Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
It is authentically reported in Sahih al-Bukhari from Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Allah created the creation, and when He finished creating it, the womb stood up and took hold of the haqw of the Most Merciful. He said to it: ‘What is the matter?’ It said: ‘This is the position of one seeking refuge in You from severing the ties of kinship.’ He said: ‘Would you not be pleased that I maintain ties with whoever maintains you, and sever ties with whoever severs you?’ It said: ‘Yes, O Lord.’ He said: ‘Then that is for you.’”
Narrated by al-Bukhari (4830).
In Arabic, “haqw” refers to the place where a person fastens his waist garment, and it is also used for the waist or side of the body.
Scholars have differed regarding the interpretation of this hadith and whether the attribution of “haqw” to Allah constitutes an attribution of an attribute to the One described, or whether it refers to another meaning, such as a figurative expression emphasizing the importance of kinship and the greatness of its rights.
This difference concerns the indication of the hadith and the understanding of its intended meaning, not the authenticity of the hadith, which is established in Sahih al-Bukhari.
It is important in such matters to recognize that the indication of scriptural texts may be apparent to some scholars and not apparent to others. Scholars may differ in understanding the intended meaning of a text while agreeing on its authenticity.
Some scholars held that the hadith “So I took hold of the haqw of the Most Merciful” is among the hadiths concerning divine attributes, and that attributing the haqw to the Most Merciful establishes this attribute for Allah in a manner befitting Him.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله transmitted this view and mentioned that this hadith is among the hadiths concerning the attributes that some of the leading scholars instructed should be accepted as they came, affirming what they indicate without asking how and without likening Allah to His creation.
Among those from whom this approach has been transmitted are al-Qadi Abu Ya'la and Abu 'Abdullah Ibn Hamid. It has also been transmitted from Imam Ahmad that the hadiths concerning the divine attributes should be accepted as they came.
According to this view, “Al-Haqw” is affirmed as an attribute of Allah as mentioned in the hadith, while believing that “there is nothing whatsoever like Him”, and that His attributes do not resemble the attributes of created beings.
Other scholars held that the hadith is not intended to establish an attribute called “Al-Haqw” for Allah. Rather, it uses an Arabic expression intended to emphasize the importance of kinship and the great right it possesses.
This meaning is supported by other hadiths that explain the status of maintaining family ties. Among them is the statement of the Prophet ﷺ:
“The womb is a bond from the Most Merciful. Allah said: Whoever maintains you, I will maintain ties with him; and whoever severs you, I will sever ties with him.”
Narrated by al-Bukhari (5988).
It is also reported in the hadith of 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf رضي الله عنه that Allah تعالى said:
“I am Allah, and I am the Most Merciful. I created the womb and derived its name from My Name. Whoever maintains it, I maintain ties with him; and whoever severs it, I sever him.”
These texts emphasize the tremendous importance of maintaining family ties and that Allah has made maintaining them a cause for His maintaining ties with the servant and showing him mercy, while severing them is a cause of deprivation.
Some scholars therefore considered the mention of “haqw” in the hadith to belong to this figurative usage: an expression indicating the intensity of the womb’s attachment and its seeking protection from Allah against severing kinship ties.
The obligation is to believe in what has been authentically transmitted from the Prophet ﷺ, while referring the knowledge of what is unclear to Allah تعالى and avoiding likening Allah to His creation.
A profound principle has been transmitted from Imam al-Shafi'i رحمه الله in this matter: one believes in Allah and in what has come from Him and what has come from His Messenger ﷺ, according to the meaning intended by Allah and His Messenger.
If a scholar concludes that the hadith establishes an attribute, he affirms it in a manner befitting Allah, without asking how and without likening it to created things.
If another scholar concludes that the hadith does not establish an independent attribute, but rather uses an Arabic expression to convey the greatness of the rights of kinship, then he may hold this interpretation while still believing in and accepting the hadith.
This is one of the matters in which scholarly consideration and interpretation have differed, and it should not become a reason for declaring others innovators or harshly condemning those who hold a different interpretation.
The hadith “So I took hold of the haqw of the Most Merciful” is authentic and established in Sahih al-Bukhari.
Scholars have differed regarding its meaning:
According to both approaches, what has been authentically transmitted from the Prophet ﷺ must be affirmed, while declaring Allah free from resemblance to His creation and refraining from discussing the manner of His attributes.
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]
And Allah knows best.