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Re: Imam Al-Nawawi And Ascribing Jiha / Direction To Allah Swt

Q: (Irfan)
 [What about] the following slightly odd statement of Imam al-Nawawi
 [somewhat mis-translated by a salafi as follows ]:
 [ARABIC]
 [Here follows some nonsensical mistranslation.]
  He seems to be suggesting that jiha was affirmed by the scholars of hadith and fiqh? Is this something that the majority of scholars of hadith did?

Q:
Are you sure you understood the above correctly? Why even mention a
pseudo-translation? Have you read the rest of the paragraph on the
webpage you cited?

We should keep a checklist of the various tactics used by the innovators
for the misrepresentation of the words and positions of the scholars of
Ahl al-Sunna. Among those tactics:

o decontextualization
o misattribution
o mistranslation
o misinterpretation
o marginalization/poor adab
etc.

These tactics are not an accident and it is sound advice for us to not
only be aware of them, but suspect their presence by default, in some
degree or other, in most discussions and publications on Islam nowadays
(as I warned in my critique of Lings' Prophetic Sira) and, if needs be,
question our own naive assumptions before proceeding.

First, the above are not Imam al-Nawawi's but Qadi `Iyad's words as
cited from the latter's commentary on Sahih Muslim by Imam al-Nawawi in
his own Sharh Sahih Muslim.

Second, the words suggest that direction was affirmed not by "the
scholars of hadith" but by some from among the commonality of the
scholars, while giving the counter-position both the numerical edge
(dahma') and superior authority (nuzzar=keensighted). Moreover, "those
among" them who asserted the upward direction, did so (i) without a
limit (hadd), contrary to the mujassima who affirm it and (ii) through
ta'wil of the preposition "fi", contrary to those who deny that they
apply ta'wil in the Sifaat.

Third, anyone who reads on can see that `Iyad (and implicitly al-Nawawi)
ultimately disagree with the assertion of direction as it violates the
Salaf's rule of bila-kayf.

Note: there is tahrif and tas-hif in the website's text and you will
need to combine it with `Iyad's Ikmal al-Mu`lim bi-Fawa'id Muslim (Dar
al-Wafa' ed. 2:465) to get the complete picture.

The above discussion took place in the context of mentioning the
highmost exaltation (`uluw) of Allah Most High in the hadith "Where is
Allah?" narrated from Mu`awiya ibn al-Hakam al-Sulami by Muslim, Abu
Dawud, al-Nasa'i, and Ahmad concerning which Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah
Most High have mercy on him) said in Sharh Sahih Muslim (Dar Ihya'
al-Turath al-`Arabi ed. 5:24-25):

"This is one of the narrations that deal with the Divine Attributes and
there are two schools of reading for it which we have already discussed
several times in the book of Iman [of his Sharh Sahih Muslim]. The first
consists in believing in it without probing its meaning while holding
that there is nothing like unto Allah Most Highand, declaring His
transcendence beyond the characteristics of things created. The second
consists in interpreting it in whatever way befits it.

"Whoever holds the latter position says that the intention [of the
Prophet, upon him blessings and peace] was to test her: was she a
believer in oneness (muwahhida) who confirms that the Creator, Disposer,
and Doer is Allah alone? and that it is He Who, when the petitioner
invokes Him, he turns towards the heaven, just as when the worshipper
prays, he turns towards the Ka`ba? And this is not because He is
circumscribed in the heaven nor is it because He is circumscribed in the
direction of the Ka`ba. Rather, this is because the heaven is the
orientation (qibla) of those who supplicate, just as the Ka`ba is the
orientation of those who worship. Or, on the other hand, was she of the
idol-worshippers who worship the idols that are displayed in front of
them?

"When she replied: 'In the heaven,' it became known that she was a
believer in Oneness and not an idol-worshipper.

"Al-Qadi `Iyad said : 'There is no disagreement among the Muslims â €
“ all without exception: jurists, scholars of hadith, theologians,
debaters, and followers, that the external terms (al-zawahir) cited
pertaining to Allah being 'in the heaven' â € “ as in His saying:
{Have you taken security from Him Who is in the Heaven that He will not
cause the earth to swallow you?} (67:16) and the like â € “ are not
meant in their outward sense (laysat `ala zahiriha) but rather are
interpreted by all of them (muta'awwila `inda jami`ihim). So whoever
among the hadith scholars, jurists, and mutakallimun asserted the upward
direction (jihati fawq) without specifying limit or modality did so only
by interpreting {in the heaven} (fil-sama') to mean 'OVER the heaven'
(`alal-sama'). And whoever, among the great multitude (dahma') of the
perspicuous experts (al-nuzzar) and theologians (al-mutakallimun) and
those who stress the transcendence of Allah Most High (as-hab
al-tanzih), spoke to negate the concept of limit and the
inconceivability of direction with relaation to Him - exalted is
He! - interpreted them variously according to their necessary
inference (muqtadaha).'

"Then he [`Iyad] said: 'I would truly like to know: What is it that made
Ahl al-Sunna all agree and made them all join in the obligation of
withholding reflection about the [Divine] Essence just as they were
commanded, and they refrained from speech due to the mind's defeat and
they concurred that modality (takyif) and composition (tashkil) were
categorically prohibited, and that such suspension and self-restraint on
their part did not form doubt in the Existence and the Existent, nor did
it gainsay the doctrine of Oneness, rather, it formed its very reality?
Then X or Y negligently asserted a direction specific to Him or pointed
to Him with a boundary circumscribing Him - but is there, between
modality and the assertion of direction, any difference? or, between
attributing a limit to His Essence and asserting direction, any
distinction? However, the unqualified statement (itlaq) of what the Law
has stated in unqualified terms, namely, that {He is the Omnipotent
above His servants} and that {He has established Himself over the
Throne}, while strongly holding onto the verse of comprehensive,
all-encompassing transcendence (al-ayat al-jami`a lil-tanzih al-kulli),
which is {There is nothing whatsoever like unto Him}, is a thorough
protection for him to whom Allah Most High grants success.' And that is
the discourse of the Qadi, may Allah Most High have mercy on him."

Allahumma tawaffana Muslimin wa-alhiqna bil-Salihin!


GF Haddad
2009-03-26