The Claim That Ibn ʿAbbas, Interpreted the Kursi

They used as proof what al Tabari reported, through Jaʿfar ibn Abi al Mughirah (d. 180AH), from Saʿid ibn Jubayr (d. 95AH), from Ibn ʿAbbas, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said:

وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ
“His Kursi (Footstool) extends.” (al Baqarah 255)

“Kursi means: His knowledge.” (Reported by Ibn Jarir, 3/9; Ibn Mandah, al Radd ʿala al Jahmiyyah, page 45; al Bayhaqi, al Asmaʾ wa al Sifat, page 151.)

This is not sound from Ibn ʿAbbas, may Allah be pleased with him, for several reasons.

First, it turns on Jaʿfar ibn Abi al Mughirah, and he has weakness.

Ibn Hajar summarised the ruling on him by saying: “He is truthful, but he makes mistakes.” (Taqrib al Tahdhib, page 201.)

Hadith scholars do not accept his solitary report in something like this, especially from a narrator who has many students, such as Saʿid ibn Jubayr, unless there is a special reason for it. When this is added to his disagreement with reliable narrators who also narrated a lot from Saʿid ibn Jubayr, then it becomes necessary to rule that he made a mistake, and that his report is irregular, as is the case here, and the details are as follows.

Second, Jaʿfar ibn Abi al Mughirah opposed someone more reliable than him regarding Saʿid ibn Jubayr.

Muslim al Batin (d. 143AH) reported it from Saʿid ibn Jubayr, from Ibn ʿAbbas, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said: “His Kursi (Footstool) is the place of His two feet, and the Throne, no one can measure its size.” (Reported by ʿAbd al Razzaq in his Tafsir, 3/251; al Darimi, al Radd ʿala al Marisi, 1/412; Ibn Abi Hatim in Tafsir, 2/491; ʿAbd Allah in al Sunnah, 2/586; Ibn Khuzaymah in al Tawhid, page 107; Ibn Abi Shaybah in al ʿArsh, page 79; Abu al Shaykh in al ʿAzamah, 2/582; Ibn Mandah in al Radd ʿala al Jahmiyyah, page 44; Ibn Battah in al Ibanah, 3/337; al Daraqutni in al Sifat, page 111; al Hakim, 2/310, and he said: “A sound hadith upon the condition of the two shaykhs”, and al Dhahabi agreed with him; al Bayhaqi in al Asmaʾ wa al Sifat, page 474; Abu Dharr al Harawi in al Arbaʿin fi al Tawhid, page 57; al Khatib in Tarikh Baghdad, 9/251. Al Dhahabi mentioned it in al ʿUluww, page 76, and al Albani said in Mukhtasar al ʿUluww, page 75: “Authentic”.)

Muslim al Batin is among the most reliable people regarding Saʿid ibn Jubayr, and al Bukhari and Muslim both narrated from him.

Ibn Mandah also said about Jaʿfar ibn Abi al Mughirah: “No one followed him on it, and he is not strong regarding Saʿid ibn Jubayr.” (al Radd ʿala al Jahmiyyah, page 45.)

Third, hadith scholars and imams authenticated the wording about “the two feet”, and they weakened the wording that says “knowledge”.

Abu Zurʿah (d. 264AH) authenticated it. Ibn Mandah reported from him in al Tawhid that he said: “Abu Zurʿah was asked about the hadith of Ibn ʿAbbas: ‘the place of the two feet’, and he said: ‘Authentic’.” (al Tawhid, 3/309.)

Al Daraqutni reported in al Sifat, with his chain, from al ʿAbbas ibn Muhammad al Duri, that he said: “I heard Yahya ibn Maʿin (d. 233AH) say: ‘I witnessed Zakariyya ibn ʿAdi asking Wakiʿ: “O Abu Sufyan, these hadiths, meaning: like ‘the Kursi is the place of the two feet’, and things like that?” Wakiʿ said: “We reached Ismaʿil ibn Abi Khalid, Sufyan, and Misʿar, and they used to narrate these hadiths, and they did not explain anything.”’ (Reported by al Daraqutni in al Sifat, page 163; al Bayhaqi in al Asmaʾ wa al Sifat, page 474. It is also in Tarikh Ibn Maʿin, as narrated by al Duri, 3/520.)

Al Darimi said in al Radd ʿala al Marisi: “It is said to this Marisi: As for what you reported from Ibn ʿAbbas, then it is from the report of Jaʿfar al Ahmar. Jaʿfar al Ahmar is not one whose report is relied upon, since reliable, precise narrators opposed him. Muslim al Batin reported from Saʿid ibn Jubayr, from Ibn ʿAbbas, about the Kursi, contrary to what you claimed against Ibn ʿAbbas.” Then he gave the chain through Muslim al Batin, then said: “So al Marisi accepted this hadith and declared it authentic.” (al Radd ʿala al Marisi, 1/411.)

Al Bayhaqi mentioned both routes in al Asmaʾ wa al Sifat and said: “Allah, Blessed and Most High, said:

وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ
“And His Kursi (Footstool) extends over the heavens and the earth.” (al Baqarah 255)

We reported from Saʿid ibn Jubayr, from Ibn ʿAbbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, that he said: ‘His knowledge.’ The rest of the reports from Ibn ʿAbbas and others show that what is meant is the well known Kursi that is mentioned along with the Throne.” (al Asmaʾ wa al Sifat, page 497.)

Al Dhahabi said in al ʿUluww: “Ibn ʿAbbas said: ‘His Kursi means His knowledge.’ This came through the route of Jaʿfar al Ahmar, who has weakness. Ibn al Anbari said: This is only narrated with a chain that is criticised.” (al ʿUluww, page 117.)

Abu Mansur al Azhari said in Tahdhib al Lughah: “The authentic report from Ibn ʿAbbas regarding the Kursi is what al Thawri and others narrated from ʿAmmar al Duhni, from Muslim al Batin.” Then he mentioned it, then said: “This narration is one that the people of knowledge agreed is authentic. As for what is narrated from Ibn ʿAbbas, that the Kursi is knowledge, then it is not something the people who know hadith reports affirm.” (Tahdhib al Lughah, 10/54.)

Fourth, interpreting the Kursi as “the place of the two feet” agrees with what is authentic from the Prophet ﷺ, and with the statements of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them.

Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: “The seven heavens, compared to the Kursi, are only like a ring thrown into an empty desert land, and the superiority of the Throne over the Kursi is like the superiority of that desert land over that ring.” (Reported by Ibn Jarir, 3/10; Ibn Abi Shaybah in al ʿArsh, page 77; Ibn Battah in al Ibanah, 3/181; Abu al Shaykh in al ʿAzamah, 2/570, 2/649; Ibn Hibban in his Sahih, 1/287; Abu Nuʿaym in al Hilyah, 1/166; al Bayhaqi in al Asmaʾ wa al Sifat, page 510. Al Albani graded it authentic in al Silsilah al Sahihah, 1/174, number 109.)

ʿAbd Allah ibn Masʿud, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “Between the heaven and the earth is a journey of five hundred years. Then between each two heavens is a journey of five hundred years. The thickness of each heaven is a journey of five hundred years. Then between the seventh heaven and the Kursi is five hundred years. Between the Kursi and the water is five hundred years. The Kursi is above the water. Allah Most High is above the Throne, and none of your deeds are hidden from Him.” (Reported by al Darimi in al Radd ʿala al Jahmiyyah, page 55; Ibn Khuzaymah in al Tawhid, page 105–106; al Tabarani in al Kabir, 9/202; Abu al Shaykh in al ʿAzamah, 2/565, 2/689; Ibn Battah in al Ibanah, 3/171; al Lalikaʾi, 3/395; Ibn ʿAbd al Barr in al Tamhid, 7/139; al Bayhaqi in al Asmaʾ wa al Sifat, page 507. Al Dhahabi mentioned it in al ʿUluww, page 79, and he attributed it to ʿAbd Allah, the son of Imam Ahmad, in al Sunnah, and to Abu Bakr ibn al Mundhir, Abu Ahmad al ʿAssal, and Abu ʿUmar al Tulmanki, and he said: “Its chain is authentic.” Al Albani graded it authentic in Mukhtasar al ʿUluww, page 75.)

Abu Musa, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “The Kursi is the place of the two feet, and it has a creaking sound like the creaking of a saddle.” (Reported by Ibn Abi Shaybah in al ʿArsh, page 78; ʿAbd Allah in al Sunnah, 1/302; Ibn Jarir, 3/9; Abu al Shaykh in al ʿAzamah, 2/627; Ibn Mandah in al Radd ʿala al Jahmiyyah, page 46; al Bayhaqi in al Asmaʾ wa al Sifat, page 509. Al Dhahabi mentioned it in al ʿUluww, page 107, and al Albani graded it authentic in Mukhtasar al ʿUluww.)

There are many reports in this topic.

This shows that this report from Ibn ʿAbbas, may Allah be pleased with him, is not sound, that it is irregular, and that the one who used it as proof was mistaken.

The Claim That Ibn ʿAbbas, Interpreted the Coming of the Lord, Mighty and Majestic

The two Ashʿaris claimed that Ibn ʿAbbas, may Allah be pleased with him, interpreted the coming of the Lord, Mighty and Majestic. They relied on what al Nasafi mentioned in his Tafsir, at Allah Most High saying:

وَجَاءَ رَبُّكَ وَالْمَلَكُ صَفًّا صَفًّا
“And your Lord will come, and the angels, rank after rank.” (al Fajr 22)

He said: “From Ibn ʿAbbas: His command and His decree.” They mentioned something similar from al Hasan.

This has no foundation and no chain, neither from Ibn ʿAbbas nor from al Hasan al Basri (d. 110AH), and none of the authors who specialised in hadith narration mentioned it.

The Claim That Ibn ʿAbbas, Interpreted the Word “Eyes”

The two Ashʿaris claimed that Ibn ʿAbbas, may Allah be pleased with him, interpreted “eye” for Allah Most High. They said: Allah Most High said:

وَاصْنَعِ الْفُلْكَ بِأَعْيُنِنَا
“And build the ship under Our eyes.” (Hud 37)

They said: Ibn ʿAbbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “Within Our sight.”

The reply is as follows.

First, this report is not established from Ibn ʿAbbas, may Allah be pleased with him. Al Baghawi mentioned it with no chain. What is established from Ibn ʿAbbas, may Allah be pleased with him, is that he said about Allah Most High saying:

وَاصْنَعِ الْفُلْكَ بِأَعْيُنِنَا
“And build the ship under Our eyes.” (Hud 37)

“Under the eye of Allah.” (Reported by Ibn Abi Hatim, 6/2026; Ibn Jarir, 12/34; al Bayhaqi in al Asmaʾ wa al Sifat, page 396.)

ʿAta reported from Ibn ʿAbbas, may Allah be pleased with him, about Allah Most High saying:

تَجْرِي بِأَعْيُنِنَا
“It sailed under Our eyes.” (al Qamar 14)

He said: He pointed with his hand to his two eyes.

This is explicit from him in affirming the two eyes for Allah Most High.

This is what is well known from the Salaf. Similar wording is sound from Abu ʿImran al Jawni (d. 90AH), Qatadah (d. 117AH), Mutarrif ibn ʿAbd Allah (d. 95AH), Khalid ibn Maʿdan (d. 103AH), Abu Nahik, and others.

Second, even if this report was sound, it is not taʾwil at all. Rather, it is explaining what follows from the meaning. It is known that Allah, Blessed and Most High, sees what Nuh عليه السلام is doing, and sees what his people are planning against him. So Allah said to him, to comfort him: “You are under Our gaze, and within Our sight, so do not fear.” This is not taʾwil of the two eyes, and it is not turning the wording away from its known meaning.

The taʾwil they claim would only be correct if the two eyes were not affirmed for Allah Most High.

Every sensible person knows that Nuh عليه السلام was not inside the very eye of Allah Most High. Allah’s Essence is not a place for creation. Allah is far above that. Rather, what is meant is protection and guarding.

Rather, if what follows is affirmed, then what it follows from is affirmed. Similar to someone saying about Allah Most High saying:

إِنَّنِي مَعَكُمَا أَسْمَعُ وَأَرَى
“Indeed, I am with you both. I hear and I see.” (Ta Ha 46)

Meaning: “You are in My protection and My care.” This would be sound, and it is not taʾwil of hearing or seeing. It is affirming them by affirming what follows from them.

Al Darimi said in his reply to al Marisi: “As for your explanation from Ibn ʿAbbas about Allah Most High saying:

فَإِنَّكَ بِأَعْيُنِنَا
“Indeed, you are under Our eyes.” (al Tur 48)

That he said: ‘With Our protection and Our guarding’, then if what you claim from Ibn ʿAbbas is sound, then its meaning is what we claimed, not what you claimed. It means: ‘With Our protection and Our guarding, by Our eyes.’ Because in the speech of the Arabs, it is not permissible that someone is described with guarding unless the one guarding is from those who have eyes. If you are ignorant, then name for me something that does not have eyes, yet is described as guarding. The root of guarding is because of looking. A man may guard even without looking, but he still must be from those who have eyes. The meaning of your saying, ‘the eye of Allah’, is like this, so understand.” (al Radd ʿala al Marisi, 2/831.)

Abu al Hasan al Ashʿari reported, in Maqalat al Islamiyyin and al Ibanah, the consensus of Ahl al Sunnah on affirming the two eyes for Allah Most High. This will be clarified later, in Chapter Two of Section Five.

The Claim That Ibn ʿAbbas, Interpreted the Word “Ayd”

The two Ashʿaris claimed that Ibn ʿAbbas, may Allah be pleased with him, interpreted Allah’s hand. They said: Allah Most High said:

وَالسَّمَاءَ بَنَيْنَاهَا بِأَيْدٍ
“And the heaven, We built it with ayd.” (al Dhariyat 47)

They said: Ibn ʿAbbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “With strength and power.” They attributed this to al Qurtubi.

The reply is that the word “ayd” here is not the plural of “hand”. Its root is “ayd”, meaning strength.

Ibn Manzur said in Lisan al ʿArab, under the entry “ayd”: “Ayd, and also ad, both mean strength.” He mentioned a line of poetry, then said: In a sermon of ʿAli, may Allah be pleased with him: “He held it back from shaking with His ayd”, meaning: with His strength. He also said: Allah Most High saying:

وَاذْكُرْ عَبْدَنَا دَاوُودَ ذَا الْأَيْدِ
“And remember Our servant Dawud, the one of ayd.” (Sad 17)

Meaning: the one of strength. He also mentioned: “Taʾyid means strengthening”, and he mentioned Allah Most High saying:

إِذْ أَيَّدْتُكَ بِرُوحِ الْقُدُسِ
“When I strengthened you with the Holy Spirit.” (al Maʾidah 110)

Then he mentioned another recitation that carries the same meaning. (Lisan al ʿArab, entry: ayd.)

The author of Mukhtar al Sihah said under the entry “yad”: “Allah Most High saying:

وَالسَّمَاءَ بَنَيْنَاهَا بِأَيْدٍ
‘And the heaven, We built it with ayd.’ (al Dhariyat 47)

Meaning: with strength. It is a verbal noun from the verb that means ‘to become strong’. It is not the plural of ‘hand’, and this is not its place. Al Azhari stated this about this verse, that ayd is a verbal noun. I do not know anyone from the imams of language or tafsir who went to what al Jawhari went to, that it is the plural of hand.” (Mukhtar al Sihah, entry: yad.)

Their proof was also answered by their imam, Abu al Hasan al Ashʿari, when he said in al Ibanah, replying to the Jahmiyyah and the Muʿtazilah who interpreted Allah’s hand: “A question. Someone used as proof Allah Most High saying:

وَالسَّمَاءَ بَنَيْنَاهَا بِأَيْدٍ
‘And the heaven, We built it with ayd.’ (al Dhariyat 47)

They said: ayd is strength, so the meaning of Allah Most High saying:

لِمَا خَلَقْتُ بِيَدَيَّ
‘What I created with My two hands.’ (Sad 75)

Must be: ‘with My power’. It is said to them: This is a corrupt taʾwil for several reasons. One of them is that ayd is not the plural of hand, because the plural of yad is aydi, and the plural of yad meaning favour is ayadi. Allah Most High said:

لِمَا خَلَقْتُ بِيَدَيَّ
‘What I created with My two hands.’ (Sad 75)

So it becomes invalid that the meaning of:

بِيَدَيَّ
‘with My two hands’ (Sad 75)

Is the meaning of:

بِأَيْدٍ
‘with ayd’ (al Dhariyat 47).” (al Ibanah, page 108.)

Ibn Khuzaymah said in al Tawhid: “Some of the Jahmiyyah claimed that the meaning of the statement ‘Allah created Adam with His two hands’ is: with His strength. So he claimed that hand means strength.

This is also from changing the meaning, and it is ignorance of the language of the Arabs. Strength is only called ayd in the language of the Arabs, not yad. Whoever does not know the difference between yad and ayd is more in need of being taught and being sent back to the children’s schools than he is in need of leading and debating.” (al Tawhid, page 87.)

The Claim That Ibn ʿAbbas, Interpreted Allah Most High Saying: “Allah Is the Light of the Heavens and the Earth”

The two Ashʿaris claimed that Ibn ʿAbbas, may Allah be pleased with him, interpreted Allah being described as light. They said on page 234: “In the Tafsir of al Tabari, it says: from Ibn ʿAbbas, about Allah’s statement:

اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ
“Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth.” (al Nur 35)

Meaning: Allah, Glorified is He, is the guide of the people of the heavens and the earth.”

The reply is as follows.

First, this report turns on ʿAli ibn Abi Talhah (d. 143AH).

Ibn Abi Hatim reported it, 8/2593, and Ibn Jarir, 18/135, and Ibn al Mundhir, and al Bayhaqi in al Asmaʾ wa al Sifat, page 102, and al Lalikaʾi, 2/201, in Sharh Usul Iʿtiqad Ahl al Sunnah, all through ʿAli ibn Abi Talhah, from Ibn ʿAbbas, may Allah be pleased with him.

This chain is disconnected, because ʿAli ibn Abi Talhah did not hear from Ibn ʿAbbas.

Duhaym said: He did not hear the tafsir from Ibn ʿAbbas. Ibn Hibban said: He narrated from Ibn ʿAbbas but he did not see him.

His reliability was also differed over. Some imams strengthened him, such as Abu Dawud, al Nasaʾi, and Ibn Hibban. Others weakened him. Yaʿqub ibn Sufyan said: “Weak in hadith, rejected, not praised in belief.” (See Tahdhib al Tahdhib, 7/339–341.) Ibn Hajar summarised him in al Taqrib by saying: “Truthful, but he may make mistakes.” Al Dhahabi said in al Kashif: Ahmad said: “He has rejected reports.”

Second, if this report is sound, then it is not the taʾwil they claim. Explaining it as “the guide” does not deny Allah, Blessed and Most High, being Light, because part of the meaning of Him being Light is that He guides His creation. So these two meanings come together. Ibn ʿAbbas and others did not deny anything else besides that.

For this reason, Allah Most High said after it:

مَثَلُ نُورِهِ
“The example of His light.” (al Nur 35)

Meaning: in the heart of the believing servant.

It is the way of the Salaf to mention one part of what a word indicates, or one type from its types. This does not deny the rest of its types and meanings. Rather, the two meanings may come together.

An example of this is some of them saying about:

الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ
“The straight path.” (al Fatihah 6)

That it is Islam, and others said it is the Qurʾan, and others said it is the Sunnah and the Jamaʿah, and some said it is the path of worship. All of these are meanings that come together, and they are not separate.

Third, Allah, Blessed and Most High, has been described as Light.

Allah Most High said:

وَأَشْرَقَتِ الْأَرْضُ بِنُورِ رَبِّهَا
“And the earth will shine with the light of its Lord.” (al Zumar 69)

Abu Musa, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood among us with five statements. He said: “Allah, Mighty and Majestic, does not sleep, and it is not fitting that He sleeps.

He lowers the scale and raises it. The deeds of the night are raised to Him before the deeds of the day, and the deeds of the day before the deeds of the night. His veil is light, and in the narration of Abu Bakr, fire. If He were to remove it, the glories of His Face would burn whatever His sight reaches from His creation.” (Muslim 179.)

Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him, reported in the hadith of the Miʿraj that he said: I asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: “Did you see your Lord?” He said: “Light. How could I see Him?” (Muslim 178.)

In the supplication of the Prophet ﷺ when he returned from Taʾif after calling them to Islam: “I seek refuge in the light of Your Face, by which the darkness shines, and by which the affairs of this life and the next are set right…” and the hadith continues. (Reported by Ibn ʿAdi in al Kamil, 6/2124; al Tabarani in al Duʿa, page 315; al Khatib in al Jamiʿ, 2/275.)

His statement: “And by which the affairs of this life and the next are set right”, is like the statement of Ibn ʿAbbas in explaining Allah’s light as: “the guide of the people of the heavens and the earth”.

Abu al Hasan al Ashʿari mentioned Allah being described as Light. He said in Maqalat al Islamiyyin: “Ahl al Sunnah and the people of hadith said: … and that He is Light, as Allah Most High said:

اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ
‘Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth.’ (al Nur 35)” (Maqalat al Islamiyyin, 1/285.)

So Light is an attribute from the attributes of our Lord, Blessed and Most High. From it comes the Name “al Nur”, which is one of the most beautiful Names of Allah Most High.

The Claim That Ibn ʿAbbas, Interpreted the Texts About “the Face”

The two Ashʿaris claimed that Ibn ʿAbbas, may Allah be pleased with him, interpreted the attribute of the Face for Allah. They said on page 234: Allah Most High said:

وَيَبْقَىٰ وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ
“And the Face of your Lord will remain, the Possessor of Majesty and Honour.” (al Rahman 27)

They said: Ibn ʿAbbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “The face means Him.”

The reply is that what al Qurtubi mentioned has no foundation from Ibn ʿAbbas, may Allah be pleased with him.

What is established from Ibn ʿAbbas, may Allah be pleased with him, is affirming the Face for Allah Most High.

He said about Allah Most High saying:

لِلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا الْحُسْنَىٰ وَزِيَادَةٌ
“For those who did good is the best, and more.” (Yunus 26)

“The ‘more’ is looking at the Face of Allah.” (al Lalikaʾi, 3/459; al Bayhaqi in al Asmaʾ wa al Sifat, page 133.)

He also said about Allah Most High saying:

إِلَىٰ رَبِّهَا نَاظِرَةٌ
“Looking at its Lord.” (al Qiyamah 23)

Meaning: looking at its Creator. (Al Ajurri reported it in al Shariʿah, page 270, and al Suyuti attributed it in al Durr al Manthur to Ibn al Mundhir.)

The Claim That Ibn ʿAbbas, Interpreted the Word “the Shin”

The two Ashʿaris claimed that Ibn ʿAbbas, may Allah be pleased with him, interpreted the attribute of the shin for Allah Most High. They said on page 234: Allah Most High said:

يَوْمَ يُكْشَفُ عَنْ سَاقٍ
“On the Day the shin will be uncovered.” (al Qalam 42)

They said: Ibn ʿAbbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “A great hardship.”

The reply is as follows.

First, the Companions differed regarding this verse. Ibn ʿAbbas and a group explained it as hardship, and Abu Saʿid and Ibn Masʿud and a group counted it among the attributes. This is not a disagreement about affirming the attribute. Rather, it is a disagreement about whether this verse is from the verses of attributes.

The apparent meaning of the verse does not show that it is a verse about an attribute, because the word “shin” appears in an indefinite form in an affirmative sentence. Allah did not attach it to Himself by saying “His shin.”

He did not say “His shin”. Since He did not make it definite by adding it, it does not point to an attribute of Allah Most High. For this reason, Ibn ʿAbbas did not count it among the verses of attributes.

Those who counted it among the verses of attributes only did so because of the hadith in al Bukhari and Muslim, not because of the apparent meaning of the verse. This is not taʾwil. Taʾwil is turning a verse away from what it indicates and what it is understood to mean in its known usage.

So it is not sound to say that Ibn ʿAbbas “interpreted” the verse.

Second, the attribute of the shin for Allah Most High is established in the Sunnah.

Abu Saʿid, may Allah be pleased with him, said: I heard the Prophet ﷺ say: “Our Lord will uncover His shin. Every believing man and believing woman will prostrate to Him. Every one who used to prostrate in this life out of showing off and reputation will remain. He will try to prostrate, but his back will become one solid layer.” (Reported by al Bukhari, 4/1871, and the wording is his; and Muslim 183.)

The Claim That Ibn ʿAbbas, Interpreted the Word “Side”

The two Ashʿaris claimed that Ibn ʿAbbas, may Allah be pleased with him, interpreted Allah Most High saying:

أَنْ تَقُولَ نَفْسٌ يَا حَسْرَتَىٰ عَلَىٰ مَا فَرَّطْتُ فِي جَنْبِ اللَّهِ
“Lest a being says: ‘Oh my regret over what I neglected in the side of Allah.’” (al Zumar 56)

They said: It means: I left the obedience of Allah, and the command of Allah, and the reward of Allah.

Similar wording was also reported from Mujahid, al Suddi, and al Hasan.

The reply is that this speech shows great ignorance. A claim of taʾwil here is not even possible unless it is first established from the Salaf that they made “side” an attribute of Allah Most High. Only then could someone claim that Ibn ʿAbbas and those who agreed with him interpreted it.

No one from the Salaf ever said that “side” in this verse is an attribute of Allah Most High.

This is a common mistake people fall into. The meaning in every place depends on its context and what surrounds it from wording and circumstances.

Al Darimi said in his reply to al Marisi: “The objector falsely claimed against a people that they say about explaining Allah’s statement:

يَا حَسْرَتَىٰ عَلَىٰ مَا فَرَّطْتُ فِي جَنْبِ اللَّهِ
‘Oh my regret over what I neglected in the side of Allah.’ (al Zumar 56)

That they mean by it ‘the side that is a bodily part’. This is not what they understand.

So it is said to this objector: How cheap lying is to you, and how light it is on your tongue.

If you are truthful in your claim, then point to one human being who said it. Otherwise, why do you shame people by lying, people who are more knowing than you in explaining this, and more able than you in understanding the meanings of the Book of Allah, and more able than your imam. Its meaning with them is that the disbelievers will regret what they neglected of iman and the virtues that lead to Allah Himself.

They chose disbelief and mockery of the allies of Allah instead of that, so Allah called them mockers.

This is the meaning of side with them. Who told you that they said: ‘side from the sides’? Many ordinary Muslims do not even misunderstand this meaning, let alone their ulama. Abu Bakr al Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, said: ‘Lying is far from iman.’ Ibn Masʿud, may Allah be pleased with him, said: ‘Lying is not permissible, neither in seriousness nor in joking.’ Al Shaʿbi (d. 104AH) said: ‘Whoever is a liar is a hypocrite.’” (al Radd ʿala al Marisi, 2/807.)

Allah Most High says:

أَنْ تَقُولَ نَفْسٌ يَا حَسْرَتَىٰ عَلَىٰ مَا فَرَّطْتُ فِي جَنْبِ اللَّهِ وَإِنْ كُنْتُ لَمِنَ السَّاخِرِينَ ۝ أَوْ تَقُولَ لَوْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ هَدَانِي لَكُنْتُ مِنَ الْمُتَّقِينَ ۝ أَوْ تَقُولَ حِينَ تَرَى الْعَذَابَ لَوْ أَنَّ لِي كَرَّةً فَأَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ ۝ بَلَىٰ قَدْ جَاءَتْكَ آيَاتِي فَكَذَّبْتَ بِهَا وَاسْتَكْبَرْتَ وَكُنْتَ مِنَ الْكَافِرِينَ
“Lest a being says: ‘Oh my regret over what I neglected in the side of Allah, and I truly was among those who mocked.’

Or it says: ‘If only Allah had guided me, I would have been among the people of taqwa (piety).’ Or it says, when it sees the punishment:

‘If only I had another chance, then I would be among those who do good.’

Yes indeed. My verses came to you, but you denied them, and you acted arrogantly, and you became among the disbelievers.” (al Zumar 56–59)

This is telling what this being, which wronged itself, will say. It is known that most of these beings do not know, and do not accept, that Allah has a “side”, just as this is what is found from them in this life. So how could the apparent meaning of the Qurʾan be that Allah told about them affirming that.

Allah Most High saying:

يَا حَسْرَتَىٰ عَلَىٰ مَا فَرَّطْتُ فِي جَنْبِ اللَّهِ
“Oh my regret over what I neglected in the side of Allah.” (al Zumar 56)

Is telling about their regret for neglecting what is due to Allah. “Neglect” is either doing something, or leaving something. This cannot be something that exists in Allah’s Essence, neither in a “side” nor anywhere else.

Rather, it is separate from Allah. This is known by direct observation. So the apparent meaning of the verse does not show that the speaker made his deeds, or his leaving deeds, into a “side” that is from Allah’s attributes and Essence.

Rather, what is meant by “the side of Allah” is obedience to Allah, the command of Allah, and the right of Allah, just as it is said: “the path of Allah”.

From this is what is reported in the statement of the Prophet ﷺ: “Whoever is killed while defending his wealth, while being wronged, then he is a martyr. Whoever is killed while defending his own being, then he is a martyr.

Whoever is killed while defending his family, then he is a martyr. Whoever is killed while defending his neighbour, then he is a martyr. Whoever is killed in the side of Allah, then he is a martyr.” (Reported by al Harith in his Musnad, as in al Matalib al ʿAliyah by Ibn Hajar, 9/200.)

And like the statement of Abu al Dardaʾ, may Allah be pleased with him: “You will not understand fiqh fully until you hate people in the side of Allah, then you return to your own being and find it more hated than all people.” (Reported by Ahmad in al Zuhd, page 134; Ibn Abi Shaybah in al Musannaf, 7/110; al Khattabi in al ʿUzlah, page 61.)

And in the statement of Khalid ibn Maʿdan (d. 103AH): “A man will not understand fiqh fully until he sees people, in the side of Allah, like camels, then he returns to his own being and it becomes the lowest and most worthless.” (Reported by Ibn al Mubarak in al Zuhd, page 99.)

Ibn Manzur said in Lisan al ʿArab, under the entry “janb”: “Al Farraʾ said: janb means closeness. Allah Most High saying:

عَلَىٰ مَا فَرَّطْتُ فِي جَنْبِ اللَّهِ
‘Over what I neglected in the side of Allah’ (al Zumar 56)

Means: in closeness to Allah and in His neighbourhood. Janb can also mean the greatest part of something and its most. From that is their saying: ‘This is small compared to your love.’ Ibn al Aʿrabi said about Allah Most High saying:

فِي جَنْبِ اللَّهِ
‘In the side of Allah’ (al Zumar 56)

Meaning: in closeness to Allah from Paradise. Al Zajjaj said: Its meaning is: over what I neglected in the path, which is the path of Allah that He called me to. That is tawhid (affirming Allah’s Oneness), and affirming the prophethood of His Messenger, Muhammad ﷺ. Their saying: ‘Fear Allah regarding the side of your brother, and do not stab his leg’, means: do not kill him and do not put him into temptation.” (Lisan al ʿArab, entry: janb.)

Kitāb al Ashāʿirah fī Mīzān Ahl al Sunnah by Fayṣal al Jāsim pg 553–573

Author

ISHAQ. K

Refutation Of All The Supposed Ta’wil From Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه

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