Chapter 7: The Abode Of Allah
The Anthropomorphists Among The Muslims
This sect, though ancient, has a strong hold over many orthodox Muslims, especially the Wahabis. It is important to make a brief study of their beliefs and then compare them with the teachings of Ahl ul-Bayt (‘a).Since they attributed all human characteristics to Allah, they were consequently forced to devise a place for Him. And later, they evolved a concept which visualized movements, transfers and translocation of Allah.
(A) Abu Huraira Reports From The Holy Prophet (S)
“In a part of the night, or probably in the last one-third of the night, Allah climbs down to the first heaven and announces: ‘Is there anyone who will call on me so that I may answer his prayers, ask of me so that I may give? Who is there to give a loan to One Who is Sufficient and Just?’”1
(B) In Another Narration From Abu Huraira, Haroon Bin Said Has Added
“Then Allah spreads His hands and says: ‘Who will advance a loan to the One Who is neither in need nor is an oppressor?’”2Bukhari has also reported such traditions from Abu Huraira in his chapter on Tawhid, Da’awaat and Tahajjud. Again, he is not alone. He has been joined by Ibn Majah, Tirmidhi and Abu Dawood who have all quoted the reports meant to prove that Allah physically climbs up and down the skies!
(C) Ibn Khuzaimah Reports From Abu Huraira
“The Prophet (S) said: Angels assemble during the morning and the evening prayers. Those of the night ascend and those of the day stay behind. And then the night angels are asked by Allah: ‘In what state were my servants when you parted from them?’ The angels say: ‘We came upon them when they were praying, and we parted from them when they were praying’.”Commenting on this report Ibn Khuzaimah adds:“This tradition clearly conveys that Allah is in the heavens, and therefore the angels travel from the earth upwards unto Him. Those (Jahmiyyah) who believe Allah is in the heaven as well as the earth are liars, because if that was the case, the angels would have gone to Him on earth or somewhere in the lower layers of the earth. May Allah curse the Jahmiyyah forever!”Darami supports the same notion, basing his argument on the word Nazala (literally ‘sent down’) used for the Qur’an. He says:“Verses like this can be found in the Qur’an in many places. All of them clearly state that Allah sent down the Holy Qur’an from the heavens above. Had it been the way they believe that Allah is everywhere, on earth and below, then He would have said: ‘We brought out,’ or ‘We brought up’ the Qur’an. The verses are explicit in asserting the elevated location of Allah, and need no interpretation!”3Darami seems to have been obsessed with his belief that Allah is confined to His location in the sky. Discussing the ascension of our Prophet (S) (Mi’raj), he observes:“The Prophet (S) related to the believers his experience during the ascension, how he was taken from one heaven to another, till the remotest one near Sidratul Muntaha (literally ‘the farthest lote tree’). If what the opponents believe is true, that Allah is everywhere, then what need was there for Buraq and the ascension? Why was the Prophet (S) taken to the heavens, and to whom? You hold that Allah is everywhere, even in the Prophet (S) house, with no veil in between. So why go up?”
The School Of Ahl Ul-Bayt (‘A) Explains
The question of relocation, translocation, changing places or climbing up and down, in relation to Allah, is absolutely irrelevant. The school of Ahl ul-Bayt (‘a) says these qualities belong to the one who is created and not the Creator, Who is Omnipotent.Imam Ridha (‘a) made it explicitly clear when he was asked about the following verse:“And your Lord will come, and His angels, rank upon rank. ...” (Surah Al-Fajr, 89:22).Imam Ridha (‘a) said:“Allah cannot be described in terms of movements, arrival, departure, appearance or absence. He is above and beyond such occurrences. The verse in question signifies the order of Allah and His command which will be then revealed.”4Seyyid Abdul-Azeem al-Hasani reports from Abu Ibrahim bin Abi Mahmood that he asked Imam Ridha (‘a) about the popular tradition which speaks about the climbing down of Allah every night to the lowest heaven. Imam (‘a) said:“May Allah curse those who displace the sacred words from their rightful places! By Allah! The Prophet (S) did not say the way they report. What he said was that: ‘Allah, the Most High, commands an angel to climb down to the lowest heaven in the last one-third of every night, and on Friday nights, in its first one-third. He then orders the angel to announce:‘Is there anyone who beseeches so that I may give? Anyone who repents so that I may pardon?Anyone who prays for forgiveness so that I may forgive? O he who seeks good, come forward,O he who seeks evil, desist.’The angel continues to announce till daybreak, and when the day dawns, he returns to the heavenly domain. This is the correct version received from my forefathers who reported from the Prophet (S).”5
The Ascention Of The Prophet (S)
Yunus bin Abd al-Rahman says that he asked Imam Musa bin Ja‘far al-Kadhim (‘a):“Why did Allah raise His Prophet (S) unto the heavens, and from there up to the farthest station Sidratul Muntaha, and then unto the veils of light, when He addressed and spoke to him, when Allah is not described in terms of an abode or place?”Imam (‘a) answered:“Surely, no place or location is attributed to Allah, nor is He subservient to time! He raised His Prophet (S) to honour the angels and those who live in the heavens and to exalt them with his presence among them. Also, to show him the wonders of His great creation so that he may recount what he saw to the people on the earth. It was not at all in the manner these people who ascribe human attributes to Allah! Glory be to Allah! He is far above the partners they ascribe to Him.”6In a tradition reported by Abu Baseer, Imam Ja‘far Al-Sadiq (‘a) gave a comprehensive and conclusive statement explaining the stand of the School of Ahl ul-Bayt (‘a) on the subject of Tawhid:“Allah, the Most High, cannot be described in terms of abode or location. No movement, inertia, translocation, relocation or transfer is attributed to Him, because He is the Creator of time, space, movement, inertia. He is far above what they say about Him.”7Imam Zayn al-Abedeen (‘a), in a detailed answer to his son Zaid, has given true meaning of certain verses, which if construed literally, would confirm a station or an abode for Allah. Let us examine those verses:Prophet Musa (‘a) has said:“O Allah! I hastened unto You so that You may be pleased.” (Surah Taha, 20:84).“So, hasten unto Allah.” (Surah Al-Dhariyat, 51:50).Imam (‘a) said:“These verses do not signify any location to which Musa (‘a) went to meet his Lord, or to which we are commanded to run. These are figures of speech which mean advancing towards the pleasure of Allah and His guidance.”Then he gave the following examples:“The spirit and the angels ascend unto Him.” (Surah Al-Ma’arij, 70:4).“Unto Him rise the words of purity and He raises the good deed.” (Surah Fatir, 35:10).“In both the above instances, Allah speaks of certain elevated stations in the heavenly domain. Reaching out for those elevated stations is tantamount to advancing in the way of Allah...”8In the Holy Qur’an, there are numerous cases of genitive constructions in which the opposed noun is omitted. In Al-Burhan fi-Uloom al-Qur’an, Zarkashi says:“They say there are nearly one thousand instances in the Qur’an where the subjoined noun is omitted from the genitive construction. And this has been acknowledged as a common figure of speech by the scholars.”As an example, we will consider the following verse:“And ask the town where we have been....” (Surah Yusuf, 12:82).The word omitted is Ahl meaning “people.” What Allah actually wishes to convey is:“And ask the (people) of the town ....”But this omission is implied and any sensible reader can immediately understand the implication. Based on this manner of speech, Imam Ridha (‘a) explained the following verse:“And your Lord will come ....”The hidden noun or the implied word is Amr, which means “decree” or “command.” and thus the verse means:“And (the command of) your Lord will come ....”Clearly Imam (‘a) based his elucidation on the following verses from the Qur’an where the Amr has been mentioned together with the “Coming of the Lord.”
- “O Ibrahim! Seek not this! The decree of your Lord has come - there will come a penalty for them that cannot be turned back.” (Surah Hud, 11:76).
- “And We did not wrong them; it was they who wronged their own souls. And when the decree of your Lord came, their deities whom they invoked profited them nothing, nor did they add to their lot but perdition.” (Surah Hud, 11:101).
In both the above verses, the verb “came” is accompanied by the genitive construction Amru Rabbika, the “decree of your Lord.” This conveys the intended meaning of “the coming of the Lord,” here on the earth or on the Day of Reckoning.The School of the Caliphs proposed a chair or a throne for Allah, and later on contrived a curtain or veil behind which He lives!! This and much more will form the subject of our following discussions.