At a glance
- Era
- The Prophetic Era
- Region
- Global / Diaspora
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
Development of law, theology and institutions
Summary
On the verse about God's hand (48:10), Sha'rawi sets out the approach of the salaf and that of the khalaf, and gives his own view 1.
The salaf approach
He says the salaf take the word as God said it and place its mode and image within "there is nothing like Him" 1.
The khalaf approach
He reports that some interpret the attribute as an established one, saying the hand here means power, as God's power is affirmed by the same verse 1.
His view
He holds that the attribute is taken from God, who knows His own self, and is referred to the denial of likeness, as God has knowledge and sight not like ours 1.
Not yet checked
Sha'rawi's account of the salaf and khalaf is not drawn from their own books, and has not been checked against them. The academic view and any non-Sunni view have not been checked, so nothing is attributed to them beyond this book.
Opinions on the question
First opinion · Sunni tradition (the museum's frame)Main reference
Take the attribute as God stated it, deny any likeness, and do not specify its mode
Held by: Muhammad Mutawalli al-Sha'rawi
People and things also explored
Biting and the liability for injury it causes (add)· Justice and uprightness (adl)· Contagion (adwa)· Pardon (afw) in purity, worship, contracts and penalties· Covenant (ahd) and the duty to keep it; oath by the covenant of God· Term, deadline (ajal)· Hired worker (ajir)· Stranger, outsider (ajnabi)
Sources
- Sha'rawi's Khawatir around the Holy Quran, volume one (scan copy) , p.1104
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Attributes such as 'hand': the salaf and khalaf approaches”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/divine-attributes-salaf-and-khalaf/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-23.