Three Theological Treatises

Another example: when the report of "Descent" is heard in the saying: "God descends every night to the lowest heaven," original: "ينزل الله كل ليلة الى سماء الدنيا" it is obligatory for the person to know that "Descent" is a shared term Ism mushtarak: a word with multiple meanings, like "bank" in English. It is sometimes applied to three-dimensional bodies—a high body which is a location for a resident, a lower body, and a movement from the high to the low. If the movement is from low to high, it is called "ascent," "exit," or "rising."

However, "Descent" is also applied to another meaning that does not require the estimation of movement or physical shift in a body. As God the Exalted said: "And He sent down for you eight pairs of livestock." Quran 39:6 No one has ever seen a camel or a cow literally descending from the sky by physical movement; rather, they are created in the wombs. Their "sending down" certainly has a specific meaning. Similarly, Imam al-Shafi’i One of the four great Imams of Sunni jurisprudence (d. 820 AD) said: "I entered Egypt and they did not understand my speech, so I descended, then I descended, then I descended." He did not mean the movement of his physical body to a lower depth.

Therefore, the believer must realize that "Descent" in the right of God the Exalted is not in the first sense—which is the movement of a person or a body from high to low—for "personhood" and "body" belong to created objects, and the Lord the Exalted is not a body. If it occurs to the person: "If it is not this, then what did He intend?" it should be said to him: "If you are unable to understand the 'descent' of a camel from the sky, you are even more incapable of understanding the 'descent' of God the Exalted. This is not your nest, so move along." An Arabic idiom meaning: "This subject is beyond your capacity; do not dwell on it." Occupy yourself with your worship or your craft, and remain silent. Know that He intended one of the meanings that are permissible to be expressed as "Descent" in the Arabic language, a meaning that suits God’s majesty and greatness, even if you do not know its true nature or modality.

Another example: when one hears the word "Above" in the saying of the Exalted: "And He is the Subjugator above His servants," Quran 6:18 and: "They fear their Lord from above them," Quran 16:50 he should know that "Above" is a shared term applied to two meanings. One is the relationship of one body to another by one being higher and the other lower, in the sense that the higher one is in the direction of the head of the lower one. But it is also applied to a meaning other than this. It is said: "The Caliph is above the Sultan," and "The Sultan is above the Vizier," just as it is said: "So-and-so was promoted over the Prince."

And: "He sat above so-and-so." It is also said: "Science is above practice," and "Goldsmithing is above tanning." The basis of the first meaning is physical, attributed to bodies, while the second requires no physical presence. The believer must firmly believe that the first meaning is not intended and that it is impossible for God, for it is a property of bodies or the accidents of bodies.

If the person knows some of these impossibilities but does not know why the term was used or what was intended by it, God has relieved him of this burden. Examples of this are many; let him judge based on what we have mentioned.

Then, remember that the Second Duty is Faith and Affirmation Al-Tasdiq: to accept something as true and confirm it in the heart. This is to know with certainty that these words were intended to have meanings befitting the majesty of God the Exalted, and that the Messenger of God—peace and blessings be upon him—was truthful in describing God the Exalted with them. Let him believe in that and be certain that what the Prophet said is the truth, and what he reported is a reality in which there is no doubt. Let him say: "We believe and we affirm; what God has described Himself with, or what His Messenger has described Him with, is as He described it." It is truth in the sense He intended and in the manner He said it, even if I do not grasp its true nature.

If you say: "Affirmation only comes after conceptualization, and Faith only comes after understanding—so if the servant does not understand the meanings of these words, how can he believe the speaker is truthful?"

The answer is: Affirmation of general matters is not impossible. Every rational person knows that meanings were intended by these words, and that every name has a named object. When someone speaks to a group, he intends that named object. It is possible for the listener to believe the speaker is lying, reporting something contrary to reality, or to believe he is truthful, reporting reality as it is. This is intelligible in a general way. Indeed, general, non-detailed matters can be understood from these words, and affirmation is possible. For instance, if someone said, "There is an animal in the house," it is possible to believe him even if one does not know if it is a human, a horse, or something else. Nay, even if he said, "There is something in the house," it is possible to believe him without knowing what that thing is. Likewise, he who hears "Settling on the Throne" Al-Istawa 'ala al-'Arsh: a phrase from the Quran describing God's relationship to His creation understands in a general sense that a specific relationship is intended.