Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
According to the fatwa, the eye is an essential attribute that is authentically affirmed for Allah in reality, and Allah has two eyes that befit His majesty. They do not resemble the eyes of His creation, and we do not know their nature or modality.
Interpreting the expression “under Our eyes” as meaning “under Our sight” or “within the sight of Our eyes” does not constitute denial of the attribute of the eye. The intended meaning is to explain what the attribute entails in terms of seeing, watching, and protecting, while continuing to affirm the eye as an attribute of Allah, Exalted is He.
The eye is mentioned in several verses of the Qur’an. Allah says concerning the Ark of Noah, peace be upon him:
“It sailed under Our eyes, as a reward for the one who was denied.”
[Al-Qamar: 14]
He سبحانه also says:
“Build the Ark under Our eyes and by Our revelation.”
[Hud: 37]
And He said to His Prophet Muhammad ﷺ:
“And be patient with the judgment of your Lord, for indeed, you are under Our eyes.”
[At-Tur: 48]
According to the fatwa, these texts affirm the attribute of the eye for Allah in a manner befitting Him.
No.
The fatwa distinguishes between someone who rejects the attribute itself and someone who affirms it and then explains the verse through one of the meanings that follows from it.
Whoever says “under the sight of Our eyes” has explicitly affirmed the eye.
Whoever says “under Our sight,” while also affirming the attribute of the eye for Allah, has explained the verse in terms of the seeing, watching, and protection indicated by the attribute, without intending to deny it.
A text may sometimes be explained through an implication of its meaning without this constituting denial of its fundamental meaning.
According to the fatwa, it is not anthropomorphism as long as a person does not say that Allah’s eye is like the eye of a created being or attempt to describe its modality.
Affirming the meaning is one thing, while affirming a particular modality or resemblance is another.
The comprehensive principle is Allah’s statement:
“There is nothing whatsoever like Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.”
[Al-Shura: 11]
Allah is truly All-Seeing, but His sight is not like the sight of created beings. Likewise, according to the fatwa, the eye is affirmed for Him without being like the eyes of His creation.
It is authentically reported that the Prophet ﷺ said concerning the Dajjal:
“Indeed, Allah is not one-eyed... whereas the false Messiah, the Dajjal, is one-eyed in his right eye.”
Narrated by Al-Bukhari.
Some scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah have used this hadith, together with other texts, as evidence for affirming two eyes for Allah.
However, affirming this does not mean knowing their shape or modality, nor does it imply that they resemble human eyes.
According to the position adopted by the fatwa and transmitted from a number of Sunni scholars, Allah has two eyes that befit His majesty.
It quotes Ibn Khuzaymah as saying:
“We say: Our Creator and Lord has two eyes with which He sees... nothing is hidden from our Creator.”
Ibn Khuzaymah then elaborated that the sharing of a name for an attribute between the Creator and the created does not mean that the actual nature of the attribute is identical.
Human eyes are created and limited, subject to weakness, illness, and decay. The attributes of Allah, however, befit His perfection and majesty and do not resemble the attributes of His creation.
No.
The Qur’an describes Allah as All-Hearing and All-Seeing, while some created beings are also described as hearing and seeing. This does not mean that Allah’s hearing is like human hearing or His sight like human sight.
Sharing a name or general meaning does not necessitate similarity in reality or modality.
Therefore, saying, “Allah has an eye that befits Him,” does not mean that we imagine it in the form of a human eye.
Anthropomorphism would be saying something such as, “Allah’s eye is like a human eye.” Affirming the attribute while saying, “There is nothing whatsoever like Him,” is not anthropomorphism according to the fatwa.
Allah said to Noah, peace be upon him:
“Build the Ark under Our eyes and by Our revelation.”
[Hud: 37]
The meaning is that Noah was building the Ark under Allah’s sight, care, and protection, according to what Allah revealed to him.
This does not mean that the Ark existed “inside Allah’s eyes.” That is not what the Qur’anic expression means.
At the same time, interpreting the verse as referring to care and watchfulness does not require denying the attribute of the eye. Rather, the attribute indicated by the text is affirmed, while the context and its implications of protection and care are understood.
This is an important principle regarding divine attributes.
The meaning of an attribute can be understood without knowing how it is.
We understand the meanings of hearing, sight, knowledge, and mercy, but we do not know the modality of Allah’s attributes.
Likewise, according to the fatwa, we understand that the eye is a real attribute, and we understand from the verses the meanings of seeing, watching, and protection, but we do not know the modality of Allah’s eye.
Therefore, saying, “We do not know the modality,” does not mean that we understand nothing of the meaning of the text.
According to the fatwa, the eye is an essential attribute authentically affirmed for Allah, and Allah has two eyes that befit His majesty, with which He sees, without likening them to the eyes of created beings and without delving into their modality.
Interpreting “under Our eyes” as “under Our sight” or “within the sight of Our eyes” does not necessarily mean reinterpreting or denying the attribute. Whoever affirms the eye and then mentions seeing and caring has explained the text according to what the attribute indicates and what the context entails.
The methodology presented by the fatwa is therefore to affirm the attribute and its meaning, deny any resemblance to the attributes of created beings, and refrain from asking about its modality.
And Allah knows best.