Ibn Hazm’s Argument

Ibn Hazm argued against affirming the hadith of descent in its apparent meaning by raising a logical difficulty.

He said that: Night differs across the earth. The last third of the night occurs at different times in different places. If Allah truly descends in a real sense during the last third of the night, then this would mean one of two things:

Either He would be descending continuously, since night never ceases somewhere on earth.

Or He would be both descending and ascending at the same time, which they claimed would be combining opposites.

This reasoning was based on the assumption that descent must function like the descent of a physical body, subject to spatial limitation and sequential motion.

Ibn Taymiyyah’s Refutation

Ibn Taymiyyah responds by identifying the root problem: they imagined Allah’s descent in the same way as created descent.

He argues that this is tashbih from the outset. They first picture a bodily movement, then declare the hadith impossible based on that picture.

His refutation rests on several key principles:

First, Allah’s actions are not comparable to the actions of creation. One matter does not distract Him from another. The hadiths show that on the Day of Resurrection He will judge all creation at once, speak to each person individually, and be near to each one without being distracted from another. Ibn Abbas was asked how Allah will judge all at one time. He replied: just as He provides for them all at one time.

Second, created reality itself already shows simultaneous effects from a single cause. The sun is one body with one continuous motion, yet through that single motion it produces night for some, day for others, winter for some, summer for others, closeness for some, distance for others. If this is possible for a created object, then it is even more conceivable for the Creator, who is not bound by created limitations.

Third, the error lies in applying the judgements of sense perception and imagination, which apply to bodies, to the Lord. If bodily reasoning is accepted in matters of Lordship, then many affirmed attributes such as life, knowledge, and power would also be denied. If bodily reasoning is rejected, then the objection collapses.

Fourth, Ibn Taymiyyah affirms that Allah descends and ascends while always being above the Throne. The Throne is never devoid of Him. His descent is not like the descent of bodies that vacate a location and move beneath it. When He descends, none of creation becomes above Him. His actions do not resemble created spatial transitions.

Ibn Hazm’s objection is built on measuring divine action by the properties of bodies.

Ibn Taymiyyah’s response is that this measurement is invalid from the start. Once the assumption of bodily likeness is removed, the logical contradiction disappears. The hadith is affirmed as reported, without likening, without asking how, and without subjecting divine action to created constraints.

From this, the answer becomes clear regarding what Ibn Hazm and others mentioned about the hadith of descent, in which the Prophet said: “Our Lord descends every night to the lowest heaven when the last third of the night remains and says, Who calls upon Me so that I may answer him? Who asks of Me so that I may give him? Who seeks My forgiveness so that I may forgive him, until the dawn breaks.”

They said: It has been established that night differs among people, for its beginning, middle, and last third occur earlier in the East than in the West. They said: If the descent were a known, physical descent, then it would follow that He would be descending during all parts of the night, since night never ceases on the earth. They said: Or that He would always be descending and ascending, which would be combining two opposites.

They said this only because they imagined Allah’s descent in the way they imagine one of them descending, and this is the very essence of likening Allah to His creation. After this, they made Him like one of the weak among them who cannot combine actions that others are unable to combine.

Yet the hadiths have come showing that He will judge His creation on the Day of Resurrection, each person seeing Him as being near to him, manifesting Himself to him and conversing with him, while no one feels that He has turned away from him or is speaking to someone else.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “When the servant says, Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, Allah says, My servant has praised Me. When he says, The Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate, Allah says, My servant has extolled Me.”

So every person converses with Him, and Allah the Exalted says this to each one of them, and one matter does not distract Him from another. It was said to Ibn Abbas, How will Allah judge all creation in one moment? He said, Just as He provides for them all in one moment.

Whoever likens Allah’s actions that He creates to the actions of others has fallen into the resemblance made by the Magians among the Qadariyyah, so how then is the case with one who likens His actions to the actions of His creation or His attributes to the attributes of His creation?

To such people it is said: You know that the sun is one body, moving with one motion that does not differ, and through this single motion it rises for some people and sets for others, it is near to some and far from others.

Therefore, it is night for some, day for others, winter for some, summer for others, heat for some, and cold for others. If, through a single motion, it causes night and day at the same time for two groups, and winter and summer at the same time for two groups, then how could it be impossible for the Creator of all things, the One, the Subduer, that His descent to His servants and His call to them in the last third of their nights occur, though their nights differ among them, while He is not distracted by one matter from another?

He does not need to descend upon these and then upon those, rather in the same time that it is the last third of the night for some and dawn for others, His descent is to the heaven of these people’s world, and His ascent from the heaven of those people’s world. Exalted is Allah, the One, the Subduer: “Glorified be your Lord, the Lord of Honour, above what they describe, and peace be upon the messengers, and praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds” (al-Saffat 180–182).

It is said to such people, just as it was said to al Razi and those similar to him:

Is the judgement of the senses, imagination, and the intellect, by which bodily entities are recognised and understood, to be accepted in matters of Lordship, or is it to be rejected?

If it is accepted, then your entire statement is invalid, for you affirm that He is Living, Knowing, and Powerful, yet say that He neither moves nor rests, neither draws near nor distances, nor acts of Himself, while you claim at the same time that He is neither incapable nor constrained nor prevented. And if it is rejected, then what you have given as examples to deny the reality of what the truthful and trusted one (the Prophet) has informed of Him is invalid, for he knows Him better than you and those like you.

(Ibn Taymiyyah said i Majmu al-Fatawa 5/522: He, the Exalted, descends to the lowest heaven and then ascends, and it is narrated, “then He ascends,” while He, the Exalted, has always been above the Throne. His ascent is of the same kind as His descent. When He descends, none of the creation becomes above Him, so He, the Exalted, ascends, and none of them becomes above Him. He mentioned the difference in the issue of descent and said:

The third opinion, which is correct and transmitted from the Salaf of the Ummah and its imams, is that He is always above the Throne, and the Throne is never devoid of Him, along with His nearness and descent to the lowest heaven. The Throne is not above Him.

Likewise on the Day of Resurrection, as mentioned in the Book and Sunnah, His descent is not like the descent of the bodies of the sons of Adam from a roof to the ground, leaving the roof above them. Allah is far above that. See Sharh Hadith an-Nuzul, pages 232–313. And in Majmu al-Fatawa 5/458 he said: The ascent of the Lord is above all this and greater than all this, for He, the Exalted, is further removed from resembling any created being than any creature is from resembling another creature.)

Bayan Talbis Al Jahmiyyah (4/54-59)