Part of Concepts of Ahl as-Sunnah (series completed)
· Lesson 70 of 1251
Summary of Sunni concepts | Concept (68) | The heresy of delegation and the response to it
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Transcript
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A summary of the concepts held by the Ahl al-Sunnah.
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The innovation of tafwid (delegation) and the refutation thereof.
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The Ash'aris resort to interpreting the divine attributes, as we have previously mentioned.
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Under the pretext of declaring Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, transcendent,
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Above resembling any of His creation.
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Yet, when they are unable to interpret an attribute,
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They resort to tafwid.
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This means they say:
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"We delegate the matter of what is intended by this description to Allah, the Exalted."
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"For He is most knowing of what He intends by it."
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They do this, too, under the pretext of declaring Him transcendent.
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The author of the book al-Jawharah says,
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And he is of the Ash'ari school:
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"Every text that suggests a resemblance,
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Interpret it, or delegate it, and aim for transcendence."
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They claim that this tafwid
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Is the creed of the salaf.
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And that it is the most appropriate course for one who is unable to interpret and desires safety.
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This is why they say:
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"The way of the salaf is safer,
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While the way of the khalaf (later generations) is more knowledgeable and wiser."
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By saying this, they have fallen into two major errors.
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First:
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They have harbored ill thoughts toward the salaf,
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And have deemed themselves more knowledgeable and wiser than them.
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Can one whose intellect and understanding have been polluted by the ideas of philosophers and logicians
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Be more knowledgeable and wiser than those who lived during the revelation of the Noble Qur'an,
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And who received its meanings from the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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The one who conveyed the message from the Lord of the worlds?
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Second:
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This tafwid, falsely attributed to the salaf,
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Is in reality a sign of incapacity and helplessness.
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It involves harboring ill thoughts toward Allah, the Almighty, the All-Wise, the All-Aware,
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And accusing Him, Glory be to Him, of trifling with His creation,
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By addressing them with speech that is difficult and incomprehensible,
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Which they cannot contemplate or grasp the meaning of.
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Yet Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, says:
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﴾And We have certainly made the Qur'an easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember?﴿
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Making the Qur'an easy for remembrance includes making its words easy to memorize,
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And making its meanings easy to understand,
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Not addressing people in a way that necessitates helplessness and delegation.
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It also includes making its commands and prohibitions easy to follow.
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Whoever intends that those he addresses should not understand his speech,
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Or should understand it in a way that contradicts its true meaning through alleged interpretation,
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Has treated them with the utmost difficulty,
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And has not made it easy.
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Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, also says:
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﴾A blessed Book which We have revealed to you, that they might reflect upon its verses,﴿
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﴾And that those of understanding would be reminded.﴿
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And He says: ﴾Then do they not reflect upon the Qur'an, or are there locks upon their hearts?﴿
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Reflecting upon speech without understanding its meanings is impossible.
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The same applies to grasping the meaning of speech.
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For Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, says:
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“Lo! We have revealed it, a Lecture in Arabic, that ye may understand.” (12:2)
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And grasping the meaning of speech necessarily includes understanding it.
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As for the inimitability (i'jaz) of the Noble Qur'an,
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It does not mean that it cannot be understood or that its meanings cannot be grasped.
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Rather, it means silencing the eloquent,
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And rendering the masters of rhetoric unable to produce anything like it,
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Despite it being consistent with the styles of Arabic speech,
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And made easy for understanding, perception, and reflection.
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A summary of the concepts held by the Ahl al-Sunnah.