The Creed of Abu Bakr al-Ismaa'eelee (d. 371H) And Refutation of the Ash'ariyyah Jahmiyyah: Affirmation of the Sifaat Dhaatiyyah Without Distinguishing Between Them
Filed under: I'tiqaad Ahl as-Sunnah of Abu Bakr al-Ismaa'eelee Wednesday, December 02 2009 - by Abu.Iyaad Key topics: Abu Bakr Al-Ismaa'eelee Abu Bakr Al-Isma'ili Kullaabiyyah Early Ash'aris |
I'tiqaad Ahl is-Sunnah
The Book "I'tiqaad Ahl is-Sunnah" (manuscript copy sample, first page, to the right) is authentically ascribed to Abu Bakr al-Ismaa'eelee, and it has been mentioned by Abu Uthmaan as-Saaboonee (d. 449H) in his book "Aqeedat us-Salaf wa Ashaabil-Hadeeth", and likewise by Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali in "Jaami al-Uloom wal-Hikam", referring to it as "the risaalah of Abu Bakr al-Ismaa'eelee to the people of the mountain." The book has a connected chain of narration to its author and it has been narrated with its chain by Ibn Qudaamah al-Maqdisi in "Dhamm ut-Ta'weel", ad-Dhahabi in "al-Uluww", and in "Tadhkirat ul-Huffaadh" and "Siyar". And in his book "al-Arba'een Fee Sifaati Rabbil-Aalameen", adh-Dhahabee says, "And this creed (al-mu'taqad), we have heard this from him with a saheeh isnaad (authentic chain of narration)" (p. 118). The book also has three hearings (samaa') in the years 574H, 617H, and 667H, the details of which are found in the manuscripts. So the book is firmly established and corroborated as being the work of Abu Bakr al-Ismaa'eelee. In these articles we will be quoting from the tahqeeq of Jamaal Azzoon, first edition, 1999, Dar Ibn Hazm.
Brief Note Regarding Abu Bakr al-Ismaa'eelee and the Contemporary Jahmiyyah Parading Under the Label of "Ash'ariyyah"
We see these spurious, fraudulent lists of so called "Ash'ari" Scholars being circulated and spread on blogs and websites, with an impressive array of names mentioned therein, and Abu Bakr al-Ismaa'eelee's name is often found in these lists. This is one of the greatest of frauds being perpetrated by the Jahmite Machinery that has taken on the label of "Ash'ariyyah" in the 20th and 21st century. Whilst this is not the place to digress away from the subject of this article, let it be known that Abu Bakr al-Ismaa'eelee was a Salafi, Sunni, Athari (all synonymous terms representing only one approach and one aqidah) and his creed is in opposition to the Jahmiyyah Ash'ariyyah. He affirmed Allaah's Uluww, with His Essence, affirmed the attributes of Face, Hands, Eyes, and affirms that the Names of Allaah are not created (unlike the Jahmiyyah, Mu'tazilah and Ash'ariyyah - see here), and affirmed that this Qur'an present with us is uncreated, and opposes the Lafdhiyyah Jahmiyyah (i.e. Ash'ariyyah) who say that al-lafdh al-maqroo' is created (see here). And he opposed the Jahmiyyah and Ash'ariyyah on the subject of Eemaan, affirming that it is belief and action, that it increases and decreases. And further he affirms the Nuzool, without takyeef or ta'weel or tafweed, on account of it being reported in the authentic narrations. Inshaa'Allaah these details of belief from Abu Bakr al-Ismaa'eelee will be the subject of this series of articles. We demand the contemporary Jahmiyyah to abide by the criterion laid out in this article when imputing Ash'ariyyah to any Scholar.
Affirmation of Sifaat Dhaatiyyah and a Refutation of The Contemporary Jahmiyyah Who Attempt To Distinguish Between the Attributes
Abu Bakr al-Ismaa'eelee said:
And they [Ahl us-Sunnah] affirm that He has a Face, Hearing, Seeing, Knowledge, Power (Qudrah, Quwwah), Might (Izzah), and Speech. Not upon what the people of deviation, the Mu'tazilah and others say, but rather, as the Blessed and Exalted said:
- [He said]: "And the Face of Your Lord shall remain..." (55:27),
- And He said: "He sent it down (the Qur'an) with His knowledge..." (4:166),
- And He said: "And they will never compass anything of His Knowledge except that which He wills..." (2:255)
- And He said: "...then to Allah belong all izzah (might, honour, power and glory)..." (35:10)
- And He said: "And the Heaven, we constructed with power..." (51:47)
- And He said "...See they not that Allah, Who created them was mightier in strength than them..." (41:15)
- And He said: "Verily, Allah is the All-Provider, Owner of Power, the Most Strong." (51:58)
For He, the Exalted, possesses knowledge, strength, power, hearing, seeing, and speech, as He,
- The Exalted said: "...In order that you may be brought up under My Eye." (20:39), "And construct the ship under Our Eyes..." (11:37)
- And He said: "...so that he [the mushrik seeking protection] hears the speech of Allaah..." (9:6)
- And He said: "And Allaah spoke to Moses directly." (4:164), "Verily, His Command, when He intends a thing, is only that He says to it, "Be!" and it is!" (36:82)
This passage contains some extremely important points which should not be missed, whilst noting that today's Jahmiyyah claim Abu Bakr al-Ismaa'eelee is an Ash'arite Jahmite like them (in their rejection of what the Salaf and the early Kullaabi Ash'aris affirmed for Allaah without ta'weel and tafweed):
Notes and Comments
Point 1: Prior to this text, Abu Bakr al-Ismaa'eelee affirmed the attribute of two Hands for Allaah (this was covered in a previous article here). Here he affirms Face, and Eyes, alongside the attributes of hearing, seeing, knowledge, power, might, and speech, and he affirmed that those who reject such attributes (inclusive of Face, Hands etc.) are the Mu'tazilah, (who along with the Jahmiyyah were the pioneers of the various ta'weels).
Point 2: This indicates the academic fraud of today's Ash'arites who try to make a distinction between the attributes of (face, hands, eyes) and (hearing, seeing, knowledge, will, power, speech, life) claiming the former cannot be except limbs - and this is from the tajseem and repugnance and filth that originated in their own hearts, because they did not understand the revealed texts except with the likenesses they see in the creation. This claim of theirs was dealt with in detail in a separate article here. And when that repugnance and filth originated in their hearts, then when they heard Ahl us-Sunnah affirming these attributes (with the negation of takyeef and tamtheel and tashbeeh), they threw the filth that originated in their hearts upon Ahl us-Sunnah and began to call them "Mujassimah Hashawiyyah" - and the first to originate this slander were the Jahmiyyah Mu'tazilah.
Point 3: Abu Bakr al-Ismaa'eelee has brought all of these attributes and treated them all the same, which is affirmation of the true and real existence of the attribute with negation of tamtheel and tashbeeh - as opposed to (the saying of the Jahmites, Mu'tazilah and later Ash'arites):
I affirm the word 'yad' exists in the texts, it could mean 'qudrah', or 'ni'mah', but then again, it could also be the case that nobody knows what these words refer to at all and Allaah knows best what it means, but for sure it is not the dhaahir (apparent meaning) because that is pure tajseem.
This is the reality of their saying.
In all of the above, bear in mind that today's Jahmiyyah posing as "Ash'ariyyah" claim Abu Bakr al-Ismaa'eelee was an "Ash'ari" - whilst also bearing in mind the difference between the early Kullaabi Ash'aris and the later Jahmite Ash'aris - learn more about that in this series here and also this one here on Ibn Kullaab.
Point 4: Refutation of the claimed ta'weel of the word "aydin" that occurs in the verse, "And the heaven we constructed it with power" - for Abu Bakr al-Ismaa'eelee quotes the verse in order to establish the attribute of "quwwah" which is what al-ayd means. The claim that this verse means "And the heaven, we constructed it with hands" - (treating al-ayd to be the plural of hand) - using this to make the claim that the Salaf, when they explained this verse to mean "with power", therefore, made ta'weel is from the scandals of the Jahmiyyah. See this article that deals with the scandal of Nuh Keller in this regard.