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All praise is due to Allah, and may blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
The principle of affirming the divine attributes applies to what is established as an attribute of Allah, not to everything attributed to Him. His being with His creation is affirmed and understood according to its context and in light of the other revealed texts. It does not imply indwelling or intermingling. The spirit attributed to Allah is created, and its attribution to Him confers honor. As for the blowing in Mary’s case, the angel performed it at Allah’s command. In Adam’s case, determining who directly performed it requires evidence, as Ibn al-Qayyim explained.
Affirming Allah’s being with His creation and understanding its meaning from context
The approach of Ahl al-Sunnah, as presented in the fatwa, is to affirm the attributes that Allah has affirmed for Himself or that His Messenger, blessings and peace be upon him, has affirmed for Him. These include His being with His creation, which is of two kinds:
His special being with particular servants, as in His words to Moses and Aaron, peace be upon them:
“He said: Do not fear. Indeed, I am with you both; I hear and I see.” [Ṭā Hā 20:46]
And His general being with all creation, as in His words:
“He is with you wherever you are, and Allah sees all that you do.” [Al-Ḥadīd 57:4]
In Arabic, being “with” someone conveys accompaniment, but does not in itself require intermingling or blending. For example, we say, “We traveled with the moon accompanying us,” without meaning that the moon is physically mixed with us.
The early generations explained Allah’s general being with His creation as His knowledge and all-encompassing awareness. The context indicates this meaning: the verse in Al-Ḥadīd mentions Allah’s knowledge before mentioning His being with creation. The verse in Al-Mujādilah begins:
“Do you not see that Allah knows whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth?”
It includes:
“He is with them wherever they are.”
And it ends:
“Indeed, Allah knows all things.” [Al-Mujādilah 58:7]
Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr reported that the scholars among the Companions and their Successors explained this as meaning that Allah is above the Throne and His knowledge is in every place. See Al-Tamhīd (7/138).
According to the fatwa, this explains the text according to the apparent meaning of its context; it does not divert it from its meaning. Even if it is called taʾwīl—interpretation beyond an initially apparent meaning—it rests on evidence and a reported consensus. Interpreting Allah’s being with creation as indwelling created beings, however, contradicts what the texts establish concerning His highness and His freedom from intermingling with His creation.
Not everything attributed to Allah is one of His attributes
Attribution to Allah does not always mean that the thing attributed is one of His attributes. Allah says:
“Allah’s she-camel and her right to drink.” [Al-Shams 91:13]
The she-camel is created; it is not an attribute of Allah.
The fatwa distinguishes between two kinds of attribution:
Ibn Taymiyyah explained that attribution alone is insufficient to establish a divine attribute, and that “Allah’s spirit” is an instance of attributing a created thing to its Creator. See Al-Jawāb al-Ṣaḥīḥ (4/414).
The meaning of “My spirit” and “a spirit from Him”
The spirit mentioned here is a created entity existing in its own right. It is neither an attribute of Allah nor a part of Him. Evidence that it exists in its own right includes the Prophet’s words, blessings and peace be upon him:
“When the soul is taken, the gaze follows it.”
Narrated by Muslim (920).
The hadith of Al-Barāʾ ibn ʿĀzib describes the believer’s soul leaving the body, the angels taking it, and their ascending with it. Narrated by Aḥmad (18534) and authenticated by Shuʿayb al-Arnaʾūṭ.
Allah says concerning Jesus, peace be upon him:
“The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, is only Allah’s Messenger, His word which He conveyed to Mary, and a spirit from Him.” [Al-Nisāʾ 4:171]
Here, min (“from”) indicates origin: a spirit from Allah, which He created and brought into existence. It does not indicate that the spirit is a part of Him. A similar usage appears in His words:
“He has subjected to you whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth—all from Him.” [Al-Jāthiyah 45:13]
Created things are from Him; they are not parts of Him.
Ibn Kathīr favored this interpretation and explained that attributing the spirit to Allah confers honor. See Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr (2/478). Ibn Ḥajar likewise stated that this is an attribution of distinction and honor, not the attribution of an attribute to its possessor. See Fatḥ al-Bārī (13/444).
How should we understand the attribution of blowing to Allah?
Allah says concerning Mary:
“And she who guarded her chastity, so We blew into her of Our spirit.” [Al-Anbiyāʾ 21:91]
The texts also explain that an angel was sent to her:
“We sent to her Our Spirit, and he appeared before her as a well-formed man.” [Maryam 19:17]
And he said to her:
“I am only a messenger of your Lord, to grant you a pure son.” [Maryam 19:19]
The angel directly performed the blowing in this case. It is attributed to Allah because it occurred by His command and permission.
As for Adam, Allah says concerning him:
“When I have fashioned him and blown into him of My spirit, fall down before him in prostration.” [Al-Ḥijr 15:29]
The apparent wording attributes the blowing to Allah. However, Ibn al-Qayyim explained that determining whether this was an act He performed directly or one carried out at His command through an intermediary requires evidence. In either case, the spirit is created. See Al-Rūḥ (p. 154).
Conclusion
There is no contradiction between affirming the divine attributes and these explanations. One must first identify the kind of attribution, then understand the text through its context and the other evidence. Allah’s being with His creation is affirmed without indwelling. The spirit is created and attributed to Allah as an honor. The blowing is understood according to the distinctions established by the texts, without making definite claims about matters that require evidence.
And Allah knows best.