Is the interpretation of some exegetes, that the discourse of Allah Almighty with the angels, His saying to Hell, "Are you filled?" and His saying to the heavens and the earth, "Come willingly or unwillingly," as well as His address to Iblis, is merely a portrayal of meanings and an elucidation of reality and the nature of creation, rather than being on its literal truth, sound and acceptable?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
The default understanding of speech is its literal meaning, unless there is an indicator that shifts it to a metaphorical sense, and there is no such indicator here to deflect the speech from its apparent meaning. What the People of the and the Community (Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah) uphold is that Allah Almighty has always been speaking, and that He speaks whenever He wills, and that His speech is with letters and a voice that is heard.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/97445
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- Read the full answer on Ftawy