Dissimilarity to the Creation
It is necessary that Allah the Exalted would be Different from the events. This means that He does not resemble anything of His creation. Therefore, He is not a volume that occupies a space and He is not an attribute. The volume is what has containment and an independent standing, such as bodies. The quality is what does not have an independent standing. It only stands through other than itself. Examples are motion, stillness, contact, disconnection, colors, flavors, and smells. For that reason Imam Abu Hanifah said in some of his works, “The Creator does not resemble His creation.” It means that it is not mentally or textually valid that the Creator would resemble His creation.
Abu Sulayman Al-Khattabiyy said, “Certainly, what is obligatory upon us and every Muslim to know is that our Lord is not someone with an image or a shape. For certainly, the image dictates a manner of being, and that is negated from Allah and His Attributes.” Al-Bayhaqiyy narrated that from him in his book Al-Asma’ was–Sifat.
The word “kayfiyyah” [manner of being] could be used to mean “the reality”, just like what some said:
كَيْفِيَّةُ الْمَرْءِ لَيْسَ الْمَرْءُ يُدْرِكُهَا فَكيْفَ كَيْفِيَّة الجَبَّارِ في القِدَمِ
[which means] “The how of man is not encompassed by man, so how about the Reality of Al-Jabbar Who Exists Eternally?”
What this person meant was “the reality.” This line of poetry was narrated by Az-Zarkashiyy, Ibnul-Jawziyy, and others.
Abu Ja^far At–Tahawiyy said, “Whoever attributes to Allah an attribute of the humans has blasphemed.” Abu Ja^far is among the people of the 3rd century, so he is included in the hadith:
خَيْرُ القُرُونِ قَرْني ثُمَّ الذيْنَ يَلُونَهُم ثُمَّ الذيْنَ يَلُونَهُم
[which means] “The best of centuries is my century, then those who come after them, then those who come after them.” This is narrated by at-Tirmidhiyy. The Arabic term “qarn” in the hadith means “century”, as said by Hafidh Abul-Qasim Ibn ^Asakir in his book Tabyin Kadhib Al-Muftari, which he wrote in defending Abul-Hasan Al-Ash^ariyy, may Allah Accept his deeds.
