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Tafwid of `Ilm

Contrary to the claim of the dissenters that the Salaf only made tafwid
of modality (kayf) but not that of knowledge (`ilm), the latter is in
fact related from Imam al-Shafi`i, Imam Ahmad, and al-Baghawi as well as
al-Nawawi and the rest of the Ash`aris. See for some references my
translation of Ibn Jahbal's refutation of Ibn Taymiyya (p. 22 note 11
and p. 161 notes 260-262).

In addition, I just came across an explicit statement from Imam
al-Dhahabi in the chapter on Ibn Khuzayma in Siyar A`lam al-Nubala'
(Risala ed. 14:376) where he says that the Salaf "did not delve into
interpretation of the Attributes but resigned their knowledge to Allah
and the Prophet."

[ARABIC] 

A careful look at the wording of Imams al-Shafi`i and Ahmad on this
issue suggests that they did not make a difference between tafwid
al-kayf and tafwid al-ma`na. To them it was one and the same thing, not
two widely different concepts as claimed by Ibn Taymiyya, followed both
by contemporary anti-Ash`aris and the Ash`aris who refuted them: the
first insisting that the Salaf only made one type of tafwid and the
others insisting they only made the other type.

The Salaf made tafwid of both kayf and ma`na without overloading the
distinction between the two terms with undue significance. More
importantly, their use of language shows that they did not consider
tafwid of ma`na a "nullification of the Divine Attributes" - the absurd
and simplistic charge made by contemporary anti-Ash`aris.

The rationale behind the latter accusation is (i) to deny the existence
of figurative meanings (majaz) in the Qur'an and (ii) to deny that the
Divine Attributes are part of the ambiguous meaning (mutashabih), a
program first launched (and Allah knows best) by Ibn Taymiyya in al-Iklil
fil-Mutashabih wal-Ta'wil.

Was-Salam,

GF Haddad
2008-12-02