Mulla Ali al-Qari's Athari Leaning

 بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

اللهم صلى على سيدنا ومولانا محمد وبارك وسلم وصلى عليه

Mulla Ali al-Qari (d. 1014 H) رحمة الله عليه was a great Sunni Hanafi scholar. He defended Shaikh-ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyah رحمة الله عليه and his student Ibn al-Qayyim رحمة الله عليه from the attacks of Ibn Hajr al-Haytami, saying:

صَانَهُمَا اللَّهُ عَنْ هَذِهِ السِّمَةِ الشَّنِيعَةِ وَالنِّسْبَةِ الْفَظِيعَةِ، وَمَنْ طَالَعَ شَرْحَ مَنَازِلِ السَّائِرِينَ لِنَدِيمٍ الْبَارِيِّ الشَّيْخُ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ الْأَنْصَارِيُّ الْحَنْبَلِيُّ قَدَّسَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى سِرَّهُ الْجَلِيَّ وَهُوَ شَيْخُ الْإِسْلَامِ عِنْدَ الصُّوفِيَّةِ حَالَ الْإِطْلَاقِ بِالِاتِّفَاقِ، تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ أَنَّهُمَا كَانَا مِنْ أَهْلِ السُّنَّةِ وَالْجَمَاعَةِ، ‌بَلْ ‌وَمِنْ ‌أَوْلِيَاءِ ‌هَذِهِ ‌الْأُمَّةِ

Translation: “...they [Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn al-Qayyim] were from Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah, rather from the Awliya’ of this Ummah.” (Mirqat al-Mafatih; v.8, p.148)

Regarding the controversy on the Siffat (divine attributes) of Allah, Mulla Ali al-Qari wrote:

وَتَبَيَّنَ مَرَامُهُ، وَظَهَرَ أَنَّ مُعْتَقَدَهُ مُوَافِقٌ لِأَهْلِ الْحَقِّ مِنَ السَّلَفِ وَجُمْهُورِ الْخَلَفِ، فَالطَّعْنُ الشَّنِيعُ وَالتَّقْبِيحُ الْفَظِيعُ غَيْرُ مُوَجَّهٍ عَلَيْهِ وَلَا مُتَوَجِّهٍ إِلَيْهِ، فَإِنَّ كَلَامَهُ بِعَيْنِهِ مُطَابِقٌ لِمَا قَالَهُ الْإِمَامُ الْأَعْظَمُ، وَالْمُجْتَهِدُ الْأَقْدَمُ فِي فِقْهِهِ الْأَكْبَرِ مَا نَصُّهُ وَلَهُ تَعَالَى يَدٌ وَوَجْهٌ وَنَفْسٌ، فَمَا ذَكَرَ اللَّهُ فِي الْقُرْآنِ مِنْ ذِكْرِ الْوَجْهِ وَالْيَدِ وَالنَّفْسِ فَهُوَ لَهُ صِفَاتٌ بِلَا كَيْفٍ، وَلَا يُقَالُ إِنَّ يَدَهُ قُدْرَتُهُ أَوْ نِعْمَتُهُ لِأَنَّ فِيهِ إِبْطَالَ الصِّفَةِ، وَهُوَ قَوْلُ أَهْلِ الْقَدَرِ وَالِاعْتِزَالِ، وَلَكِنَّ يَدَهُ صِفَتُهُ بِلَا كَيْفٍ، وَغَضَبُهُ وَرِضَاهُ صِفَتَانِ مِنْ صِفَاتِهِ بِلَا كَيْفٍ

Translation: “his [Ibn al-Qayyim’s] objective has become clear and it has become apparent that his belief is in agreement with the people of truth from the Salaf and the majority of the Khalaf (latecomers). Hence, slanderous revilement and heinous rebuke does not fall upon him and is not directed towards him. For his words are exactly in agreement with what the Great Imam, the Foremost Mujtahid [i.e. Abu Hanifah] said in al-Fiqh al-Akbar, whose text is as follows: ‘And He, the Exalted has a hand (yad), a face (wajh) and a self (nafs).’ Thus whatever Allah mentioned in the Quran of the mention of the face, hand and self, then they are His attributes without asking how. And it is not said that His hand is His power (qudrah) or favor (ni’mah), because in this is a nullification of the attribute and it is the saying of the people of Qadr and I’tizal (the Mu’tazilah). Rather, His hand is His attribute without how, and His anger and pleasure are two of His attributes without how.” (ibid; v.8, p.149)