Does Allah enter his creation? Muslims commonly answer: "no he does not". Well what about a slightly different question: "Can Allah enter his creation?" Some Muslims say it's impossible, then again some Muslims say: "He can but he has no reason to" or: "It's beyond his majesty although he could". The problem is all four of these answers are false. Allah not only has the power to enter his creation in Islam [1] but he actually does enter it.
In this video I talk with a Muslim "Reuben" and ask him several questions:
Reuben concedes, that God enters the creation, but he doesn't know whether God enters the creation fully or whether God splits into his attributes.
Reuben concedes, that God enters the creation, but he doesn't know whether God enters the creation fully or whether God splits into his attributes.
I will elaborate more on this argument and the evidence from Islam. The first objection many Muslims ask me is: Why do I have to accept this source?
Qualified Islamic Scholars like Shaykh Muhammad Saalih al-Munajjid who appeal to the Qur'an and Sunnah and Islamic Scholarship have already authenticated these reports (ahadith). [2]
It is also sometimes asked, Why can't we just take this as metaphor or allegory, meaning Allah doesn't literally have feet or a footstool or a throne?
According to these same scholars and various fatwa committees who quote the Quran and Sunnah these feet and stool are not metaphorical, abstract or allegorical [3] [4]
After having substantiated the authenticity and literal application of these reports, some simple observations are in order. Firstly the size of Allah's throne is unknown but it does have a size. Now since it has a size Allah must be able to fit upon his throne, but this means Allah must also has a size in order for the throne to accommodate his size. But if Muslims argue that Allah does not literally sit upon his throne then are they saying his two feet are on the footstool but he is not enthroned? This would be incoherent and contradict reports that show Allah who possess a size and height mounted upon his throne [5]. Further if Allah can place his two feet upon a footstool why can't he also sit upon the throne? Logically one entails or enables the other.
Finally since Allah places his two feet upon the footstool, we need to know is the footstool created or eternal? Now if it's eternal, then that means there is something other than Allah that exists for all eternity which contradicts Islamic orthodoxy. But if it's created that means Allah's feet entered the creation in order to be placed on the footstool, and therefore Allah can and does enter the creation. Now some Muslims may argue "but only his feet enter the creation, not the rest of his attributes", but that would only mean that Allah is separated and split up into his attributes and some attributes can manifest but divorce themselves from his other attributes which means Allah is not indivisible but divisible and can easily be split into parts. Either way it's incoherent. And in addition if one attribute of Allah can manifest itself in creation (without the attributes), then surely one person of God (in the Holy Trinity) can enter the creation without the other persons of God, and therefore Muslims cannot object to the incarnation or the Trinity or Jesus praying to his God and Father! Finally if Allah can enter the creation without losing his divinity, the Creator becomes a member of the created order without ceasing to be divine! And therefore another objection against the incarnation is refuted.
Notes:
[2] Source: http://islamqa.info/en/166843
This indicates that it is confirmed that Allah, may He be exalted, has a foot. Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Kursiy (foot stool) is the place of the two feet, and the size of Throne cannot be known.” This was narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah in at-Tawheed, 1/248, no. 154; Ibn Abi Shaybah in al-‘Arsh, 61; ad-Daarimi in ar-Radd ‘ala al-Muraysi; ‘Abdullah ibn al-Imam Ahmad in as-Sunnah; and al-Haakim in al-Mustadrak, 2/282 – he classed it as saheeh according to the conditions of the two shaykhs (al-Bukhaari and Muslim), and adh-Dhahabi agreed with him. It was also classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Mukhtasar al-‘Uluw, p. 102; and by Ahmad Shaakir in ‘Umdat at-Tafseer, 2/163. Abu Moosa al-Ash‘ari (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Kursiy is the place for the two feet, and it creaks as a saddle creaks. Narrated by ‘Abdullah ibn al-Imam Ahmad in as-Sunnah; Ibn Abu Shaybah in al-‘Arsh, 60; and by Ibn Jareer, al-Bayhaqi and others. Its isnaad was classed as saheeh in al-Fath, 8/47 and by al-Albaani in Mukhtasar al-‘Uluw, p. 123-124 These two reports confirm that Allah, may He be exalted, has two feet, and this is the belief of Ahl as-Sunnah."
So we take these (attributes) as true in a real sense, not metaphorical. As for going to extremes in affirming attributes that are not mentioned in the Qur’an or sunnah, we have to refrain from doing so. Standing Committee for Academic Research and Issuing Fatwas Bakr Abu Zayd, ‘Abd al-‘Azeez Aal ash-Shaykh, Saalih al-Fawzaan, ‘Abdullah ibn Ghadyaan, ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Baaz. End quote. Shaykh ‘Abd ar-Rahmaan al-Barraak (may Allah preserve him) said: This hadeeth confirms that Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, has a foot. Ahl as-Sunnah affirm that Allah has what is mentioned in this hadeeth in a true sense, as they affirm all other divine attributes, as they affirm that He has two hands and two eyes, and they say that He, may He be exalted, has two feet, as is mentioned in the well-known report from Ibn ‘Abbaas that describes the Kursiy (footstool) and says that it is the place for the feet – i.e., the feet of the Lord, may He be glorified and exalted. The view about the feet and hands is the same, and there is no room for differentiation.
[5] There is an abundance of evidence that Allah sits mounted upon his throne:
Brilliant!!!!!!!
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