Why do Ahl al-Sunnah reject both distortion and denial of the Attributes?
2026-09-21
T37 · Ibn Taymiyyah
Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah
شيخ الإسلام أحمد بن تيمية
Selected explanation · Selected source passage(s) — fully translated
Selected continuous passage; light punctuation normalization has been applied for reading. The English translates every displayed Arabic paragraph; this selection is not the complete surrounding work. Square brackets identify translator-supplied clarification.
النص العربي
المقتطف
فَإِنَّ الْفِرْقَةَ النَّاجِيَةَ - أَهْلَ السُّنَّةِ وَالْجَمَاعَةِ - يُؤْمِنُونَ بِذَلِكَ كَمَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِمَا أَخْبَرَ اللَّهُ بِهِ فِي كِتَابِهِ الْعَزِيزِ مِنْ غَيْرِ تَحْرِيفٍ وَلَا تَعْطِيلٍ وَمِنْ غَيْرِ تَكْيِيفٍ وَلَا تَمْثِيلٍ؛ بَلْ هُمْ الْوَسَطُ فِي فِرَقِ الْأُمَّةِ كَمَا أَنَّ الْأُمَّةَ هِيَ الْوَسَطُ فِي الْأُمَمِ.
English translation
English translation reviewed against the displayed Arabic by SalafAlSalih editorial preparation (AI-assisted); explanatory additions appear in square brackets or separate notes.
Selected explanation
The saved group—Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jamāʿah—believe in that just as they believe in what Allah has related in His Mighty Book, without distortion or negation, and without specifying how [His attributes are] or likening [them to those of creation]. Rather, they occupy the middle position among the groups of this community, just as this community occupies the middle position among the nations.
Source and editorial notes
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā 3/141
مجموع الفتاوى
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā
Arabic passage checked against the cited volume and printed page. English reviewed against every displayed Arabic paragraph on 14 October 2026.