“Indeed, We have made it an Arabic Qur’an that you might understand.”(Qur’an 43:3)
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For many, the last 10 days of Ramadan will be spent doing extra prayers, late night vigils, reading of the Qur’an, finding charitable causes, time with family and iktikaaf (overnight) stay in the masjid.
Yet, for others, the last 10 days of Ramadan presents a sort of moral dilemma.
So here we are. Attacking Shaykh Mufti Menk for breaking Iftar with a Jewish Rabbi. Let’s attack Dr. Jonathan Brown for writing the book “Islam & Blackness” because human beings shouldn’t be writing books about corals in the coral reef! You aren’t a coral!
And now attacking Shaykh Hamza Yusuf for the same beliefs that the attackers in reality themselves hold! Namely, their baseless assertion that the Qur’an is eternal and uncreated!
“and not subsisting in Allah” Notice how he says that like it’s a good thing!
ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْحَىُّ ٱلْقَيُّومُ (Qur’an 3:2) This one verse in the Qur’an absolutely demolishes the theology of Ibrahim Ibn Mahmud and anyone else who comes along and tries to tell you that Allah (swt) is a compound unity of attributes subsisting and not identical to the essence of Allah (swt).
Al Hayyu and Al Qayyum is what Allah (swt) is. He tells you in clear language in the plain text (dhahir) apparent text that He (ALLAH) Is the Ever Living Self Existing!
You cannot have a self-existing “attribute” called “al qayyum” subsisting! Authubillah min dhalik! (May Allah protect us from that)
We don’t need the real proponents of innovation and speculative theology like Ibrahim Ibn Mahmud, the Athari, to come along later and say other than what the clear text of the Qur’an says.
If the Qur’an is not from the time of the Salaaf Us Salih (then nothing is)!
Why would a well-informed Christian who believes in the Athanasian creed leave their faith for Islam? What are you people really calling to?
This is what these people are calling to. It is this reason why they will not admit what Allah (swt) has clearly stated in the Qur’an:
“Indeed, We have made it an Arabic Qur’an that you might understand.” (Qur’an 43:3)
Give us a single text in the Qur’an where it says it is not made!
Allah (swt) clearly told you that it is!
The reason is that to say that the Qur’an is uncreated is to say that Allah (swt) has an attribute called speech, and his attributes are eternal, and yet they are not identical to his essence, nor other than it. Yet subsisting. So that you end up sounding exactly like this…..
Read it and beware!
Point 5.
“There is little in Berkhof’s explanation of the Trinity that should surprise anyone familiar with the Reformed tradition. He affirms that there is in the Divine Being but one indivisible essence, and that in this Being there are three Divine Persons or individual subsistences (87). On this latter point, Berkhof helpfully reminds us that there are not three individuals in the Godhead, alongside of and separate from each other, but rather “personal self-distinctions within the Divine essence” (87). Perhaps this is why theologians in the Reformed tradition tend to talk of order and operations instead of roles and relationships. The first pair of terms suggests self-distinctions, while the second pair suggests separate individuals.”
Taking a look at the video attack upon Shaykh Hamza Yusuf.
Notice the very first thing this video does. Does it go to the Qur’an? No! Does it appeal to the Sunnah? No!
@0:43 minutes they appeal to an Imam. Can you imagine? These people castigate the Shi’a for appealing to the Imams and they do the exact same thing.
After the appeal to their Imam, then the revelation of Allah (swt) states comes next.
“Rather it is an honoured Qur’an in the preserved tablet.” (Qur’an 85:21-22)
Point 1). The Qur’an is in a preserved tablet. Preserved tablet =NOT ALLAH.
Yes, the very preserved tablet that is the revelation of Allah (swt) states:
“Ha-Mim By the Book that makes things clear,-We have made it a Qur’an in Arabic, that you may be able to understand and learn wisdom. And verily, it is in the Mother of the Book, in Our Presence, high in dignity, full of wisdom. Shall We then take away the Message from you and repel (you), for that you are a people transgressing beyond bounds? (Qur’an 43:1-5)
Point 2). The Qur’an has been made in Arabic. ALLAH =NOT MADE.
Point 3). It is in the presence of Allah. It is distinct from Allah (swt). ALLAH = NOT COMPOUND UNITY
Point 4). The Qur’an is in the mother(origin) of the book. ALLAH=HAS NO MOTHER(ORIGIN)
Point 5) The attributes of Allah (swt) are not contained IN a mother book.
“Allah eliminates what He wills or confirms, and with Him is the Mother of the Book.” (Qur’an 13:39)
This Qur’an is in a preserved (maḥfūẓin) tablet.
Point 6) Allah (swt) nor his attributes are in need of preservation, sustenance, upkeep, maintenance, conservation. ALLAH=ETERNAL.
Point 7) The Qur’an is contained in ‘the mother of the book’ (43:4) which is WITH Allah (13:39)
With shows a clear distinction from Allah (swt).
@1:20 we get another verse from the Qur’an.
“And if any one of the ungrateful disbelievers seeks your protection, then grant him protection so that he may hear the words of Allah . Then deliver him to his place of safety. That is because they are a people who do not know.” (Qur’an 9:6)
Let us first deal with some flawed mantiq (logic).
First, it is sufficient to attribute to Allah (swt) the attribute of power without the attribution of speech. Speech is not the opposite of dumbness, such that dumbness is negated by affirming it. The opposite of speech is silence. It does not mean that a non-speaking person is dumb; rather, he is not non-silent.
There also seems to be some confusion from those who call themselves ‘Salafi’, among others, with regard to Allah’s knowledge of it, whereas there is an attempt to equate the attributes of Speaking and Knowledge as being both eternal. Eternal knowledge of a thing does not mean the thing itself is eternal. Otherwise, all of us would be eternal.
We affirm the attribute of “speech” for Allah (swt) as Imam Diya al-Din ‘Abd al-Aziza Thamini (raheemullah), says in his Mu’alim:
“Know that speech is sometimes referred to Allah in the meaning of negating dumbness of Him, and it then is to be understood as an essential attribute in the way of such attributes. And sometimes it is referred to Him in the sense of its being one of His actions, and it is then to be understood as such. So the meaning of His being Speaking, according to the first interpretation, is that He is not dumb; and according to the second that He is a Creator of Speech.”
Source: (Ma’alim al-din (Oman: Wizarat al-Turath al-Qawmi wa l-Thaqafah, 1st edition 2:9.)
The Qur’an has never called the speech of Allah (swt) ‘eternal‘. This is pure kalaam!
“The reason why I don’t follow the Ashari creed is because it goes against the clear text of the Qur’an and human nature. People only follow it because they think it makes them look like intellectuals with all those fancy words.” -Abu Humayd
“Indeed, We have made it an Arabic Qur’an that you might understand.”(Qur’an 43:3)
This text is quite clear.
IMAM AHMED AN INNOVATOR ACCORDING TO IBN TAYMIYYAH?
Think about it, dear respected Muslim sisters and brothers. The fact that our great scholars actually mused over this is really sad.
“Then, among them are those who say that the ink is apparent in the mushaf but not incarnating, and some say that it is incarnating. In the sayings of some of them is what implies that for the form—the form of the letter and figure – but not for its material substance, which is its ink. This opinion is also invalid. Just as the saying, that anything from the voices of human beings is eternal, is an invalid opinion. It is an opinion put forward by a group from among the followers of Malik, Shafi’i, and Ahmad, the majority of whom reject it. The saying of Ahmad and the majority of his followers rejecting his opinion is well-known. There is no doubt that whoever says that the voices of servants are eternal, he is an innovator and inventor. In the same way as whoever says that this Qur’an is not the word of Allah, he is an innovator and an inventor”
Source: (Fatawa Ibn Taymiyyah (Matabi al-Riyad, 1st edition, 12:83-873,83-85)
THE REAL REASON FOR THIS DEBATE/DISCSSION: IS THE QUR’AN ETERNAL or CREATED?
The real reason for this debate is that there are those in the Muslim Ummah that believe Allah (swt) has attributes that are not identical to his essence nor other than it.
TAWHID vs TRINITY.
Tawhid: The belief that Allah is one being that has an undefined/undisclosed number of self-distinctions subsisting with in the divine essence.
Trinity: The Belief that God is one being that has three personal self-distinctions within the Divine essence.
In reality, there is no such debate: Tawhid vs Trinity. The real debate is: In what sense is God a Unity?
In the way that the Athari/Ashari/Maturdi proclaim? Or in the way that Athanasian Christians proclaim?
The real debate between the vast majority of Christians and the vast majority of Muslims (Salafi-Athari/Ashari/Maturdi) should be: In what sense is God a Unity?
May Allah (swt) guide us all to what is beloved to him.
May Allah (swt) guide Shaykh Hamza Yusuf and Ibrahim ibn Mahmud.
If you would like to read more articles concerning Shaykh Hamza Yusuf you maybe interested in:
https://primaquran.com/2022/10/04/shaykh-hamza-yusuf-collection-of-articles/
May Allah Guide the Ummah.
May Allah Forgive the Ummah.
Prima Quran 