nay the moon... one of the smallest of Allah's creations, is both placed in the heaven (mawdu`un fi al-samaa') and present with the traveler and the non-traveler wherever they may be. And the Exalted is above (fawq) the Throne, as a watchful guardian of His creatures and their protector Who is cognizant of them.1
Ibn Taymiyya's admirers may claim that he represents the doctrine of Ahl al-Sunna, but we all know that none of the Ahl al-Sunna ever compared Allah to the moon, or Allah's knowledge to the moon's rays. Exalted is Allah high above the fancies of those who give such examples for Him. Yet we find today the same type of aberration still passing for Islamic education, in books such as Ibn al-`Uthaymin's Sharh al`aqida al-wasitiyya, which we will address in a few pages, and where the author, dissatisfied with Ibn Taymiyya's moon, turns to comparing Allah to the sun instead.
This is their supposed "clear-cut" case of tamtheel which would be considered to be a statement of kufr. What the author doesnt seem to understand, is that the similitude is not being made between Allaah and the moon, but rather simply between of the 'concept' of being with( maiyyah). To say that this is a case of tamthil is like stating that the Prophet sws made tamtheel in this hadeeth of a woman and her baby:
`Umar bin Al-Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Some prisoners were brought to Messenger of Allah (PBUH) amongst whom there was a woman who was running (searching for her child). When she saw a child among the captives, she took hold of it, pressed it against her belly and gave it a suck. Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Do you think this woman would ever throw her child in fire?'' We said, "By Allah, she would never throw the child in fire.'' Thereupon Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Allah is more kind to his slave than this woman is to her child".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Was the Prophet sws 'comparing Allah to His creation" when he stated that Allah is More kind to His slave than this woman is to her child? Or how about the hadeeth that states that Allah rejoices over the repentance of His slave, more than a man who lost his camel and found it unexpectantingly? If one were to criticize Ibn Taymiyya of making tamtheel for using such an example to explain the concept of 'ma'iyya' , then one would have to say the Prophet sws made tamtheel by using a woman and her baby to explain Allaah's Mercy, or a man finding his camel to explain Allaah's rejoicing.
Wallaahu Alam.
-Brother Against Baatil
I saw a criticism regarding a statement by Ibn Taymiyya by an apparently stuanch 'Wahhabi' hater in which they say, and I quote:
Ibn Taymiyya establishes a clear-cut case of tamthil or similitude for Allah and His attributes by comparing Him to the moon in his interpretation of the verse 57:4: "He is with you wherever you are":The phrase "and He is with you" does not mean that He blends into creation... Nay the moon... one of the smallest of Allah's creations, is both placed in the heaven (mawdu`un fi al-samaa') and present with the traveler and the non-traveler wherever they may be. And the Exalted is above (fawq) the Throne, as a watchful guardian of His creatures and their protector Who is cognizant of them.1
Ibn Taymiyya's admirers may claim that he represents the doctrine of Ahl al-Sunna, but we all know that none of the Ahl al-Sunna ever compared Allah to the moon, or Allah's knowledge to the moon's rays. Exalted is Allah high above the fancies of those who give such examples for Him. Yet we find today the same type of aberration still passing for Islamic education, in books such as Ibn al-`Uthaymin's Sharh al`aqida al-wasitiyya, which we will address in a few pages, and where the author, dissatisfied with Ibn Taymiyya's moon, turns to comparing Allah to the sun instead.
This is their supposed "clear-cut" case of tamtheel which would be considered to be a statement of kufr. What the author doesnt seem to understand, is that the similitude is not being made between Allaah and the moon, but rather simply between of the 'concept' of being with( maiyyah). To say that this is a case of tamthil is like stating that the Prophet sws made tamtheel in this hadeeth of a woman and her baby:
`Umar bin Al-Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Some prisoners were brought to Messenger of Allah (PBUH) amongst whom there was a woman who was running (searching for her child). When she saw a child among the captives, she took hold of it, pressed it against her belly and gave it a suck. Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Do you think this woman would ever throw her child in fire?'' We said, "By Allah, she would never throw the child in fire.'' Thereupon Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Allah is more kind to his slave than this woman is to her child".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Was the Prophet sws 'comparing Allah to His creation" when he stated that Allah is More kind to His slave than this woman is to her child? Or how about the hadeeth that states that Allah rejoices over the repentance of His slave, more than a man who lost his camel and found it unexpectantingly? If one were to criticize Ibn Taymiyya of making tamtheel for using such an example to explain the concept of 'ma'iyya' , then one would have to say the Prophet sws made tamtheel by using a woman and her baby to explain Allaah's Mercy, or a man finding his camel to explain Allaah's rejoicing.
Wallaahu Alam.
-Brother Against Baatil
posted by Brother Against Baatil at 8:19 AM
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