Ithbāt al-Ḥadd by al-Dashtī — Edited by ‘Ādil Āl Ḥamdān

from the narration of Sharīk, and this is not the place for discussing that](1).

[Al-Khaṭṭābī] said: And from this chapter is that a group of them claimed that God has Al-Ḥadd, and the highest thing they used as evidence for that was a story from Ibn al-Mubārak.

ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥasan ibn Shaqīq said: I said to Ibn al-Mubārak: Do we know our Lord by Al-Ḥadd, or do we affirm Him by Al-Ḥadd? He said: Yes, by Al-Ḥadd.

So they made it a root principle in this chapter, and they added Al-Ḥadd to His attributes, exalted is God above that.

And the way of these people—may God pardon us and them—is that they should know that the attributes of God Almighty are not taken except from a Book or from the statement of the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him, excluding the statement of any of the people, whoever he may be, whether his rank is high or low, whether his time was early or late. Because they cannot be perceived by way of analogy and Ijtihad, such that a speaker would have a say in them, or an observer would have room for speculation. Furthermore, this story has been narrated to us that it was said to him:

Do you know our Lord by majesty (jadd)? He said: Yes, we know our Lord by majesty (jadd), (with a jīm) not with a ḥāʾ(2)."

(1) What is between [ ] is from the statement of Ibn Taymiyya, may Allah have mercy on him, in [Bayān Talbīs al-Jahmiyya (3/727)].
(2) All the sources of the books of the Sunna have agreed on transmitting this report with the wording: (Al-Ḥadd), with a ḥāʾ instead of a jīm. And this narration that al-Khaṭṭābī claimed is among what shows you that deviation drives its possessor to forgery! His argument is invalid, and his speech contains an attribution of ignorance and misguidance to the Predecessors (Salaf), and [a claim] that he is more correct in creed and understanding than them. This proceeds upon the principle of the Ashʿarites: (The Successors (Khalaf) are more knowledgeable and wiser)! So take note.