Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
The hadith is authentically established from the Prophet ﷺ. It has been narrated with several wordings. According to Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama‘ah, the intended approach is to affirm what the text establishes while denying any resemblance between the attributes of Allah تعالى and those of created beings.
Al-Bukhari (6227) and Muslim (2841) narrated from Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Allah created Adam in His image. He was sixty cubits tall. When He created him, He said: ‘Go and greet those angels who are sitting, and listen to how they greet you, for it will be your greeting and the greeting of your descendants.’ He said: ‘Peace be upon you.’ They replied: ‘Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah.’ Thus they added ‘the mercy of Allah’ to it. Everyone who enters Paradise will be in the form of Adam. Creation has continued to decrease in stature until now.”
Muslim (2612) narrated from Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“If any of you fights his brother, let him avoid striking the face, for Allah created Adam in His image.”
Some narrations also contain the wording: “in the image of the Most Merciful”, which a number of scholars have deemed authentic.
It is also reported in the hadith: “My Lord came to me in the best image,” narrated by al-Tirmidhi (3234), and authenticated by al-Albani.
In the lengthy hadith of intercession, the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Then the Almighty comes to them in an image other than the image in which they first saw Him.”
Narrated by al-Bukhari (7440) and Muslim (182).
These texts establish the word “image” with regard to Allah تعالى in a manner befitting Him.
The Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama‘ah who affirm this hadith according to its apparent meaning, in a manner befitting Allah تعالى, hold that the pronoun in the Prophet’s ﷺ statement “in His image” refers to Allah سبحانه وتعالى.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله stated that this is what was known from the early generations, and that the hadith was narrated through numerous chains from several Companions, with the context of the narrations supporting this interpretation.
He رحمه الله explained that the word “image” is among the terms that may be used to describe a created being, but when it is attributed to Allah تعالى, it is specific to Him, just as one says: the knowledge, power, mercy, hearing, and sight of Allah; and just as His Hand and His establishment over the Throne are affirmed in a manner befitting Him.
Affirming an image for Allah تعالى does not mean that His image resembles the images of created beings. Likewise, affirming hearing, sight, face, hand, and other attributes does not mean that the attributes of the Creator resemble the attributes of His creation.
Allah سبحانه وتعالى says:
“There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.” [Ash-Shura 42:11]
And He says:
“And there is none comparable to Him.” [Al-Ikhlas 112:4]
The meaning is that Allah تعالى has attributes befitting His majesty and greatness, while the created being has attributes befitting its weakness and need. Similarity in terminology does not necessitate similarity in reality or modality.
For this reason, Shaykh Ibn Baz رحمه الله said, when explaining the hadith, that Adam being created in His image does not necessitate resemblance or anthropomorphism. Adam hears, sees, and speaks when he wills, and he has a face, hand, and other attributes; Allah سبحانه وتعالى hears, sees, and speaks when He wills, and He has a Face, Hand, and other attributes, but the attributes of the Creator are not like the attributes of the created being.
The word “image” in Arabic can mean form, appearance, reality, and attribute.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله explained that every existing thing that exists independently must have an image in which it exists, just as every existing thing has attributes belonging to it.
Therefore, affirming an image for Allah تعالى does not mean likening Him to created beings. Rather, it means affirming what is established by the text, while believing that the reality and modality of this attribute are known only to Allah تعالى.
Among the evidence clarifying this is the Prophet’s ﷺ statement regarding the first group to enter Paradise:
“The first group to enter Paradise will be in the image of the moon.”
Narrated by al-Bukhari (3245) and Muslim (2834).
This does not mean that the people of Paradise resemble the moon in every respect. Rather, it means that they share with it some qualities of radiance, beauty, attractiveness, and the roundness of the face, without being identical to it.
Accordingly, the Prophet’s ﷺ statement “Allah created Adam in His image” does not necessitate that Adam’s attributes resemble the attributes of Allah تعالى. Sharing the basis of a description does not mean sharing its reality or modality.
The methodology of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama‘ah is to affirm what Allah has affirmed for Himself or what His Messenger ﷺ affirmed for Him, without distortion or denial, and without asking how or likening them to created things.
We affirm what is mentioned in the texts regarding the attributes of Allah تعالى and believe in them in a manner befitting His majesty. We do not ask about the modality of His attributes, nor do we compare them with the attributes of created beings.
Ibn Qutaybah رحمه الله said, in this regard, that affirming the image is no more extraordinary than affirming the two hands, fingers, and eye, and that what is obligatory is to believe in what has been reported, without discussing its modality or defining it.
The hadith “Allah created Adam in His image” is authentically established, and it has been narrated with several wordings. According to those who affirm that the pronoun refers to Allah تعالى, the meaning is that Adam عليه السلام was created in an image befitting Allah تعالى with regard to the basic description, without Adam’s image being comparable to the image of Allah سبحانه وتعالى.
Allah تعالى has attributes that befit His majesty and perfection, while the created being has attributes that befit its created nature. Sharing a name or a basic meaning does not necessitate resemblance in reality or modality.
What is obligatory is to believe in what has been established in the Qur’an and Sunnah, while affirming the statement of Allah تعالى:
“There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.” [Ash-Shura 42:11]
And Allah knows best.