Difference between Sunni belief and Salafi belief
Regarding the difference between the belief of the Sunnis (Ahl al-Sunna wal-Jamaah) and the belief of the Salafis ([h: the Salafis] are a group of Muslims who claim ascription to the righteous early Muslims (al-salaf al-salih) in terms of their belief, although in reality, they go against the righteous early Muslims in some of what they claim to agree with them on, as I shall partly explain in what follows), the Salafis go against the Sunnis in some of what I have explained above, such as belief that Allah has a wajh (lit. face), ayn (lit. eye), yad (lit. hand), and qadam (lit. foot) in the literal sense of these words. [h: They also go against the Sunnis by believing] that He Most Highs entity is literally above the heaven, adducing as proof certain verses and hadiths, although they are mistaken in their understanding.
Rather, the position of the righteous early Muslims from among the Companions, Followers, and followed Imams is that Allah is transcendently beyond the literal meaning of the above-mentioned things because of the baseless anthropomorphism that they comprise, and becauseas explained abovethe verses and hadiths that have mentioned these matters are interpreted according to meanings that befit His Most Highs entity.
Some of the scholars of the early Muslims (Allah be pleased with them) explicitly stated these meanings whereas others remained silent and sufficed themselves with believing that Allah is transcendently beyond such false meanings, and both approaches are acceptable.[5]
As for a persons believing that Allah is literally characterized by the above-mentioned matters, this is a completely false position and it goes against the position of the vast majority of the Imams of the Muslims in every time and place. Among the useful books about this subject are Dafu Shubah al-Tashbih bi-Akuff al-Tanzih, by the Hanbali Imam and hadith master, Ibn al-Jawzi, and Idah al-Dalil fi Qati Hujaj Ahl al-Tatil, by the great Shafii Imam, Badr al-Din b. Jamaah. Both books have been published. [6]
Amjad Rasheed
Amman, Jordan
(Translated by Hamza Karamali)
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Translators Notes:
[1] This has been translated in Book V of the Reliance of the Traveller and also at the back of the booklet, Becoming Muslim, both by Nuh Ha Mim Keller. There is also a brief synopsis of Sunni creed in The Key to the Garden, by Habib Mashhur al-Haddad (translated by Dr. Mostafa al-Badawi).
[2] This has not been translated into English, unfortunately.
[3] For a detailed explanation of why it is not permissible for Muslims to believe that Allah is literally in the sky, see Is it permissible for a Muslim to believe that Allah is in the sky in a literal sense?, by Nuh Ha Mim Keller. The article is available at
Mas'ud Ahmed Khan's Home Page.
[4] Anthropomorphism (tashbeeh) means likening Allah to His creation.
[5] For an excellent and thoroughly documented account of the position of the early Muslims on the attributes of Allah, see Literalism and the Attributes of Allah, by Nuh Ha Mim Keller. The article is available atwww.masud.co.uk
[6] Neither book has been translated, unfortunately.
The Beliefs of the Sunni Way