A Reply to Those Who Claim Ibn Abbas did Ta'weel of Saaq

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

There are those who claim that Ibn Abbas (رضي الله عنه) did ta'weel (blameworthy explanation) of the attribute of Allah (عز و جلا), Saaq (Shin), and thus by doing so it leads way for those to come after him to do it to other attributes of Allah.

Allah says,

"On a day when shin shall be exposed, they shall be ordered to prostrate, but be unable" (Qur’an 68:42), 

It's not ta'weel because the verse in question, does not point to it speaking about an attribute of Allah, rather the statement "To reveal the shin" in classical Arabic meant, "to unleash A dire matter" or the likes of this, however, again the verse doesn't have in it anything that points to the fact that it is specifically talking about the attribute of Allah.

Allah says "Yawma Yukshafo 'an Saqqin", meaning, "On a day when shin shall be exposed, they shall be ordered to prostrate, but be unable" (Qur’an 68:42),

Just because "Shin" here is being used, doesn't automatically it means Attribute of Allah.

Like for example someone says, Look Ibn Abbas did ta'weel of the word Ayn (eye) and thus Allah doesn't have Eyes,

"Until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it [as if] setting in a spring of dark mud, and he found near it a people. Allah said, "O Dhul-Qarnayn, either you punish [them] or else adopt among them [a way of] goodness."-18:86

Here the word for "Spring" is Ayn in Arabic, does that mean in every place in Quran/Sunnah that 'Ayn also means Muddy spring, as Ibn abbas described it here? No...

This is misconstruing facts, and trying to paint an incorrect picture.

We believe the attributes how they come, according to their apparent meaning, without changing them, without denying them, without saying they are like the creation, etc etc... When they are in fact attributes.

The Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa salam) said:

يكشف ربنا عن ساقه ، فيسجد له كل مؤمن ومؤمنة ، ويبقى من كان يسجد في الدنيا رياء وسمعة ، فيذهب ليسجد فيعود ظهره طبقا واحدا

(Our Lord will reveal His Shin, and every believing male and female will prostrate to Him. The only people who will remain standing are those who prostrated in the worldly life only to be seen and heard (showing off). This type of person will try to prostrate at that time, but his back will made to be one stiff plate (the bone will not bend or flex).1

This hadeeth is where we do confirmation of the Attribute of Saaq (shin) for Allah, because the apparent meaning of the hadeeth points to it, unlike the verse.

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1) http://sunnah.com/urn/182560