A summary of the concepts held by the Ahl al-Sunnah.
The innovation of tafwid (delegation) and the refutation thereof.
The Ash'aris resort to interpreting the divine attributes, as we have previously mentioned.
Under the pretext of declaring Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, transcendent,
Above resembling any of His creation.
Yet, when they are unable to interpret an attribute,
They resort to tafwid.
This means they say:
"We delegate the matter of what is intended by this description to Allah, the Exalted."
"For He is most knowing of what He intends by it."
They do this, too, under the pretext of declaring Him transcendent.
The author of the book al-Jawharah says,
And he is of the Ash'ari school:
"Every text that suggests a resemblance,
Interpret it, or delegate it, and aim for transcendence."
They claim that this tafwid
Is the creed of the salaf.
And that it is the most appropriate course for one who is unable to interpret and desires safety.
This is why they say:
"The way of the salaf is safer,
While the way of the khalaf (later generations) is more knowledgeable and wiser."
By saying this, they have fallen into two major errors.
First:
They have harbored ill thoughts toward the salaf,
And have deemed themselves more knowledgeable and wiser than them.
Can one whose intellect and understanding have been polluted by the ideas of philosophers and logicians
Be more knowledgeable and wiser than those who lived during the revelation of the Noble Qur'an,
And who received its meanings from the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
The one who conveyed the message from the Lord of the worlds?
Second:
This tafwid, falsely attributed to the salaf,
Is in reality a sign of incapacity and helplessness.
It involves harboring ill thoughts toward Allah, the Almighty, the All-Wise, the All-Aware,
And accusing Him, Glory be to Him, of trifling with His creation,
By addressing them with speech that is difficult and incomprehensible,
Which they cannot contemplate or grasp the meaning of.
Yet Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, says:
﴾And We have certainly made the Qur'an easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember?﴿
Making the Qur'an easy for remembrance includes making its words easy to memorize,
And making its meanings easy to understand,
Not addressing people in a way that necessitates helplessness and delegation.
It also includes making its commands and prohibitions easy to follow.
Whoever intends that those he addresses should not understand his speech,
Or should understand it in a way that contradicts its true meaning through alleged interpretation,
Has treated them with the utmost difficulty,
And has not made it easy.
Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, also says:
﴾A blessed Book which We have revealed to you, that they might reflect upon its verses,﴿
﴾And that those of understanding would be reminded.﴿
And He says: ﴾Then do they not reflect upon the Qur'an, or are there locks upon their hearts?﴿
Reflecting upon speech without understanding its meanings is impossible.
The same applies to grasping the meaning of speech.
For Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, says:
“Lo! We have revealed it, a Lecture in Arabic, that ye may understand.” (12:2)
And grasping the meaning of speech necessarily includes understanding it.
As for the inimitability (i'jaz) of the Noble Qur'an,
It does not mean that it cannot be understood or that its meanings cannot be grasped.
Rather, it means silencing the eloquent,
And rendering the masters of rhetoric unable to produce anything like it,
Despite it being consistent with the styles of Arabic speech,
And made easy for understanding, perception, and reflection.
A summary of the concepts held by the Ahl al-Sunnah.