Kitab Akhbar as-Sifat
Encyclopedia
Kitab Akhbar as-Sifat is a theological polemic
written by Hanbali
Islamic scholar Abu'l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi
between 1185 and 1192. The polemic
is primarily directed at what, Ibn Jawzi held to be, growing anthropomorphic beliefs within the Hanbali
school of jurisprudential thought. It singles out three prominent teachers within the Hanbali
school: Al Hasan ibn Hamid (d. 1013), or Ibn Hamid, Muhammad ibn al-Husayn (d.1066), or Al-Qadi Abu Ya'la, and Ibn Jawzi's own teacher, Ali ibn Ubayd Allah, or Ibn Zaghuini (d. 1132), contending that they shirked from the beliefs of the school's
founder, Ahmad ibn Hanbal
.
distinguishes between anthropomorphic interpretation of ambiguous Qur'anic verses and hadith
, and traditional interpretation. He writes in Kitab Akhbar As-Sifat:
He writes elsewhere in the polemic:
advocated for a traditionalist and non-anthropomorphic approach to Qur'anic exegesis in Kitab Akhbar As-Sifat, he did not object to interpretation outside the realm of "sense experience," interpreting 12 Qur'anic verses and 60 hadith
in that manner. This included interpreting the Qur'anic phrase yadayan, which literally means hands, to mean "favor or act of kindness" and interpreting the Qur'anic phrase saq, which literally means leg, to mean "power or ... might."
states, in As-Sifat, that God neither exists inside the world nor outside of it. To him, "being inside or outside are concomitant of things located in space" i.e. what is outside or inside must be in a place, and, according to him, this is not applicable to God. He writes:
scholar Ibn Jawzi
states, in As-Sifat, that Ahmad ibn Hanbal
would have been opposed to anthropomorphic intrepretations of Qur'anic texts such as those of Al-Qadi Abu Ya'la, Ibn Hamid and Ibn Zaghuini.
Polemic
A polemic is a variety of arguments or controversies made against one opinion, doctrine, or person. Other variations of argument are debate and discussion...
written by Hanbali
Hanbali
The Hanbali school is one the schools of Fiqh or religious law within Sunni Islam. The jurisprudence school traces back to Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal but was institutionalized by his students. Hanbali jurisprudence is considered very strict and conservative, especially regarding questions of dogma...
Islamic scholar Abu'l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi
Abu'l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi
Abu'l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi from Bagdad was an Islamic scholar whose family traces their lineage back to that of Abu Bakr, the famous companion of the prophet Muhammad and first caliph...
between 1185 and 1192. The polemic
Polemic
A polemic is a variety of arguments or controversies made against one opinion, doctrine, or person. Other variations of argument are debate and discussion...
is primarily directed at what, Ibn Jawzi held to be, growing anthropomorphic beliefs within the Hanbali
Hanbali
The Hanbali school is one the schools of Fiqh or religious law within Sunni Islam. The jurisprudence school traces back to Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal but was institutionalized by his students. Hanbali jurisprudence is considered very strict and conservative, especially regarding questions of dogma...
school of jurisprudential thought. It singles out three prominent teachers within the Hanbali
Hanbali
The Hanbali school is one the schools of Fiqh or religious law within Sunni Islam. The jurisprudence school traces back to Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal but was institutionalized by his students. Hanbali jurisprudence is considered very strict and conservative, especially regarding questions of dogma...
school: Al Hasan ibn Hamid (d. 1013), or Ibn Hamid, Muhammad ibn al-Husayn (d.1066), or Al-Qadi Abu Ya'la, and Ibn Jawzi's own teacher, Ali ibn Ubayd Allah, or Ibn Zaghuini (d. 1132), contending that they shirked from the beliefs of the school's
Hanbali
The Hanbali school is one the schools of Fiqh or religious law within Sunni Islam. The jurisprudence school traces back to Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal but was institutionalized by his students. Hanbali jurisprudence is considered very strict and conservative, especially regarding questions of dogma...
founder, Ahmad ibn Hanbal
Ahmad ibn Hanbal
Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Hanbal Abu `Abd Allah al-Shaybani was an important Muslim scholar and theologian. He is considered the founder of the Hanbali school of fiqh...
.
Anthropomorphism vs. Traditionalism
In the polemic, Ibn JawziAbu'l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi
Abu'l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi from Bagdad was an Islamic scholar whose family traces their lineage back to that of Abu Bakr, the famous companion of the prophet Muhammad and first caliph...
distinguishes between anthropomorphic interpretation of ambiguous Qur'anic verses and hadith
Hadith
The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
, and traditional interpretation. He writes in Kitab Akhbar As-Sifat:
The imam Ahmad used to say "Let the texts of scripture stand as they are." Some of his leading disciples followed this principle ... However, three persons whom we have already mentioned viz. Ibn Hamid, the Qadi [Abu Ya'la], and Ibn Zaghuini are well known as advocates of a method of interpretation that takes sense experience as its point of departure.
He writes elsewhere in the polemic:
I say to my fellow Hanbalis: You are proponents of scripture and tradition ... Has anyone ever reported to you that AhmadAhmad ibn HanbalAhmad bin Muhammad bin Hanbal Abu `Abd Allah al-Shaybani was an important Muslim scholar and theologian. He is considered the founder of the Hanbali school of fiqh...
taught God's [istawa'] on the throne is one of the attributes of his essence or an attribute of action? On what grounds do you justify venturing into [a discussion] of such matters?
Ibn Jawzi's Ta'wil
While Ibn JawziAbu'l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi
Abu'l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi from Bagdad was an Islamic scholar whose family traces their lineage back to that of Abu Bakr, the famous companion of the prophet Muhammad and first caliph...
advocated for a traditionalist and non-anthropomorphic approach to Qur'anic exegesis in Kitab Akhbar As-Sifat, he did not object to interpretation outside the realm of "sense experience," interpreting 12 Qur'anic verses and 60 hadith
Hadith
The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
in that manner. This included interpreting the Qur'anic phrase yadayan, which literally means hands, to mean "favor or act of kindness" and interpreting the Qur'anic phrase saq, which literally means leg, to mean "power or ... might."
God is neither inside nor outside of the Universe
Ibn JawziAbu'l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi
Abu'l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi from Bagdad was an Islamic scholar whose family traces their lineage back to that of Abu Bakr, the famous companion of the prophet Muhammad and first caliph...
states, in As-Sifat, that God neither exists inside the world nor outside of it. To him, "being inside or outside are concomitant of things located in space" i.e. what is outside or inside must be in a place, and, according to him, this is not applicable to God. He writes:
Both [being in a place and outside a place] along with movement, rest, and other accidents are constitutive of bodies ... The divine essence does not admit of any created entity [e.g. place] within it or inhering in it.
Ahmad ibn Hanbal
The HanbaliHanbali
The Hanbali school is one the schools of Fiqh or religious law within Sunni Islam. The jurisprudence school traces back to Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal but was institutionalized by his students. Hanbali jurisprudence is considered very strict and conservative, especially regarding questions of dogma...
scholar Ibn Jawzi
Abu'l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi
Abu'l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi from Bagdad was an Islamic scholar whose family traces their lineage back to that of Abu Bakr, the famous companion of the prophet Muhammad and first caliph...
states, in As-Sifat, that Ahmad ibn Hanbal
Ahmad ibn Hanbal
Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Hanbal Abu `Abd Allah al-Shaybani was an important Muslim scholar and theologian. He is considered the founder of the Hanbali school of fiqh...
would have been opposed to anthropomorphic intrepretations of Qur'anic texts such as those of Al-Qadi Abu Ya'la, Ibn Hamid and Ibn Zaghuini.
Ibn Zaghuini
Ibn Jawzi criticized Ibn Zaghuni for his statements regarding the Qur'anic istiwa. He writes:
Ibn Zaghuni was asked whether a new attribute came into being upon the creation of the Throne, which had not existed previously, and he replied: "No, only the world was created with the attribute of being 'beneath' and so, in relation to [the Throne] which God occupies, the world is lower ... This man does not understand the implications of what he says, for when he ascribes to God ... a separation between the Creator and His creation, he imposes limits on Him and in effect, declares Him a body ... This shaykh does not comprehend what is necessarily entailed in God's status as Creator or what is incompatible with that status ...