ALLAH’S EMBODIMENT REVISITED

“Whoever claims that Allah does not speak, then he is worshipping the statues.”

“Whoever claims that You (i.e. Allah) do not speak and that You are not seen in the next life, then he is a disbeliever in Your Face and he does not know You. I bear witness that You are above the Throne above the seven heavens, unlike what the enemies of Allah, the zandiqah say (i.e. that Allah is everywhere or similar).”

“Al-Iman is in speech and deed, and it increases and decreases.”

“We can narrate the words of the Jews and Christians, but we cannot narrate the words of the Jahmiyyah.”

“We know our Lord is above the seven heavens upon the Throne separated from His creation bi hadd (by a border). And we do not say like the Jahmiyyah (that He is) right here.”

“Did Muhammad see his Lord?”

“He saw Him upon a Kursi (Footstool) of gold being held by four angels; an angel in the form of a man, an angel in the form of a lion, an angel in the form of a bull and an angel in the form of an eagle, in a green garden and beside it was a mattress of gold.” …

“A caller will call before the shout: ‘O people, the Hour has come to you.’ So the living and the dead will hear it.’ He (‘bn ‘Abbas) said: “And Allah will descend to the lowest heaven and a caller will call:

“To whom belongs the Dominion today? To Allah the One, the Subduer.” (Ghafir 40:16)…

“And he verily saw Him in another descent.” (An-Najm 53:13)

“He saw some greatness pf his Lord, so are you doubting O ‘Abbad?”

“Do you want me to say that he saw Him? Verily he saw Him, and again (I say) he saw Him and again (I say) he saw him.”

“In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said,

‘Holy, Holy, Holy, is Yahweh of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory.’

“And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called out, while the house of God was filling with smoke. Then I said,

‘Woe is me, for I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, Yahweh of hosts.’

“Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. And he touched my mouth with it and said, ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is atoned for.’

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’ He said, ‘Go, and tell this people:

“Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not know.”

“‘Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim, Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their hearts, And return and be healed.’” Isaiah 6:1-10 Legacy Standard Bible (LSB)

“Now it happened in the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was by the river Chebar among the exiles, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. ² (On the fifth of the month in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s exile, the word of Yahweh came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and there the hand of Yahweh came upon him.)

“Then I looked, and behold, a storm wind was coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing forth continually and a bright light all around it, and in its midst something like the gleam of glowing metal in the midst of the fire. And within it there were figures with the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man. And each of them had four faces and four wings. And their legs were straight, and their feet were like a calf’s hoof, and they sparkled like the gleam of burnished bronze.And under their wings on their four sides were hands of a man. As for the faces and wings of the four of them,their wings touched one another; their faces did not turn as they went; each went straight forward. And as for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man; all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left, and all four had the face of an eagle. And such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above; each had two touching another being, and two covering their bodies.And each went straight forward; wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they went. As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches going back and forth among the living creatures. The fire was bright, and lightning was flashing from the fire.mAnd the living creatures ran to and fro with the appearance of lightning.

“Then I looked at the living creatures, and behold, there was one wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, for each of the four of them. The appearance of the wheels and their workmanship was like the gleam of beryl, and all four of them had the same likeness, their appearance and workmanship being as if one wheel were within another. Whenever they went, they went in any of their four directions without turning as they went. And as for their rims, they were lofty and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were full of eyes all around. And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them. And when the living creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose also. Wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go in that direction, where the spirit was about to go. And the wheels rose alongside of them; for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. Whenever those went, these went; and whenever those stood still, these stood still. And whenever those rose from the earth, the wheels rose close beside them; for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

“Now over the heads of the living creatures there was something with the likeness of an expanse, like the awesome gleam of crystal, spread out over their heads above. And underneath the expanse their wings were stretched out straight, one toward the other; each one also had two wings covering its body on the one side and on the other. I also heard the sound of their wings like the sound of many waters as they went, like the sound of the Almighty, a sound of tumult like the sound of an army camp; whenever they stood still, they dropped their wings. And there came a sound from above the expanse that was over their heads; whenever they stood still, they dropped their wings.

“Now above the expanse that was over their heads there was something in the likeness of a throne, like sapphire stone in appearance; and upon the likeness of the throne, high up, was the likeness of one with the appearance of a man. Then I saw from the appearance of His loins and upward something like the gleam of glowing metal with the appearance of fire all around within it, and from the appearance of His loins and downward I saw something with the appearance of fire; and there was a radiance all around Him. As the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the radiance all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of Yahweh. And I saw this, and I fell on my face and heard a sound of a voice speaking.” Ezekiel 1:1-28 LSB– Cf. 2:1-10; 10:1-20

“After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.’ Immediately I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance. 

“Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and upon those thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads. And out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

“And before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. And the first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within, and day and night they do not cease to say,

‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.’

“And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

‘Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.’” Revelation 4:1-11 LSB