“No vision can encompass Him, but He encompasses all vision. For He is the Most Subtle, All-Aware.” (Qur’an 6:103)
“The Day the Shin will be bared, and they will be called to prostrate, but they will not be able to do so.” (Qur’an 68:42)
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Shaykh Masoud bin Muhammed Al Miqbali (h) shares with us some critiques of the hadith of the shin.
The hadith in question is rather lengthy.
Those who wish may find the full version here: https://sunnah.com/bukhari:7439
They will reply, ‘We used to worship Messiah, the son of Allah.’ It will be said, ‘You are liars, for Allah has neither a wife nor a son. What: do you want (now)?’ They will say, ‘We want You to provide us with water.’ It will be said to them, ‘Drink,’ and they will fall down in Hell (instead). When there remain only those who used to worship Allah (Alone), both the obedient ones and the mischievous ones, it will be said to them, ‘What keeps you here when all the people have gone?’ They will say, ‘We parted with them (in the world) when we were in greater need of them than we are today, we heard the call of one proclaiming, ‘Let every nation follow what they used to worship,’ and now we are waiting for our Lord.’ Then the Almighty will come to them in a shape other than the one which they saw the first time, and He will say, ‘I am your Lord,’ and they will say, ‘You are our Lord.’ And none will speak to Him then but the Prophets, and then it will be said to them, ‘Do you know any sign by which you can recognize Him?’ They will say. ‘The Shin,’ and so Allah will then uncover His Shin whereupon every believer will prostrate before Him and there will remain those who used to prostrate before Him just for showing off and for gaining good reputation. These people will try to prostrate but their backs will be rigid like one piece of a wood (and they will not be able to prostrate). Then the bridge will be laid across Hell.” We, the companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! What is the bridge?’
Source: https://sunnah.com/bukhari:7439
“Also among the narrations that contradict the verses of the Qur’an is that on the Day of Resurrection, people will be gathered on one plain. Then it will be said: then every nation will be commanded to follow what it used to worship. So the worshippers of the sun will follow the sun.” -Shaykh Masoud bin Muhammed Al Miqbali
“I don’t know where she is, the sun?! To protect the sun? Because the sun will be rolled up, so I don’t know who will protect the sun a second time. But the worshippers of the sun will follow the sun, and the worshippers of the moon will follow the moon. So each will follow what he used to worship.” -Shaykh Masoud bin Muhammed Al Miqbali
And this nation will remain, among them its hypocrites. Then Allah will come to them in a form other than the one in which they saw Him the first time — and in another narration, the one by which they knew Him the first time — and He will say to them, “What are you waiting for?” They will say, “We are waiting for our Lord; we will not leave our place until our Lord comes to us.” -Shaykh Masoud bin Muhammed Al Miqbali
“Then He will say, “I am your Lord.” They will say, “We seek refuge in Allah from you; you are not our Lord. We will not leave until our Lord comes to us.” Then He will go away from them, then come to them in another form and say to them, “I am your Lord.” -Shaykh Masoud bin Muhammed Al Miqbali
“In another narration, He says to them, “Is there a sign between you and Him?” They say, “Yes, the shin, the shin.” So He will uncover His shin for them, and they will all fall prostrate except those who did not pray in this world, for they will be prevented from prostrating. And this is His saying, the Most High: “On the Day when the shin shall be uncovered and they shall be called to prostrate, but they shall not be able.” -Shaykh Masoud bin Muhammed Al Miqbali
“This hadith I mean, it is more invalid than to be invalidated. And defining the known is not from the unknown.” -Shaykh Masoud bin Muhammed Al Miqbali
“First, attributing coming and going invalidates the divinity of Allah entirely! Because Ibrahim what did he say when the star set and the sun set? He said, “I do not love those that set.” Every god that disappears and appears this cannot be a god. “I do not love those that set.” And a god in this hadith who disappears and appears is not a god. What is Allah?” -Shaykh Masoud bin Muhammed Al Miqbali
“Then He has parts . He uncovers a shin. If you did not know, it is enough hmm. “On the Day when the shin shall be uncovered.” Okay, what was the barrier between Him and the shin? Is it an attribute of Allah, or something other than Allah? This is an issue. I mean, a dialectical, philosophical, theological matter.”-Shaykh Masoud bin Muhammed Al Miqbali
“But this which was uncovered? He did not say “so the shin is uncovered” or “so His shin is uncovered” like this. Okay, this which was uncovered, is it from Allah, an attribute of Allah’s attributes, or something additional? What is this which was uncovered?” -Shaykh Masoud bin Muhammed Al Miqbali
“And the shin. This means they do not know His face, they know His shin? They did not know Him by His face, they know Him by His shin? Something strange, this. And they saw Him the first time. Where did they see Him the first time?”-Shaykh Masoud bin Muhammed Al Miqbali
“And in reality, Allah said, “No vision can grasp Him. No vision can grasp Him, but He grasps all vision, and He is the Subtle, the Aware.” And the discussion ended. The hadith is sealed on this topic — the topic of vision. It was cooked until it was done, until it burned. It needs no words about it. So it is impossible for Allah, glorified and exalted, to ever be seen, absolutely.”-Shaykh Masoud bin Muhammed Al Miqbali
The Shaykh’s Critique: Point by Point
The Shaykh is analyzing the famous “hadith of the shin” / حديث الرؤية) and showing how it contradicts the Qur’an on multiple levels. Here is the breakdown:
The Narration Itself (Summary of the Hadith Being Critiqued)
The hadith describes the Day of Resurrection as follows:
- People are gathered on one plain.
- Every nation is told to follow what it used to worship.
- Sun-worshippers follow the sun; moon-worshippers follow the moon.
- The Muslim nation remains, including its hypocrites.
- Allah comes to them in a form other than the one they first saw Him in.
- They reject Him, saying: “We seek refuge in Allah from you — you are not our Lord.”
- He leaves, then returns in a second form.
- He says: “I am your Lord.”
- They ask for a sign; He uncovers His shin.
- They all prostrate except those who never prayed, who are prevented.
- This is linked to Qur’an 68:42: “On the Day when the shin shall be uncovered and they shall be called to prostrate, but they shall not be able.”
Point 2: The Sun Being “Rolled Up” Contradicts the Narration
The Shaykh’s argument:
- The hadith says sun-worshippers will follow the sun on Judgment Day.
- But the Qur’an says the sun will be “rolled up” (كُوِّرَتْ) — Qur’an 81:1.
- So how can anyone “follow” the sun if it has already been extinguished/collapsed?
- This is an internal contradiction in the narration itself.
Point 3: Coming and Going Invalidates Divinity
The Shaykh’s argument:
- The hadith describes Allah as coming, leaving, then coming again in different forms.
- But Ibrahim (Abraham) said about the star, moon, and sun when they set: “I do not love those that set” (Qur’an 6:76).
- A god who disappears and reappears cannot be God.
- If Allah “goes away” and “comes back,” He is subject to change, absence, and limitation — all of which contradict divine perfection.
- Therefore, the very structure of the narration destroys Allah’s divinity.
Point 4: The “Shin” (Sāq) A Philosophical and Theological Problem
The Shaykh’s argument:
- The hadith says Allah will “uncover His shin” as a sign.
- The Shaykh asks: What was the barrier between them and the shin? Was the shin hidden? If so, why?
- If the shin is an attribute of Allah, then Allah has body parts. Which contradicts His transcendence.
- If the shin is something other than Allah, then what is it? And why would uncovering it serve as a sign of identity?
- The people couldn’t recognize Him by His face, but they recognize Him by His shin? This is absurd.
- The Qur’an says: “No vision can grasp Him, but He grasps all vision; and He is the Subtle, the Aware” (Qur’an 6:103).
- This verse definitively closes the door on seeing Allah in any form.
Point 5: “Where Did They See Him the First Time?”
The Shaykh’s argument:
- The hadith assumes they saw Allah before — “in the form they first saw Him.”
- But when did they see Him the first time?
- If seeing Allah is impossible (Qur’an 6:103), then the entire premise of the hadith collapses.
- The narration is built on an assumption that itself contradicts the Qur’an.
Point 6: The Topic of Ru’yah (Seeing Allah) Is Settled
The Shaykh’s conclusion:
- The hadith has been “cooked until it burned” meaning: it has been analyzed to death.
- The Qur’an is explicit: Allah cannot be seen, ever, absolutely.
- No further discussion is needed on this point.
- The hadith is “more invalid than to be invalidated” — i.e., it is so clearly false that it doesn’t even need a formal refutation.
Summary Table of Contradictions
| # | The Hadith Says | The Qur’an / Reason Says | Contradiction |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sun-worshippers follow the sun | The sun will be rolled up (81:1) | How can they follow something already destroyed? |
| 2 | Allah comes, leaves, returns | “I do not love those that set” (6:76) | A god who disappears is not God |
| 3 | Allah uncovers His shin | “No vision can grasp Him” (6:103) | Allah has no body parts; He cannot be seen |
| 4 | They saw Him the first time | When? Seeing Allah is impossible | False premise |
| 5 | They recognize Him by His shin | They couldn’t recognize His face | Absurd and degrading |
The Shaykh’s Core Thesis
The hadith of the shin (and similar narrations about seeing Allah) are fabricated or corrupted because:
- They contradict explicit Qur’anic verses.
- They describe Allah with human-like attributes (body parts, movement, change).
- They undermine tawhid (the absolute oneness and transcendence of Allah).
- The Qur’an’s statement “No vision can grasp Him” is final and definitive — no hadith can override it.
The Shaykh is pointing to four Qur’anic verses that he says the hadith contradicts:
1. Qur’an 81:1 (Sūrat al-Takwīr) — “When the sun is wrapped up”
This verse states that on the Day of Resurrection, the sun will be extinguished and folded away. The Shaykh argues this contradicts the hadith’s claim that sun-worshippers will “follow the sun.” If the sun is already destroyed, how can anyone follow it?
2. Qur’an 6:76 (Sūrat al-An’ām) — “I do not love those that set”
This is from the story of Ibrahim (Abraham), who declared that a god who disappears (sets) cannot be Allah. The Shaykh argues this directly contradicts the hadith’s description of Allah “coming and going” in different forms. A deity subject to absence and change is, by Ibrahim’s own criterion, not divine.
3. Qur’an 6:103 (Sūrat al-An’ām) — “No vision can grasp Him”
This verse states that eyes cannot perceive Allah, while He perceives all vision. The Shaykh argues this absolutely closes the door on any possibility of seeing Allah. Whether in this world or the next. The entire premise of the hadith (that people will see Allah, recognize Him by His shin, etc.) is therefore impossible.
4. Qur’an 68:42 (Sūrat al-Qalam) — “The Day when the shin shall be uncovered”
The hadith uses this verse to justify its claim that Allah will literally “uncover His shin.” The Shaykh argues this is a gross misinterpretation. The verse is an Arabic idiom meaning a day of extreme hardship and severity. It is not a description of Allah’s body parts.
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May Allah Guide the Ummah.
May Allah Forgive the Ummah.
