The correct meaning of the Shin — Ibn Bāz

Question

A student asks: What is the correct explanation of His saying, Exalted is He: ﴿يَوْمَ يُكْشَفُ عَنْ سَاقٍ وَيُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى السُّجُودِ فَلا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ﴾ “On the Day the Shin is uncovered and they are called to prostrate, but they will not be able to” [al-Qalam: 42]?

Answer

The Messenger ﷺ explained that it refers to the Day when the Lord comes, on the Day of Resurrection, and uncovers His Shin to His believing servants. That is the sign between Him and them, Glory be to Him and Exalted is He: when He uncovers His Shin, they recognise Him and follow Him. It is true that of a war one says “it has uncovered a shin” when it grows fierce, and this is a meaning known in the language, stated by the leading authorities on the language. But in the noble āyah it must be explained by what has come in the noble ḥadīth, namely the Lord’s uncovering His Shin, Glory be to Him and Exalted is He. This is one of the attributes that befit the majesty and greatness of Allah; no one resembles Him in it, Majestic and High. The same holds for all the other attributes, such as the Face, the two Hands, the Foot, the Eye and the other attributes established by the texts. Among them too are anger, love, dislike and everything else with which He has described Himself, Glory be to Him, in the Mighty Book and in what the Prophet ﷺ has reported of Him. All of them are true attributes, and all of them befit Allah, Majestic and High; no one resembles Him in them, Glory be to Him and by His praise. As He, Exalted is He, said: ﴿لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ﴾ “There is nothing like Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing” [al-Shūrā: 11]. And He, Exalted is He, said: ﴿قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ﴾ “Say: He is Allah, the One. Allah, the Self-Sufficient. He neither begets nor was He begotten. And there is none comparable to Him” [al-Ikhlāṣ: 1–4]. This is the position of ahl al-sunnah wa-l-jamāʿah [the people of the Sunnah and the united community]: the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ and those who followed them in excellence among the imams of knowledge and guidance. Allah is the Granter of success¹.

السؤال

س: طالب يسأل ويقول: ما هو الحق في تفسير قوله تعالى: ﴿يَوْمَ يُكْشَفُ عَنْ سَاقٍ وَيُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى السُّجُودِ فَلا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ﴾ [القلم:42]؟

الجواب

ج: الرسول ﷺ فسرها بأن المراد يوم يجيء الرب يوم القيامة ويكشف لعباده المؤمنين عن ساقه، وهي العلامة التي بينه وبينهم سبحانه وتعالى، فإذا كشف عن ساقه عرفوه وتبعوه، وإن كانت الحرب يقال لها: كشفت عن ساق، إذا اشتدت. وهذا معنى معروف لغويا قاله أئمة اللغة، ولكن في الآية الكريمة يجب أن يفسر بما جاء في الحديث الشريف، وهو كشف الرب عن ساقه سبحانه وتعالى، وهذه من الصفات التي تليق بجلال الله وعظمته، لا يشابهه فيها أحد جل وعلا، وهكذا سائر الصفات كالوجه واليدين والقدم والعين وغير ذلك من الصفات الثابتة بالنصوص، ومن ذلك الغضب والمحبة والكراهة وسائر ما وصف به نفسه سبحانه في الكتاب العزيز، وفيما أخبر به عنه النبي ﷺ، كلها صفات حق، وكلها تليق بالله جل وعلا، لا يشابهه فيها أحد سبحانه وبحمده، كما قال تعالى: ﴿لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ﴾ [الشورى:11] وقال تعالى: ﴿قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ * اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ * لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ * وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ﴾ [الإخلاص:1-4] وهذا هو قول أهل السنة والجماعة من أصحاب النبي ﷺ ومن تبعهم بإحسان من أئمة العلم والهدى. والله الموفق[1].

الحواشي

(1) (مجموع فتاوى ومقالات الشيخ ابن باز: 4/ 129)