tashbīh

tashbīh
In Islam, the comparison of God to created things.

The practice of attributing human characteristics to the deity is regarded as a sin in Islamic theology, as is its opposite, taʽtīl (divesting God of all attributes). The difficulty of dealing with the nature of God in Islam arises from seemingly contradictory views in the Qurʾān, which describes God as unique, yet also refers to him as having eyes, ears, hands, and face. Tashbīh is forbidden out of the fear that its practice will lead to paganism and idolatry; taʽtīl is feared to lead to atheism.

* * *

Islam
      (Arabic: “assimilating”), in Islām, anthropomorphism, comparing God to created things. Both tashbīh and its opposite, taʿṭīl (divesting God of all attributes), are regarded as sins in Islāmic theology. The difficulty in dealing with the nature of God in Islām arises from the seemingly contradictory views contained in the Qurʾan (Islāmic scripture). On the one hand God is described as unique and not similar to anything that the mind can imagine; on the other hand he is referred to in the language of anthropomorphism—having eyes, ears, hands, and face, and sitting on his throne and talking and listening.

      Some Muslim theologians argued that the Qurʾān used such human concepts and idioms because there are no other means of delivering God's message to man and urged that they be interpreted allegorically rather than literally. Al-Ashʿarī, a 10th-century Muslim theologian, asserted that the hands, eyes, and face of God and his sitting and talking must be recognized literally without asking how.

      In the literature of the Ṣūfīs (Muslim mystics) God is spoken of in the language and style of ordinary love poetry, which the Ṣūfīs interpret allegorically. This is done on the grounds that man is created after God's own image. When Ibn al-ʿArabī (Muslim mystic of the 12th century) published his collection of poems Tarjumān al-ashwāq (“The Interpreter of Desires”), the Muslim orthodox rejected his claim of alluding to divine realities and accused him of actually celebrating the charms of his mistress. He wrote a lengthy interpretation of the poetic text to avoid the accusation of tashbīh.

      Both tashbīh and taʿṭīl were avoided by many theologians who spoke rather of tanzīh (keeping God pure) and of tathbīt (confirming God's attributes). The major reason for the fear of tashbīh is that it can easily lead to paganism and idolatry, while taʿṭīl leads to atheism.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Tashbih — ( ar. تشبيه) is an Islamic religious concept meaning closeness. In Islamic theology, two opposite terms are attributed to Allah: tashbih and tanzih . The latter means distance, transcendence .However, the fuller meaning of tashbih is affirming… …   Wikipedia

  • Tashbih — Ein Tasbih Ein Tasbih (‏تسبيح‎, DMG tasbīḥ; auch Tashbih, Tesbih, Tespih oder Masbaha) ist eine im Islam gebräuchliche Gebetskette. Funktion Der Tasbih ist ein Hilfsmittel bei der Ausführung von Dhikr, u. a. bestehend aus …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • tashbih — En el Islam, la comparación de Dios con la creación. La práctica de atribuir características humanas a Dios es considerada un pecado en la teología islámica, al igual que la práctica opuesta, el taʽtīl (despojar a Dios de todos los atributos). La …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Tashbih Sayyed — (1941 2007) was a Pakistani scholar, journalist, and author and is the Editor in Chief of Our Times, Pakistan Today, and In Review. Tashbih Sayyed worked from 1967 1980 for the Pakistan Television Corporation and was a noted spokesman against… …   Wikipedia

  • assimilation — (tashbih, lit. ‘making similar’)    The act of comparing God to His creatures, thus conceiving of Him as corporeal, finite and imperfect. Although there are numerous Qur’anic passages in which God is described in rather human terms,… …   Islamic philosophy dictionary

  • Muslim supporters of Israel — This article is part of the series …   Wikipedia

  • Zionism — is an international political movement that originally supported the reestablishment of a homeland for the Jewish People in Palestine (Hebrew: Eretz Yisra el, “the Land of Israel”), and continues primarily as support for the modern state of… …   Wikipedia

  • Abu-al-Faraj ibn Al-Jawzi — Infobox Muslim scholars | notability = Muslim scholar| era = Islamic golden age| color = #cef2e0 | | image caption = | | name = Abd al Rahman ibn Ali ibn Muhammad title= Abu al Faraj ibn Al Jawzi| birth = 508 AH Fact|date=February 2007| death =… …   Wikipedia

  • Tanzih — is an Islamic religious concept meaning transcendence. In Islamic theology, two opposite terms are attributed to Allah: tanzih and tashbih .The latter means nearness, closeness, accessibility .However, the fuller meaning of tanzih is declaring… …   Wikipedia

  • God, anthropomorphic descriptions of —    Numerous passages in the Qur’an known as the ambiguous or anthropomorphic verses describe God in strikingly human terms. One finds anthropomorphic characterizations of (1) God’s external appearance (e.g. God possesses a face, eyes, hands,… …   Islamic philosophy dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”