How Sunni Hadiths Portray God as Curly-Haired

The main message of Islam is the belief in Tawhid. It is of utmost importance and through which all fundamentals of Islam go back to. Islam is very special for its strict belief in the pureness of absolute monotheism. Let us examine the Qur'anic views on this.

قُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ

Say, "He is Allah , [who is] One." [112:1]

This comes from the story of a Jew, who came to the Prophet (s) asking him about the genealogy of his Lord, to which Allah (swt) later revealed this.

 لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِۦ شَىْءٌۭ ۖ

There is nothing like Him. [42:11]

There is no thing that is like Allah (swt), disproving the possibility of tashbih (drawing similarities to God), for how can Allah (swt) be described like the creatures if he doesn't share similarities with them?

In spite of this, there have been sects of Islam that have allowed doctrines such as tashbih (i.e., God is similar to his creation) or tajsim (i.e., God has a body or form). The Shi'a are notorious for disassociating from such beliefs and always holding the position that Allah (swt) cannot be described with words nor be compared to his creation in any way. Our opponents may need a few moments before being able to say the same.

In a famous hadith, narrated in Ibtal Al-Tawilat, vol 1, pg. 143:

فقال: أنا الحسن بن علي بن سلمة الهمذاني، ومحمد بن علي بن مهدي، وغيرهما، قالوا: ثنا أحمد بن جعفر بن مالك، ونا أحمد بن محمد بن عبد الله بن إسحاق، واللفظ له، قال: نا سليمان بن أحمد بن أيوب، قال: نا عبد الله بن أحمد بن حنبل، قال: حدثني أبي، قال: نا الأسود بن عامر، قال: نا حماد بن سلمة، عن قتادة، عن عكرمة، عن ابن عباس، قال: قال رسول الله، صلى الله عليه وسلم: " ‌رأيت ‌ربي ‌في ‌صورة شاب أمرد، له وفرة جعد قطط، في روضة خضراء " - قال: وأبلغت أن الطبراني، قال: حديث قتادة، عن عكرمة، عن ابن عباس، عن النبي، صلى الله عليه وسلم، في الرؤية صحيح 

Narrated from Abu Al-Hassan bin Ali bin Salamah Al-Hamdani and Muhammad bin Ali bin Mahdi and others all from Ahmad bin Jaffar bin Malik and Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Ishaq they said: Sulayman Ibn Ahmad bin Ayub from Abdullah bin Ahmad bin Hanbal from my father from Al-Aswad bin Amir from Hamad bin Salamah from Qutada from Ikrima from Ibn Abbas he said that the Prophet (saws) said: “I saw my lord in the image of a hairless youth with thick curly hair, in a green garden.” 

According to this narration, the Prophet (s) literally saw Allah (swt) in the image of a curly haired boy in a green garden. We will leave the readers to make their own opinions on whether Allah (swt) is a curly haired boy spending his time in a green garden or not. As for us, the contradiction this has with the Qur'an is evidently clear. Allahu Akbar, we say Allah (swt) is devoid of all forms yet our opponents narrate that Allah (swt) has an image (صورة). 

The Qur’an says:

وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِهِۦ عِلْمًۭا

They can not limit Him through their knowledge. [20:110]

Allah cannot be limited through our knowledge, this means that Allah (swt) cannot be imagined or explained with words. If our opponents say the Prophet (saw) physically saw Allah (swt), then they are saying that he limited him through his knowledge as he was able to comprehend Allah (swt) by vision.

لَّا تُدْرِكُهُ ٱلْأَبْصَـٰرُ وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ ٱلْأَبْصَـٰرَ ۖ

Vision perceives Him not, but He perceives [all] vision. [6:103]

The Qur'an tells us Allah cannot be perceived by vision, yet here our opponents narrate they do. These people paint the Prophet (s) as saying one thing at one point, and then contradicting himself at the next. 

Ibn Taymiyyah's views on this

Ibn Taymiyyah is famous for accepting this narration and believing it, and many have blindly followed him in this pursuit. He says in his Bayan Talbis Al-Jahmiyyah, Vol. 7, pg 290:

فيتضح أنها رؤية عين كما في الحديث الصحيح المرفوع عن قتادة عن عكرمة عن ابن عباس قال قال رسول الله رأيت ربي في صورة أمرد له وفرة جعد قطط في روضة خضراء

We conclude that it was eyesight as it is in the Sahih narration from Qutadah from Ikrama from Ibn Abbas said that the Prophet said : ‘I saw my God in image of beardless (man), with long curly hair in a green garden’

How unsurprising for a man who believed Allah comes down into the earth to have such beliefs, and how even more surprising for the followers of this man express that it is the Shi'a who are upon shirk.

Our views regarding this

This belief was alive in the time of Imam al-Sadiq (as) and his thoughts on such belief is found in the following narration in Kitab al-Tawhid, Ch. 6, H. 19 and authenticated by Asif Muhseni in his Mu'jam al-Ahadith al-Mu'tabara:

ابن المتوكل، عن الحميري، عن ابن عيسى، عن ابن محبوب، عن يعقوب السراج قال: قلت لابي عبد الله عليه السلام: إن بعض أصحابنا يزعم أن لله صورة مثل الانسان وقال آخر إنه في صورة أمرد جعد قطط! فخر أبو عبد الله عليه السلام ساجدا ثم رفع رأسه فقال: سبحان الله الذي ليس كمثله شئ، ولا تدركه الابصار، ولا يحيط به علم، لم يلد لان الولد يشبه أباه، ولم يولد فيشبه من كان قبله، ولم يكن له من خلقه كفوا أحد، تعالى عن صفة من سواه علوا كبيرا

Ibn al-Mutawakkil from al-Himyari from Ibn Isa from Ibn Mahbub from Ya’qub al-Sarraj who said: I said to Abi Abdillah عليه السلام: One of our companions claims that Allah has a form like that of a human and another says that He is in the form of a beardless youth with very curly hair! Abu Abdillah عليه السلام fell down in prostration then he raised his head and said: Glory be to Allah whom there is nothing like Him. Vision cannot reach Him. Knowledge cannot encompass Him. He does not give birth to an off-spring resembling his parents. He was not born so that He could resemble one who came before Him. He will never have among His creatures any rival. Elevated is He from the description of the one who equates Him - a great elevation. 

For this we wish to conclude with Imam al-Ridha (as)'s words on this matter found in Kitab al-Kafi, H. # 259:

Imam al-Rida (as) said: 'How can a person, who brought these messages (Qur'an) to all creatures ad that it is from Allah (azwj) saying "Vision perceives Him not" and "They can't limit Him through their knowledge" and "There is nothing like Him" but then say "I saw him with my own eyes, I could limit him with my knowledge and he is similar to a man"? Should you not be ashamed of yourselves?'

It is crucial to understand that these kinds of narrations cannot be accepted. Not only because they go against the Qur'an and make no logical sense, but also because if we do then we are giving grounds for such kufri beliefs, like the Christian belief of God coming to us in the form of a human. If we do accept such a narration then how will we stand in front of Christians and criticize them about their beliefs when we endorse similar narrations?