Allah has arms, legs and ears but the idols do not have them.
From the previous discussions, we should have very little doubt about this. Muhammad’s Allah, does indeed take after a human being. Since Allah looks like a human being, it then follows logically that Allah must have all the physical features of a human being.  

Thus, in the Qur’an we read that Allah has eyes and ears…(42:11).  

042.011
YUSUFALI: (He is) the Creator of the heavens and the earth: He has made for you pairs from among yourselves, and pairs among cattle: by this means does He multiply you: there is nothing whatever like unto Him, and He is the One that hears and sees (all things).

Allah has hands; He created Adam with His own hands…(38:75, 48:10).

038.075
YUSUFALI: (Allah) said: "O Iblis! What prevents thee from prostrating thyself to one whom I have created with my hands? Art thou haughty? Or art thou one of the high (and mighty) ones?"
048.010
YUSUFALI: Verily those who plight their fealty to thee do no less than plight their fealty to Allah: the Hand of Allah is over their hands: then any one who violates his oath, does so to the harm of his own soul, and any one who fulfils what he has covenanted with Allah,- Allah will soon grant him a great Reward.

Commenting on the above two verses, the translator of Sahih Bukhari, Dr Muhammad Muhsin Khan writes that those two verses confirm two hands for Allah, but there is no similarity for them. Readers might be confounded at such a convoluted remark, but hold on, Dr Muhsin writes further:

This is not like as some people think that Allah is present everywhere—here, there and even inside the breasts of men (Khan, 1994, p. 1067).  

Dr Muhsin Khan has confirmed what I wrote beforehand that Allah is anthropomorphic and He has a fixed residence.  

In Sahih Bukhari we read that Allah does have real physical hands. But His hands are so huge that He could grab the entire earth in one of His hands. Perhaps this hugeness of Allah’s hand is the dissimilarity with humans’ hand when Dr Muhsin Khan mentioned Allah has hands but there is no similarity for them. Let us read this hadith.  

Allah will hold the whole earth and roll all the heavens up in his right hand...(Sahih Bukhari, 6.60.336)  

Volume 6, Book 60, Number 336:

Narrated Abu Huraira:

I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "Allah will hold the whole earth, and roll all the heavens up in His Right Hand, and then He will say, 'I am the King; where are the kings of the earth?"'  

Allah has huge feet. He puts His foot over hell–fire. That’s right. Commenting on verse 50:30, Sahih Bukhari says exactly this. Let us first read verse 50:30.  

050.030
YUSUFALI: One Day We will ask Hell, "Art thou filled to the full?" It will say, "Are there any more (to come)?"

Here are the ahadith from Sahih Bukhari:

50:30 Allah puts his foot over hell fire...(Sahih Bukhari, 6.60.371, 373)  

Volume 6, Book 60, Number 371:

Narrated Anas:

The Prophet said, "The people will be thrown into the (Hell) Fire and it will say: "Are there any more (to come)?' (50.30) till Allah puts His Foot over it and it will say, 'Qati! Qati! (Enough Enough!)'"

Volume 6, Book 60, Number 373:

Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet said, " Paradise and the Fire (Hell) argued, and the Fire (Hell) said, "I have been given the privilege of receiving the arrogant and the tyrants.' Paradise said, 'What is the matter with me? Why do only the weak and the humble among the people enter me?' On that, Allah said to Paradise . 'You are My Mercy which I bestow on whoever I wish of my servants.' Then Allah said to the (Hell) Fire, 'You are my (means of) punishment by which I punish whoever I wish of my slaves. And each of you will have its fill.' As for the Fire (Hell), it will not be filled till Allah puts His Foot over it whereupon it will say, 'Qati! Qati!' At that time it will be filled, and its different parts will come closer to each other; and Allah will not wrong any of His created beings. As regards Paradise , Allah will create a new creation to fill it with."  

Here are two similar ahadith from Sahih Muslim:  

Allah would place his foot on hell when the hell is filled with sinners…(Sahih Muslim, 40.6823, 6825).  

Book 040, Number 6823:

Anas b. Malik reported that Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) said that the Hell would continue to say: Is there anything more, until Allah, the Exalted and High, would place His foot therein and that would say: Enough, enough, by Your Honour, and some parts of it would draw close to the other.

Book 040, Number 6825:

'Abd al-Wahhab b. Ata' reported in connection with the words of Allah, the Exalted and the Glorious: We would say to Hell on the Day of Resurrection: Have you been completely filled up? and it would say: Is there anything -more? And he stated on the authority of Anas b. Malik that Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: (The sinners) would be thrown therein and it would continue to say: Is there anything more, until Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, would keep His foot there- in and some of its part would draw close to the other and it would say: Enough, enough, by Thy Honour and by Thy Dignity, and there would be enough space in Paradise until Allah would create a new creation and He would make them accommodate that spare place in Paradise.  

Even the translators of The Noble Qur’an and Sahih Bukhari, Drs al–Hilali and  Muhammad Muhsin Khan, having included this hadith in a foot note admits the physical nature of Allah’s foot (Hilali and Khan, 1999, The Noble Qur’an, p. 679, foot note 1).  

Embarrassed with such mindless, cock‑and‑bull ahadith many contemporary Islamist scholars twist the meaning of those ahadith and contain that those allusion of the physical attributes of Allah are metaphorical. Here is a comment from none but the hadith scholar Professor ‘Abdul Hamid Siddiqi.  

Hand is here used not in the literal sense, but in metaphorical sense. (Siddiqi. 2004, p. 1.151, footnote 388)  

In the holy Qur’an (35:41) we read that Allah grasps the sky and the earth firmly lest they move away from their places; only Allah could guarantee the continued existence of the heavens and the earth. This verse clearly depicts the hugeness of Allah’s hand and personifies Allah’s might so much so, that only Allah has the physical strength to keep perfectly the earth in its position of rest.  

Here is the verse 35:41  

PICKTHAL: Lo! Allah graspeth the heavens and the earth that they deviate not, and if they were to deviate there is not one that could grasp them after Him. Lo! He is ever Clement, Forgiving.

Allah does have physical ability of hearing and seeing. Here is a hadith from Sunaan Abu Dawud:  

Sunaan Abu Dawud, Vol. III, Hhadith Number 4710

Abu Yunus Sulaim b. Jubair, client of Abu Hurairah, said: I heard Abu Hurairah recite this verse (4:58): “Allah doth command you to render back your trusts to those to whom they are due”…up to “For Allah is He who heareth and seeth all things. He said: I saw the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) putting his thumb on his ear and finger on his eye.

     Abu Huraira said: I saw the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) reciting this verse and putting his fingers. Ibn Yunus said that al‑Muqri said: “Allah hears and sees” means that Allah has the power to hearing and seeing.

<  back     next  >