Ibn 'Abdul-Barr was not an Ash'ari

1. Affirmation of Allah's Attributes in its literal meaning

قال أبو عمر أهل السنة مجموعون عَلَى الْإِقْرَارِ بِالصِّفَاتِ الْوَارِدَةِ كُلِّهَا فِي الْقُرْآنِ وَالسُّنَّةِ وَالْإِيمَانِ بِهَا وَحَمْلِهَا عَلَى الْحَقِيقَةِ لَا عَلَى الْمَجَازِ إِلَّا أَنَّهُمْ لَا يُكَيِّفُونَ شَيْئًا مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَلَا يَحُدُّونَ فِيهِ صِفَةً مَحْصُورَةً وَأَمَّا أَهْلُ الْبِدَعِ وَالْجَهْمِيَّةُ وَالْمُعْتَزِلَةُ كُلُّهَا وَالْخَوَارِجُ فَكُلُّهُمْ يُنْكِرُهَا وَلَا يَحْمِلُ شَيْئًا مِنْهَا عَلَى الْحَقِيقَةِ وَيَزْعُمُونَ أَنَّ مَنْ أَقَرَّ بِهَا مُشَبِّهٌ وَهُمْ عِنْدَ مَنْ أَثْبَتَهَا نَافُونَ لِلْمَعْبُودِ وَالْحَقُّ فِيمَا قَالَهُ الْقَائِلُونَ بِمَا نَطَقَ بِهِ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ وَسُنَّةُ رَسُولِهِ وَهُمْ أَئِمَّةُ الْجَمَاعَةِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ
[التمهيد - ابن عبد البر - ج ٧ - الصفحة ١٤٥]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "The people of the Sunnah are in agreement on affirming all the attributes mentioned in the Quran and the Sunnah, believing in them and interpreting them in their literal sense (Haqiqa), not metaphorically (Majaz), except that they do not describe how any of them are, nor do they limit any of the attributes to a specific form. As for the people of innovation, the Jahmiyyah, the Mu'tazilah, and all the Khawarij, they all reject them and do not interpret any of them literally. They claim that whoever affirms them is an anthropomorphist. However, according to those who affirm these attributes, those who deny them are negating the existence of the deity. The truth lies with those who speak according to what the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger have spoken, and they are the leaders of the congregation, and praise be to Allah." [Al-Tamheed - Volume 7 - Page 145]

In this is excellent proof that Ibn 'Abdul-Barr is not an Ash'ari, nor someone who does Kalam or Tafwidh. So one cannot attribute to him that he was a mufawwidh (tafwidh practioner) from among the Asha'irah, nor that he was a muawwil (tawil practioner) from the Asha'irah.

This is because he takes the Attributes of Allah upon the 'Haqiqa' (literal meaning). This term is one that the Asha'irah can never misinterpret, as they already attempt to do with the term 'Dhahir' (apparent).

من العبارات وجل الله عز وجل عن أن يخاطب إلا بما تفهمه العرب في معهود مخاطباتها مما يصح معناه عند السامعين والاستواء معلوم في اللغة ومفهوم وهو العلو والارتفاع على الشيء والاستقرار والتمكن فيه قال أبو عبيدة في قوله تعالى * (استوى) * قال علا قال وتقول العرب استويت فوق الدابة واستويت فوق البيت وقال غيره استوى أي انتهى شبابه واستقر فلم يكن في شبابه مزيد قال أبو عمر الاستواء الاستقرار في العلو وبهذا خاطبنا الله عز وجل وقال * (لتستووا على ظهوره ثم تذكروا نعمة ربكم إذا استويتم عليه) * وقال * (واستوت على الجودي) * وقال * (فإذا استويت أنت ومن معك على الفلك) * وقال الشاعر * فأوردتهم ماء بفيفاء قفرة * وقد حلق النجم اليماني فاستوى *
[التمهيد - ابن عبد البر - ج ٧ - الصفحة ١٣١]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "And Allah is glorified from addressing the Arabs except by what they understand in their normal (i.e day to day speech, what they are accustomed to) speech, and by which the meaning is correct (or correctly understood) by the listeners. And the Istiwa is known in the language and understood, and it is the Highness above something and the establishment (istiqrar) and stabilizing in it." [Al-Tamheed - Volume 7 - Page 131]

From this we can see that Ibn 'Abdul-Barr affirms Istiwa according to the apparent meaning of the Arabic language.

In it there is evidence that he does not believe in tafwidh, because he believes that Allah's Attributes are to be understood like it would be understood by the Arabic listeners.

He then says that the meaning of Istiwa of Allah is literal, and this goes against the belief of tafwidh and tawil.

ومحال أن يكون من قال عن الله ما هو في كتابه منصوص مشبها إذا لم يكيف شيئا وأقر أنه ليس كمثله شيء
[الاستذكار - ابن عبد البر - ج ٢ - الصفحة ٥٢٨]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "And it is impossible that one who speaks about Allah with what is explicitly mentioned in His Book could be considered an anthropomorphist, as long as he does not attribute a modality to anything and acknowledges that ‘there is nothing like unto Him.’" [Al-Istidhkaar - Volume 2 - Page 528]

So one can never be said to be an antropomorphist if he literally affirms what Allah has described Himself with, as long as he does not make resemblance with the creation.

2. Affirming without saying how

وقول رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ينزل ربنا إلى السماء الدنيا عندهم مثل قول الله عز وجل * (فلما تجلى ربه للجبل) * ومثل قوله * (وجاء ربك والملك صفا صفا) * كلهم يقول ينزل ويتجلى ويجيء بلا كيف لا يقولون كيف يجيء وكيف يتجلى وكيف ينزل ولا من أين جاء ولا من أين تجلى ولا من أين ينزل لأنه ليس كشيء من خلقه وتعالى عن الأشياء ولا شريك له وفي قول الله عز وجل * (فلما تجلى ربه للجبل) * دلالة واضحة أنه لم يكن قبل ذلك متجليا للجبل وفي ذلك ما يفسر معنى حديث التنزيل ومن أراد أن يقف على أقاويل العلماء في قوله عز وجل * (فلما تجلى ربه للجبل) * فلينظر في تفسير بقي بن مخلد ومحمد بن جرير وليقف على ما ذكرا من ذاك ففيما ذكرا منه كفاية وبالله العصمة والتوفيق
[التمهيد - ابن عبد البر - ج ٧ - الصفحة ١٥٣]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "The statement of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), “Our Lord descends to the lowest heaven,” according to them, is like the statement of Allah, the Exalted, “And when his Lord manifested Himself to the mountain” [Al-A'raf 143], and His words, “And your Lord comes, and the angels, rank upon rank” [Al-Fajr 22]. They all say that He descends, manifests, and comes without asking “how.” They do not ask how He comes, how He manifests, or how He descends, nor from where He came, from where He manifested, or from where He descends, because He is unlike anything from His creation. He is exalted above all things and has no partner. The statement of Allah, “And when his Lord manifested Himself to the mountain,” clearly indicates that He had not previously manifested to the mountain. This sheds light on the meaning of the hadith about descent. Whoever wants to understand the sayings of scholars on Allah’s words, “And when his Lord manifested Himself to the mountain,” should consult the tafsir (exegesis) of Baqi' ibn Makhlad and Muhammad ibn Jarir (Al-Tabari) and examine what they have mentioned on this matter, for it is sufficient. In Allah alone is protection and success." [Al-Tamheed - Volume 7 - Page 153]

Here Ibn 'Abdul-Barr mentions Nuzul, manifesting, and the coming of Allah on Day of Judgement. All are to be affirmed without saying how. It is an innovation to ask how Allah descends or from where Allah descends. Allah is not like His creation, so He does those things without us knowing how.

So Ibn 'Abdul-Barr denies knowledge of the modality, while affirming that the action is real. Just like we do not know the modality of our soul while it is definitely there.

وأدركنا بحواسنا أن لنا أرواحا في أبداننا ولا نعلم كيفية ذلك وليس جهلنا بكيفية الأرواح يوجب أن ليس لنا أرواح وكذلك ليس جهلنا بكيفية على عرشه يوجب أنه ليس على عرشه
[التمهيد - ابن عبد البر - ج ٧ - الصفحة ١٣٧]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "We perceive with our senses that we have souls within our bodies, yet we do not know the nature of these souls. Our ignorance regarding the nature of the souls does not imply that we do not possess souls. Similarly, our lack of knowledge about the nature of His being above the Throne does not imply that He is not above His Throne." [Al-Tamheed - Volume 7 - Page 137]

Here Ibn 'Abdul-Barr says that whenever we do not know the modality of something, it does not mean that the reality of it perishes. We know the reality of us having a soul, but we do not know the modality of it.

So not knowing the modality of Allah being above the Throne, does not take away from the fact that He is indeed above His Throne.

This shows that Ibn 'Abdul-Barr does not deny a modality being there, rather he says that not knowing the modality does not nessecitate there not being something.

The Asha'irah deny modality, they say because it is not there, then the reality is not there.

وقال يحيى بن إبراهيم بن مزين إنما كره ملك أن يتحدث بتلك الأحاديث لأن فيها حدا وصفة وتشبيها والنجاة في هذا الانتهاء إلى ما قال الله عز وجل ووصف به نفسه بوجه ويدين وبسط واستواء وكلام فقال * (فأينما تولوا فثم وجه الله) * وقال * (بل يداه مبسوطتان) * وقال * (والأرض جميعا قبضته يوم القيامة) *
[التمهيد - ابن عبد البر - ج ٧ - الصفحة ١٥١]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr mentioned: "Yahya ibn Ibrahim ibn Mazin said: The safety lies in adhering to what Allah, the Exalted, has said and what He described Himself with, such as His Face, His two Hands, His Bountifulness, His Istiwa, and His Speech. He said, ‘Wherever you turn, there is the Face of Allah.’ And He said, ‘But His two Hands are outstretched.’ And He said, ‘And the earth will be in His Grip on the Day of Resurrection.’" [Al-Tamheed - Volume 7 - Page 151]

3. Ibn 'Abdul-Barr believes Allah is above

ومن الحجة أيضا في أنه عز وجل على العرش فوق السماوات السبع أن الموحدين أجمعين من العرب والعجم إذا كربهم أمر أو نزلت بهم شدة رفعوا وجوههم إلى السماء يستغيثون ربهم تبارك وتعالى وهذا أشهر وأعرف عند الخاصة والعامة من أن يحتاج فيه إلى أكثر من حكايته لأنه اضطرار لم يؤنبهم عليه أحد ولا أنكره عليهم مسلم
[التمهيد - ابن عبد البر - ج ٧ - الصفحة ١٣٤]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "And among the evidence that He, the Exalted, is above the Throne, above the seven heavens, is that all monotheists—both Arabs and non-Arabs—when distressed or struck by hardship, raise their faces toward the sky, seeking help from their Lord, Blessed and Exalted. This is so well-known and recognized, among both the learned and the common people, that it needs no more than to be narrated, for it is an instinctive action that no one has ever rebuked them for, nor has any Muslim denied it." [Al-Tamheed - Volume 7 - Page 134]

With this Ibn 'Abdul-Barr mentions that Allah is literally above and that it is known by the Fitrah. And that Muslims do not deny that Allah is above.

Then what does that indicate about the state of the Jahmiyyah, Mu'tazilah, and Asha'irah who deny Allah being above?

وقد قال صلى الله عليه وسلم للأمة التي أراد مولاها عتقها إن كانت مؤمنة فاختبرها رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بأن قال لها أين الله فأشارت إلى السماء ثم قال لها من أنا قالت رسول الله قال أعتقها فإنها مؤمنة فاكتفى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم منها برفعها رأسها إلى السماء واستغنى بذلك عما سواه
[التمهيد - ابن عبد البر - ج ٧ - الصفحة ١٣٤]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "And the Prophet ﷺ said to the slave girl whose master wanted to free her if she was a believer, so the Messenger of Allah ﷺ tested her by asking, ‘Where is Allah?’ She pointed toward the sky. Then he asked her, ‘Who am I?’ She replied, ‘The Messenger of Allah.’ He then said, ‘Free her, for she is a believer.’ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ accepted her act of raising her head toward the sky as sufficient proof, without requiring anything further from her." [Al-Tamheed - Volume 7 - Page 134]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr uses the narration of the slave girl pointing above to say that Allah is above.

Would an Ash'ari ever use this narration as evidence for Allah being above? Many from the Asha'irah even tried to weaken the narration, and now Ibn 'Abdul-Barr uses it as evidence that Allah is above.

This makes it clear that Ibn 'Abdul-Barr is not an Ash'ari, and that he believes that Allah is above in the literal sense.

ولولا أن موسى (عليه السلام) قال لهم إلهي في السماء ما قال فرعون " يهمن بن لي صرحا لعلى أبلغ الأسبب أسبب السماوات فأطلع إلى إله موسى " [غافر 36 37]
[الاستذكار - ابن عبد البر - ج ٢ - الصفحة ٥٢٨]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "And if it were not for the fact that Musa ('alayhi salam) had told them that his Lord is in the heavens, Pharaoh would not have said, 'O Haman, build me a tower that I may reach the means of access to the heavens, that I may look upon the God of Moses’" [Quran, 40:36-37]." [Al-Istidhkaar - Volume 2 - Page 528]

وهذا أمية بن أبي الصلت وهو ممن قرأ الكتب التوراة والإنجيل والزبور وكان من وجوه العرب يقول في شعره (فسبحان من لا يقدر الخلق قدره * ومن هو فوق العرش فرد موحد) (ملك على عرش السماء مهيمن * لعزته تعنو الوجوه وتسجد) وفيه يقول في وصف الملائكة (وساجدهم لا يرفع الدهر رأسه * يعظم ربا فوقه ويمجده)
[الاستذكار - ابن عبد البر - ج ٢ - الصفحة ٥٢٨]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "And here is Umayyah ibn Abi al-Salt (pre-Islamic Arabic poet who was a monotheist), one of those who read the scriptures—the Torah, the Gospel, and the Psalms—and was among the prominent Arabs, saying in his poetry: 'Glory be to Him whom creation cannot estimate with due measure, And He is above the Throne, singular, unique in His oneness, A Sovereign over the Throne of the heavens, vigilant, To His might faces bow down and prostrate.' And in describing the angels, he says: 'And the one in prostration never raises his head throughout eternity, Glorifying a Lord above him and extolling Him.'" [Al-Istidhkaar - Volume 2 - Page 528]

وسئل ربيعة بن أبي عبد الرحمن عن قول الله عز وجل * (الرحمن على العرش استوى) * [طه 5] قال استواؤهم حق معلوم وكيفيته مجهولة
[الاستذكار - ابن عبد البر - ج ٢ - الصفحة ٥٢٨]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "Rabi'ah ibn Abi Abd al-Rahman (Tabi'i and teacher of Imam Malik) was asked about the statement of Allah Almighty, 'The Most Merciful rose above the Throne' [Ta-Ha 5]. He said, 'His rising is real and known, but its modality is unknown.'" [Al-Istidhkaar - Volume 2 - Page 528]

حديث ثامن لابن شهاب عن أبي سلمة يشارك فيه أبا سلمة أبو عبد الله الأغر واسمه سلمان ثقة رضي مالك عن ابن شهاب عن أبي سلمة بن عبد الرحمن وأبي عبد الله الأغر جميعا عن أبي هريرة أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال ينزل ربنا تبارك وتعالى كل ليلة إلى السماء الدنيا حين يبقى ثلث الليل فيقول من يدعوني فأستجيب له من يسألني فأعطيه من يستغفرني فأغفر (1) له هذا حديث ثابت من جهة النقل صحيح الإسناد لا يختلف أهل الحديث في صحته ورواه زيد بن يحيى بن عبيد الله الدمشقي وروح بن عبادة وإسحاق بن عيسى الطباع عن مالك عن الزهري عن الأعرج عن أبي هريرة وفيه دليل على أن الله عز وجل في السماء على العرش من فوق سبع سماوات كما قالت الجماعة وهو من حجتهم على المعتزلة والجهمية في قولهم إن الله عز وجل في كل مكان وليس على العرش والدليل على صحة ما قالوه أهل الحق في ذلك قول الله عز وجل * (الرحمن على العرش استوى) * وقوله عز وجل * (ثم استوى على العرش ما لكم من دونه من ولي ولا شفيع) * وقوله * (ثم استوى إلى السماء وهي دخان) * وقوله * (إذا لابتغوا إلى ذي العرش سبيلا) * 11 وقوله تبارك اسمه * (إليه يصعد الكلم الطيب) * وقوله تعالى * (فلما تجلى ربه للجبل) * وقال * (أأمنتم من في السماء أن يخسف بكم الأرض) * وقال جل ذكره * (سبح اسم ربك الأعلى) * وهذا من العلو
[التمهيد - ابن عبد البر - ج ٧ - الصفحة ١٢٩]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "Malik narrated from Ibn Shihab, from Abu Salamah ibn Abdul Rahman and Abu Abdullah Al-Agharr, both from Abu Hurayrah, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Our Lord, Blessed and Exalted, descends every night to the lowest heaven when one-third of the night remains and says, ‘Who will call upon Me so that I may answer him? Who will ask of Me so that I may give him? Who will seek My forgiveness so that I may forgive him?’” This hadith is firmly established from a transmission perspective, with a sound chain of narration, and the scholars of hadith do not dispute its authenticity. It was also narrated by Zaid ibn Yahya ibn Ubaid Al-Dimashqi, Rawh ibn Ubadah, and Ishaq ibn Isa Al-Tabbaa' from Malik, from Al-Zuhri, from Al-A'raj, from Abu Hurayrah. This narration serves as evidence that Allah, Exalted and Glorious, is above in the heavens, over the Throne, above the seven heavens, as the Jama'ah has stated. It is also an argument against the Mu'tazilites and Jahmites, who claim that Allah, Exalted and Glorious, is in every place and not specifically above the Throne. The proof in what the people of truth have stated is found in Allah's words, "The Most Merciful is established over the Throne" and His words, "Then He established Himself over the Throne; you have not besides Him any protector or intercessor," and "Then He directed Himself to the heaven while it was smoke." And His words, "They would seek a way to the Lord of the Throne," and "To Him ascends the good word," and, "When His Lord manifested Himself to the mountain," and, "Are you secure from He who is in the heavens that He will not cause the earth to swallow you?" and, "Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High." This implies the attribute of being above." [Al-Tamheed - Volume 7 - Page 129]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said after mentioning the narration of Nuzul that it serves as evidence that Allah is above. Because descending indicates to Allah being above.

It is clear from this as well that Ibn 'Abdul-Barr is not a Muffawid or Muawwal. He clearly believes that Allah is above in the literal sense. And this is also the reason why Ash'aris like Ibn Jawzi spoke against him, as they recognized that Ibn 'Abdul-Barr does not share the same belief as them.

Ibn Jawzi responded to this saying of Ibn 'Abdul-Barr, saying:

258- ولقد عجبت لرجل أندلسي يقال له: ابن عبد البر، صنف كتاب التمهيد، فذكر فيه حديث النزول إلى السماء الدنيا، فقال: هذا يدل على أن الله تعالى على العرش؛ لأنه لولا ذلك، لما كان لقوله: ينزل معنى. وهذا كلام جاهل بمعرفة الله عز وجل؛ لأن هذا استسلف من حسه ما يعرفه من نزول الأجسام، فقاس صفة الحق عليه.
[صيد الخاطر ابن الجوزي الجزء: 1 صفحة : 99]

Ibn al-Jawzi (an Ash'ari) said: "I was astonished by a man from Andalusia named Ibn 'Abdul-Barr, who authored the book “Al-Tamheed.” In it, he mentioned the hadith of Allah’s descent to the lowest heaven and said: ‘This indicates that Allah is above the Throne; for otherwise, the statement ‘He descends’ would have no meaning.’ This is the speech of one ignorant of the knowledge of Allah, the Almighty, for he has drawn from his sensory perception, understanding descent in terms of physical bodies, and has thus compared the attributes of the Creator to creation." [Saydul-Khaatir - Volume 1 - Page 99]

وحدثنا محمد بن خليفة قال حدثنا محمد بن الحسين قال حدثنا عبد الله بن صالح البخاري قال حدثنا محمد بن سليمان لوين قال حدثنا إبراهيم بن سعد عن الزهري عن أبي سلمة عن أبي هريرة أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال ينزل الرب في كل ليلة إلى سماء الدنيا حين يبقى ثلث الليل الآخر فيقول من يدعوني فأستجب له من يستغفرني فأغفر له حتى يطلع الفجر فكذلك كانوا يستحبون آخر الليل قال أبو عمر هذا عندي من كلام بن شهاب أو أبي سلمة والله أعلم وفي هذا الحديث دليل على أن الله عز وجل في السماء على العرش من فوق سبع سماوات وعلمه في كل مكان كما قالت الجماعة أهل السنة أهل الفقه والأثر وحجتهم ظواهر القرآن في قوله * (الرحمن على العرش استوى) * [طه 5] كما قال " لتستوا على ظهوره " [الزخرف 13] وقوله * (واستوت على الجودي) * [هود
[الاستذكار - ابن عبد البر - ج ٢ - الصفحة ٥٢٧]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "Muhammad ibn Khalifah narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn al-Husayn, from Abdullah ibn Salih al-Bukhari, from Muhammad ibn Sulayman Luwin, from Ibrahim ibn Sa’d from al-Zuhri, from Abu Salamah, from Abu Hurayrah, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The Lord descends every night to the lowest heaven when the last third of the night remains and says, ‘Who will call upon Me so that I may answer him? Who will seek My forgiveness so that I may forgive him?’ until dawn breaks.” Thus, they used to prefer the end of the night for prayer. This, according to me, is from the words of Ibn Shihab or Abu Salamah, and Allah knows best. This hadith is evidence that Allah, the Almighty, is above His Throne, above the seven heavens, while His knowledge is in every place, as stated by Ahl al-Sunnah and Ahl al-Fiqh wal Athar. Their proof lies in the apparent meanings of the Quran, such as in Allah’s words: “The Most Merciful is established over the Throne” [Ta-Ha 5], just as He says, “So that you may settle firmly on their backs” [Az-Zukhruf 13] and His saying, “The Ark rested on Mount Judi” [Hud verse 44]." [Al-Istidhkaar - Volume 2 - Page 527]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr believes that the hadith about Nuzul indicates Allah being above.

He connects the two concepts by asserting that descending implies Allah being above. This reflects Ibn 'Abdul-Barr’s view, where he understands Allah’s Attributes to be in a literal sense.

Nuzul is taken literally, just as Istiwa is taken literally. Ibn 'Abdul-Barr affirms meaning, while Asha'irah do not.

4. Ibn 'Abdul-Barr regarded the Ash'aris to be innovators

If it is claimed that Ibn 'Abdul-Barr was an Ash'ari, how can it be explained that he actually viewed the Ash'arites as innovators? Evidence for this lies in his narration from Isḥāq ibn Khawāz Mandād al-Miṣrī, a Maliki scholar, who considered the Ash'arites to be innovators.

How can Ibn 'Abdul-Barr ever consider narrating this if he was an Ash'ari?! He even never went against the narration, nor did he say that the Asha'irah are from Ahl Sunnah. This indicates that he was not an Ash'ari.

حدثنا إسماعيل بن عبد الرحمن ثنا إبراهيم بن بكر ، قال : سمعت أبا عبد الله محمد بن أحمد بن إسحاق بن خواز منداد المصري المالكي في كتاب الشهادات في تأويل قول مالك : لا تجوز شهادة أهل البدع وأهل الأهواء قال : أهل الأهواء عند مالك وسائر أصحابنا هم أهل الكلام فكل متكلم فهو من أهل الأهواء والبدع أشعريا كان أو غير أشعري ولا تقبل له شهادة في الإسلام ويهجر ويؤدب على بدعته ، فإن تمادى عليها استتيب منها "
[جامع بيان العلم و فضله 2/943]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr narrated: Abu Abdullah Mohammed bin Ahmad bin Ishaq bin Khawaz Mandad al-Misri al-Maliki said in the book on testimonies explaining Malik's statement: 'The testimony of the people of innovations and desires is not valid.' He said: 'The people of desires, according to Malik and all our companions, are the people of kalam. Every mutakallim is a person of desires and innovations, whether he is an Ash'ari or not. His testimony is not accepted in Islam, and he must be shunned and disciplined for his innovation. If he persists in it, he must be called to repentance.'" [Jami' Bayan al-'Ilm wa Fadlih - Volume 2 - Page 943]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr considered narrating this while people claim that he was an Ash'ari? How is that even possible?

Besides the fact that he never spoke against Khuwayz Mindad al-Misri calling Asha'irah innovators, he also regards Ahl al-Kalam as innovators, just like Khawaz Mindad al-Misri said. So no one of sound intellect would say Ibn 'Abdul-Barr is an Ash'ari knowing that he narrated about Asha'irah being innovators.

قال أبو عمر : " أجمع أهل الفقه والآثار من جميع الأمصار أن أهل الكلام أهل بدع وزيغ ولا يعدون عند الجميع في طبقات الفقهاء ، وإنما العلماء أهل الأثر والتفقه فيه ويتفاضلون فيه بالإتقان والميز والفهم " .
[جامع بيان العلم و فضله 2/942]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "Ahl al-Fiqh wal Athar from all regions have agreed that Ahl al-Kalam are Ahl Bid'ah wal Zaygh (deviation) and are not counted among the ranks of jurists. Rather, the scholars are those of Ahl al-Athar and understanding it, and they excel in it through precision, distinction, and comprehension.'" [Jami' Bayan al-'Ilm wa Fadlih - Volume 2 - Page 942]

After narrating that statement from Ibn Khawaz Mandad al-Misri, Ibn 'Abdul-Barr added that anything mentioned in the Quran or Sunnah regarding Allah's Attributes is accepted without dispute, effectively closing the door on theological speculation (kalam).

قال أبو عمر : " ليس في الاعتقاد في صفات الله وأسمائه إلا ما جاء منصوصا في كتاب الله أو صح عن رسول صلى الله عليه وسلم أو أجمعت عليه الأمة وما جاء من أخبار الآحاد في ذلك كله أو نحوه يسلم له ولا يناظر فيه " .
[جامع بيان العلم و فضله 2/943]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "There is nothing in the belief regarding the attributes of Allah and His Names except what is explicitly stated in the Book of Allah, what has been authentically reported from the Messenger (ﷺ), or what has been agreed upon by the Ummah. Whatever comes from solitary reports (Ahaad) concerning all of this or similar matters is to be accepted without engaging in debate over it." [Jami' Bayan al-'Ilm wa Fadlih - Volume 2 - Page 943]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr mentions that even the solitary reports (Ahaad) are accepted and believed in. The Asha'irah do not take Ahaad narrations, they reject them.

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr then cites a narration from Makhoul and al-Zuhri regarding how narrations about Allah's Attributes should be approached: they must be accepted as they are, without engaging in debate or speculative discussion.

1801 - أخبرنا عبد الوارث ، نا قاسم ، ثنا أحمد بن زهير ، ثنا عبد الوهاب بن نجدة ، ثنا بقية ، عن الأوزاعي قال : كان مكحول والزهري يقولان : " ارووا هذه الأحاديث كما جاءت ولا تناظروا فيها " .
[جامع بيان العلم و فضله 2/943]

Al-Awza'ee narrated: Makhoul and al-Zuhri used to say: Narrate these hadiths as they have come, and do not debate about them. [Jami' Bayan al-'Ilm wa Fadlih - Volume 2 - Page 943]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr goes on to explain how the Salaf Saliheen approached such narrations about Allah's Attributes, emphasizing that they accepted these narrations without delving into speculation. He also states that there is no goodness in the methods of Ahl al-Kalam (theologians who engage in speculative theology).

وقد روينا عن مالك بن أنس ، والأوزاعي ، وسفيان بن سعيد الثوري ، وسفيان بن عيينة ، ومعمر بن راشد في الأحاديث في الصفات أنهم كلهم قالوا : [ ص: 944 ] أمروها كما جاءت . قال أبو عمر نحو حديث التنزل وحديث ، " إن الله عز وجل خلق آدم على صورته " ، " وأنه يدخل قدمه في جهنم " ، وأنه يضع السماوات على أصبع ، وأن قلوب بني آدم بين أصبعين من أصابع الرحمن يقلبها كيف يشاء ، وإن ربكم ليس بأعور ، وما كان مثل هذه الأحاديث وقد شرحنا القول في هذا الباب من جهة النظر والأثر وبسطناه في كتاب التمهيد عند ذكر حديث التنزل ، فمن أراد الوقوف عليه تأمله هناك على أني أقول : لا خير في شيء من مذاهب أهل الكلام كلهم وبالله التوفيق " .
[جامع بيان العلم و فضله 2/944]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: We have narrated from Malik bin Anas, al-Awza'i, Sufyan bin Said al-Thawri, Sufyan bin 'Uyaynah, and Ma'mar bin Rashid regarding the hadiths about the attributes. They all said: 'Leave them as they have come.' This is similar to the hadith of the descent and the hadith 'Indeed, Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, created Adam in His image,' 'and He places His foot in Hell,' 'and He places the heavens on a finger,' and 'the hearts of the children of Adam are between two fingers of the Merciful, He turns them as He wishes,' 'And your Lord is not one-eyed.' These hadiths and others like them have been explained in this regard from the perspective of both reason and narrations, and we have elaborated on them in the book al-Tamheed when mentioning the hadith of the descent. Whoever wants to understand it can reflect upon it there, noting that I say: There is no good in the way of Ahl al-Kalam at all, and success is with Allah. [Jami' Bayan al-'Ilm wa Fadlih - Volume 2 - Page 944]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr was firmly opposed to Ahl al-Kalam (theologians of speculative theology). He related that Imam Malik disliked engaging in debates with Jahmiyyah and Qadariyyah unless absolutely necessary.

Furthermore, he recorded that Imam Malik prohibited discussions about Allah's Attributes, as practiced by groups like the Asha'irah, Jahmiyyah, and Mu'tazilah.

حدثنا عبد الوارث بن سفيان ، ثنا قاسم بن أصبغ ، ثنا أحمد بن زهير ، قال : سمعت مصعب بن عبد الله الزبيري يقول : كان مالك بن أنس يقول : " الكلام في الدين أكرهه وكان أهل بلدنا يكرهونه وينهون عنه نحو الكلام في رأي جهم والقدر وكل ما أشبه ذلك ، ولا أحب الكلام إلا فيما تحته عمل فأما الكلام في الدين وفي الله عز وجل فالسكوت أحب إلي ؛ لأني رأيت أهل بلدنا ينهون عن الكلام في الدين إلا ما تحته عمل " قال أبو عمر : " قد بين مالك رحمه الله أن الكلام فيما تحته عمل هو المباح عنده وعند أهل بلده يعني العلماء منهم رضي الله عنهم ، وأخبر أن الكلام في الدين نحو القول في صفات الله وأسمائه وضرب مثلا فقال : نحو رأي جهم ، والقدر والذي قاله مالك عليه جماعة الفقهاء والعلماء قديما وحديثا من أهل الحديث والفتوى ، وإنما خالف ذلك أهل البدع المعتزلة وسائر الفرق ، وأما الجماعة على ما قال مالك إلا أن يضطر أحد إلى الكلام فلا يسعه السكوت إذا طمع برد الباطل وصرف صاحبه عن مذهبه أو خشي ضلال عامة أو نحو هذا .
[جامع بيان العلم و فضله 2/939]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr narrated: It was narrated to us by Abdul-Warith bin Sufyan, who said: Qasim bin Asbagh narrated to us, Ahmad bin Zuhayr said: I heard Mus'ab bin Abdullah al-Zubairi say: Malik bin Anas used to say: 'I do not use Kalam when it is related to the creedal issues, and the people of my town dislike it and prohibit it, such as discussing the views of Jahm and predestination, and everything similar to that. I only like discussion when it is related to actions. As for discussing about creedal issues and about Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, silence is more beloved to me; for I have seen the people of my town prohibiting talk about creedal issues except what is related to actions.' Abu 'Umar (Ibn 'Abdul-Barr) commented: 'Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, has made clear that discussing what relates to actions is permissible according to him and the scholars of his town, may Allah be pleased with them. He indicated that talking about creedal issues, such as the sayings about the attributes of Allah and His Names, is like involving in the opinions of Jahm, or predestination. And what Malik said is shared by all jurists and scholars, both ancient and modern, from the people of hadith and fatwa. The only ones who opposed this are the people of innovations, the Mu'tazilah, and other sects. So as for the Jama'ah, they are upon what Malik said, unless there is a case when someone is compelled to speak, then it is not permissible for him to remain silent if he hopes to refute falsehood and turn his companion away from his doctrine or fears the misguidance of the general populace or something like that. [Jami' Bayan al-'Ilm wa Fadlih - Volume 2 - Page 939]

It is clear that this narration shows that the Kalam of Jahm and the Asha'irah is forbidden and warned against by all scholars of Ahl Sunnah, as it involves Kalam about the Attributes of Allah.

They permitted engaging in Kalam to address Kalam when necessary, similar to what Imam al-Darimi, Imam Ahmad, and others did when they refuted the Jahmiyyah.

Others were more reserved in their use of kalam, like Imam al-Shafi'i, who avoided engaging in it whenever possible. He refrained from writing extensive refutations against figures like al-Marisi, as he disliked engaging in such debates. However, he did speak with al-Marisi personally to encourage him to change his views.

أخبرنا عبد الملك بن محمد بن عبد الله الواعظ أخبرنا دعلج بن أحمد حدثنا ابن خزيمة قال: سمعت يونس بن عبد الأعلى يقول أخبرني الشافعي قال: كلمتني أم المريسي أن أكلم المريسي أن يكف عن الكلام، فلما كلمته دعاني إليه فقال: إن هذا دين، قال فقلت إن أمك كلمتني أن أكلمك.
[تاريخ بغداد - الخطيب البغدادي - ج ٧ - الصفحة ٦٤]

Imam Shafi'i said: "The mother of al-Marisi asked me to speak to al-Marisi from stopping him from engaging in kalam. When I spoke to him, he invited me to engage in it, saying: This is the religion. I replied: Your mother asked me to speak to you." [Tarikh al-Baghdad - Volume 7 - Page 64]

إسماعيل بن إبراهيم، أخبرنا محمد بن الحسين، أخبرنــا ابن أبي حاتم، حدثنا أبي، حدثنا يونس بن عبد الأعلى، سمعـت الشافعي يقول: (قالت لي أم المريسي: كلّم بشراً أن يكف عن الكلام، فكلمته فدعاني إلى الكلام)
[ذم الكلام وأهله - الهروي - المجلد ٦ - الصفحة ٩٨]

Imam Shafi'i said: "The mother of al-Marisi asked me to speak to al-Marisi from stopping him from engaging in kalam. When I spoke to him, he invited me to engage in it." [Dhamm al-Kalam wa Ahlihi - Al-Harawi - Volume 6 - Page 98]

He stopped the engagement when Al-Marisi wanted to debate using Kalam. Imam Shafi'i not needing to do this refrained and told him he only did it because Al-Marisi's mother requested this.

Imam al-Darimi then years later wrote a large book against al-Marisi named "Naqd 'Uthman ad-Darimi 'ala al-Marisi al-Jahmi", where he delved deep into the matter while also using Kalam to counter Al-Marisi. The book Imam al-Darimi wrote was very much needed, and is still beneficial to many.

Imam al-Shafi'i refrained from doing exactly that, writing a book countering Kalam with Kalam, and he was also asked to write a book refuting al-Irja, which he did not want to do as it would involve Kalam to refute.

١١٤٥ - أخبرناه الجارودي، أخبرنا أبو إسحاق القراب، حدثنا أبو يحيى، حدثني محمد بن هارون، حدثني الحسين بن علي، عن أبي ثور قال: (قلت للشافعي: ضع في الإرجاء كتاباً، فقال: دع هذا، فكأنـه ذم الكلام وأهله.
[ذم الكلام وأهله - الهروي - المجلد ٦ - الصفحة ٩٣]

Abu Thawr said: I said to al-Shafi'i: 'Write a book on Irja, and he replied: 'Leave this,' as if he was criticizing kalam and its people." [Dhamm al-Kalam wa Ahlihi - Al-Harawi - Volume 6 - Page 93]

١١٦٠ - أخبرني طيب بن أحمد أخبرنا محمد بن الحسين، أخبرنـا علـي ابن عمر الرازي، أخبرنا ابن أبي حاتم سمعت الربيع قال: قال لي الشافعي: لو أردت أن أضع على كل مخالف كتاباً كبيراً لفعلت، ولكن ليـس الكلام من شأني، ولا أحب أن ينسب إلي منه شيء.
[ذم الكلام وأهله - الهروي - الجزء ٦ - الصفحة ١٠٢]

Imam Shafi'i said: "If I wanted to write a large book against every opponent, I would do so, but Kalam is not my concern, and I do not like anything of it to be attributed to me." [Dhamm al-Kalam wa Ahlihi - Al-Harawi - Volume 6 - Page 102]

The Imam did not want to delve into matters of debating when it required some Kalam. He even refrained from doing so while it is permissible to do when there is a dire need for it. However, he disliked it, and refrained from it whenever he could.

4. Eman is belief in the heart, speech, and actions

وَأَمَّا سَائِرُ الْفُقَهَاءِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الرَّأْيِ وَالْآثَارِ بِالْحِجَازِ وَالْعِرَاقِ وَالشَّامِ وَمِصْرَ مِنْهُمْ مَالِكُ بْنُ أَنَسٍ وَاللَّيْثُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ وَسُفْيَانُ الثَّوْرِيُّ وَالْأَوْزَاعِيُّ وَالشَّافِعِيُّ وَأَحْمَدُ بْنُ حَنْبَلٍ وَإِسْحَاقُ بْنُ رَاهَوَيْهِ وَأَبُو عُبَيْدِ الْقَاسِمُ بْنُ سَلَّامٍ وَدَاوُدُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ وَأَبُو جَعْفَرٍ الطَّبَرِيُّ وَمَنْ سَلَكَ سَبِيلَهُمْ فَقَالُوا الْإِيمَانُ قَوْلٌ وَعَمَلٌ قَوْلٌ بِاللِّسَانِ وَهُوَ الْإِقْرَارُ اعْتِقَادٌ بِالْقَلْبِ وَعَمَلٌ بِالْجَوَارِحِ مَعَ الْإِخْلَاصِ بِالنِّيَّةِ الصَّادِقَةِ قَالُوا وَكُلُّ مَا يُطَاعُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِهِ مِنْ فَرِيضَةٍ وَنَافِلَةٍ فَهُوَ مِنَ الْإِيمَانِ وَالْإِيمَانُ يَزِيدُ بِالطَّاعَاتِ وَيَنْقُصُ بِالْمَعَاصِي
[التمهيد - ابن عبد البر - ج ٩ - الصفحة ٢٤٣]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "As for the scholars from Ahl-Raiyy and Ahl al-Athaar in Hijaz, Iraq, Sham, and Egypt, among them are Malik ibn Anas, Al-Layth ibn Sa’d, Sufyan Al-Thawri, Al-Awzai, Al-Shafi’i, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Ishaq ibn Rahawayh, Abu Ubaid Al-Qasim ibn Salam, Dawud ibn 'Ali, Abu Ja’far Al-Tabari, and those who follow their path, they said: Faith is both speech and action; it is a statement by the tongue, which is the acknowledgment, a belief in the heart, and an action by the limbs, with correct intention. They said: And everything that Allah, the Almighty, is obeyed through, whether obligatory or supererogatory, is part of faith, and faith increases with acts of obedience and decreases with sins." [Al-Tamheed - Volume 9 - Page 243]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr states that both Ahl al-Athaar and even figures from Ahl al-Ra’y such as Dawud ibn 'Ali, hold the view that Iman consists of faith in the heart, affirmation with the tongue, and actions of the limbs.

However, he did not consider Dawud ibn 'Ali to be from Ahl al-'Ilm, which is why he classified him among Ahl al-Raiyy.

فما أرى هذا الظاهري إلا قد خرج عن جماعة العلماء من السلف والخلف - وخالف جميع فرق الفقهاء وشذ عنهم ولا يكون إماما في العلم من أخذ بالشاذ من العلم
[الاستذكار - ابن عبد البر - ج ١ - الصفحة ٨٢]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "I do not see this Dhahiri (Dawud ibn 'Ali) except as someone who has deviated from the group of scholars, both from the predecessors and the successors. He has opposed all groups of jurists, isolated himself from them, and one who follows the anomalous in knowledge cannot be an imam in knowledge." [Al-Istidhkaar - Volume 1 - Page 82]

قال أبو عمر القول في الإيمان عند أهل السنة وهم أهل الأثر من المتفقهة والنقلة وعند من خالفهم من أهل القبلة في العبارة عنه اختلاف وسنذكر منه في هذا الباب ما فيه مقنع وهداية لأولي الألباب أجمع أهل الفقه والحديث على أن الإيمان قول وعمل ولا عمل إلا بنية والإيمان عندهم يزيد بالطاعة وينقص بالمعصية والطاعات كلها عندهم إيمان إلا ما ذكر عن أبي حنيفة وأصحابه فإنهم ذهبوا إلى أن الطاعات لا تسمى إيمانا قالوا إنما الإيمان التصديق والإقرار
[التمهيد - ابن عبد البر - ج ٩ - الصفحة ٢٣٨]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "The belief regarding faith among Ahl al-Sunnah, and among those who oppose them from the people of the Qiblah, differs in expression. We will mention in this chapter what is convincing and a guidance for those of sound intellect. All scholars of jurisprudence and hadith agree that faith is a statement and action, and there is no action without intention. Faith, according to them, increases with obedience and decreases with disobedience. All acts of obedience are considered to be part of faith, except for what has been mentioned about Abu Hanifah and his companions, who argued that acts of obedience are not part of faith. They said that faith is merely affirmation (tongue) and acknowledgment (heart)." [Al-Tamheed - Volume 9 - Page 238]

It is clear from this that Ibn 'Abdul-Barr believes that Eman is faith in the heart, speech, and actions. As he said that this is the belief of Ahl al-Sunnah. Asha'irah do not believe that Eman is speech and action.

5. Quran is Kalamullah, uncreated

وَأَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَسَدٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا حَمْزَةُ بْنُ محمد ابن عَلِيٍّ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ شُعَيْبٍ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مَعْمَرٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا حِبَّانُ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا وُهَيْبٌ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ عَجْلَانَ عن يعقوب ابن عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الْأَشَجِّ عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيَّبِ عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ عَنْ خَوْلَةَ بِنْتِ حَكِيمٍ قَالَتْ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَوْ أَنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ إِذَا نَزَلَ مَنْزِلًا قَالَ أَعُوذُ بِكَلِمَاتِ اللَّهِ التَّامَّاتِ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ لَمْ يَضُرَّهُ فِي ذَلِكَ الْمَنْزِلِ شَيْءٌ حَتَّى يَرْتَحِلَ مِنْهُ
وَفِي الِاسْتِعَاذَةِ بِكَلِمَاتِ اللَّهِ أَبْيَنُ دَلِيلٍ عَلَى أَنَّ كَلَامَ اللَّهِ مِنْهُ تَبَارَكَ اسْمُهُ وَصِفَةً مِنْ صِفَاتِهِ لَيْسَ بِمَخْلُوقٍ لِأَنَّهُ مُحَالٌ أَنْ يُسْتَعَاذَ بِمَخْلُوقٍ وَعَلَى هَذَا جَمَاعَةُ أَهْلِ السُّنَّةِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ
[التمهيد - ابن عبد البر - ج ٢٤ - الصفحة ١٨٦]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "And Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn Asad informed us, he said: Hamzah ibn Muhammad ibn Ali informed us, he said: Ahmad ibn Shu'ayb informed us, he said: Muhammad ibn Ma'mar informed us, he said: Hibban informed us, he said: Wahb informed us, he said: Ibn 'Ajlan narrated to us from Ya'qub ibn Abdullah ibn al-Ashajj from Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib from Sa'd ibn Malik from Khawlah bint Hakim, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 'If one of you enters a place and says: "I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from the evil of what He has created," nothing will harm them in that place until they depart from it.' And in seeking refuge with the words of Allah, there is a clear proof that the speech of Allah is from Him, blessed be His name, and is an attribute of His, not created, because it is impossible to seek refuge in something that is created. And this is the belief of the group of Ahl al-Sunnah, and praise be to Allah." [Al-Tamheed - Volume 24 - Page 186]

وقال يحيى بن إبراهيم بن مزين إنما كره ملك أن يتحدث بتلك الأحاديث لأن فيها حدا وصفة وتشبيها والنجاة في هذا الانتهاء إلى ما قال الله عز وجل ووصف به نفسه بوجه ويدين وبسط واستواء وكلام فقال * (فأينما تولوا فثم وجه الله) * وقال * (بل يداه مبسوطتان) * وقال * (والأرض جميعا قبضته يوم القيامة) *
[التمهيد - ابن عبد البر - ج ٧ - الصفحة ١٥١]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr mentioned: "Yahya ibn Ibrahim ibn Mazin said: The safety lies in adhering to what Allah, the Exalted, has said and what He described Himself with, such as His Face, His two Hands, His Bountifulness, His Istiwa, and His Speech. He said, ‘Wherever you turn, there is the Face of Allah.’ And He said, ‘But His two Hands are outstretched.’ And He said, ‘And the earth will be in His Grip on the Day of Resurrection.’" [Al-Tamheed - Volume 7 - Page 151]

حدثنا أحمد بن فتح قال حدثنا عبد الله بن أحمد بن حامد البغدادي الباهلي المعروف بابن ثرثال قال حدثنا الحسن بن الطيب ابن حمزة الشجاعي البلخي قال حدثنا إسحاق بن إبراهيم بن راهويه الحنظلي قال ذكر سفيان بن عيينة عن عمرو بن دينار قال أدركت الناس منذ سبعين سنة وكان قد أدرك أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فمن دونهم يقولون الله عز وجل الخالق وما سواه مخلوق إلا القرآن فإنه كلام الله منه خرج وإليه يعود
[التمهيد - ابن عبد البر - ج ٢٤ - الصفحة ١٨٦]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "Ahmad ibn Fath informed us, he said: Abdullah ibn Ahmad ibn Hamad al-Baghdadi al-Bahili, known as Ibn Tharthal, informed us, he said: Al-Hasan ibn al-Tayyib ibn Hamzah al-Shuja'i al-Balkhi informed us, he said: Ishaq ibn Ibrahim ibn Rahwayh al-Handhali informed us, he said: Sufyan ibn Uyaynah mentioned from 'Amr ibn Dinar, who said: 'I encountered the people seventy years ago, and they had encountered the companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and those after them. They would say: Allah, the Mighty and Exalted, is the Creator, and everything other than Him and the Quran is created, for it is the Speech of Allah, it comes from Him and returns to Him.'" [Al-Tamheed - Volume 24 - Page 186]

From this we see that Ibn 'Abdul-Barr believes the Quran to be the Speech of Allah, uncreated. As he refers to the early Salaf Saliheen, it becomes clear that Ibn 'Abdul-Barr does not believe what Abu Hasan al-Ash'ari believed regarding the Quran.

Everything in the Mushaf is the Quran, and the Quran is recited on the tongue, listened to, and memorized in the hearts. All of it is the Quran, and it is uncreated.

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr spoke against Ibn Kullaab and al-Karabisi, which is something he would not have done if he were an Ash'ari.

أَبُو عَلِيٍّ الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ الْكَرَابِيسِيُّ
وَكَانَ عَالِمًا مُصَنِّفًا مُتْقِنًا وَكَانَتْ فَتْوَى السُّلْطَانِ تَدُورُ عَلَيْهِ وَكَانَ نَظَّارًا جَدَلِيًّا وَكَانَ فِيهِ كِبْرٌ عَظِيمٌ وَكَانَ يَذْهَبُ إِلَى مَذْهَبِ أَهْلِ الْعِرَاقِ فَلَمَّا قَدِمَ الشَّافِعِيُّ وَجَالَسَهُ وَسَمِعَ كُتُبَهُ انْتَقَلَ إِلَى مَذْهَبِهِ وَعَظُمَتْ حُرْمَتُهُ وَلَهُ أَوْضَاعٌ وَمُصَنَّفَاتٌ كَثِيرَةٌ نَحْوٌ مِنْ مِائَتَيْ جُزْءٍ وَكَانَتْ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ حَنْبَلٍ صَدَاقَةٌ وَكِيدَةٌ فَلَمَّا خَالَفَهُ فِي الْقُرْآنِ عَادَتْ تِلْكَ الصَّدَاقَةُ عَدَاوَةً فَكَانَ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا يَطْعَنُ عَلَى صَاحِبِهِ وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ حَنْبَلٍ كَانَ يَقُولُ مَنْ قَالَ الْقُرْآنُ مَخْلُوقٌ فَهُوَ جَهْمِيٌّ وَمَنْ قَالَ الْقُرْآنُ كَلامُ اللَّهِ وَلا يَقُولُ غَيْرُ مَخْلُوقٍ وَلا مَخْلُوقٌ فَهُوَ وَاقِفِيٌّ وَمَنْ قَالَ لَفْظِي بِالْقُرْآنِ مَخْلُوق فَهُوَ مُبْتَدع وَكَانَ الكرابيسى وعبد الله بْنُ كِلابٍ وَأَبُو ثَوْرٍ وَدَاوُدُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ وطبقاتهم يَقُولُونَ ان الْقُرْآن الذى تكلم بِهِ الله صِفَةٌ مِنْ صِفَاتِهِ لَا يَجُوزُ عَلَيْهِ الْخَلْقُ وَإِنَّ تِلاوَةَ التَّالِي وَكَلامِهِ بِالْقُرْآنِ كَسْبٌ لَهُ وَفِعْلٌ لَهُ وَذَلِكَ مَخْلُوقٌ وَإِنَّهُ حِكَايَةٌ عَنْ كَلامِ اللَّهِ وَلَيْسَ هُوَ الْقُرْآنُ الَّذِي تَكَلَّمَ اللَّهُ بِهِ وَشَبَّهُوهُ بِالْحَمْدِ وَالشُّكْرِ للَّهِ وَهُوَ غَيْرُ اللَّهِ فَكَمَا يُؤْجَرُ فِي الْحَمْدِ وَالشُّكْرِ وَالتَّهْلِيلِ وَالتَّكْبِيرِ فَكَذَلِكَ يُؤْجَرُ فِي التِّلاوَةِ وَحَكَى دَاوُدُ فِي كِتَابِ الْكَافِي أَنَّ هَذَا كَانَ مَذْهَبَ الشَّافِعِيِّ وَأَنْكَرَ ذَلِكَ أَصْحَابُ الشَّافِعِيِّ وَقَالُوا هَذَا قَوْلٌ فَاسِدٌ مَا قَالَهُ الشَّافِعِيُّ قَطُّ وَهَجَرَتِ الْحَنْبَلِيَّةُ أَصْحَابُ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ حَنْبَلٍ حُسَيْنًا الْكَرَابِيسِيَّ وَبَدَّعُوهُ وَطَعَنُوا عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى كُلِّ مَنْ قَالَ بِقَوْلِهِ فِي ذَلِكَ تُوُفِّيَ حُسَيْنٌ الْكَرَابِيسِيُّ فِي سَنَةِ سِتٍّ وَخَمْسِينَ وَمِائَتَيْنِ
[الإنتقاء في فضائل الثلاثة الأئمة الفقهاء - ابن عبد البر - الصفحة ١٠٦]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "He (Al-Karabisi) began as a scholar, an author, and a meticulous compiler. The fatwa of the Sultan would revolve around him. He was a debater and was known for his great pride. He followed the doctrine of the people of Iraq, but when Al-Shafi'i came and sat with him, he listened to his books and shifted to his school of thought. His respect and status grew, and he had numerous works and compositions, amounting to nearly two hundred volumes. He had a friendship and a close relationship with Ahmad ibn Hanbal, but when he disagreed with him over the Quran, that friendship turned into enmity. Each of them would criticize the other. Ahmad ibn Hanbal would say, 'Whoever says the Quran is created is a Jahmi, and whoever says the Quran is the speech of Allah, but does not say it is uncreated or created, is a waqifi. And whoever says my recitation of the Quran is created is an innovator.' Karabisi, 'Abdullah ibn Kullaab, Abu Thawr (who retracted), Dawud ibn 'Ali (who retracted), and their followers would say that the Quran, which Allah spoke, is an attribute of His and cannot be created. The recitation of the reciter and his speech with the Quran is an acquisition and an act of his, and that is created. And they said it (content of the Mushaf) is a Hikayah (narrative) of Allah's Speech, and it is not the Quran that Allah spoke with. Dawud (ibn 'Ali) narrated in his book, 'Al-Kafi,' that this was the view of Al-Shafi'i, but the Shafi'i scholars rejected it and said this is an erroneous statement, never said by Al-Shafi'i. The Hanbali scholars also abandoned Husayn al-Karabisi, declared him an innovator, and criticized him and anyone who held his view on this issue. Husayn al-Karabisi passed away in the year 256 AH." [Al-Intiqa fi Fadaail al-Thalathati al-Aimmaatul Fuqaha - Page 106]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr does not agree with al-Karabisi or Ibn Kullaab, so how can he ever be considered an Ash'ari? Nothing indicates to Ibn 'Abdul-Barr being an Ash'ari.

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr also mentioned that Al-Karabisi was made tabdi' of because of his views regarding the Quran being a Hikayah of Allah's Speech.

6. The Believers will See Allah

ألم تسمع إلى قوله عز وجل * (كلا إنهم عن ربهم يومئذ لمحجوبون) * وإنما يحتجب الله عن أعدائه المكذبين ويتجلى لأوليائه المؤمنين وهذا معنى قول مالك في تفسير هذه الآية وأما قوله في تأويل قول الله عز وجل * (وجوه يومئذ ناضرة إلى ربها ناظرة) * فإن أشهب روى عن مالك أنه سمعه وسئل عن قول الله تعالى * (وجوه يومئذ ناضرة إلى ربها ناظرة) * قال ينظرون إلى الله عز وجل قال موسى * (رب أرني أنظر إليك) * وعلى هذا التأويل في هذه الآية جماعة أهل السنة وأئمة الحديث والرأي
[التمهيد - ابن عبد البر - ج ٧ - الصفحة ١٥٤]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "Have you not heard Allah's saying, the Exalted, 'Indeed, they will be veiled from their Lord that Day'? Allah only veils Himself from His enemies, the disbelievers, and He reveals Himself to His believing allies. This is the meaning of Malik's interpretation of this verse. As for his explanation of the saying of Allah, the Exalted, 'Some faces that Day will be radiant, looking at their Lord': Ashhab narrated from Malik that he heard him being asked about Allah's statement 'Some faces that Day will be radiant, looking at their Lord' and he said they will be looking at Allah, the Exalted. And Musa said, 'O my Lord, show Yourself to me so that I may look at You.' This interpretation of this verse is held by a group of the people of Sunnah and the Imams of hadith and opinion." [Al-Tamheed - Volume 7 - Page 154]

ذكر أسد بن موسى قال حدثنا جرير عن ليث عن عبد الرحمن بن سابط في قوله تعالى * (وجوه يومئذ ناضرة) * قال من النعمة * (إلى ربها ناظرة) * قال تنظر إلى الله قال وحدثنا حماد بن زيد عن عطاء بن السائب عن أبيه قال صلى بنا عمار بن ياسر وكان في دعائه اللهم إني أسألك النظر إلى وجهك والشوق إلى لقائك
[التمهيد - ابن عبد البر - ج ٧ - الصفحة ١٥٤]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "Asad bin Musa reported to us that Jareer narrated from Layth from Abdur-Rahman bin Sabit regarding the saying of Allah, the Exalted, 'Some faces that Day will be radiant' said: 'From the bounty,' and 'looking at their Lord' said: 'They will look at Allah.' And Hamad bin Zayd narrated from 'Ata bin Al-Sa'ib from his father who said: 'Amar bin Yasir led us in prayer and in his supplication he said: 'O Allah, I ask You to see Your Face and to long for meeting You.'" [Al-Tamheed - Volume 7 - Page 154]

وقد جاء أن موسى قال له ربه حينئذ لن تراني عين إلا ماتت إنما يراني أهل الجنة الذين لا تموت أعينهم ولا تبلى أجسادهم
[التمهيد - ابن عبد البر - ج ٧ - الصفحة ١٥٥]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "Allah told Musa at that time, 'You will not see Me, for if you were to see Me, your eyes would perish. Only those who are in Paradise will see Me, whose eyes do not die and whose bodies do not decay.'" [Al-Tamheed - Volume 7 - Page 155]

حدثنا أحمد بن عبد الله حدثنا أبو أمية محمد بن الصباح الزعفراني قال حدثنا وكيع قال حدثنا إسماعيل بن أبي خالد عن قيس بن أبي حازم عن جرير بن عبد الله قال كنا جلوسا عند رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فنظر إلى القمر ليلة البدر فقال أما إنكم ستعرضون على ربكم فترونه كما ترون هذا لا تضامون في رؤيته وذكر الحديث
[التمهيد - ابن عبد البر - ج ٧ - الصفحة ١٥٦]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "Muhammad ibn Al-Sabbah Al-Zafarani said: Waki' narrated to us; he said: Ismail ibn Abi Khalid narrated to us from Qais ibn Abi Hazim from Jarir ibn Abdullah, who said: We were sitting with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and he looked at the moon on the night of the full moon and said: 'Indeed, you will be presented to your Lord, and you will see Him just as you see this [moon], and you will not be harmed in your vision of Him.'" [Al-Tamheed - Volume 7 - Page 156]

وذكر الحديث قال حدثنا وكيع قال حدثنا إسرائيل عن أبي إسحاق عن عامر بن سعد عن أبي بكر الصديق رضي الله عنه * (للذين أحسنوا الحسنى) * قال الجنة (وزيادة) قال هو النظر إلى وجه الله عز وجل
[التمهيد - ابن عبد البر - ج ٧ - الصفحة ١٥٦]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "Muhammad ibn Al-Sabbah Al-Zafarani said: Waki' narrated to us; he said: Israel narrated to us from Abu Ishaq from 'Amir ibn Sa'd from Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, regarding the statement of Allah: {For those who have done good is the best [reward]} (Quran 10:26) — he said: Paradise, {and more} — he said: It is the sight of the Face of Allah, the Exalted." [Al-Tamheed - Volume 7 - Page 156]

وحدثنا إبراهيم بن شاكر قال حدثنا عبد الله بن محمد بن عثمان قال حدثنا سعيد بن جبير وسعيد بن عثمان قالا حدثنا أحمد بن عبد الله بن صالح قال حدثنا يزيد بن هارون وأخبرنا عبد الوارث بن سفيان قال حدثنا قاسم بن أصبغ قال حدثنا محمد بن إسماعيل الصائغ قال حدثنا عفان وحدثنا عبد الوارث حدثنا قاسم حدثنا إبراهيم بن عبد الرحمن قال حدثنا عفان بن مسلم وعبيد الله بن عائشة قالوا حدثنا حماد بن سلمة عن ثابت عن عبد الرحمن بن أبي علي عن صهيب عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال إذا دخل أهل الجنة الجنة وأهل النار النار نادى مناد يا أهل الجنة لكم عند الله موعد يريد أن ينجزكموه فيقولون وما هو ألم يبيض وجوهنا ويثقل موازيننا ويجرنا من النار ويدخلنا الجنة فيكشف الحجاب فينظرون إليه وقال إبراهيم وقال الآخر فينظرون إلى الله تعالى قال فوالله ما أعطاهم الله شيئا أقر لأعينهم ولا أحب إليه من النظر إليه ثم تلا هذه الآية * (للذين أحسنوا الحسنى وزيادة) * واللفظ لحديث عبد الوارث والآثار في هذا المعنى كثيرة جدا
[التمهيد - ابن عبد البر - ج ٧ - الصفحة ١٥٦-١٥٧]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "Hamad ibn Salamah narrated from Thabit from Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Ali from Suhayb from the Prophet, peace be upon him, who said: When the people of Paradise enter Paradise and the people of Hell enter Hell, a caller will call out, 'O people of Paradise, you have a promise with Allah that He wants to fulfill for you.' They will say, 'What is it? Did He not make our faces white, make our scales heavy, save us from the Fire, and admit us into Paradise?' Then the veil will be lifted, and they will look at Him. (Ibrahim (one of the narrators) said, and another (narrator) said: They will look at Allah, the Exalted.) By Allah, Allah did not grant them anything that pleased their eyes or was more beloved to them than looking at Him.' Then he recited this verse: {For those who have done good is the best [reward] and more.} (Quran 10:26) This wording is from the hadith of Abd al-Warith, and there are numerous reports on this meaning." [Al-Tamheed - Volume 7 - Page 156-157]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr affirms that the believers will indeed see Allah in Paradise, rejecting any alternative interpretation of the verse *{For those who have done good is the best [reward] and more}* (Quran 10:26).

Furthermore, Ibn 'Abdul-Barr does not suggest that this sight is metaphorical, nor does he add tawil like the Asha'irah, who argue that Allah’s vision will occur without direction.

Nuzul 'bi Dhatihi'

وقال آخرون ينزل بذاته أخبرنا أحمد بن عبد الله أن أباه أخبره قال حدثنا أحمد بن خالد قال حدثنا يحيى بن عثمان بن صالح بمصر قال سمعت نعيم بن (55) حماد يقول حديث النزول يرد على الجهمية قولهم قال وقال نعيم ينزل بذاته وهو على كرسيه قال أبو عمر ليس هذا بشيء عند أهل الفهم من أهل السنة لأن هذا كيفية وهم يفزعون منها لأنها لا تصلح إلا فيما يحاط به عيانا وقد جل الله وتعالى عن ذلك وما غاب عن العيون فلا يصفه ذوو العقول إلا بخبر ولا خبر في صفات الله إلا ما وصف نفسه به في كتابه أو على لسان رسوله صلى الله عليه وسلم فلا نتعدى ذلك إلى تشبيه أو قياس أو تمثيل أو تنظير فإنه ليس كمثله شيء وهو السميع البصير
[التمهيد - ابن عبد البر - ج ٧ - الصفحة ١٤٤]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "And others said, 'He descends with His essence.' Ahmad ibn Abdullah narrated to us that his father informed him, saying: Ahmad ibn Khalid narrated to us that Yahya ibn Uthman ibn Salih in Egypt narrated to us, saying: I heard Nu'aym ibn Hammad say, 'The hadith about the descent refutes the Jahmiyyah in their claim.' Nu'aym also said, 'He descends with His essence while He is on His throne.' This is rejected according to the people of understanding among Ahl al-Sunnah because it is a modality [kayfiyya], and they flee from that because it is only suitable for something that is directly encompassed, and Allah, the Exalted, is transcendent above that, and He can only be described by what he himself mentioned in His Book or on the tongue of His Messenger." [Al-Tamheed - Volume 7 - Page 144]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr mentions a group regarding the understanding of Nuzul, who according to his view imply modality to Allah's descent. He says that it cannot be said that Allah descends whilst on His Throne, because this is not mentioned anywhere in how Allah described Himself.

It implies modality to say Allah descends whilst on His Throne. We do not know if He descends with or without His Throne, so it is better to stay silent on it according to the majority of Ahl Sunnah.

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr also believes that Allah does not descend using the movement of creation, filling up a place and leaving another empty. Allah moves, but not in the way creation does.

وقد قالت فرقة منتسبة إلى السنة إنه ينزل بذاته وهذا قول مهجور لأنه تعالى ذكره ليس بمحل للحركات ولا فيه شيء من علامات المخلوقات
[الاستذكار - ابن عبد البر - ج ٢ - الصفحة ٥٣٠]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "And a group affiliated with the Sunnah has claimed that He descends 'with His Essence'. However, this is abandoned, for Allah mentioned he is not subject to movement or anything from the actions of the creation." [Al-Istidhkaar - Volume 2 - Page 530]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr acknowledges that the meaning of Allah descending with His Essence is correct. However, he prefers not to use the phrase 'bi Dhatihi' (with His Essence). This is because such a phrase might lead people to mistakenly think that Allah occupies one place while leaving another place empty, which is a misconception that he seeks to avoid.

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr believes that saying 'Allah descends with His Essence' sounds like elluding movement of creation to Allah. So he rejects phrasing it like used by a group of the Salaf Saliheen, even when they intended with it its correct meaning.

So what is the correct meaning they intended with 'Allah descending with His Essence'? They meant that Allah Himself descends, not the Angels or His Command.

And besides that, they believed that Allah does not fill up a place and leave another place empty, like creation does. So Allah performing nuzul does not mean He leaves a place empty and fills up another. Rather, He descends, while performing it in the way that is unique to us.

Whether Allah moves or not

المعقول وثبت بالواضح من الدليل أنه كان في الأزل لا في مكان وليس بمعدوم فكيف يقاس على شيء من خلقه أو يجري بينه وبينهم تمثيل أو تشبيه تعالى الله عما يقول الظالمون علوا كبيرا الذي لا يبلغ من وصفه إلا إلى ما وصف به نفسه أو وصفه به نبيه ورسوله أو اجتمعت عليه الأمة الحنيفية عنه فإن قال قائل منهم إنا وصفنا ربنا أنه كان لا في مكان ثم خلق الأماكن فصار في مكان وفي ذلك إقرار منا بالتغيير والانتقال إذ زال عن صفته في الأزل وصار في مكان دون مكان قيل له وكذلك زعمت أنت أنه كان لا في مكان وانتقل إلى صفة هي الكون في كل مكان فقد تغير عندك معبودك وانتقل من لامكان إلى كل مكان وهذا لا ينفك منه لأنه إن زعم أنه في الأزل في كل مكان كما هو الآن فقد أوجب الأماكن والأشياء موجودة معه في أزله وهذا فاسد فإن قيل فهل يجوز عندك أن ينتقل من لامكان في الأزل إلى مكان قيل له أما الإنتقال وتغير الحال فلا سبيل إلى إطلاق ذلك عليه لأن كونه في الأزل لا يوجب مكانا وكذلك نقله لا يوجب مكانا وليس في ذلك كالخلق لأن كون ما كونه يوجب مكانا من الخلق ونقلته توجب مكانا ويصير منتقلا من مكان إلى مكان والله عز وجل ليس كذلك لأنه في الأزل غير كائن في مكان وكذلك نقلته لا توجب مكانا وهذا ما لا تقدر العقول على دفعه ولكنا نقول استوى من لامكان إلى مكان ولا نقول انتقل وإن كان المعنى في ذلك واحدا ألا ترى أنا نقول له العرش ولا نقول له سرير ومعناهما واحد ونقول هو الحكيم ولا نقول هو العاقل ونقول خليل إبراهيم ولا نقول صديق إبراهيم وإن كان المعنى في ذلك كله واحدا لا نسميه ولا نصفه ولا نطلق عليه إلا ما سمى به نفسه على ما تقدم ذكرنا له من وصفه لنفسه لا شريك له ولا ندفع ما وصف به نفسه لأنه دفع للقرآن
[التمهيد - ابن عبد البر - ج ٧ - الصفحة ١٣٦]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "Reason and clear evidence have established that He existed in eternity (al-azal) without being in a place and that He was not nonexistent. So how can He be compared to anything from His creation, or how can there be any likeness or resemblance between Him and them (creation)? Exalted is Allah far above what the wrongdoers say, greatly exalted! The description of Him can only reach what He described of Himself, or what His Prophet and Messenger described Him with, or what the Hanif (upright) community unanimously agreed upon. If someone from among them were to say, 'We have described our Lord as existing without being in a place, and then He created places and became in a place. In this, we acknowledge change and transition, as He moved from His eternal state and became in one place instead of another,' the response to him would be: You also claim that He was not in a place, and then transitioned to the state of being in every place. So, according to you, your object of worship has changed, having moved from no place to being in every place. This cannot be escaped from, because if someone claims that He was in eternity in every place as He is now, they have necessitated that places and things existed with Him in His eternity. This is invalid. If it is asked: Is it permissible, in your view, that He could move from no place in eternity to a place? The response would be: As for movement and change of state, it is not possible to attribute that to Him. His existence in eternity does not necessitate a place, nor does His movement necessitate a place. In this regard, He is not like creation, for the existence of what He creates necessitates a place, and its movement necessitates a place, so that it moves from one place to another. But Allah, Exalted and Glorified, is not like that, for in eternity, He was not in a place, and likewise, His movement does not necessitate a place. This is something that the intellect cannot refute. However, we say that He did 'استوى' (Istiwa) from no place to a place, but we do not say that He 'انتقل,' (moved) even though the meaning is the same. Do you not see that we say He has a 'throne' but do not say He has a 'chair,' even though their meanings are the same? Similarly, we say He is 'the Wise' but do not say He is 'the rational one,' and we say He is 'خليل إبراهيم,' but do not say 'صديق إبراهيم', even though the meaning in all of this is the same. So, we do not name or describe Him or attribute to Him anything except what He named Himself, as we have previously mentioned in describing Him. He has no partner, and we do not reject what He has described Himself with, for rejecting that would be a rejection of the Quran. [Al-Tamheed - Volume 7 - Page 136]

Now let's break this down into four parts, making it easier to digest and analyze according to the intent of Ibn 'Abdul-Barr.

The coming of Allah on Day of Judgement

وقد قال الله عز وجل * (وجاء ربك والملك صفا صفا) * وليس مجيئه حركة ولا زوالا ولا انتقالا لأن ذلك إنما يكون إذا كان الجائي جسما أو جوهرا فلما ثبت أنه ليس بجسم ولا جوهر لم يجب أن يكون مجيئه حركة ولا نقلة
[التمهيد - ابن عبد البر - ج ٧ - الصفحة ١٣٧]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "And Allah, the Exalted, has said, “And your Lord comes, and the angels, rank upon rank” [Al-Fajr 22]. His coming is neither a movement nor a displacement nor a transition, for such things occur only if the one coming is a body or a substance. Since it is established that He is neither a body nor a substance, His coming does not imply movement or transition." [Al-Tamheed - Volume 7 - Page 137]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr here states that Allah does not move like creation does, emptying a place and filling up another.

ولو اعتبرت ذلك بقولهم جاءت فلانا قيامته وجاءه الموت وجاءه المرض وشبه ذلك مما هو موجود نازل به ولا مجيء لبان لك وبالله العصمة والتوفيق
[التمهيد - ابن عبد البر - ج ٧ - الصفحة ١٣٧]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "And if you consider this in light of expressions like, “His Day of Judgment has come to him,” “death has come to him,” or “sickness has come to him,” and other such expressions where something has truly arrived without any movement. And protection and success are from Allah." [Al-Tamheed - Volume 7 - Page 137]

And there is nothing wrong with his saying, because Allah does not fill up a place and leave another place empty.

And Ibn 'Abdul-Barr gives examples of what it meant with the coming of Allah by using expression like "his Day of Judgment has come," "death has come to him," or "illness has come to him," we don't imply that these events arrive as objects do.

So the coming of Allah is real, And He will come, not in the form of movement we know of: emptying a place and filling up another.

And this is a refutation of the Asha'irah who say "Allah will not come, rather His command will come". Ibn 'Abdul-Barr affirms that Allah will come, and he never said that His command will come down, nor did he practise tafwidh, as he explained that Allah will literally come.

His coming does not require leaving a place empty and filling up another place. His movement is not like that of creation.

Allah's mercy and command descends?

وقد قال قوم من أهل الأثر أيضا أنه ينزل أمره وتنزل رحمته وروى ذلك عن حبيب كاتب ملك وغيره وأنكره منهم آخرون وقالوا هذا ليس بشيء لأن أمره ورحمته لا يزالان ينزلان أبدا في الليل والنهار وتعالى الملك الجبار الذي إذا أراد أمرا قال له كن فيكون في أي وقت شاء ويختص برحمته من يشاء متى شاء لا إله إلا هو الكبير المتعال وقد روى محمد بن علي الجبلي وكان من ثقات المسلمين بالقيروان قال حدثنا جامع بن سوادة بمصر قال حدثنا مطرف عن مالك بن أنس أنه سئل عن الحديث إن الله ينزل في الليل إلى سماء الدنيا فقال مالك يتنزل أمره وقد يحتمل أن يكون كما قال مالك رحمه الله على معنى أنه تتنزل رحمته وقضاؤه بالعفو والاستجابة وذلك من أمره أي أكثر ما يكون ذلك في ذلك الوقت والله أعلم ولذلك ما جاء فيه الترغيب في الدعاء وقد روى من حديث أبي ذر أنه قال يا رسول الله أي الليل أسمع قال جوف الليل الغابر يعني الآخر وهذا على معنى ما ذكرنا ويكون ذلك الوقت مندوبا فيه إلى الدعاء كما ندب إلى الدعاء عند الزوال وعند النداء وعند نزول غيث السماء وما كان مثله من الساعات المستجاب فيها الدعاء والله أعلم
[التمهيد - ابن عبد البر - ج ٧ - الصفحة ١٤٣]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "A group of the Ahl al-Athar mentioned that Allah's command and mercy descends. This came from Habib (Ibn Abi Habib), and others. But others have rejected this, saying, "This interpretation is incorrect because His command and mercy are continuously descending day and night." The Almighty King, the Compeller, whenever He wills something, He says, "Be," and it is — at any time He pleases. He specifies His mercy for whomever He wills, whenever He wills; there is no god but Him, the All-Great, the Most High. It was narrated by Muhammad ibn Ali al-Jabali, who was among the reliable Muslims in Qayrawan, narrated from Jami' ibn Sawadah in Egypt, from Mutarrif, from Malik ibn Anas that he was asked about the hadith that says, 'Allah descends in the night to the sky of the world.' Malik replied: 'His command descends.'" [Al-Tamheed - Volume 7 - Page 143]

Among Ahl al-Athar there was a group who narrated from Imam Malik that Allah's mercy and decree descends. Others rejected this, because they held the view that Allah descends Himself, and that His mercy and decree are continuously descending day and night.

It was narrated from Malik that Allah's mercy descends. This came from Habib Ibn Abi Habib, who was known to be a liar among Ahl al-Hadith. It also came from a different route, in which Jami' ibn Sawadah is a disputed figure. So it is not quite established that this is authentically narrated from Imam Malik.

وقد يحتمل أن يكون كما قال مالك رحمه الله على معنى أنه تتنزل رحمته وقضاؤه بالعفو والاستجابة وذلك من أمره أي أكثر ما يكون ذلك في ذلك الوقت والله أعلم ولذلك ما جاء فيه الترغيب في الدعاء وقد روى من حديث أبي ذر أنه قال يا رسول الله أي الليل أسمع قال جوف الليل الغابر يعني الآخر وهذا على معنى ما ذكرنا ويكون ذلك الوقت مندوبا فيه إلى الدعاء كما ندب إلى الدعاء عند الزوال وعند النداء وعند نزول غيث السماء وما كان مثله من الساعات المستجاب فيها الدعاء والله أعلم
[التمهيد - ابن عبد البر - ج ٧ - الصفحة ١٤٣]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "And it is possible that is in the words of Malik according to the meaning (estabilished upon Ahl Sunnah). That when he said 'His mercy and His decree of pardon and acceptance will descend at that time' he meant at that time this is what happens the most, and Allah knows best. This is why there is encouragement to supplicate at that time. It was narrated in a hadith from Abu Dharr that he said: "O Messenger of Allah, which part of the night is the most likely to be heard (in supplication)?" He replied, "The last third of the night." This is consistent with what we have mentioned, and this time is encouraged for supplication, just as supplication is encouraged at midday (zawal), at the time of the call to prayer, and when rain falls from the sky — and similar times when supplication is answered. Allah knows best." [Al-Tamheed - Volume 7 - Page 143-144]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr goes on to to say that if the narration on the authority of Imam Malik is correct and authentic, then its meaning does not contradict the meaning that Ahl Sunnah believe to be true. And that what Imam Malik intended is that the best time for supplication is at the final part of the night.

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr tries to mend the meaning with the estabilished meaning of Ahl Sunnah wal Jama'ah, that Allah indeed descends.

He practises a form Tawil bil-lazim, indicating what the effects are when Allah descends. Its effects are that there is a great chance of receiving Allah's mercy in that time period when Allah descends.

قال قوم إنه ينزل أمره وتنزل رحمته ونعمته وهذا ليس بشيء لأن أمره بما شاء من رحمته ونقمته ينزل بالليل والنهار بلا توقيت ثلث الليل ولا غيره ولو صح ما روي في ذلك عن مالك كان معناه أن الأغلب من استجابة دعاء من دعاه من عباده في رحمته وعفوه يكون ذلك الوقت
[الاستذكار - ابن عبد البر - ج ٢ - الصفحة ٥٢٩]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "Some have said that 'His command descends, and His mercy and grace descend,' but this is nothing, because His command descends at all times, day and night, without being limited to the last third of the night or any other specific time. If what was narrated about Malik is correct, its meaning would be that the greatest likelihood of acceptance of the supplication of those who call upon Him for His mercy and forgiveness is at that particular time." [Al-Istidhkaar - Volume 2 - Page 529]

Here Ibn 'Abdul-Barr clearly shows he doubts the authenticity on what was narrated from Imam Malik about this subject.

He argues that the interpretation of Allah's descent as referring to His mercy or command descending is incorrect, because Allah's mercy and command are not limited to being sent down only during the final third of the night; rather, they are sent down both day and night.

He then interprets Imam Malik's statement, when authentically narrated from him, in line with the understanding of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah. He explains that Allah's descent (Nuzul) is not metaphorical. Rather, Imam Malik intended to convey that the greatest likelihood of the acceptance of the supplication of those who call upon Allah for His mercy and forgiveness occurs at that particular time.

So Imam Malik did not deny the reality of Nuzul, rather he added to it that when Allah descends, the likelihood of acceptance of the supplication gets increased.

With this he is in accordance with Ahl Sunnah, and he never meant to make the Nuzul of Allah metaphorical like Asha'irah and Jahmiyyah do.

وأما قوله صلى الله عليه وسلم في هذا الحديث ينزل تبارك وتعالى إلى سماء الدنيا فقد أكثر الناس التنازع فيه والذي عليه جمهور أئمة أهل السنة أنهم يقولون ينزل كما قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ويصدقون بهذا الحديث ولا يكيفون والقول في كيفية النزول كالقول في كيفية الاستواء والمجيء والحجة في ذلك واحدة
[التمهيد - ابن عبد البر - ج ٧ - الصفحة ١٤٣]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "As for the statement of the Prophet ﷺ in this hadith, 'The Blessed and Exalted descends to the lowest heaven,' many people have debated its meaning. The majority of the scholars from Ahl al-Sunnah maintain that they say, "He descends as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said," and they affirm this hadith without questioning the modality. The discussion of how He descends is like the discussion of how He performs istiwa and how He comes (on the Day of Judgement), and the matter for all of these is the same (that the modality is unknown)." [Al-Tamheed - Volume 7 - Page 143]

Imam Malik's stance regarding nuzul has been reported to be an act that is haqq (true).

وَأَخْبَرَنِي وَهْبٌ عَنْ اِبْنِ وَضَّاحٍ، عَنْ زُهَيْرِ بْنِ عُبَادَةَ قَالَ: كُلُّ مَنْ أَدْرَكْتُ مِنْ اَلْمَشَايِخِ: مَالِكٍ وَسُفْيَانَ وَفُضَيْلِ بْنِ عِيَاضٍ وَعِيسَى وَابْنِ اَلْمُبَارَكِ وَوَكِيعٍ كَانُوا يَقُولُونَ: اَلنُّزُولُ حَقٌّ.
[ص113 - كتاب أصول السنة لابن أبي زمنين]

"From Wahb, from Ibn Waddah, from Zuhayr ibn Abadah, who said: 'All of the scholars I encountered—Malik, Sufyan, Fudayl ibn Iyad, Isa, Ibn al-Mubarak, and Waki—used to say: 'The descent (Nuzul) is true.'" [Kitaab Usul al-Sunnah - Page 113]

Interpretation of Allah taking sadaqa with His Right Hand

وَرَوَى مَعْمَرٌ عَنْ أَيُّوبَ عَنِ الْقَاسِمِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَقْبَلُ الصَّدَقَةَ إِذَا كَانَتْ مِنْ طَيِّبٍ وَيَأْخُذُهَا بِيَمِينِهِ وَذَكَرَ مَعْنَى حَدِيثِ مَالِكٍ عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ سَعِيدٍ فِي هَذَا الْبَابِ
وَأَمَّا قَوْلُهُ يَأْخُذُهَا بِيَمِينِهِ فَهَذَا مَجَازٌ وَحُسْنُ عِبَارَةٍ عَنْ قَبُولِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى لِلصَّدَقَةِ وَمَعْنَى أَخْذِ اللَّهِ لَهَا قَبُولُهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى لَا يُشْبِهُهُ شَيْءٌ وَلَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ
[الاستذكار - ابن عبد البر - ج ٨ - الصفحة ٥٩٦]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr mentioned: Ma’mar narrated from Ayyub, from al-Qasim ibn Muhammad, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: “Indeed, Allah accepts charity when it is given from good (sources) and takes it with His Right Hand.” He mentioned the meaning of Malik’s Hadith from Yahya ibn Sa’id in this regard. Ibn 'Abdul-Barr commented: As for the statement “He takes it with His right hand,” this is metaphorical and a beautiful expression of Allah’s acceptance of charity. The meaning of Allah 'taking it' is His acceptance of it—blessed and exalted is He. Nothing resembles Him, and there is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. [Al-Istidhkaar - Volume 8 - Page 596]

Here Ibn 'Abdul-Barr mentions a narration of Allah taking charity with His right Hand. The narration is explained to be metaphorical: that by Allah taking the charity means He accepts it.

So there is nothing wrong with Ibn 'Abdul-Barr explaining this narration about Allah taking sadaqa with His right Hand, as no one would disagree that this narration is understood to mean that He accepts the sadaqa, not literally takes it with His Hand.

However, one cannot say that Ibn 'Abdul-Barr regards Allah's Hand to be a metaphor, as this would be a false interpretation of his saying. He explained the word 'taking', and not the word 'Hand'. The word 'Hand' is accepted upon the haqiqah, without any metaphorical explanation.

Jahmiyyah regard Allah's Hand to be a metaphor, but Ahl Sunnah wal Jama'ah accept it upon the literal meaning, not metaphorical, like Ibn 'Abdul-Barr already made clear.

وقال يحيى بن إبراهيم بن مزين إنما كره ملك أن يتحدث بتلك الأحاديث لأن فيها حدا وصفة وتشبيها والنجاة في هذا الانتهاء إلى ما قال الله عز وجل ووصف به نفسه بوجه ويدين وبسط واستواء وكلام فقال * (فأينما تولوا فثم وجه الله) * وقال * (بل يداه مبسوطتان) * وقال * (والأرض جميعا قبضته يوم القيامة) *
[التمهيد - ابن عبد البر - ج ٧ - الصفحة ١٥١]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr mentioned: "Yahya ibn Ibrahim ibn Mazin said: The safety lies in adhering to what Allah, the Exalted, has said and what He described Himself with, such as His Face, His two Hands, His Bountifulness, His Istiwa, and His Speech. He said, ‘Wherever you turn, there is the Face of Allah.’ And He said, ‘But His two Hands are outstretched.’ And He said, ‘And the earth will be in His Grip on the Day of Resurrection.’" [Al-Tamheed - Volume 7 - Page 151]

Interpretation of Allah having the hearts between His Fingers

وحدثنا أحمد بن فتح حدثنا محمد بن عبد الله بن زكرياء النيسابوري حدثنا العباس بن محمد حدثنا سلمة بن شبيب أخبرنا عبد الرزاق أخبرنا معمر عن هشام عن أبيه أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم كان يقول يا مقلب القلوب ثبت قلوبنا على دينك قالت له أم سلمة ما أكثر ما يقول يا مقلب القلوب فقال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم إن القلوب بين إصبعين من أصابع الله يقلبها كيف يشاء ويستند أيضا من حديث عائشة وأم سلمة وروى المستورد وغيره أن أكثر ما كانت يمين رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم والذي نفسي بيده ونفس أبي القاسم بيده وهذا كله هو اليمين بالله وذلك أمر مجتمع عليه والحمد لله ومخرج هذه الأحاديث كلها مجاز في الصفات مفهوم عند أهل العلم يفيدها قول الله عز وجل * (ربنا لا تزغ قلوبنا) (الآية) *
[التمهيد - ابن عبد البر - ج ٢٤ - الصفحة ٤٠٥]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: Ahmad ibn Fath narrated to us, Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Zakariyya al-Naysaburi narrated to us, Abbas ibn Muhammad narrated to us, Salama ibn Shabib narrated to us, 'Abd al-Razzaq informed us, and Ma'mar narrated to us from Hisham, from his father, that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, used to say, "O Turner of hearts, make our hearts firm upon Your religion." Umm Salama asked him, "How often do you say, 'O Turner of hearts'?" The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, replied, "The hearts are between two fingers of Allah’s fingers, and He turns them as He wills." This is also supported by the hadith of Aisha and Umm Salama. Al-Mustawrid and others reported that the most frequent oath of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, was: 'By the One in Whose Hand is my soul' and 'By the One in Whose Hand is the soul of Abu Al-Qasim.' All of this is swearing by Allah, and this is something unanimously agreed upon, and all praise is due to Allah. The interpretation of all these hadiths (about turning the hearts) is metaphorical concerning the attributes, as understood by the scholars of knowledge. This is indicated by Allah’s statement: 'Our Lord, do not let our hearts deviate' (Surah Al-Imran, 3:8)." [Al-Tamheed - Volume 24 - Page 405]

Asha'irah claim that Ibn 'Abdul-Barr made tawil of Allah's Fingers, but he did not. He only explained the phrase 'being between' to have a metaphorical meaning, nothing was said regarding the reality of Allah's Fingers.

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr regards the narrations about Allah turning the hearts whichever way He wants to be metaphorical, not that our hearts are literally between His Fingers. So this narration indicates a meaning by use of metaphor, but we do affirm the Fingers of Allah, as it is mentioned to be part of Him.

So, this does not mean that Allah has no Fingers, like the Asha'irah claim using this statement of Ibn 'Abdul-Barr. He only says that the narrations about turning the hearts imply a metaphorical meaning for Allah having the hearts between His Fingers. Meaning it is not literally between His Fingers.

Interpretation of Allah laughing at the two who kill each other

حديث ثامن وثلاثون لأبي الزناد مالك عن أبي الزناد عن الأعرج عن أبي هريرة أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال يضحك الله عز وجل إلى رجلين يقتل أحدهما الآخر كلاهما يدخل الجنة يقاتل هذا في سبيل الله فيقتل ثم يتوب الله على القاتل فيقاتل فيستشهد معنى هذا الحديث عند جماعة أهل العلم أن القاتل الأول كان كافرا وتوبته المذكورة في هذا الحديث إسلامه قال الله عز وجل * (قل للذين كفروا إن ينتهوا يغفر لهم ما قد سلف) * 2 وفي هذا الحديث دليل على أن كل من قتل في سبيل الله فهو في الجنة لا محالة إن شاء الله حدثنا سعيد بن نصر وعبد الوارث بن سفيان قالا حدثنا قاسم بن أصبغ قال حدثنا إسماعيل بن إسحاق قال حدثنا سليمان بن حرب قال حدثنا حماد بن زيد عن أيوب عن محمد بن سيرين عن أبي العجفاء عن عمر بن الخطاب فذكر حديثا سمعه يقول قال وأخرى تقولونها يعني في مغازيكم هذه لمن يقتل قتل فلان شهيدا أو مات فلان شهيدا ولعله أن يكون قد أوقر دفتي راحلته ذهبا أو ورقا يبتغي الدنيا أو قال التجارة فلا تقولوا ذاكم ولكن قولوا كما قال النبي عليه السلام ومن قتل في سبيل الله أو مات فهو في الجنة وكذلك الآثار المتقدمة كلها تدل على ذلك والله أعلم وذلك على قدر النيات وكل من قاتل لتكون كلمة الله العليا وكلمة الذين كفروا السفلى فهو في الجنة إن شاء الله وأما قوله يضحك الله فمعناه يرحم الله عبده عند ذاك ويتلقاه بالروح والراحة والرحمة والرأفة وهذا مجاز مفهوم وقد قال الله عز وجل في السابقين الأولين والتابعين لهم بإحسان * (رضي الله عنهم) * 2 وقال في المجرمين * (فلما آسفونا انتقمنا منهم) * 3 وأهل العلم يكرهون الخوض في مثل هذا وشبهه من التشبيه كله في الرضا والغضب وما كان مثله من صفات المخلوقين وبالله العصمة والتوفيق
[التمهيد - ج ١٨ - الصفحات ٣٤٤-٣٤٥]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr mentioned: The thirty-eighth hadith of Abu al-Zinad: Malik narrated from Abu al-Zinad, from al-A’raj, from Abu Hurayrah, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah, the Almighty, laughs at two men, one of whom kills the other, yet both enter Paradise. One fights in the path of Allah and is killed, then Allah forgives the killer, who later fights in the path of Allah and is martyred." The meaning of this hadith, according to the majority of the scholars, is that the first killer was a disbeliever, and his repentance mentioned in the hadith is his acceptance of Islam. Allah the Almighty said: "Say to those who disbelieve, if they cease (from disbelief), their past will be forgiven." (Surat al-Anfal, 8:38). This hadith is also evidence that everyone who is killed in the path of Allah will undoubtedly enter Paradise, God willing. Saeed ibn Nasr and Abdul-Warith ibn Sufyan narrated to us, saying that Qasim ibn Asbagh narrated to us, saying that Isma’il ibn Ishaq narrated to us, saying that Sulaiman ibn Harb narrated to us, saying that Hammad ibn Zayd narrated from Ayyub, from Muhammad ibn Sirin, from Abu al-‘Ajfa’, from Umar ibn al-Khattab, who mentioned a hadith he heard, saying: "Another thing you say in your battles is, ‘So-and-so was killed a martyr,’ or ‘So-and-so died a martyr.’ It may be that he had filled the sides of his camel with gold or silver, seeking worldly gain or commerce. Do not say that, but say as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Whoever is killed in the path of Allah or dies (in the path of Allah) is in Paradise.'" Similarly, the earlier reports all indicate this, and Allah knows best. This is according to the intentions. Anyone who fights to make the word of Allah supreme and the word of the disbelievers low will be in Paradise, God willing. As for the statement "Allah laughs," its meaning is that Allah shows mercy to His servant at that moment, and receives him with soul, comfort, mercy, and compassion. This is a clear metaphor. Allah the Almighty said regarding the early pioneers and those who followed them in goodness: "Allah is pleased with them" (Surat al-Tawbah, 9:100), and He said regarding the criminals: "But when they angered Us, We took vengeance upon them." (Surat al-Zukhruf, 43:55). The scholars dislike delving into matters like this and similar topics of resemblance (tashbih) concerning divine attributes such as Allah’s pleasure and anger, or other attributes that resemble those of creation. Protection and success are from Allah. [Al-Tamheed - Volume 18 - Page 344-345]

As you can see, this is a long text, so let's break this down into three parts, allowing it to give clarity according to how Ibn 'Abdul-Barr intended.

Interpretation of Allah's weariness

وفي هذا الباب حديث مالك عن إسماعيل بن أبي حكيم أنه بلغه أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم سمع امرأة من الليل تصلي فقال من هذه فقيل الحولاء بنت تويت لا تنام الليل فكره ذلك رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم حتى عرفت الكراهية في وجهه ثم قال إن الله لا يمل حتى تملوا اكلفوا من العمل ما لكم به طاقة وقد ذكرنا في التمهيد من أسنده ووصله وهو حديث صحيح مسند والحولاء امرأة قرشية من بني أسد بن عبد العزى بن قصي والتويتات في بني أسد وقد أوضحنا ذلك عند ذكرها في كتاب الصحابة وأما قوله إن الله لا يمل حتى تملوا فمعناه عند أهل العلم إن الله لا يمل من الثواب والعطاء على العمل حتى تملوا أنتم العمل وتقطعونه فينقطع عنكم ثوابه ولا يسأم من أفضاله عليكم إلا بسآمتكم عن العمل وأنتم متى تكلفتم من العمل والعبادة ما لا تطيقون وأسرفتم لحقكم الملل وضعفتم عن العمل فانقطع عنكم الثواب بانقطاع العمل يحضهم صلى الله عليه وسلم بهذا المعنى على القليل الدائم ويخبرهم أن النفوس لا تحتمل الإسراف عليها وأن ذلك سبب إلى قطع العمل
[الاستذكار - المجلد ٢ - الصفحات ٨٧-٨٨]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "There is a hadith from Malik about Ismail ibn Abi Hakim, who reported that it reached him that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) heard a woman praying at night and said, 'Who is this?' It was said, 'It is Al-Hawlâ’ bint Tawit; she does not sleep at night.' The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) disliked that, and I noticed the dislike on his face. Then he said, 'Indeed, Allah does not tire until you tire. Do what you are able to do.' We have mentioned in Al-Tamhid who narrated and transmitted it, and it is a sound, established hadith. Al-Hawlâ’ is a Qurashi woman from Banu Asad ibn Abdul Uzza ibn Qusai, and the Tawit family is among Banu Asad. We have clarified this when mentioning her in 'the book of the Companions'. As for his statement, 'Indeed, Allah does not tire until you tire,' its meaning according to the scholars is that Allah does not grow weary of rewarding and giving for deeds until you yourselves tire of the deeds and cease them, then His reward ceases for you. He does not grow weary of His bounties upon you except with your weariness from the deeds. Whenever you overburden yourselves with deeds and worship that you cannot bear and overdo it, weariness will befall you, and you will weaken in your deeds, leading to the cessation of the reward due to the cessation of the deeds. He (peace be upon him) encourages them with this meaning to engage in little but continuous actions, informing them that souls cannot bear excessiveness, and that this is a cause for discontinuation of the deeds." [Al-Istidhkaar - Volume 2 - Page 87-88]

Asha'irah claim that Ibn 'Abdul-Barr interprets the weariness of Allah to be a metaphor, whilst this is never said by Ibn 'Abdul-Barr himself.

If you closely examine his words, you will notice that he never interprets Allah's weariness. He only explains the narration, stating that when worshipers decrease their good deeds, the potential rewards also decrease. This is a logical explanation: do less, and you receive less.

So as for those who try and claim that Ibn 'Abdul-Barr agrees with the Asha'irah on this point, they are incorrect. Because Ibn 'Abdul-Barr affirms Allah's weariness, but it is not said to be an attribute of deficiency like it is with creation.

وقد بلغني عن ابن القاسم أنه لم ير بأسا برواية الحديث أن الله ضحك وذلك لأن الضحك من الله والتنزل والملالة والتعجب منه ليس على جهة ما يكون من عباده
[التمهيد - ابن عبد البر - ج ٧ - الصفحة ١٥٢]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "It has reached me that Ibn al-Qasim did not see any problem with narrating the hadith that Allah laughs. This is because Allah's laughter, Nuzul, weariness, and amazement are not in the manner that they are for His servants." [Al-Tamheed - Volume 24 - Page 405]

Whether change applies to Allah

وليس في قول أبي الدرداء حين قيامه في جوف الليل الليل نامت العيون وغارت النجوم وأنت الحي القيوم أكثر من اعتباره في خلق الله عز وجل وتعظيم الله بما هو أهله وأنه الذي لا تدركه سنة ولا نوم ولا تغير ولا تحول كما تصنع النجوم التي تسير مسيرها وتعود عودها فتكون مرة بادية ظاهرة ومرة غائبة غائرة مسخرة لما خلقت له وخالقها الحي القيوم لا تأخذه سنة ولا نوم الدائم والقائم على كل نفس بما كسبت لا إله إلا هو رب السماوات السبع ورب العرش العظيم وهو حسبي ونعم الوكيل
[الاستذكار - ابن عبد البر - ج ٢ - الصفحة ٥٤٢]

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr said: "The saying of Abu al-Darda when he stood up in the depths of the night: 'The eyes have slept, and the stars have faded, and You are the Ever-Living, the Sustainer' There is nothing in Abu al-Darda's saying other than considering the creation of Allah, the Exalted, and glorifying Allah in a manner befitting Him. He is the One who is not overtaken by slumber or sleep, nor does He undergo change or transformation, as the stars do, which move in their orbits and return to their places, sometimes appearing bright and visible and sometimes hidden and obscured. They are subdued to what they were created for, while their Creator, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer, is not overtaken by slumber or sleep. He is the Ever-Present, sustaining every soul for what it has earned. There is no deity except Him, the Lord of the seven heavens and the Lord of the mighty Throne. He is sufficient for me, and what an excellent Protector!" [Al-Istidhkaar - Volume 2 - Page 542]

Asha'irah try to mention this quote from Ibn 'Abdul-Barr, while intending wickedness and falsehood.

Anyone who reads the saying of Ibn 'Abdul-Barr in a neutral position would agree, that Allah is not like His creation who undergo changes in their essence. Allah is perfect and He does not decrease in anything, nor does He increase, because Allah is already perfect.

Stars undergo changes in their essence, such as appearing bright and sometimes being hidden or obscured. While their essence changes, Allah does not change in His Essence.

The Asha'irah intend to use this saying of Ibn 'Abdul-Barr to claim that Allah does not speak, become angry, perform nuzul, or any other similar actions.

But their belief is obviously false, because Allah changes from one action to another whenever He wills, this does not mean Allah undergoes change in His Essence.

And so we see the lack of sincerity when it comes to the Asha'irah who try to quote this from Ibn 'Abdul-Barr while intending falsehood with it.

Conclusion: Ibn 'Abdul-Barr was an Athari

When reflecting on his statements and placing them in context, it becomes clear that Ibn 'Abdul-Barr was an Athari—one who accepts Allah's Attributes literally, without likening them to His creation.

Only those truly sincere will recognize that Ibn 'Abdul-Barr was neither an Ash'ari nor someone who practiced Tawil or Tafwidh.

Ibn 'Abdul-Barr was a student of Talimanki, who strongly opposed the Ash'ari school and others from Ahl al-Kalaam.

He left behind significant works such as al-Tamheed, al-Istidhkaar, al-Intiqaa, Jami' Bayan al-'Ilm wa Fadlih, and others. Known as the 'Bukhari of the West', he was highly influential in the Maghreb and Andalusia and remains one of the greatest scholars of the Maliki madhab, rahimahullah.