GodandHisA+ributes

Lesson4:AnthropomorphismintheQuran

AnthropomorphismintheQuran

•  Whatisanthropomorphism?•  Itistheassignmentofphysicala+ributestoGod

•  Atfirstglance,therearemanyversesintheQuranthata+ributehuman-likecharacterisEcstoGod.Thesea+ributesareknownasالصفات الخبرية

AnthropomorphismintheQuran

•  1.TheHandofGodيد الله

يد الله فوق أيديهم

“…TheHandofGodisovertheirhands…”-Quran48:10

AnthropomorphismintheQuran

•  2.TheFaceofGodوجه الله

ولله المشرق والمغرب فأينما تولوا فثم وجه

“ToGodbelongtheEastandtheWest.Whereveryouturn,thereistheFaceofGod…”-

Quran2:115

AnthropomorphismintheQuran

•  3.TheEyeofGodعين الله

واصنع الفلك بأعيننا ووحينا

“BuildtheArkbeforeOurEyesandbyOurRevelaEon…”-Quran11:37

AnthropomorphismintheQuran

•  4.MounEngtheThroneالإستواء على العرش

الرحمن على العرش استوى

“TheCompassionatemountedtheThrone.”–Quran20:5

AnthropomorphismintheQuran

•  Tradi'onalis'cviewsandargumenta'ons•  DrawingauthoritysolelyfromdivinerevelaEon,tradiEonandtheteachingsofal-salaf,i.e.,thetradiEonistsofpastgeneraEons,thebasictradiEonaliststancewastoaccepttheanthropomorphicaccountsliterally.

• 

AnthropomorphismintheQuran

•  TradiEonalisEccreedso\enopenwiththestatement,“Webelieveinwhatiswri+enintheQuranandSunnah.Wedonotinterpretthetext.

•  ThetradiEonalists,whoconsideredthemselvesfollowersoftheearlytradiEonists,basedtheirteachingsonadevoutadherencetothetexts.

AnthropomorphismintheQuran

•  TheycalledtheirconvicEon“affirmaEon”إثبات andnever“anthropomorphismتشبيه,hencethenametheygavethemselves,“thepeoplewhoaffirm[God’sa+ributes]”أهل الإثبات

•  ThebasicargumentjusEfyingtheacceptanceofanthropomorphicaccountsisatotalcommitmenttoGod’sowndescripEonofHimself.

AnthropomorphismintheQuran

•  Hence,rejecEngtheseaccountswouldequalarejecEonofGod’sowndescripEonofHimselfintheQuran.

•  TradiEonalistslaterdevelopedtheirargumentbyasserEngthattheacceptanceofanthropomorphicaccountsmustbeaccompaniedbytheexpression“withoutaskinghow”بلا كيف

• 

AnthropomorphismintheQuran

•  ThisinstrucEonisillustratedbythefollowingsayingbyMalikb.Anas(d.179/796):“ThesijngontheThroneisknown(fromtheQuranicverses),butthewayitisactuallydoneisunknown.Believingitisobligatory,andquesEoningitisanundesirableinnovaEon”

AnthropomorphismintheQuran

•  TheRa'onalis'cStand•  TheraEonalists,preferringhumanreasontorevelaEonandtradiEoninseveraltheologicalissues,perceivedtheanthropomorphicversesintheQuranasallegoricalorfiguraEveaccountsmeanttosymbolizeGod’sa+ributesandacEons.

AnthropomorphismintheQuran

•  TheraEonalebehindtheseinterpretaEonsarisesfromtheraEonalists’anxiousdefenseofGod’sabsoluteothernessandtranscendence,alongwithanegaEonofanysimilaritybetweentheCreatorandthecreaEon.

•  TheraEonaliststancetowardstheanthropomorphichadithaccountwasamixtureofrejecEonandridicule.

AnthropomorphismintheQuran

•  TheAsha’riStance•  TheAsh’arisoluEontotheproblemoftheanthropomorphicaccountsintheQuranandhadithwasanacceptanceofallanthropomorphicaccounts,includingthoserejectedbytheraEonalists,whileemployingthemeansoffiguraEveinterpretaEon.

AnthropomorphismintheQuran

•  LikeearliertradiEonalists,theAsh’arisaddedtheformulaبلا كيف not,however,inthestraighlorwardtradiEonalisEcsenseof“withoutaskinghow”or“withoutafurthercomment,”butmoreinthesenseof“withouta+ribuEngphysicalcharacterisEcs”toGod,thusapplyingtranscendentalism

AnthropomorphismintheQuran

•  1.TheHandofGodيد الله

إن الذين يبايعونك إنما يبايعون الله يد الله فوق أيديهم فمن نكث فإنما ينكث على نفسه

“TrulythosewhopledgeallegiancetoyoupledgeallegiancetoGod.TheHandofGodis

overtheirhands.Andwhoeverreneges,renegesonlytohisdeterminant…”-Quran48:10

AnthropomorphismintheQuran

•  ThepledgeofallegianceiswidelyknownasthePledgeofGoodPleasureبيعة الرضوان

•  TheHandofGodisinterpretedasareferencetooneofGod’sa+ributes,suchasPower,whichisassociatedwithGod’sHand.

AnthropomorphismintheQuran

وقالت اليهود يد الله مغلولة غلت أيديهم ولعنوا بما قالوا بل يداه مبسوطتان

“TheJewssay,‘God’sHandisshackled.’

Shackledaretheirhands,andtheyarecursedforwhattheysay.Nay,butHistwoHandsare

outstretched…”Quran5:64

AnthropomorphismintheQuran

•  Miserlinessisclearlytheintendedmeaninghere,andthosewhomakethisstatementaresuggesEngthatGodwithholdsHisProvisionandHisBounty,atleasttothem.

•  TheclaimthatGod’sHandisshackledisthencontrastedwiththeimageofHistwoHandsoutstretched,thatis,openandgivingasHebestowsasHewills.

AnthropomorphismintheQuran

•  IfGod’sHandcanbeseenasametaphorandsymbolfortheblessingsHebestows,thenHistwoHandsmightbeametaphorfortwodifferentkindsofblessingsGodmightbestow.

AnthropomorphismintheQuran

•  2.TheFaceofGodوجه الله

ولله المشرق والمغرب فأينما تولوا فثم وجه

“ToGodbelongtheEastandtheWest.Whereveryouturn,thereistheFaceofGod…”-

Quran2:115

AnthropomorphismintheQuran

•  SomescholarsmaintainthattheFaceofGodisareferencetoHisEssenceorSelf.

•  ThefaceofanythingisthepointofinteracEon.

•  Whereveryouturn,youcaninteractwithGodandengagewithHim

AnthropomorphismintheQuran

كل شيء هالك إلا وجهه

“EverythingwillperishexceptforHisFace…”Quran28:88

AnthropomorphismintheQuran

فالمراد كل شئ هالك إلا دينه

“WhatismeantisthateverythingwillperishexceptforHisreligion.”–ImamAli(a.s)

AnthropomorphismintheQuran

قال الامام السجاد عليه السلام: نحن الوجه الذي يؤتى الله منه

“WearetheFacethroughwhichGodisreached.”-Imamal-Sajjad(a.s)

AnthropomorphismintheQuran

•  ThereisanarraEonintheSunnibooksofhadithsuchasSahihal-BukharithatquotestheProphet(saw)tohavesaid:

خلق الله آدم علی صورته“GodcreatedAdamaccordingtoHisimage”.

AnthropomorphismintheQuran

عن الحسين بن خالد أيضا قال: قلت للرضا (عليه السلام): يا ابن رسول الله إن الناس يروون أن رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله) قال: إن الله خلق آدم على صورته  فقال: قاتلهم الله لقد حذفوا أول الحديث

IaskedImamal-Ridha(a.s):PeoplenarratefromtheProphettohavesaid:GodhascreatedAdamaccordingtoHisimage!TheImamsaid:MayGodkillcursethem;theyhaveomi+edthe

beginningofthehadith.

AnthropomorphismintheQuran

إن رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله) مر برجلين يتسابان فسمع أحدهما

يقول لصاحبه (( قبح الله وجهك ووجه من يشبهك )) فقال له رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله): (( يا عبد الله لا تقل هذا لأخيك فإن

الله عز وجل خلق آدم على صورته

AnthropomorphismintheQuran

TheMessengerofGodpassedbytwomenwhowereswearingateachother.Heheardoneofthemsayingtotheother:MayGodmakeyourfaceandwhoeverlookslikeyouugly.The

Prophetsaid:OservantofGod!Don’tsaythistoyourbrotherforGodtheAlmightyhascreatedAdamaccordingtohisimage(meaningAdam

looksliketheoneyouareswearingat).

AnthropomorphismintheQuran

•  3.TheEyeofGodعين الله

واصنع الفلك بأعيننا ووحينا

“BuildtheArkbeforeOurEyesandbyOurRevelaEon…”-Quran11:37

AnthropomorphismintheQuran

•  “BeforeOurEyes”isafiguraEvemannerofsayingthatGodwillwatchoverandprotectNoah’sbuildingoftheArk

•  “byOurRevelaEon”meansthatGodinstructedNoahhowtobuildtheArk.

AnthropomorphismintheQuran

•  4.Moun'ngtheThroneالإستواء على العرش

الرحمن على العرش استوى

“TheCompassionatemountedtheThrone.”–Quran20:5

AnthropomorphismintheQuran

•  SincemounEngtheThronesuggeststhephysicalmovementandlocaEonofabody,whileGodhasnobody,manycommentatorsnotethatthisphraseisasymbolforGod’sdemonstraEonofHisSovereigntyoverHiscreaEon.

TheVisibilityofGod

لما جاء موسى لميقاتنا وكلمه ربه قال رب أرني أنظر إليك قال لن تراني ولـكن انظر إلى الجبل فإن استقر مكانه فسوف تراني فلما تجلى ربه

للجبل جعله دكا وخر موسى صعقا فلما أفاق قال سبحانك تبت إليك وأنا أول المؤمني

TheVisibilityofGod

•  “AndwhenMosescametoOurappointedmeeEngandHisLordspoketohim,hesaid,‘MyLord,showme,thatImightlookatYou’.Hesaid:‘YoushallneverseeMe,butlookatthemountain,ifitremainsfirminitsplace,thenyouwillseeMe’.AndwhenhisLordmanifestedHimselftothemountain,Hemadeitcrumbletodust…”Quran7:143

TheVisibilityofGod

•  Thisversespeaksdirectlytotheissueofthehumaninabilityto“see”God.

•  MosesknewthatGodtranscendedallformandcorporealityandthuscouldnotbeseenphysically.

•  HeposesthisquesEontoGodonlytosaEsfytheIsraeliteswhohadpressuredhimtoask

TheVisibilityofGod

وإذ قلتم يا موسى لن نؤمن لك حتى نرى الله جهرة

“Andwhenyousaid,‘OMoses,wewillnotbelieveyouEllweseeGodopenly…”Quran2:55

TheVisibilityofGod

•  ThecrumblingofthemountainindicatesthatseeingGodwiththephysicaleyeisasimpossibleasthemountainsbeingabletowithstandGod’sSelf-ManifestaEon

•  ItdemonstratestheannihilaEngpowerofthatvision,sinceeventhemountain,somuchlargerandstrongerthanMoseshimself,wasincapableofbearingit.

TheVisibilityofGod

ومن كلام له )عليه السلام( وقد سأله ذعلب اليماني فقال: هل رأيت ربك يا أميرالمؤمنين؟

فقال(عليه السلام): أفأعبد ما لا أرى ؟قال: قال: وكيف تراه؟

TheVisibilityofGod

•  Dhi’libal-YamaniaskedtheCommanderoftheFaithful(a.s)whetherhehadseenGod,whenhereplied,"DoIworshiponewhomIhavenotseen?"Thenheinquired,"HowhaveyouseenHim?"

TheVisibilityofGod

لا تدركه العيون بمشاهدة العيان، ولكن تدركه القلوب بحقائق الايمان،

EyescannotseeHimfacetoface,butheartsperceiveHimthroughtherealiEesofbelief.

TheVisibilityofGod

قريب من الاشياء غير ملامس، بعيد منها غير مباين

Heisneartothingsbutnotthroughphysicalproximity.Heisfarfromthembutnotby

separaEon.

TheVisibilityofGod

متكلم بلا روية، مريد بلا همة، صانع لا بجارحة

“Heisaspeaker,butnotwithreflecEon.Heintends,butnotwithpreparaEon.Hemolds,but

notwith(theassistanceof)limbs.”

TheVisibilityofGod

لطيف لا يوصف بالخفاء، كبير لا يوصف بالجفاء، بصير لا يوصف بالحاسة،

“Heissubtlebutcannotbea+ributedwithbeingconcealed.Heisgreatbutcannotbe

a+ributedwithhaughEness.Heseesbutcannotbea+ributedwiththesense(ofsight).”

TheVisibilityofGod

رحيم لا يوصف بالرقة، تعنو الوجوه لعظمته، وتجب القلوب من مخافته.

“HeisMercifulbutcannotbea+ributedwithweaknessofheart.FacesfeellowbeforeHisgreatnessandheartstrembleoutoffearof

Him.”