Al-ˆAsqalaaniyy does not believe Aļļaah is in a direction

Regarding direction, he says:

فتح الباري لابن حجر – (6 / 136): وَقِيلَ مُنَاسَبَة التَّسْبِيح فِي الْأَمَاكِن الْمُنْخَفِضَة مِنْ جِهَة أَنَّ التَّسْبِيح هُوَ التَّنْزِيه فَنَاسَبَ تَنْزِيه اللَّه عَنْ صِفَات الِانْخِفَاض كَمَا نَاسَبَ تَكْبِيره عِنْد الْأَمَاكِن الْمُرْتَفِعَة ، وَلَا يَلْزَم مِنْ كَوْن جِهَتَيْ الْعُلُوّ وَالسُّفَّل مُحَال عَلَى اللَّه أَنْ لَا يُوصَف بِالْعُلُوِّ لِأَنَّ وَصْفه بِالْعُلُوِّ مِنْ جِهَة الْمَعْنَى وَالْمُسْتَحِيل كَوْن ذَلِكَ مِنْ جِهَة الْحِسّ ، وَلِذَلِكَ وَرَدَ فِي صِفَته الْعَالِي وَالْعَلِيّ وَالْمُتَعَالِي وَلَمْ يَرِد ضِدّ ذَلِكَ وَإِنْ كَانَ قَدْ أَحَاطَ بِكُلِّ شَيْء عِلْمًا جَلَّ وَعَزَّ .

It is said, the suitability of tasbiiĥ in high places is in the sense that tasbiiĥ it so declare Aļļaah clear of non-befitting meanings, so one denies lowness from Aļļaah, just like it is suitable to say Aļļaahu akbar in high places. And it is not necessary from the directions of up and down being impossible to be true of Aļļaah that He not be ascribed highness, for it is in sense of meaning, and the impossible is for it to be in the sense of tangibility. For this reason it was stated as His attributes Al-ˆAliyy, Al-Mutaˆaalii, and the opposite was not stated, even if He encompasses everything in knowledge. ¹

Al-ˆAsqalaaniyy says:

فتح الباري – ابن حجر – (3 / 30) قَوْله : ( يَنْزِل رَبّنَا إِلَى السَّمَاء الدُّنْيَا )اِسْتَدَلَّ بِهِ مَنْ أَثْبَتَ الْجِهَة وَقَالَ : هِيَ جِهَة الْعُلُوّ ، وَأَنْكَرَ ذَلِكَ الْجُمْهُور لِأَنَّ الْقَوْل بِذَلِكَ يُفْضِي إِلَى التَّحَيُّز تَعَالَى اللَّه عَنْ ذَلِكَ . وَقَدْ اُخْتُلِفَ فِي مَعْنَى النُّزُول عَلَى أَقْوَال : فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ حَمَلَهُ عَلَى ظَاهِره وَحَقِيقَته وَهُمْ الْمُشَبِّهَة تَعَالَى اللَّه عَنْ قَوْلهمْ . وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ أَنْكَرَ صِحَّة الْأَحَادِيث الْوَارِدَة فِي ذَلِكَ جُمْلَة وَهُمْ الْخَوَارِج وَالْمُعْتَزِلَة وَهُوَ مُكَابَرَة ، وَالْعَجَب أَنَّهُمْ أَوَّلُوا مَا فِي الْقُرْآن مِنْ نَحْو ذَلِكَ وَأَنْكَرُوا مَا فِي الْحَدِيث إِمَّا جَهْلًا وَإِمَّا عِنَادًا ، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ أَجْرَاهُ عَلَى مَا وَرَدَ مُؤْمِنًا بِهِ عَلَى طَرِيق الْإِجْمَال مُنَزِّهًا اللَّه تَعَالَى عَنْ الْكَيْفِيَّة وَالتَّشْبِيه وَهُمْ جُمْهُور السَّلَف ، وَنَقَلَهُ الْبَيْهَقِيُّ وَغَيْره عَنْ الْأَئِمَّة الْأَرْبَعَة وَالسُّفْيَانَيْنِ وَالْحَمَّادَيْنِ وَالْأَوْزَاعِيُّ وَاللَّيْث وَغَيْرهمْ ، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ أَوَّله عَلَى وَجْه يَلِيق مُسْتَعْمَل فِي كَلَام الْعَرَب ، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ أَفْرَطَ فِي التَّأْوِيل حَتَّى كَادَ أَنْ يَخْرُج إِلَى نَوْع مِنْ التَّحْرِيف ، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ فَصَلَ بَيْن مَا يَكُون تَأْوِيله قَرِيبًا مُسْتَعْمَلًا فِي كَلَام الْعَرَب وَبَيْن مَا يَكُون بَعِيدًا مَهْجُورًا فَأَوَّل فِي بَعْض وَفَوَّضَ فِي بَعْض ، وَهُوَ مَنْقُول عَنْ مَالِك وَجَزَمَ بِهِ مِنْ الْمُتَأَخِّرِينَ اِبْن دَقِيق الْعِيد

His saying (literal unmeant translation):”Our Lord descends to the Sky of the World” has been used by those who believe Aļļaah is ascribed with a direction, and said, “He is in the direction above.“ This was denied by the masses, because this saying implies Him being in a space, and Aļļaah is greatly above and clear of that. There are also those that denied the soundness of these ĥadiitħs in general, and they are the Kħawaarij and the Muˆtazilites, and this is arrogance. It is strange how they figuratively interpreted the likes of it in the Qur’aan, and denied what is in ĥadiitħs, either out of ignorance or stubbornness. Then there are those that passed on its narration as is, believing in it in general, while denying that Aļļaah has a modality or like, and those are most of the Salaf, and Al-Bayhaqiyy and others narrated this position from the four imams (Abuu Ĥaniifah, Maalik, Asħ-Sħaafiˆiyy and Aĥmad,) and the two Sufyaans (Sufyaan Atħ-Tħawriyy and Sufyaan Ibn ˆUyaynah) and the two Ĥammaads (Ĥammaad ibn Salamah and Ĥammaad ibn Zayd) , as well as Al-‘Awzaaˆiyy and Al-Laytħ and others. Then there are those that figuratively interpreted this according to what befits and is used in the Arabic language. Then there are those that went to extremes in interpretation to the extent that they went almost to the extent of a kind of perversion. Then there are those that differed between what can be interpreted in a likely manner, and what cannot be interpreted except by getting far fetched and unacceptable. So they interpreted in some cases, and other times they would go by tafwiiđ. This is what has been narrated from Maalik, and was insisted upon as correct by later scholars, such as Ibn Daqiiq Al-ˆIid.²

1Ibn Ĥajar Al-ˆAsqalaaniyy, Fatĥu-l-Baarii Sħarĥu Şaĥiiĥi-l-Bukħaariyy (Beirut, Lebanon: Dar Al-Marefah, 1379), 6/136.

2Ibid., 3/30.

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