Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
It should not be said that Allah Almighty has a “shape,” because this expression is not found in the Qur’an or Sunnah, and because it may carry false meanings, including likeness and resemblance. Allah’s Names and Attributes are established only through revelation, so nothing is affirmed except what is established by the revealed texts. As for “form” (ṣūrah), it is mentioned in the hadiths, so it is affirmed for Allah Almighty in a manner befitting Him, without resemblance, without asking how, and without imagining it.
The fundamental principle regarding Allah’s Names and Attributes is that a Muslim describes Allah Almighty only with what Allah has described Himself with or what His Messenger ﷺ has described Him with.
Not every expression that may carry a correct meaning may therefore be made into a description of Allah. Rather, we must adhere to the expressions established in the revealed texts.
For this reason, it is not correct to say, “Allah has a shape,” merely because some meanings of the word “shape” may be close to the meaning of “form.” The expression itself is not found in the revealed texts.
The Arabic word shakl (shape) has several meanings, including form, but it can also mean likeness or resemblance.
Allah Almighty is completely exalted above having any equal or likeness.
Allah says:
﴿لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ﴾
“There is nothing like Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.”
[Ash-Shura: 11]
And He says:
﴿وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ﴾
“And there is none comparable to Him.”
[Al-Ikhlas: 4]
And Allah says:
﴿هَلْ تَعْلَمُ لَهُ سَمِيًّا﴾
“Do you know of anyone comparable to Him?”
[Maryam: 65]
Therefore, the expression “shape” is avoided for two reasons:
First, it has not been established in the revealed texts as a description of Allah Almighty.
Second, it is an ambiguous expression that may be understood in an incorrect sense, such as likeness or resemblance.
Yes. The word ṣūrah (form) occurs in the Sunnah.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Allah created Adam in his form.”
[Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
And in the hadith of intercession:
“Then the Almighty will come to them in a form different from the form in which they saw Him the first time.”
[Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
For this reason, a number of leading scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah affirmed the form for Allah Almighty as it occurs in the revealed texts, while emphasizing that it is a form befitting Allah Almighty and does not resemble the forms of created beings.
Affirming an attribute for Allah when a created being may also be described using the same term does not mean that the realities of the two are identical.
Allah Almighty is All-Hearing, and a created being may also be described as hearing, but Allah’s hearing is not like the hearing of a created being.
Allah is All-Seeing, and a created being sees, but Allah’s sight is not like the sight of the created being.
The same applies to what has been established concerning the Face, the Hand, and other attributes. They are affirmed for Allah in a manner befitting Him, without likening Him to creation.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, said concerning the use of the word “form”:
“The word ‘form’ in the hadith is like the rest of what has been reported concerning the Names and Attributes.”
In other words, the same principle applies to it as to the rest of the attributes: affirmation without resemblance.
The scholars explained that this hadith does not mean that Allah resembles Adam in form.
The Messenger ﷺ who reported this hadith is the same Messenger who conveyed the words of Allah Almighty:
﴿لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ﴾
“There is nothing like Him.”
Therefore, the hadith cannot mean that the Creator resembles the created being.
Scholars have established that two things sharing certain words or descriptions does not mean that they are identical in every respect.
Allah’s attributes are perfect and befitting Him, while the attributes of created beings are limited and deficient and befitting their created nature.
The distinction here is not based merely on the closeness of their linguistic meanings. Rather, it is based on what is established in the revealed text.
The word “form” (ṣūrah) occurs in the hadiths, so it is affirmed as it has been reported.
As for the word “shape” (shakl), it has not been established as a description of Allah Almighty, and it carries several possible meanings, some of which are impermissible regarding Allah.
Therefore, the safest and most precise approach is to adhere to the terminology of revelation, affirming what has been reported without replacing it with other ambiguous expressions.
No.
Ahl al-Sunnah affirm whatever attributes are authentically established, but they do not imagine their modality.
A human being does not know the modality of Allah’s Essence or His Attributes, because Allah has not informed us of this, and there is nothing comparable to Him by which we could measure or imagine Him.
Al-Tahawi, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
“Imaginations cannot reach Him, understandings cannot comprehend Him, and He does not resemble mankind.”
Ibn Qudamah, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
“Intellects cannot represent Him through thought, nor can hearts imagine Him through forming an image.”
Therefore, if a particular image occurs in a person’s mind, he knows that Allah Almighty is not like that, because everything a human being is capable of imagining is derived from the world of created things.
Because knowing that an attribute exists is one thing, while knowing how that attribute is another.
We know that Allah hears and sees, but we do not know the modality of His hearing and sight.
Likewise, we affirm what has been established in the revealed texts concerning the form and other attributes, but we do not attempt to construct an image of them in our minds or determine their modality.
What is required is belief in the revealed text while declaring Allah free from resemblance to creation.
It is not correct to say, “Allah has a shape,” because this expression does not occur in the Qur’an or Sunnah, and it may imply likeness and resemblance, from which Allah is completely exalted.
As for form (ṣūrah), it is mentioned in the Sunnah and is therefore affirmed for Allah Almighty in a manner befitting Him, without resemblance, comparison, or asking how.
A person must not attempt to imagine the modality of Allah’s Essence or His form, because there is nothing like Allah Almighty, and He has not informed us of the modality of His Attributes.
The correct methodology is therefore: affirm what has been revealed, deny any resemblance, and refrain from discussing how.
And Allah knows best.