Quranic literalism

Qur'anic literalism is the belief that the verses of the Qur'an, particularly those related to the names and attributes of God (Arabic: الله‎ Allāh), should be taken at their apparent meaning rather than employing figurative interpretation. An example would be the belief that Allah has literal hands; the Qur'an mentions specifically that Allah created man with his two hands. The difference of opinion arises when reconciling the attribute with the statement that Allah is unlike the creation. According to this methodology, this is done by affirming the apparent meaning and negating the similarity to creation. Precisely how Allah's attributes function are not elaborated upon and left as part of the Al-Ghaib. This is otherwise known the concept of bi-la kaifa.

Controversy

Literalism has been a source of disagreement within the Muslim community for centuries, with the debate over it continuing today. In the past many prominent Islamic scholars such as Ibn Taymiyyah and Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab were proponents of it, in addition to modern day scholars such as Abd al-Aziz ibn Abd Allah ibn Baaz. It has been a primary area of contention between Shi'as, Sunnis who follow Kalam, and those who follow Salafism.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Qur'an reading
• Zahiri
• Islamic fundamentalism