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THE SUFIS AND THE PROBLEM OF INCORPORATION AND UNITYGOD’S NEEDLESSNESS ABOUT PLACE IN ISLAMIC HADITH

We learn from history that those deny the tenets of Islam always take the help of the ambiguous verse to attain their nefarious objectives but without taking into consideration that the symbolic verses are always explained through the established ones.

Those who believe in the physical existence of God turn to the symbolic verses and deem them enough to reach their aims. We will discuss some of the famous ones here.

Surah Ta-ha verse 5:

“The most gracious rose firmly over the throne.”

These people believe that Arsh is a throne on the highest level of the heavens on which God sits commanding the angels. They are totally ignorant that this is a symbol that is often used in daily parlance and it means might and power over something.

In the olden days the kings used to have two thrones. The high throne they called Arsh was used in special circumstances like when the king decided to meet his subjects. It was then that he would sit on that throne. The smaller throne was the one on which he normally sat in his court and rules or gave ordinances. The Arab used to call it Kursi. As time went by Arsh and Kursi became two signs and symbols for power and authority. This can be discerned from the following explanations.

So and so has been dragged away from the chair means his rulership has ended. The throne of so and so has fallen or his rule has ended. The throne of so and so was shaken by that incident or his rulership became shaky and there are others.

Arsh means the top level of the heavens and Kursi means the world below. The Arsh means the spiritual realm and Kursi means the material universe and the Qura’n says, “He rose up on the throne. When His throne encompasses the entire universe then it means it is above all the heavens and the earth. (1)

So when we say that God sits on the throne it means the world above which despite its vastness is under his rulership and this rule is also on the world below and it is clear that often the verses deny the existence of any place for God (as we have discussed earlier) can all be taken as proof of this.

Verse 6 of Surah Ta-ha has been explained in Tafsir Al Mizan, “To Him belong all that is in the heavens and on earth, and all between them and all beneath them.” (2) Fakhruddin Razi has given ten explanations for the symbolic words “God sits on the throne”

God was present before the Arsh and other things came into existence and He had no need for them so how it is that He became needy after He had created the Arsh?

If we agree to their saying that God sits on the throne then some of His body will be on the left and some on the right and this means division and He cannot be divided for this will mean dependence.

The Qura’n in verse 76 of Surah Anam records the words of Abraham, “I do not befriend the setting ones.”

This is the sign that He is present everywhere. If He sits on the Arsh means that He will be absent from other places and this is the rise and the setting.

In verse 17 of Surah Haaqa mentions the angels who live in the heavens or Arsh? If we agree to the ambiguous then we have to agree that he is dependent on them to protect Him but God is the protector of them all.

We know that in the Surah of Tawhid and others that reject any existence resembling Him means that He has no parts and he cannot be deemed to be limited to any place. There are other proofs also. (3).

They cite the verse 22 of Surah Fajr that speaks about the end of the world, the Judgment Day and its events and says, “And your Lord comes with angels rank upon rank”. It is certain that other commentators have also pointed to the same and says this means the descent of the command of God for the accounting. Or it may be taken to be the descent of His glory and signs. Their coming is like His coming and this removes all doubts (4) because we have read earlier in various verses that God is present everywhere and no space is empty of Him and despite he occupies no place.

How is it that He shall come from one place to another as these interpreters of the symbolic take it to be? He is present everywhere with us and is closer to us more than we are , he is where ever you look, His presence is evident in the heavens and on earth so how can we think about Him traveling to one place from another..

Verse 4 of Surah Hadeed says, “And He is with you wherever you may be”

Verse 16 of Surah Qaf says, “We are nearer to him than his jugular vein.”

Verse 115 of Surah Baqarah says:

“To God belong the east and the west: Wherever you turn there is God’s face. For God is all-embracing all-knowing”

Verse 84 of Surah Zukhruf says:

“It is He who is God in the heaven and the God on earth; and He is full of wisdom and knowledge.”

Moreover transfer or travel means change like the rise and the setting and means dependence but He is free from all such things.

The following verses explain the verse “Do they wait for God and the angels to come to them under the shadow of the clouds before they believe?”

Verse 33 of Nahl says, “Either the angels of death come to search them or the command of your Lord reaches them.”

Verse 10 of Surah Fatir says, “To Him mount the words of purity.”

Verse 4 of Surah Maarij says, “The angels and Spirit ascent to Him.”

Verse 37 of Surah Hajj says, “It is not their meat or the blood that reaches God; it your piety that reaches Him.”

It is evident that these are explanations, about descent, spiritual up-liftment and inner closeness. The proof is evident in the verse themselves because a deed is not something that can rise up to the heavens and in the same way piety does not mean supreme physical attainment. (Reflect)

But those who do not discern the inner meaning and truth but are stuck in the literal interpretation have moved towards fiction because they never understood the truth.

Some interpretations actually reflect the thoughts of the disbelievers but the ignorant ones have taken them to mean the proof of physical existence. And believe that God too has a place as in verse 210 of Surah Baqarah that says, “Will they wait until God comes to them with the canopies of clouds and angels?” (How misdirected and erroneous is their idea!)

The verse expresses a negative surprise about things that can never happen (5)

In short, with a little bit of minute study and the reference to the established verses can help us understand the rebuttal of any place for God and no doubt is left any more.

 


 

1. Zamakhshri says in Kashaf: since Arsh denotes rulership so it symbolizes His rule; e.g. we say So and so king is sitting on the throne means he is ruling even though he may not be found sitting on the throne.( Kashaf vol.3 page 52)
2. Al Mizan vol. 14 page 131.
3. Tafsir Kabeer vol.22 page 5
4. Tafsirs, Majmaul Bayan, Al Mizan, Qartabi, Ruhul Jinan etc.
5. Some scholars have taken this surprise as a challenge or a warning and they say that the disbelievers wait for the punishment and the commandment of God to come upon them.

 

THE SUFIS AND THE PROBLEM OF INCORPORATION AND UNITYGOD’S NEEDLESSNESS ABOUT PLACE IN ISLAMIC HADITH
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