Ibn Majah

Benefits and Issues:
(1)
The Hand of Allah is His attribute,
as befits His majesty.
It is not permissible to interpret it figuratively, nor is it permissible to liken it to a human hand.

(2)
Allah’s speaking is also His attribute. Allah, exalted is He, speaks whenever He wills,
and to whichever of His creation He wills.
They hear His voice,
just as He speaks to the angels,
or as He spoke to Musa (alayhis salam),
or as He will speak to the servants on the Day of Resurrection.

Hadith Commentary:

Benefits and Issues:
➊ If the folding and unfolding of the fingers is attributed to Allah Ta'ala, then its modality and reality cannot be known. ➋ And if it is attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), then he indicated towards the expansion and contraction of the heavens and the earth, that they will be folded up in this manner. ➌ The intention is not to describe the modality of Allah's folding and unfolding, because it is not correct to liken any of His attributes to anything else. ➍ For He is: "There is nothing like unto Him." (laysa kamithlihi shay’).

Benefits and Issues:
➊ The words mentioned regarding the attributes of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, are clear and explicit. We can and do use them for our Lord, the Exalted, without hesitation, but we have no comprehension of their true reality, because (There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing) (: Ash-Shura).

➋ Allah has two hands, and both are right hands, and Allah, the Exalted, is described as speaking.

➌ The true Sovereign even now is only Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, but in the world there exist kings in name, and among them are also tyrants and arrogant ones. However, on the Day of Resurrection, no one will have any existence, and sovereignty will belong solely to Allah alone.

Commentary:
(1)
This hadith also affirms the hand of Allah, exalted is He.
To interpret "hand" as "power" is invalid, because the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) clarified the matter by closing his fist, and the noble Companions (radi Allahu anhum) were not at all surprised; otherwise, had they understood it as something irrational, they would certainly have asked about it.
From this, it is understood that the Companions (radi Allahu anhum) also accepted the attributes of Allah exactly as they are.
Kama yaliqu bijalalihi. This indicates the greatness and majesty of Allah, that such a vast and immense creation is, for Allah, like a mere particle.

(3)
It is permissible to express fervor or anger at an appropriate moment during admonition (wa‘zh).

(4)
Arrogance (takabbur) is a very grave trait, which does not befit a weak and insignificant creature like man. However, only the greatness and majesty of Allah, exalted is He, are worthy of being described with the attribute of arrogance, that is, the expression of greatness and majesty.

Benefits:

Further clarification of the content of this hadith is as follows:

The command of Allah, the Exalted, is:

«وَمَا قَدَرُوا اللهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ وَالْأَرْضُ جَمِيعًا قَبْضَتُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيمَةِ وَالسَّموتُ مَطويات بِيَهِينِهِ سُبْحَنَهُ وَتَعَلَى عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ» [سوره زمر: 67]

Meaning: "And they did not appraise Allah with true appraisal as is due to Him, while the whole earth will be in His grip on the Day of Resurrection, and the heavens will be rolled up in His right hand. Exalted is He and high above what they associate with Him."

Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Mas'ud radi Allahu anhu narrates that a Jewish scholar came to the Noble Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and said: We find in our religious literature regarding Allah, the Exalted, that on the Day of Resurrection He will place the heavens on one finger, the earths on one finger, the trees on one finger, the water and moisture on one finger, and all other creatures on one finger, and He will say: I am the King. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, affirming this, smiled so broadly that his molar teeth became visible, then he sallallahu alayhi wa sallam recited this verse «وَمَا قَدَرُوا اللهَ حَقَّ قَدره» (which is mentioned above). [بخاري: 4811] According to the narration of Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah radi Allahu anhu, Allah, the Exalted, will say at that time: «انا الملك، اين ملوك الارض» meaning: "I am the King, where are the kings of the earth?" [بخاري: 4812]

This is an illustration of Allah, the Exalted's, power, might, greatness, and majesty.

The creed of the pious predecessors (salaf salihin) is that it is obligatory to have faith in all the attributes of Allah, the Exalted, mentioned in the Qur'an and Hadith, without asking how (bi-la kayf), without likening them to the creation, and without figurative interpretation or distortion. For example, in the above verse and hadiths, there is mention of Allah, the Exalted's, two hands, fingers, the opening and closing of fingers, and speaking—these are real attributes of Allah, befitting His majesty and greatness.

It befits the servants that they acknowledge the divinity and lordship of such an All-Powerful and Omnipotent King, bowing their heads in submission before Him, and consider Him unique, singular, and incomparable in His essence and every attribute. They should accept every command of His as true and fulfill the requirements of acting upon it. This is called tawhid (monotheism), for the propagation of which the vast and expansive system of the universe has been established.