Three Theological Treatises

...or for the truthful ones and the saints. These are seven duties that all the righteous predecessors Al-Salaf: the first three generations of Muslims, regarded as authorities in faith believed were obligatory for all the common folk Al-'Awam: laypeople who have not mastered the technical science of theology. It should not be thought that the predecessors differed regarding any of these. Let us explain them duty by duty.

The First Duty: Sanctification Al-Taqdis: the act of purifying one's conception of God from any resemblance to created things. Its meaning is that when a person hears mention of the "Hand" or the "Finger" in the saying of the Prophet—may God’s peace and blessings be upon him:

God kneaded the clay of Adam with His hand for forty mornings
And that "the heart of the believer is between two fingers of the fingers of the Merciful," one must know that the word "hand" is used for two different meanings.

The first is the original literal sense: a limb composed of flesh, bone, and nerve. Flesh, bone, and nerve constitute a specific "body" Jism: a physical entity with dimensions possessing specific attributes. A "body" refers to a volume that has length, width, and depth, which prevents any other object from occupying its space unless it moves away.

However, this word—I mean "the hand"—is sometimes used metaphorically for another meaning that is not a body at all. For instance, it is said: "The city is in the hand of the prince." This is a well-understood concept, even if the prince’s hand were physically amputated, for example. Therefore, the commoner and everyone else must realize with absolute certainty and conviction that the Messenger—peace be upon him—did not mean by that word a physical body or a limb composed of flesh, blood, and bone. Such a thing is impossible for God. A believer must practice sanctification In this context, sanctification means "denying any physical likeness to God".

If it occurs to a person's mind that God Almighty is a body composed of limbs, then they are a worshiper of an idol Sanam: an object of worship other than the true, transcendent God. For every body is a created thing, and worshiping a created thing is unbelief kufr, just as worshiping an idol is unbelief because the idol is a created thing. It is considered "created" precisely because it is a body. Thus, whoever worships a body is an unbeliever by the consensus of the community—both the predecessors and those who followed—whether that body is dense like solid, hard mountains, or subtle like air and water; whether it is dark like the earth or radiant like the sun, moon, and stars; whether it is transparent like the air or immense like the Throne Al-'Arsh and the Footstool Al-Kursi, or as tiny as an atom.

Whether it is inanimate like the mountains or animate like a human being—a body is an idol. Regardless of its beauty, majesty, purity, or solidity, it does not cease to be an idol. Whoever denies "bodiness" regarding God, His "hand," and His "finger," has effectively denied limbs, flesh, and nerves. He has cleared the Lord of anything that implies being a created thing Huduth: the state of having a beginning in time. He must then believe that these terms refer to a "meaning" among meanings that is neither a body nor an "accident" 'Arad: a quality or property that exists within a body, such as color or movement within a body. That meaning must be befitting to the attributes of Majesty and Grandeur.

If the person does not know that specific meaning or understand the core of its reality, they have no obligation to do so at all. Knowledge of its exact nature—as will be explained—is not required of them. In fact, it is their duty not to delve into it, as will be discussed later.

Another example: if one hears the word Image Al-Surah: form or likeness from the Prophet's saying:

God created Adam in His image
And: "I saw my Lord in the most beautiful image," one should know that "image" is a shared name A homonym; a word with multiple distinct meanings. It is sometimes used to mean the physical shape found in composed, organized bodies with a specific arrangement, such as the nose, eye, mouth, and cheek—which are physical bodies made of flesh and bone.

However, it is also used to mean that which is neither a body, nor a shape within a body, nor an arrangement of physical parts. For instance, you might say: "I recognized the image meaning: the essence or details of this problem," or "the image of this event," or "the affairs of so-and-so and his governance are organized in the most beautiful image meaning: the best manner."

Every believer must realize that the word "image" regarding God Almighty was not used to convey the first meaning—which is a physical body of flesh and bone composed of a nose, mouth, cheek, and eye. All of those are bodies and properties of bodies, and the Creator of all bodies is transcendent above resembling them or their attributes. If a person knows this with certainty, they are a believer. If it occurs to them to ask, "If He did not mean it in that sense, then what did He mean?" then they should know that they were not commanded to ask this. Rather, they were commanded not to delve into it, for it is beyond their capacity. They should simply believe that a meaning was intended which befits the majesty and greatness of God—a meaning that is neither a body nor an accident.