The Second Section:
The Usage of "Al-Hadd" Among the People of the Sunnah: Between Affirmation and Negation
The People of the Sunnah are in consensus regarding the affirmation of al-hadd (the limit/boundary) for Allah the Exalted. Although the usage of the negation of al-hadd has been reported from some of them, they only intended by this negation a correct meaning that conforms to what they had reached a consensus upon, rather than what the Jahmiyyah intend by negating al-hadd, by which they mean the negation of Allah’s transcendence (ʿuluww) over His creation.
First: The meaning of "al-hadd" that the People of the Sunnah affirmed.
The People of the Sunnah and the Community (Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jamaʿah) have reached a consensus on the application of the term al-hadd to Allah the Exalted in the sense of: affirming His transcendence (ʿuluww), His separateness (baynunah) from His creation, and His rising (istiwaʾ) over His Throne.
ʿUthman al-Darimi (may Allah the Exalted have mercy upon him) stated in al-Naqd (p. 62): "The word has been unanimous among the Muslims and the disbelievers that Allah is in the heavens, and they have defined Him by a limit (hadduhu) in that regard—except for the straying al-Marisi and his companions. Even the children who have not yet reached the age of puberty (al-hinth) have known Him as such."
Second: The negation of "al-hadd" for Allah the Exalted by some of the People of the Sunnah.
The negation of al-hadd for Allah the Exalted has been established from some of the People of the Sunnah, and it is interpreted according to two meanings:
المبحث الثاني:
إطلاق «الحدِّ» عند أهل السُّنَّة بين النَّفي والإثبات
أجمع أهلُ السُّنَّة على إثباتِ الحدِّ لله تعالى، وورد عن بعضهم إطلاق نفي الحدِّ؛ وإنما أرادوا بهذا النفي معنًى صحيحًا يوافق ما أجمعوا عليه، لا ما يُريده الجهمية من نفي الحدِّ الذي يعنون به نفي العلوِّ لله تعالى على خلقه.
أولاً: معنى «الحد» الذي أثبته أهل السُّنة.
أجمع أهلُ السُّنَّة والجماعة على إطلاق لفظ (الحدِّ) لله تعالى بمعنى:
إثبات علوِّه سبحانه وتعالى، وبينونته عن خلقه، واستوائه على عرشه.
- قال عثمان الدارمي رَحِمَهُ اللهُ تعالى في «النقض» (ص٦٢): اتفقت الكلمة من المسلمين والكافرين أن الله في السَّماء، وحدُّوه بذلك؛ إلَّا المريسيَّ الضَّال وأصحابه، حتى الصِّبيان الذين لم يبلغوا الحنث قد عرفوه بذلك. اهـ
ثانيًا: نفي بعض أهل السُّنَّة «الحدَّ» عن الله تعالى.
ثبت عن بعض أهل السُّنة نفيُ الحدِّ لله تعالى، وهو يُحمل على معنيين:
