Assalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim

1. Introduction

In the world of logic and philosophy, humans often fall into two dark pits when trying to comprehend the Infinite Being. Some “ground” God too much by imagining Him like a human (Tasybih), while others “abstract” God too much as if He has no attributes and is absent (Ta’thil). Wasathiyah in aqidah is an oasis in this desert of confusion. It invites our souls to believe that Allah is near and possesses noble attributes, yet His majesty can never be equal to the limitations of creation. This is the balance that brings peace to the heart: feeling watched over without having to imagine a form.

Evidence from the Qur’an and Hadith

لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهٖ شَيْءٌ ۚ وَهُوَ السَّمِيْعُ الْبَصِيْرُ

"There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing." (QS. Asy-Syura : 11)

تَفَكَّرُوا فِي خَلْقِ اللهِ ، وَلَا تَتَفَكَّرُوا فِي اللهِ

"Reflect upon the creation of Allah, and do not reflect upon the Essence of Allah (for you will not be able to grasp it)." (HR. Abu Nu’aim)

2. Lesson and Messages

The moral message of guarding a sound aqidah is humility. If we realize that our intellect has limits in comprehending the Creator, then we should not be arrogant in judging His fellow creations. Let us not become “little gods” who feel we know best what is in others’ hearts or have the right to determine someone’s final destiny.

Once, a Bedouin (villager) came to the Messenger of Allah SAW and asked, "O Messenger of Allah, does our Lord laugh?" The Messenger replied, "Yes." Hearing that, the Bedouin smiled broadly and said sincerely, "Then we will never run out of good from a Lord who can laugh." Look at the purity of this faith. He did not busy himself asking how Allah laughs (Tasybih), nor did he reject the attribute (Ta’thil). He simply believed his Lord is Most Kind. This is faith that soothes.

Imagine trying to look at the sun. If you stare at it directly without protection, your eyes will go blind because it is too bright (_Tasybih_—forcing the mind to grasp the unreachable). But if you enter a pitch-dark cave and close your eyes, you will grow cold from losing the sun’s warmth (_Ta’thil_—negating God’s presence). Wasathiyah is feeling its warmth and light coming through a window crack; we know the sun exists, we feel its benefits, but we realize our eyes cannot gaze at its essence directly.

There was a man who was overly philosophical and asked a teacher, "Teacher, if Allah is unlike creation, then how does Allah hear my prayer?" The teacher answered casually, "It’s simple. Like you using a messaging app. You send a message from your phone, it reaches your friend’s phone. Do you need to become the signal or the satellite to know how the message got there? No, right? You just need to be sure you hit 'send.' It’s the same with prayer; your job is to send, Allah’s job is to answer. Don’t trouble yourself with how His heavenly satellite works!"

3. Conclusion

Dear brothers and sisters , the opposite of Wasathiyah in aqidah is Tasybih (likening) and Ta’thil (negating). Let us keep our hearts in the middle: affirming what Allah has affirmed for Himself without likening Him to anything. That way, we worship a Lord who is real in our hearts, yet still Most Great beyond all imagination

والله أعلم بالصواب

الحمد لله رب العالمين

Wassalamu’alaikum Warahmaullahi Wabarakatuh.

ِAbu Sultan Al-Qadrie