Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
According to the ruling presented here, the attribute of the foot is affirmed for Allah, the Exalted, as it has been established in the authentic Sunnah. The attributes reported in revelation are affirmed in a manner befitting His majesty, without comparing them to the attributes of created beings and without attempting to imagine their modality. The fact that the Creator and the created share the name of an attribute does not mean that its reality or modality is identical.
It is authentically reported in both Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim from Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Hellfire will continue to say, ‘Are there any more?’ until the Lord of Might places His foot in it, whereupon it will say, ‘Enough, enough, by Your might,’ and some of it will draw together toward some of it.”
Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
Another hadith in both authentic collections states:
“As for the Fire, it will not become full until He places His foot in it, whereupon it will say, ‘Enough, enough...’”
According to the ruling, these texts establish the attribute of the foot or leg for Allah, the Exalted, in a manner befitting Him.
The ruling also cites what is reported from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both:
“The Kursi is the place of the two feet, while the Throne—no one can estimate its magnitude.”
It also mentions other reports on this subject and notes that a number of scholars authenticated the report attributed to Ibn Abbas.
No.
The fundamental principle in this matter is Allah’s saying:
“There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.”
[Qur’an 42:11]
The Qur’an affirms hearing and sight for Allah, even though created beings are also described as hearing and seeing. This does not mean that Allah’s hearing is like human hearing or that His sight is like human sight.
Likewise, merely sharing the word “foot” does not necessitate similarity in reality or modality.
The attribute is appropriate to the one to whom it is attributed.
The ruling mentions an important point: sharing the name of an attribute does not entail identical reality even among created beings.
A human foot is not like an elephant’s foot, nor like a bird’s foot, yet the word “foot” is used for all of them.
Indeed, the same word may be used for things that are extremely different while their realities remain different.
If difference is possible among created beings despite sharing the same name, then the difference between the attribute of the Creator and the attributes of His creation is even more appropriate and greater.
Therefore, it is incorrect to move from saying, “Allah has a foot,” to imagining a foot resembling that of a human or animal.
No.
Moving from the name of the attribute to imagining a specific function or form is an attempt to determine its modality without evidence.
If it is said that Allah has a foot, we affirm the attribute as it appears in the text, without then saying, “Therefore, its function must be such-and-such,” because we have not been informed of its modality.
The error is to take what one knows about the foot of a created being and make it the standard by which Allah’s attribute is understood.
Thus, the ruling explains that saying, “The leg supports what is above it,” and then imposing this meaning on Allah’s attribute means first imagining its modality and then constructing the objection upon that imagined conception.
It means that the reality and modality of an attribute correspond to the being described by it.
Human hearing is appropriate to humans, while Allah’s hearing is appropriate to Allah.
Knowledge in a created being is limited and acquired, whereas Allah’s knowledge is perfect and was not preceded by ignorance.
Likewise, regarding the established attribute of the foot, it is an attribute befitting Allah, Glorified and Exalted, and it is impermissible to measure it against the feet of created beings.
For this reason, the ruling cites al-Dhahabi as stating that the hand, the foot, and other attributes are according to the being to whom they are attributed, and that merely sharing a word does not make the attributes identical.
No.
Allah says:
“There is nothing like unto Him.”
[Qur’an 42:11]
The ruling also quotes al-Tahawi:
“Imaginations cannot encompass Him, and understandings cannot perceive Him, and He does not resemble mankind.”
It also quotes Ibn Qudamah:
“Intellects cannot represent Him through thought, nor can hearts imagine Him through depiction.”
What is required is to understand the meaning of the text and believe in it, not to form a mental image of how the attribute is.
The basic principle is that the Muslim should return to the revealed texts and the statements of trustworthy scholars, and should not build his creed upon mental assumptions or isolated argumentative clips.
Thinking about objections can be beneficial for a student of knowledge when it is grounded in sound principles and he knows how to distinguish affirming the meaning from imagining the modality. However, this should not become a constant preoccupation with details for which there is no revealed text.
According to the ruling presented here, the attribute of the foot is established for Allah through the authentic Sunnah, and the Muslim affirms it without resemblance or determining its modality.
Sharing the word “foot” between the Creator and the created does not mean sharing the same reality or modality, just as sharing the terms hearing, sight, and knowledge does not imply likeness.
As for claiming that the foot must necessarily have a particular form or perform a specific function known among created beings, this involves delving into a modality about which we have not been informed.
The correct methodology is: affirm what has been revealed, deny any resemblance to created beings, and refrain from investigating the modality.
And Allah knows best.