Abul-Qasim al-Qushayri, author of the well know Risalah in Sufism, known

as:

Luma fil-Itiqad

Al-Qushayri enumerates and explains in a quite literary style the dogmas

of Islam.

The editor of the work has based his edition on two manuscripts: one from
Cairo, Dar al-Kutub al-Misriya, and the other from Istanbul, Murat Buhari.

Said al-Qushayri:

Of his Attributes of Essence some are proven by His action: they are His
Power, His Knowledge, His Life, and His Will; some are proven by His being
such as having the predicates of transcendent Glory and His transcending
things that are imperfect: they are His Hearing, His Seeing, His Speech,
and His Everlasting; some are given by report, either in the Quran or by
the elucidation of al-Mustafa, sallalahu alaihi wa-sallam. Like attributing to
Him that He has Two Hands and His being described as having a Face, as
the Text states of Him, He established over the Throne (20:5), and His
saying, subhanahu wa-taala, That you might be brought up under My
Eye (20:39), and His statement, taala, And your Lord came (98:22), and
His statement, azza wa-jall, What do they wait for other than that Allah
should come to them in the shadows of the clouds (2:210), and His
statement, azza wa-jall, Allah warns you to be on guard against His Self,
and such as the report, Allah descends every night to the lowest heaven,
and the report The heart of the believer is between the Two Fingers of the
Merciful (asbaayn min al-asabi), and reports similar to these that are
expressions of unclear interpretation (mutashabihat). We neither add to
what is given nor omit from what is given in the Book and the report (i.e.
the Sunnah). Whatever is evident (dhahiran) of meaning we take as
certain. Whatever is difficult of meaning we entrust its knowledge to Allah
taala, without attempting to interpret it (fa-ma kana dhahiran mana-h
tahaqqaqna-h, wa-ma kana mushkilan mana-h wakkalna ilmiha ilal-Lah
taala, wa-la nataarrad li-tawilih). We believe in it in a general way and
our ignorance of its precise meaning does not impair the validity of our
belief and its certitude, just as we are obliged to believe in the validity of
the Torah, of the Injil and of the Zabur, though we have no knowledge of
its precise meaning and have no way to know it, since Allah subhanahu
has informed us that that which is in our hands [today] is textually altered
and has been changed. Allah has obliged us to belief in the Angels and the
Prophets, and we know neither their look nor number, but our ignorance of

the exact detail of this does not preclude the validity of our belief in it. And
we know that Allah, subhanahu, that No thing is like Him (42:11).

And he said:

We do not call Allah, azza wa-jall, by any name by which He has not
named Himself. And we believe in what has been mentioned in describing
Him from all the adjectives and nouns. And we follow the successful way in
what is found in the Book, the Sunnah and the Consensus of the
Community. We do not follow in case of naming [Him] what is appropriate
for Him just on the basis of proofs from reason or from the standpoint of
the Arabic language.

These are the words of Abu'l-Qasim al-Qushayri, the well known Early
Ash'ari who's in general upon the way of the Ahl al-Sunnah though he
opposes them in some principles.

The many questions that arise are:

How is it that people blame the Ahl al-Sunnah, for instance Ibn Taymiyyah,
for these things just said, but not the like of al-Qushayri?

Ibn Taymiyyah says:

"The explanation of the Attributes whose reality only Allah knows is the
knowledge of the how-ness which is something unknown to us. So alIstawa' is known, its meaning is understood and explained and translated
in other languages, and this is the explanation that those firmly grounded
in knowledge have an understanding of. But as for the how-ness of alIstawa', this is the explanation that none but Allah ta'ala knows,"

which means the same what al-Qushayri says:

"We believe in it in a general way and our ignorance of its precise meaning
does not impair the validity of our belief and its certitude",

meaning, We know the Attributes that have come down to us in the Texts
but only in a general way, i.e. in its linguistic sense as they are known to

the 'Arab, but we do not know them precisely, i.e. how they exactly are.
Thus, this is an affirmation of its knowledge but not of its how-ness.

And al-Qushayri declares, as Ibn Taymiyyah did later time and time again:

"Whatever is evident (dhahiran) of meaning we take as certain. Whatever

is difficult of meaning we entrust its knowledge to Allah taala, without
attempting to interpret it"

What's evident of meaning - means: those expressions which leave no

doubt about its correct interpretation or understanding, be they
Mutashabihat or not. Thus, they include the Sifat which are explained
(partly) and those which are not (as the majority are).

al-Qushayri also denies to attempt to interpretet them (incorrectly) as

some have down from among those who ascribe themselves to the
Asha'irah - rather, he says that which is difficult should not be interpreted
according to metaphors, probable interpretations etc.

He differs also in some other writings of his and that of other Asha'irah, for
he declares: "And we follow the successful way in what is found in the
Book, the Sunnah and the Consensus of the Community", enumerating the
three fundamental sources for 'Aqidah deleting the well know fourth
principle of the Mutakallimun: the 'Aql.

This is in line with the Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Salaf: there's no place for the
'aql, qiyas and other ways in matters of Usul al-Din: only the Qur'an and
the Sunnah, and what the Salaf have agreed upon.
This has been declared by Ibn Taymiyyah in al-Tadmuriyyah, al-Wasitiyyah
and elsewhere.

Wa-Billahi Tawfiq!

Wa-Salam!

http://z3.invisionfree.com/sunnipress/index.php?showtopic=103&hl=

Ironically, some of the Ashari scholars themselves realized the fallacy and
absurdity of tafweedh.
Al-Qushayri, the staunch Ashari and an advocate of tawil refutes the
absurdity of Tafweedh (See Ithaf Sadat al-Muttaqin 2/110):
How is it possible for one to say that there exists in Allahs Book,
that which cannot be known by the creation, and none knows its meaning
(tawil) except Allah? Is this not from the greatest of slanders against
prophethood, to suggest that the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam did not know the meaning (tawil) of the texts pertaining to the
Attributes of Allah Taala, and called the people to know what cannot
be known? Doesnt Allah say (weve sent it down) in clear
Arabic language? Otherwise, according to what they claim, they
should say Allah lied when He said: in clear Arabic language, since
they do not know (the meanings). Otherwise, where is this
clearness (as expressed in the Quran)?
If it was in the language of the Arabs, how can he claim that this is
something the Arabs do not know?
He also says: To attribute to the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam that he called to a Lord, described with Attributes that are
incomprehensible, is something heinous, which no Muslim can imagine!
For ignorance with respect to Attributes leads to ignorance with respect to
that which is described (i.e. Allah). And the saying of one who says: His
rising is an Attribute of His self, the meaning of which is incomprehensible;
the Hand is an Attribute of His self, the meaning of which is
incomprehensible; the Foot is an Attribute of His self, the meaning of
which is incomprehensible is simply camouflaging modality (takyif),
anthropomorphism (tashbih) and a call to ignorance If the opponent
now says: The literal meanings (dhawahir) have no interpretation
(mana) at all, then that is to render these texts defunct, and
there was no benefit in these texts reaching us, for they are all useless,
which is impossible This is also contrary to the Madhab of the Salaf who
believed in passing them on upon their literal meanings (dhawahir).
Yet, in spite of acknowledging the Madhab of the Salaf, he still argues for
tawil. May Allah guide us all.

http://www.saheefah.org/2006/08/20/ashari-scholars-argue-against-tafwid/