حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ يُونُسَ، حَدَّثَنَا فُضَيْلٌ، – يَعْنِي ابْنَ عِيَاضٍ – عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ، عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، عَنْ عَبِيدَةَ السَّلْمَانِيِّ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ، قَالَ جَاءَ حَبْرٌ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ أَوْ يَا أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى يُمْسِكُ السَّمَوَاتِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عَلَى إِصْبَعٍ وَالأَرَضِينَ عَلَى إِصْبَعٍ وَالْجِبَالَ وَالشَّجَرَ عَلَى إِصْبَعٍ وَالْمَاءَ وَالثَّرَى عَلَى إِصْبَعٍ وَسَائِرَ الْخَلْقِ عَلَى إِصْبَعٍ ثُمَّ يَهُزُّهُنَّ فَيَقُولُ أَنَا الْمَلِكُ أَنَا الْمَلِكُ . فَضَحِكَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم تَعَجُّبًا مِمَّا قَالَ الْحَبْرُ تَصْدِيقًا لَهُ ثُمَّ قَرَأَ { وَمَا قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ وَالأَرْضُ جَمِيعًا قَبْضَتُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَالسَّمَوَاتُ مَطْوِيَّاتٌ بِيَمِينِهِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ}
Imām Muslim Ibn al-Hajjāj (d. 261 AH) stated in his Sahīh (no. 2786) that: `Abdullāh Ibn Mas`ood said: A Jewish Scholar (Rabbi) came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said:
“O Muhammad! On the Day of Resurrection Allāh will carry the heavens on one finger, and the earths on one finger, the mountains and trees on one finger, the water and soil on one finger , and the rest of creation on one finger. Then He will shake them and say: “I am the King, I am the King.” Upon this Allāh’s Messenger (ﷺ) smiled showing his pleasure in what the Jewish Rabbi said and his affirmation of its truthfulness. Then he (ﷺ) recited:
وَمَا قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ وَالْأَرْضُ جَمِيعًا قَبْضَتُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَالسَّمَاوَاتُ مَطْوِيَّاتٌ بِيَمِينِهِ ۚ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ
“They made not a just estimate of Allah such as is due to Him. And on the Day of Resurrection the whole of the earth will be grasped by His Hand and the heavens will be rolled up in His Right Hand. Glorified is He, and High is He above all that they associate as partners with Him!” (Soorah Az-Zumar: 67)
Benefits:
1. Look how the Messenger (ﷺ) confirmed the statement of the Jewish Scholar regarding the Attribute of Fingers for Allāh, and furthermore the Prophet (ﷺ) recited from the Book of Allah regarding the Attribute of Hands for Allah, and that He, the Perfect and Most High, will grasp the earth by His Hand and the heavens will be rolled up in His right Hand.
2. This tremendous Hadīth shows the falsehood of the Ash`arī, and the Māturīdī sects who claim that whenever the Attributes of Allāh such as these are mentioned, it is obligatory to explain them away with metaphorical explanations such that the Fingers and Hands of Allah are not taken upon their apparent meanings because these Attributes (as they claim) cannot be affirmed for Allah because they resemble the attributes of the creation. If the doctrine of the Ash`arīs was correct, then it would necessitate that the Messenger (ﷺ) would be obligated to explain to the Jewish Rabbi that these Attributes are to be understood metaphorically, in order that the Rabbi does not walk away thinking that indeed Allah has REAL fingers or REAL hands. Instead the Messenger (ﷺ) smiled at the statement of the Rabbi, and agreed with it, such that “his molar teeth were visible” as occurs in another narration in Sahīh Muslim. Thereafter, the Prophet (ﷺ) himself recited from the Book of Allah a verse that further confirmed what would take place upon the Day the Resurrection: “The whole of the earth will be grasped by His Hand and the heavens will be rolled up in His Right Hand.”
3. This narration shows the understanding of the narrator Ibn Mas`ood (radiyallaahu `anhu) and the Companions in general in that they took the narrations that mention the Attributes of Allah upon their apparent meanings whilst freeing Him, the Most High, from any resemblance to the creation, due to their reciting and understanding the statement of Allah: لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ ۖ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ – “There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer.” (Ash-Shoorā 42:11) So they would affirm Fingers and Hands for Allah upon their true and apparent meanings WITHOUT making a resemblance or likeness to the creation. And that is the madh-hab and belief of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamā`ah and the Salaf of this Ummah, and their great Imāms of the first three centuries, and those who followed their path.
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