الْإِثْبَاتُ بِلَا تَحْرِيفٍ وَلَا تَمْثِيلٍ

The key verse Allah says: "There is nothing like Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing" (meaning of 42:11, text below). This verse contains the whole rule in two halves: • "There is nothing like Him": all resemblance between Allah and His creatures is denied. • "He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing": immediately afterwards, Allah affirms two of His names. Denying resemblance therefore does not mean denying the attributes. Other verses go in the same direction: "None is equal to Him" (112:4); "Do you know of any namesake of His?" (19:65); "Do not set up likenesses for Allah" (16:74); "they do not encompass Him in knowledge" (20:110).

The four errors to avoid Scholars sum up the rule as follows: one affirms what Allah has affirmed for Himself and what His Messenger ﷺ has affirmed for Him, without four errors: 1. Taḥriif (التَّحْرِيفُ): distorting the meaning of a text, giving it a meaning it does not carry. 2. Ta'ṭiil (التَّعْطِيلُ): emptying a name or an attribute of its meaning, or denying it. 3. Takyiif (التَّكْيِيفُ): claiming to know or describe the "how" of an attribute of Allah. 4. Tamthiil (التَّمْثِيلُ), also called tashbiih: comparing Allah to His creatures, or one of His attributes to that of a creature.

The same word, two realities The Qur'an says of man: "We made him hearing and seeing" (76:2). Man is therefore also called "samii'" and "baṣiir". Yet his hearing needs ears, grows tired, catches only one voice at a time and will disappear; Allah's hearing encompasses all voices, at the same time, without limit and without end. The word is the same, the reality has nothing in common. The same goes for knowledge, life, power or mercy: in man, they are limited and received; in Allah, they are perfect and without beginning.

The saying attributed to Imam Maalik A man asked Imam Maalik how Allah rose over (istawaa) the Throne, as the Qur'an says (20:5). He is reported to have answered: "The istiwaa' is known, the how is unknown, believing in it is obligatory, and asking this question is an innovation" (reported notably by Al-Bayhaqi; several wordings exist) [À VÉRIFIER : source et formulation]. This saying is often quoted as a summary of the rule: one believes in the text, one does not seek the "how".

How Sunni scholars have understood certain attributes Some texts speak of attributes such as Allah's rising over the Throne, His hand, His face or His descent. All Sunni scholars agree: one believes in these texts, one denies any resemblance with creatures, and one does not seek the "how". They then differ on how to speak about them [À VÉRIFIER : présentation des avis]: • Affirmation (al-ithbaat): one affirms the attribute with its apparent meaning, as befits Allah, without "how" and without comparison. This is the position of the hadith scholars and the Hanbalis, and of those who follow their way. • Entrusting the meaning to Allah (at-tafwiiḍ): one affirms the words of the text, denies resemblance, and leaves the knowledge of their exact meaning to Allah. Many attribute this attitude to scholars of the first generations; others dispute this attribution. • Interpretation (at-ta'wiil): when the apparent meaning would suggest a resemblance with creatures, one adopts a meaning known in the Arabic language (for example the hand understood as power or favour). This is the way of many Ash'ari and Maaturiidi scholars. These discussions are old and scholarly. This course settles none of them: it keeps only what all agree on (believing in the texts, denying resemblance, not seeking the "how") and refers to the imam for the centre's teaching. Above all, it invites people to speak about them with knowledge, respect and without quarrels.

Why this rule matters Whoever compares Allah to creatures ends up worshipping an image he has made for himself. Whoever empties the names of their meaning ends up worshipping a God without attributes, whom one can neither love nor call upon. The rule of 42:11 keeps the middle way: a Lord who is truly Merciful, Knowing and Powerful, and who resembles nothing.

Understanding the lesson

Explanation The human mind works with images: it pictures what it does not see on the basis of what it knows. Before Allah, this habit becomes a trap. Verse 42:11 cuts it short: "There is nothing like Him". But the same verse does not stop at denial: it immediately affirms that Allah hears and sees. The believer therefore does not choose between "Allah has attributes" and "Allah resembles nothing": he holds both at once. The four errors (distorting, emptying, imagining the how, comparing) are like four ditches along a path. Scholars have sometimes discussed the exact place of the path for certain attributes; they agree on avoiding the ditches. This rule also brings peace of heart: one does not need to understand everything about the "how" to love Allah, fear Him and call on Him. It is enough to believe in what He has said, as He intended it.

Lessons to draw from it • When you read a name of Allah, drive away any image of a creature. • Do not deny a name or an attribute on the pretext that you do not understand its "how". • Do not turn the differences between Sunni scholars into accusations or quarrels. • Learn 42:11 by heart with its meaning, as a basic rule. • For scholarly questions about certain attributes, turn to the imam.

Key points to remember • 42:11: "There is nothing like Him" (denial) + "the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing" (affirmation). • Four errors: taḥriif, ta'ṭiil, takyiif, tamthiil. • The same word (samii', baṣiir) for Allah and man does not mean the same reality (76:2). • "The istiwaa' is known, the how is unknown": a saying attributed to Imam Maalik. • Affirmation, entrusting the meaning, or interpretation: three Sunni ways of speaking about certain attributes, with agreement on the essentials.

The main message Believe in all that Allah has said about Himself, without comparing Him to anything and without seeking the "how": "There is nothing like Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing".

The text: Surah Ash-Shuuraa (42), verse 11 [TEXTE ARABE À INSÉRER : sourate 42:11]

The text: Surah Al-Ikhlaaṣ (112), verses 1 to 4 [TEXTE ARABE À INSÉRER : sourate 112:1-4]

Meaning: 42:11: "Creator of the heavens and the earth, He has made for you spouses from among yourselves, and pairs among the livestock; by this He multiplies you. There is nothing like Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing." 112:1-4: "Say: He is Allah, One. Allah, the One to whom all turn in every need (aṣ-Ṣamad). He has not begotten and has not been begotten. And none is equal to Him." Surah Al-Ikhlaaṣ sums up belief in Allah; the Prophet ﷺ said that it is equal to a third of the Qur'an (Bukhari 5013) [À VÉRIFIER : numéro].

Arabic text: deliberately not typed, to avoid any error; it is to be copied from the centre's mushaf (or a verified source) at the place indicated.