Wahhabis Say Allah (s.w.t.) Has a Form

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ 

‘Abdullah ibn Muhammad al-Hashidi, the Wahhabi editor of Imam Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn Husayn al-Bayhaqi’s (r.a.) al-Asma’ wa asw-Swifat, openly attributed form and shape to Allah (s.w.t.).  He said, in two parts of his abridgement of this book, “As for our Lord, we affirm that He possesses a form”, and “As for us we affirm a form for Allah unlike forms.” 

The Egyptian Wahhabi, Muhammad Khalil Harras was described by his own kind in thee words: “He was Salafi in creed, stern in establishing the truth, persuasive in establishing his proof.  He spent his life teaching, authoring, and spreading the creed of the Ahl as-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah.”  And yet, he wrote on page 39 of his commentary on Kitab at-Tawhid of Imam Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn Khuzaymah (r.a.), “So ‘image’ is not attributed to Allah the way His Creation is attributed to Him, because it is an attribute which subsists in His Essence.”  On page 156, he further clarified, “Then he appeared to us with an image which is different then what we have previously seen, and He returned to us in the image we first saw him in and says, ‘I am your Lord.’” 

In contrast, the real Muslims, the actual scholars of the Ahl as-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah, such as Imam ‘Izz ad-Din ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn ‘Abd as-Salam ash-Shafi’i (r.a.), in his Mulhat fi I’itiqad Ahl al-Haqq, state, “He is not a body endowed with form.” 

Imam Abu al-Faraj ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn ‘Ali ibn al-Jawzy (r.a.), in Daf’ Shubat at-Tashbih, wrote, “Know that it is obligatory upon every Muslim to firmly hold that it is impermissible to attribute to Allah (s.w.t.) form, which consists in physiognomy and features.” 

Imam Abu Sulayman Hamd ibn Muhammad al-Khaththabi (r.a.) said, “What is upon us and all Muslims to believe is that our Lord does not possess an image or form, for an image implies a modality, and that is negated from both Allah (s.w.t.) and His Attributes.” 

Imam Taqi’ ad-Din Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali ibn ‘Abd al-Kafi’ as-Subki (r.a.) said that Imam Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali ibn Isma’il al-Ash’ari (r.a.)and most of the scholars of kalam have declared as disbelievers any innovator whose innovation constitutes or leads to disbelief.  For example, if he claims that the object of his worship possess an image, or a limit and boundary, or that it is permissible to attribute to Him movement and stillness.  This was clearly mention by Shaykh Muhammad Zahid Kawtsari al-Hanafi (r.a.), in his Maqalat al-Kawtsari. 

Having a certain shape means that there must be someone who specified it.  Anything that has a shape will also have a physical limit, because of its shape.  Allah (s.w.t.) is not Created, and is Eternal.  As such, Allah (s.w.t.) exists without shape and physical limits.  To believe otherwise is kufr, and shirk. 

سُوۡرَةُ طٰه

قَالَ رَبُّنَا ٱلَّذِىٓ أَعۡطَىٰ كُلَّ شَىۡءٍ خَلۡقَهُ ۥ ثُمَّ هَدَىٰ (٥٠) 

He said: “Our Lord is He Who Gave to each (Created) thing its form and nature, and further Gave (it) guidance.” (Surah ThaHa:50) 

سُوۡرَةُ فَاطِر

۞ يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلنَّاسُ أَنتُمُ ٱلۡفُقَرَآءُ إِلَى ٱللَّهِۖ وَٱللَّهُ هُوَ ٱلۡغَنِىُّ ٱلۡحَمِيدُ (١٥) 

O you men!  It is you that have need of Allah: but Allah is the One Free of all wants, Worthy of all praise. (Surah Fathir:15) 

Imam Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Hanbal (r.a.), as quoted in I’tiqad al-Imam al-Munabbal Ahmad ibn Hanbal, said, “Allah (s.w.t.) did not change or experience any substitution, and has not been attributed with any limits before Creating the ‘Arsh, and after creating it.” 

Imam al-Bayhaqi (r.a.) said, “O Allah, You are the First, so there is nothing before You, and You are the Last so there is nothing after You.  You are ath-Thahir so there is nothing above You.  And You are al-Bathin, so there is nothing below you.”  Logically, if there is nothing above Him and nothing below Him, then he is not a body or in a direction, and He does not have physical specifications or limits.