All praise is due to Allah, and may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
The report from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, does not indicate that the texts concerning Allah’s attributes are among the ambiguous matters whose meanings are unknown. At most, it indicates that the text containing the attribute of the foot became unclear to some people, or that what is intended is the true reality and manner of the attribute, which only Allah knows. As for the meanings of the words denoting the attributes in the Arabic language, they are not unknown, while we firmly believe that the manner and true reality of Allah’s attributes do not resemble the attributes of created beings.
Abd al-Razzaq narrated from Ibn Tawus, from his father, who said:
“I heard a man narrating this hadith of Abu Hurayrah to Ibn Abbas. A man then stood up and trembled. Ibn Abbas said: ‘What has disturbed these people? They find guidance in its clear texts and perish regarding its ambiguous texts.’”
The hadith the man heard was the hadith of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, in which the Prophet ﷺ said concerning Hell:
“It will not be filled until He places His leg—or he said: His foot—in it, and it will say: Enough, enough, enough.”
It is also reported from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, concerning the condition of the Khawarij in relation to the Qur’an:
“They believe in its clear texts and perish regarding its ambiguous texts.”
What is meant by “ambiguous” here is that which becomes unclear to a person, so instead of submitting to the text, he responds to it with objection, denial, or interprets it in an incorrect manner.
This type is called relative ambiguity, because something may be clear to one scholar while being unclear to another person.
As for the ambiguity whose true reality is known only to Allah, this concerns matters whose precise reality or time of occurrence Allah has kept to Himself, such as the time of the Hour and similar matters.
It has not been reported from any of the early generations that they classified the texts concerning Allah’s Names and Attributes as ambiguous texts whose meanings cannot be understood.
Even if the words of Ibn Abbas are understood as including this hadith among the ambiguous texts, one of two meanings may be intended:
Ibn Jarir al-Tabari and Ibn al-Jawzi mentioned a number of statements from the early generations concerning the meaning of the ambiguous texts, but they did not classify the verses concerning the attributes among the ambiguous texts whose meanings cannot be understood.
Further confirmation of this is that it is reported from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, that he used to say:
“I am among those firmly grounded in knowledge who know its interpretation.”
This was narrated by Ibn Abi Najih from Mujahid from Ibn Abbas.
It is therefore difficult to attribute to Ibn Abbas the view that the words denoting the attributes have no knowable meaning at all, while this statement from him concerning the interpretation of the ambiguous texts is established.
It is important to distinguish between the meaning of an attribute and the manner of an attribute.
Words such as hand, face, foot, and fingers have known meanings in the Arabic language, and it is not correct to say that these words have no meaning.
However, the manner in which Allah possesses these attributes belongs to the unseen and is unknown to us, because Allah Almighty says:
“There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.” [Ash-Shura 42:11]
We know the meaning of hearing, sight, hand, and face in terms of their basic linguistic meanings, but we do not know the manner of Allah’s attributes, nor do we liken them to the attributes of created beings.
This is the meaning of the statement of Ahl al-Sunnah concerning the texts of the attributes:
We affirm them as they have come, without distortion or denial, and without asking how or making comparisons.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, explained that denying knowledge of the interpretation of a thing does not necessarily mean denying knowledge of its meaning. The early generations did not treat the texts concerning the attributes as if they were foreign-language speech whose meaning could not be understood. Rather, they affirmed the meanings indicated by those texts and rejected the interpretations of those who denied or distorted the attributes.
The word ta’wil (interpretation) is used in the revealed texts with two meanings:
First: Explanation and clarification of the meaning.
An example is the statement of Allah:
“Tell us its interpretation.” [Yusuf 12:36]
Meaning: tell us its explanation and meaning.
Second: The true reality of a matter, its final outcome, and its actual occurrence.
An example is the statement of Yusuf, peace be upon him:
“This is the interpretation of my dream from before.” [Yusuf 12:100]
Meaning: this is the actual reality and fulfillment to which the dream ultimately came.
Accordingly, saying that the interpretation of some matters is unknown does not necessarily mean that their linguistic meaning is unknown.
The report from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, does not indicate that Allah’s attributes—such as the hand, face, foot, and fingers—are among the ambiguous matters whose meanings cannot be known.
Rather, his words may be understood as referring to relative ambiguity, which becomes unclear to some people, or to the manner and true reality of the attribute, knowledge of which Allah Almighty has kept to Himself.
As for the basic meanings of the words denoting the attributes, they are known in the Arabic language, while believing that the manner of Allah’s attributes is unknown to us and that they do not resemble the attributes of created beings.
And Allah knows best.