Sharh Hadith al-Nuzul

Sharh Hadith al-Nuzul (Explanation of the Hadith of Descent) is a theological treatise by the Hanbali scholar Ibn Taymiyya (d. 728 AH / 1328 CE), dedicated to analyzing and affirming the prophetic narration concerning the descent of God to the lowest heaven in the final third of each night Sharh Hadith al-Nuzul+1.

Background and Purpose

The treatise was written as an extensive legal and theological response (fatwa) to an inquiry regarding a dispute between two individuals over the prophetic narration of descent (Hadith al-Nuzul) Sharh Hadith al-Nuzul+1. The disputants debated several central theological issues: one affirmed the literal reality of the descent without inquiring into its modality (bi-la kayf), while the other argued that affirming such descent implies corporeal attributes, questioning whether the Throne (al-'Arsh) becomes vacant of God during the descent and asserting that the narration should instead be interpreted as the descent of divine mercy or command Sharh Hadith al-Nuzul+1. The questioner also highlighted a cosmological problem: because the duration and timing of night vary across different regions of the earth, the final third of the night is perpetually occurring somewhere on the globe, which the interlocutor argued would imply perpetual descent Sharh Hadith al-Nuzul+1.

Contents and Core Arguments

In the work, Ibn Taymiyya establishes that the Hadith of Descent is mass-transmitted (mutawatir), having been narrated by a large group of the Prophet's companions and transmitted across canonical collections such as Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, the Muwatta' of Malik ibn Anas, and the Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal Sharh al-Qasida al-Lamiyy…+1. He argues that early Muslim scholars agreed on accepting and affirming these reports according to their apparent meaning without anthropomorphism (tamthil) or negation (ta'til) Mawsuat Mahasin al-Islam ….

Ibn Taymiyya systematically addresses the figurative interpretations (ta'wil) advanced by theological opponents:

• Refutation of the descent of an angel or mercy: He argues that the descent cannot refer to an angel or to general divine mercy, because angels descend continuously by night and day rather than exclusively in the final third of the night, and because an angel cannot say, من يدعوني فأستجيب له؟ من يسألني فأعطيه؟ من يستغفرني فأغفر له؟ ("Who calls upon Me that I may answer him? Who asks of Me that I may give him? Who seeks My forgiveness that I may forgive him?"), words that can only be uttered by God Himself Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim ….
• The question of the Throne becoming vacant (khalw al-'Arsh): He surveys three positions among traditionists (Ahl al-Hadith) and Sunni scholars:
  1. That God descends and the Throne becomes vacant of Him, a view attributed to a small minority including Abu al-Qasim Ibn Mandah and Ibn Hamid Sifat Rabb al-Alamin - Ra…+1.
  2. That God descends without the Throne becoming vacant of Him, which Ibn Taymiyya upholds as the correct position transmitted from the majority of early authorities Sharh Lamiyat Ibn Taymiyy…+1.
  3. Withholding judgment (tawaqquf) on the matter because no explicit text addresses whether the Throne is vacated Sifat Rabb al-Alamin - Ra…+1.
• Cosmological and rational reconciliation: Ibn Taymiyya addresses astronomical considerations regarding the sphericity of the celestial spheres and the earth, arguing that divine attributes and actions cannot be analogized to the constraints of created, physical bodies or spatial movements Sharh Hadith al-Nuzul+1. He maintains that God's descent is a real voluntary action (sifa fi'liyya) suitable to His majesty, without requiring that the Throne be above Him or that He be encompassed by creation Sharh al-Qasida al-Lamiyy…+1.

Transmission and Editions

Sharh Hadith al-Nuzul has been published as an independent monograph and is also incorporated within the fifth volume of Ibn Taymiyya's collected works, Majmu' al-Fatawa Sharh al-Qasida al-Lamiyy…+1.