Was Abu Hanifa an Anthropomorphist? And what's with the Tahawiyya?
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Question
Is Aqida Tahawiyya an Ashari Aqeeda text or a Salafi Aqeeda text because I have seen both groups use it? I was informed that according to Imam Abu Hanfifa that its obligatory to believe Allah sits on his throne above the seven heavens? Which Aqeeda do the Hanafis follow? Is the Hanafi understanding of Allah's attributes metaphorical or do we accept that Allah has those attributes (face, hand etc) but we just don't know how (similar to the saying of Imam Malik, "al-istiwa ma'loom wal kayfu majhool..."). Can you comment on where Salafi or Ashari Aqeeda have error?Answer
Walaikum assalam,
1. The Tahawiyya is a Sunni text that the Salafis misinterpret. In it, Imam Tahawi conveys the aqida positions of Imam Abu Hanifa and his students, which are representative of the early Sunni way, and a methodological precursor to the Maturidi and Ashari schools.
2. The Salafis are people of innovation in both beliefs and practice [as discussed in the seminal articles by Shaykh Nuh Keller and Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad on Sidi Mas’ud Khan’s brilliant site: www.masud.co.uk]. Their witness in matters related to their innovations is of no religious consequence.
3. It is a lie against Imam Abu Hanifa that he said anything anthropomorphic. His way, as clear from his Fiqh al-Akbar [translated] is the way of consigning (tafwid) the meanings of that which Allah has affirmed to Allah, while negating that this entails any form of similitude with created things.
4. Sh. Nuh’s discussion Literalism and the Attributes of Allah [see below] deals with this issue in sufficient detail, and is representative of the Sunni way, as followed by the overwhelming majority of this Ummah’s scholars, from all four schools, as well as all major scholars of tafsir, hadith, and usul.
Wassalam,
Faraz Rabbani
This answer was published by SunniPath and is preserved as written. Rulings can depend on circumstances; for your own situation, consult a qualified scholar.
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