Bila Kayf

Bi-la kayf ( Arabic: بلا كيف) is an Arabic phase roughly translated as "without asking how." It addresses the theological problem in Islam of how to deal with verses in the Qur'an that refer to Allah as having human characteristics, i.e. the Hand of Allah or the Face of Allah. These verses are problematic because they give Allah human characteristics, something which is contrary to the Islamic concept of Allah as being transcendental. The term was first used by Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari in his development of a theological system that would resolve some of the paradoxes in Mu'tazilah thought. Instead of explaining how Allah can have a face, which would anthropomorphize Allah, or explaining the verses as metaphorical, which would cast doubt on the literalness of the Qur'an, the verse are simply accepted as they are, without asking how or why. The central position was that of those who said the terms were to be taken neither literally nor metaphorically but bi-la kayf ("without how"), i.e. without specifying their manner or modality, or, as it was sometimes expressed, "in the sense in which God intended them" when He used them in the kur'an. It was emphasized that God was not corporeal and not material, and those who held that view were sometimes called Mudjassima. From the 5th/11th century onwards the followers of al-Ash`ari and other orthodox theologians, but not the Hanabila, largely abandoned bi-la kayf and accepted metaphorical interpretations of anthropomorphic terms." [1]

The Arabic phrase bi-la kayfa ( Arabic: بلا كيف) is roughly translated as "without asking how." It addresses the theological problem in Islam of how to deal with verses in the Qur'an that refer to God ( Allāh ) as having human characteristics such as the "Hand of God" or the "Face of God." These verses are problematic because they give God human characteristics, something which is contrary to the Islamic concept of God as being transcendental as evident in the Quranic verse "There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing." Surat Ash-Shūraá 42:11

The Arabic phrase bilā kayfa , also bilā kaifa , ( ) is roughly translated as "without asking how", or "without how" which means without modality. It was a way of resolving theological problems in Islam over apparent questioning in āyāt (verses of the Qurʻan ) by accepting without questioning. An example is the apparent contradiction between references to God having human characteristics (such as the "hand of God" or the "face of God") and the concept of God as being transcendental . The position of attributing actual hands or an actual face to God was known in Arabic as ملجمة mujassimah "corporealist" or مشبه mušabbih "anthropomorphist". Another was the question of how the Qurʻan could be both the word of God, but never have been created by God because (as many hadith testified) it has always existed. A Journey Through Shari'a Law from the Deserts of Ancient Arabia to the Streets of the Modern Muslim World .

Arabic phrase "Quranic literalism" and "Islamic literalism" redirect here. The Arabic phrase Bila Kayf , also pronounced as Bila Kayfa , ( Arabic : بلا كيف , romanized : bi-lā kayfa , lit. ' with-no (without) how ' ) is roughly translated as "without asking how", "without knowing how", or "without modality" and refers to the belief that the verses of the Qur'an with an "unapparent meaning" should be accepted as they have come without saying how they are meant or what is meant, i.e. not attributing a specific meaning to them. Literally, the phrase is translated as "without how" but figuratively as "in a manner that suits His majesty and transcendence". Bila Kayf was a way of resolving theological problems in Islam in āyāt (verses of the Quran ) by accepting without questioning. This approach was applied to a variety of questions in Islamic theology , including on traditions relating to the anthropomorphism and corporealism of God , as well as on others involved in the doctrine of the Createdness of the Quran . Muslim Identities: An Introduction to Islam . Children of Abraham: An Introduction to Judaism for Muslims . A Journey Through Shari'a Law from the Deserts of Ancient Arabia to the Streets of the Modern Muslim World . The Concept of God in Judaic, Christian and Islamic Traditions: Representing the Unrepresentable .