Chapter 17: Affirming the Face of Allāh and His Highness (‘Uluww), the Mighty and Majestic: By Abu Isma’īl Al-Harawī (d. 481H)

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The following are chapters from Shaikhul-Islām Abu Ismā`īl Al-Harawī’s: “The Book Of Forty Narrations In The Evidences Of Tawhīd”

Screenshot 2015-12-08 10.27.51 (Born 396H and died 481H -rahimahullāh)

This compilation is an amazing series of narrations in the establishment of the Tawhīd of Allāh, the Mighty and Majestic, especially in the arena of the Names and Attributes that has left the Jahmiyyah and their offspring such as the Ashā`irah and Māturīdīs dumbstruck just as Allāh has said:

وَقُلْ جَاءَ الْحَقُّ وَزَهَقَ الْبَاطِلُ ۚ إِنَّ الْبَاطِلَ كَانَ زَهُوقًا

“And say: ‘The Truth has come and falsehood has been vanquished. Surely! Falsehood is ever bound to be wiped out.’” (Al-Israa 17:81)

Chapter 17: Affirming the Face of Allāh, the Mighty and Majestic:

Abu Ismā`īl Al-Harawī (481H) with his chain of narration to `Abdullāh (رضي الله عنه) that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Whoever says: In the name of Allāh (bismillāh)..” and on an occasion he said: “Whoever says: Subhānallāh¹, wal-alhamdulillāh², wa lā ilāha illallāh³, wallāhu akbar⁴, wa lā hawla wala quwwata illa billāh⁵, wa tabārakallāh⁶, an angel takes these words and gathers them in his wing…” and on an occasion he said: “He takes these words and writes them down and then gathers them into his wing until he greets (or comes to) the Face of the Lord of the worlds, the blessed, the Most High.” 

Notes:

Regarding the saying of Allah:

إِلَيْهِ يَصْعَدُ الْكَلِمُ الطَّيِّبُ وَالْعَمَلُ الصَّالِحُ يَرْفَعُهُ ۚ- 35:10

“To Him ascends good speech, and righteous deeds exalt the good speech.”

Ibn Jareer At-Tabarī in his Tafseer (22/120) mentions a report with his chain of narration to Ibn Mas’ood (رضي الله عنه) who said: “When I narrate to you a hadeeth I will bring to you its truthfulness from the Book of Allah, [the Prophet said:] “When a person says: subhānallāh wabi hamdihi⁷, alhamdulillāh, lā ilāha illallāh, wallāhu akbar tabārakallāh – an angel takes these words and places them under his wing, then he ascends with them into the sky. The angel does not pass any of the gatherings of the angels [during his ascent] except that those angels seek forgiveness for the one who uttered those words until he greets (or comes to) the Face of the Most Merciful with them.” Then Abdullāh Ibn Mas’ood recited:

إِلَيْهِ يَصْعَدُ الْكَلِمُ الطَّيِّبُ وَالْعَمَلُ الصَّالِحُ يَرْفَعُهُ ۚ- 35:10

“To Him ascends good speech, and righteous deeds exalt the good speech.”

This very same wording was cited by Al-Mundhirī in At-Targheeb wat-Tarheeb (2/432-433, hadeeth no. 36) – he said: It was reported by Al-Hākim who said: “It is an authentic chain of narration.”

This attribute of Allāh’s Face is affirmed in the Book of the Almighty in a few verses:

كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَانٍ

وَيَبْقَىٰ وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ

“Everyone upon the earth will perish, and the Face of your Lord full of Majesty and Honour will abide forever.”

[Ar-Rahmān: 26-27]

وَلَا تَدْعُ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَٰهًا آخَرَ ۘ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ هَالِكٌ إِلَّا وَجْهَهُ ۚ لَهُ الْحُكْمُ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ – 28:88

“And do not invoke with Allah another deity. There is no deity except Him. Everything will be destroyed except His Face. His is the judgement, and to Him you will be returned.”

[Al-Qasas: 88]

Likewise there are other ahādeeth which prove that Allāh has a Face:

حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ بْنُ عَبْدِ الصَّمَدِ، عَنْ أَبِي عِمْرَانَ، عَنْ أَبِي بَكْرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ قَيْسٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ

“‏ جَنَّتَانِ مِنْ فِضَّةٍ آنِيَتُهُمَا وَمَا فِيهِمَا، وَجَنَّتَانِ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ آنِيَتُهُمَا وَمَا فِيهِمَا، وَمَا بَيْنَ الْقَوْمِ وَبَيْنَ أَنْ يَنْظُرُوا إِلَى رَبِّهِمْ إِلاَّ رِدَاءُ الْكِبْرِ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ فِي جَنَّةِ عَدْنٍ ‏”‏‏.‏

Narrated `Abdullah bin Qais narrated that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “There will be two gardens of silver and all the utensils and whatever is therein will be of silver. And two gardens of gold, and its utensils and whatever therein will be of gold. There will be nothing to prevent the people from seeing their Lord except the cover of Majesty over His Face in the Paradise of Eden (eternal bliss).” [Saheeh Al-Bukhāri in Kitāb at-Tawheed, no. 7444. Saheeh Muslim, Kitāb al-Imān, no. 296]

حَدَّثَنِي زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا يَعْقُوبُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ عَطَاءِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ اللَّيْثِيِّ، أَنَّ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ،

أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّ نَاسًا قَالُوا لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ هَلْ نَرَى رَبَّنَا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏”‏ هَلْ تُضَارُّونَ فِي رُؤْيَةِ الْقَمَرِ لَيْلَةَ الْبَدْرِ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قَالُوا لاَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ‏.‏ قَالَ

‏”‏ هَلْ تُضَارُّونَ فِي الشَّمْسِ لَيْسَ دُونَهَا سَحَابٌ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قَالُوا لاَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏”‏ فَإِنَّكُمْ تَرَوْنَهُ كَذَلِكَ يَجْمَعُ اللَّهُ النَّاسَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَيَقُولُ مَنْ كَانَ يَعْبُدُ شَيْئًا فَلْيَتَّبِعْهُ ‏

Abu Hurairah reported: The people said to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): “Messenger of Allah, shall we see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection?”

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Do you feel any trouble in seeing the moon on the night when it is full?”

They said: “O Messenger of Allah, no.”

The Messenger further said: “Do you feel any trouble in seeing the sun, when there is no cloud over it?”

They said: “O Messenger of Allah. no.”

So he said: “Verily you will see Him like this (as you see the sun and the moon). Allah will gather people on the Day of Resurrection and say: Let every person follow what they worshipped.”

[Saheeh Muslim, Kitāb al-Imān, no. 182. See also At-Tirmidhi, no. 3248]

Footnotes:

¹ Perfect is Allah, far removed from all imperfection, glorified is He.

² And all praise is due to Allah.

³ And there is none worthy of worship except Allah.

⁴ And Allah is greater [than all besides Him].

⁵ And there is no movement or might except with Allah.

⁶ And blessed is Allah.

⁷ Perfect is Allah, far removed from all imperfections and for Him is all praise.


The Arabic Text:

 

 

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