Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
Saying about Allah تعالى, “A body unlike other bodies,” is incorrect with regard to using this expression, because describing Allah تعالى as a body has not been established in the Book of Allah or in the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ.
The basic principle followed by Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama‘ah is that Allah تعالى is described only with what He has described Himself with in His Book, or with what His Messenger ﷺ described Him with in his Sunnah. A Muslim should therefore not go beyond what is established in the Qur’an and Sunnah.
For this reason, the early scholars did not use the term “body” to describe Allah تعالى, neither affirming nor negating it.
The word “body” is an ambiguous term. It can refer to meanings that are correct and meanings that are false. Therefore, it should not be used regarding Allah تعالى without explaining what is intended.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله explained the ambiguity of this term, stating that the word “body” may refer to something whose separate parts were gathered together, something capable of being divided or separated, something composed of matter and form, or something composed of individual parts—and Allah تعالى is far above all of that.
He رحمه الله also explained that the word may be intended to convey another meaning, such as something that can be pointed to, seen, or possesses attributes.
Some of these meanings are indeed established regarding Allah تعالى. Allah سبحانه وتعالى will be seen in the Hereafter, He possesses the attributes with which He has described Himself, and people point toward Him when supplicating.
Therefore, if someone uses the word “body” intending merely to affirm that Allah تعالى exists, that He will be seen, and that He possesses His attributes, it is not correct to declare these meanings false merely because of the term he used. Rather, he should be told:
If the meaning you intend is true, affirm it using the scriptural expressions established in the Qur’an and Sunnah, and do not use an innovative and ambiguous term that can carry both truth and falsehood.
As for using the word “body” itself to describe Allah تعالى, it is not among the expressions found in the Qur’an and Sunnah, nor was it known from the early generations that they used it regarding Allah تعالى.
Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله said that the term “body” is an innovation whether used in affirmation or negation; neither the Qur’an, Sunnah, nor the statements of the early generations and their leading scholars contain an unrestricted use of the word “body” concerning Allah’s attributes. The same applies to terms such as “substance,” “occupying space,” and similar expressions introduced in theological disputes.
Such a person should be advised and shown that the safest and preferable approach regarding Allah’s Names and Attributes is to restrict oneself to the expressions established by the revealed texts and to avoid using newly introduced and ambiguous terms.
He should be told: If you intend to affirm what Allah تعالى has affirmed for Himself, such as hearing, seeing, speech, rising over the Throne, seeing Him, and other attributes, these are meanings affirmed by Ahl al-Sunnah on the basis of the revealed evidence. However, there is no need to express them using the term “body,” which is not found in the Qur’an or Sunnah.
He should also be encouraged to follow the methodology of the early generations regarding Allah’s Names and Attributes: affirming what Allah affirmed for Himself and what His Messenger ﷺ affirmed for Him, without distortion, denial, asking how, or likening Him to His creation.
Al-Saffarini رحمه الله quoted Imam Ahmad رحمه الله as saying:
“Allah تعالى is not described except with what He described Himself with and what His Messenger ﷺ described Him with. We do not go beyond the Qur’an and Hadith.”
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله explained the position of the early generations:
“The methodology of the early generations is that they describe Allah تعالى with what He described Himself with and what His Messenger ﷺ described Him with, without distortion or denial, and without asking how or likening Him to His creation.”
This is therefore the methodology that should be adhered to in this matter: affirm what Allah تعالى affirmed for Himself, deny what He denied about Himself, remain within the revealed texts, and avoid newly introduced and ambiguous expressions that are not found in the Qur’an and Sunnah.
The statement “Allah is a body unlike other bodies” is not a scriptural expression found in the Qur’an or Sunnah, and it should not be used unrestrictedly to describe Allah تعالى.
The term “body” is an ambiguous expression that may carry correct or false meanings. Therefore, it was not the methodology of the early generations to use it regarding Allah تعالى, either affirming or negating it.
The duty toward someone who says this is to advise him and explain that he should express his belief using the established scriptural terminology and adhere to what is found in the Qur’an and Sunnah regarding Allah’s Names and Attributes, without distortion or denial, and without asking how or likening Allah to His creation.
And Allah knows best.