Al-Qawl al-Mufid ala Kitab al-Tawhid — Volume 3 (القول المفيد على كتاب التوحيد) — Page 297

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

وَرُوِيَ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ: مَا السَّمَوَاتُ السَّبْعُ، وَالْأَرَضُونَ السَّبْعُ فِي كَفِّ الرَّحْمَنِ إِلَّا كَخَرْدَلَةٍ فِي يَدِ أَحَدِكُمْ»(١)

It was narrated from Ibn Abbas that he said: 'The seven heavens and the seven earths in the palm of the Most Merciful are nothing but like a mustard seed in the hand of one of you.'

يَقْتَضِي أَنَّهُ لَيْسَ هُنَاكَ يَدٌ يَمِينٌ وَيَدٌ شِمَالٌ

This implies that there is no right hand and left hand.

وَلَكِنْ إِذَا كَانَتْ لَفْظَةُ «شِمَالٍ» مَحْفُوظَةً فَهِيَ عِنْدِي لَا تُنَافِي كِلْتَا يَدَيْهِ يَمِينٌ ؛ لِأَنَّ الْمَعْنَى أَنَّ الْيَدَ الْأُخْرَى لَيْسَتْ كَيَدِ الشِّمَالِ بِالنِّسْبَةِ لِلْمَخْلُوقِ نَاقِصَةً عَنِ الْيَدِ الْيُمْنَى فَقَالَ : كِلْتَا يَدَيْهِ يَمِينٌ أَيْ لَيْسَ فِيهَا نَقْصٌ وَيُؤَيِّدُ هَذَا قَوْلَهُ فِي حَدِيثِ آدَمَ : «اخْتَرْتُ يَمِينَ رَبِّي وَكِلْتَا يَدَيْهِ يَمِينٌ مُبَارَكَةٌ» (٢) فَلَمَّا كَانَ الْوَهْمُ يَذْهَبُ إِلَى أَنَّ إِثْبَاتَ الشِّمَالِ يَعْنِي النَّقْصَ فِي هَذِهِ الْيَدِ دُونَ الْأُخْرَى قَالَ : «كِلْتَا يَدَيْهِ يَمِينٌ» وَيُؤَيِّدُهُ أَيْضاً قَوْلُهُ : «الْمُقْسِطُونَ عَلَى مَنَابِرَ مِنْ نُورٍ عَلَى يَمِينِ الرَّحْمَنِ» فَإِنَّ الْمَقْصُودَ بَيَانُ فَضْلِهِمْ وَمَرْتَبَتِهِمْ وَأَنَّهُمْ عَلَى يَمِينِ الرَّحْمَنِ ، سُبْحَانَهُ

However, if the word 'left' is authentically preserved, then in my view it does not contradict [the statement that] both of His hands are right hands; because the meaning is that the other hand is not like the left hand in relation to a created being, which is deficient compared to the right hand. So He said: 'Both of His hands are right hands,' meaning there is no deficiency in them. This is supported by His saying in the hadith of Adam: 'I chose the right hand of my Lord, and both of His hands are a blessed right hand.' So when the illusion might arise that affirming a left [hand] implies deficiency in this hand compared to the other, He said: 'Both of His hands are right hands.' It is also supported by His saying: 'The just ones will be upon pulpits of light on the right of the Most Merciful,' for the intention is to clarify their virtue and status, and that they are on the right of the Most Merciful, glory be to Him.

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Vocabulary · المفردات (26 verbs · 42 nouns)

• رَوَى — to narrate
• قَالَ — to say
• اِقْتَضَى — to require
• سَمَاء — sky
• أَرْض — earth
• كَفّ — palm