أَخْبَرَنَا أَخْبَرَنَا
ابْنُ قُتَيْبَةَ ، حَدَّثَنَا
ابْنُ أَبِي السَّرِيِّ ، حَدَّثَنَا
عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ ، أَخْبَرَنَا
مَعْمَرٌ ، عَنْ
هَمَّامِ بْنِ مُنَبِّهٍ ، عَنْ
أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ، قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : " خَلَقَ اللَّهُ آدَمَ عَلَى صُورَتِهِ ، وَطُولِهِ سِتُّونَ ذِرَاعًا ، فَلَمَّا خَلْقَهُ ، قَالَ : اذْهَبْ ، فَسَلِّمْ عَلَى أُولَئِكَ النَّفْرِ ، وَهُمْ مِنَ الْمَلائِكَةِ جُلُوسٌ ، فَاسْتَمِعْ مَا يُحَيُّونَكَ ، فَإِِنَّهَا تَحِيَّتُكَ وَتَحِيَّةُ ذُرِّيَّتِكَ ، قَالَ : فَذَهَبَ فَقَالَ : السَّلامُ عَلَيْكَمْ ، فَزَادُوهُ : وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ ، قَالَ : فَكُلُّ مَنْ يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ عَلَى صُورَةِ آدَمَ طُولُهُ سِتُّونَ ذِرَاعًا ، فَلَمْ يَزَلِ الْخَلْقُ يَنْقُصُ حَتَّى الآنَ " ، قَالَ أَبُو حَاتِمٍ : هَذَا الْخَبَرُ تَعَلَّقَ بِهِ مَنْ لَمْ يُحْكِمُ صِنَاعَةَ الْعِلْمِ ، وَأَخَذَ يُشَنِّعُ عَلَى أَهْلِ الْحَدِيثِ الَّذِينَ يَنْتَحِلُونَ السُّنَنَ ، وَيَذُبُّونَ عَنْهَا ، وَيَقْمَعُونَ مَنْ خَالَفَهَا بِأَنْ قَالَ : لَيْسَتْ تَخْلُو هَذِهِ الْهَاءُ مِنْ أَنْ تُنْسَبَ إِِلَى اللَّهِ ، أَوْ إِِلَى آدَمَ ، فَإِِنْ نُسِبَتْ إِِلَى اللَّهِ ، كَانَ ذَلِكَ كُفْرًا ، إِِذْ لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ سورة الشورى آية 11 ، وَإِِنْ نُسِبَتْ إِِلَى آدَمَ ، تَعَرَّى الْخَبَرُ عَنِ الْفَائِدَةِ ، لأَنَّهُ لا شَكَّ أَنَّ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خُلِقَ عَلَى صُورَتِهِ ، لا عَلَى صُورَةِ غَيْرِهِ ، وَلَوْ تَمَلَّقَ قَائِلُ هَذَا إِِلَى بَارِئِهِ فِي الْخَلْوَةِ ، وَسَأَلَهُ التَّوْفِيقَ لإِِصَابَةِ الْحَقِّ وَالْهِدَايَةِ لِلطَّرِيقِ الْمُسْتَقِيمِ فِي لُزُومِ سُنَنِ الْمُصْطَفَى صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، لَكَانَ أَوْلَى بِهِ مِنَ الْقَدْحِ فِي مُنْتَحِلِي السُّنَنِ بِمَا يَجْهَلُ مَعْنَاهُ ، وَلَيْسَ جَهْلُ الإِِنْسَانِ بِالشَّيْءِ دَالا عَلَى نَفْيِ الْحَقِّ عَنْهُ لِجَهْلِهِ بِهِ ، وَنَحْنُ نَقُولُ : إِِنَّ أَخْبَارَ الْمُصْطَفَى صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِِذَا صَحَّتْ مِنْ جِهَةِ النَّقْلِ ، لا تَتَضَادَّ ، وَلا تَتَهَاتَرُ ، وَلا تَنْسَخُ الْقُرْآنَ ، بَلْ لِكُلِّ خَبَرٍ مَعْنًى مَعْلُومٌ يُعْلَمُ ، وَفَصْلٌ صَحِيحٌ يُعْقَلُ ، يَعْقِلُهُ الْعَالِمُونَ ، فَمَعْنَى الْخَبَرِ عِنْدَنَا بِقَوْلِهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : " خَلَقَ اللَّهُ آدَمَ عَلَى صُورَتِهِ " : إِِبَانَةُ فَضْلِ آدَمَ عَلَى سَائِرِ الْخَلْقِ ، وَالْهَاءُ رَاجِعَةٌ إِِلَى آدَمَ ، وَالْفَائِدَةُ مِنْ رُجُوعِ الْهَاءِ إِِلَى آدَمَ دُونَ إِِضَافَتِهَا إِِلَى الْبَارِئِ جَلَّ وَعَلا ، جَلَّ رَبُّنَا وَتَعَالَى عَنْ أَنْ يُشَبَّهُ بِشَيْءٍ مِنَ الْمَخْلُوقِينَ ، إِِنَّهُ جَلَّ وَعَلا جَعَلَ سَبَبَ الْخَلْقِ الَّذِي هُوَ الْمُتَحَرِّكُ النَّامِي بِذَاتِهِ اجْتِمَاعَ الذَّكَرِ وَالأُنْثَى ، ثُمَّ زَوَالَ الْمَاءِ عَنْ قَرَارِ الذَّكَرِ إِِلَى رَحِمِ الأُنْثَى ، ثُمَّ تَغَيُّرَ ذَلِكَ إِِلَى الْعَلَقَةِ بَعْدَ مُدَّةٍ ، ثُمَّ إِِلَى الْمُضْغَةِ ، ثُمَّ إِِلَى الصُّورَةِ ، ثُمَّ إِِلَى الْوَقْتِ الْمَمْدُودِ فِيهِ ، ثُمَّ الْخُرُوجِ مِنْ قَرَارِهِ ، ثُمَّ الرَّضَاعِ ، ثُمَّ الْفِطَامِ ، ثُمَّ الْمَرَاتِبِ الأُخَرِ عَلَى حَسَبِ مَا ذَكَرْنَا ، إِِلَى حُلُولِ الْمَنِيَّةِ بِهِ ، هَذَا وَصْفُ الْمُتَحَرِّكِ النَّامِي بِذَاتِهِ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ ، وَخَلْقِ اللَّهِ جَلَّ وَعَلا آدَمَ عَلَى صُورَتِهِ الَّتِي خَلْقَهُ عَلَيْهَا ، وَطُولُهُ سِتُّونَ ذِرَاعًا مِنْ غَيْرِ أَنْ تَكُونَ تَقْدُمُهُ اجْتِمَاعُ الذَّكَرِ وَالأُنْثَى ، أَوْ زَوَالُ الْمَاءِ ، أَوْ قَرَارُهُ ، أَوْ تَغْيِيرُ الْمَاءِ عَلَقَةً أَوْ مُضْغَةً ، أَوْ تَجْسِيمُهُ بَعْدَهُ ، فَأَبَانَ اللَّهُ بِهَذَا فَضْلَهُ عَلَى سَائِرِ مَنْ ذَكَرْنَا مِنْ خَلْقِهِ ، بِأَنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ نُطْفَةً فَعَلَقَةً ، وَلا عَلَقَةً فَمُضْغَةً ، وَلا مُضْغَةً فَرَضِيعًا ، وَلا رَضِيعًا فَفَطِيمًا ، وَلا فَطِيمًا فَشَابًّا ، كَمَا كَانَتْ هَذِهِ حَالَةُ غَيْرِهِ ، ضِدَّ قَوْلِ مَنْ زَعَمَ أَنَّ أَصْحَابَ الْحَدِيثِ حَشْوِيَّةٌ يَرْوُونَ مَا لا يَعْقِلُونَ ، وَيَحْتَجُّونَ بِمَا لا يَدْرُونَ " .
Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Allah Almighty created Sayyiduna Adam (peace be upon him) in His own image; his height was sixty cubits. When Allah Almighty created him, He said: Go and greet that group. They were angels who were sitting. Listen carefully to what they reply to you, for that will be the way of greeting for you and your descendants.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) says: Sayyiduna Adam (peace be upon him) went and said: As-salamu ‘alaykum. The angels replied by adding ‘wa rahmatullah’ (and the mercy of Allah).” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) says: Whoever enters Paradise will be of the stature of Sayyiduna Adam (peace be upon him), sixty cubits tall. After that, the stature of people continued to decrease until it reached the present situation.
(Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, says:) This is the narration with which that person became involved who does not have expertise in the knowledge of hadith, and because of this narration, he raised objections against the hadith scholars who serve the Sunnah and refute objections raised against it, and they strongly oppose anyone who violates the Sunnah. This person said: The pronoun in the word ‘image’ (sura) will either refer to Allah Almighty or to Sayyiduna Adam (peace be upon him). If it is referred to Allah Almighty, then this is disbelief, because Allah Almighty says: “There is nothing like unto Him.” If it is referred to Sayyiduna Adam (peace be upon him), then there is no benefit in the narration, because there is no doubt that all humans are in the image of Sayyiduna Adam (peace be upon him), not anyone else. If the person who holds this view were to sit alone and supplicate to his Lord, asking Him for the ability to recognize the truth and guidance—which is the straight path by adhering to the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)—then it would be appropriate for him not to object to the servants of the Sunnah regarding a hadith whose meaning he does not know. If a person does not have knowledge of something, this does not indicate that, due to his ignorance, the truth should be denied.
We say: When a narration transmitted from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is authentically established in terms of transmission, then there will be no objection or disagreement in it, nor will it abrogate the Qur’an. Rather, every narration has its own specific meaning and its own context, which the people of knowledge understand. According to us, the meaning of the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) statement, “Allah Almighty created Sayyiduna Adam (peace be upon him) in His image,” is to show the superiority of Sayyiduna Adam (peace be upon him) over all other creation, and the pronoun refers back to Sayyiduna Adam (peace be upon him). The benefit of the pronoun referring to Sayyiduna Adam (peace be upon him) is that it cannot be attributed to Allah Almighty, because our Lord is far above being likened to any of His creation. Allah Almighty has made the cause of creation something that moves and has the ability to grow, and it develops through the union of male and female. After that, the sperm from the male is transferred to the womb of the female, then it remains as congealed blood for a specified period, then it becomes a clot, then it takes shape and form, then it remains in that state for a specific time, then it emerges from its place, then comes the stage of suckling, then the stage of weaning, then there are other stages which we have already mentioned, until death comes to it. So, this is the attribute of one who moves and has the ability to grow by his nature. Allah Almighty created Sayyiduna Adam (peace be upon him) in his image, meaning that creation which was in this regard; his height was sixty cubits, but before him, there was no union of male and female, no sperm was removed from one place and settled in another, it did not turn into congealed blood or a clot of flesh, nor did it later take the form of a body. Thus, Allah Almighty clarified his superiority over all other creation by this, that he was not first in the form of a sperm, then became congealed blood, nor was he congealed blood that became a clot of flesh, nor was he a clot of flesh that reached the stage of suckling, nor was he a suckling infant that reached the stage of weaning, nor was he one weaned who later became a youth, as is the case with other humans besides Sayyiduna Adam (peace be upon him). This is contrary to the view of the person who claims that the hadith scholars hold the views of the Hashwiyyah sect, narrating things that cannot be understood and using as evidence things of which they have no knowledge.