The Hadith about the Qadam and Hellfire

From another ambiguous hadith[1], the Wahhabiyys say that Allah will put His foot in Hellfire:

حَتَّى يَضَعَ رَبُّ الْعِزَّةِ قَدَمَهُ

“Until the Lord of Might and Glory puts His ‘Qadam’ …”

Let Al-Hafidh An-Nawawiyy do the talking[2]:

هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ مِنْ مَشَاهِيرِ أَحَادِيثِ الصِّفَاتِ وَقَدْ سَبَقَ مَرَّاتٍ بَيَانُ اخْتِلَافِ الْعُلَمَاءِ فِيهَا عَلَى مَذْهَبَيْنِ

This hadith is among the famous hadiths of Attributes, and the difference between the scholars concerning the two ways of explaining has already been mentioned repeatedly:

أَحَدُهُمَا وَهُوَ قَوْلُ جُمْهُورِ السَّلَفِ وطائفة من المتكلمين أنه لا يتكلم فِي تَأْوِيلِهَا، بَلْ نُؤْمِنُ أَنَّهَا حَقٌّ عَلَى مَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ وَلَهَا مَعْنَى يَلِيقُ بِهَا وَظَاهِرُهَا غَيْرُ مُرَادٍ

The first is the way of most of the Salaf, and some of the theologians[3]; that its meaning should not be spoken about, rather that we believe that it is true according to what Allah willed, that it has a befitting meaning, and that the apparent meaning is not intended.

وَالثَّانِي وَهُوَ قَوْلُ جُمْهُورِ الْمُتَكَلِّمِينَ أَنَّهَا تُتَأَوَّلُ بِحَسَبِ مَا يَلِيقُ بِهَا فَعَلَى هَذَا اخْتَلَفُوا فِي تَأْوِيلِ هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ

The second, which is the saying of most of the theologians, is that it is interpreted according to what is befitting, and according to that, they have differed about the meaning of this hadith.

فَقِيلَ الْمُرَادُ بِالْقَدَمِ هُنَا الْمُتَقَدِّمُ وَهُوَ شَائِعٌ فِي اللُّغَةِ وَمَعْنَاهُ حَتَّى يَضَعَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فِيهَا مَنْ قَدَّمَهُ لَهَا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْعَذَابِ

It was said that what is meant by “qadam” in this case is the “mutaqaddim (that which is advanced; brought to the forefront)”, which is widespread in the language. Then the meaning would be: ‘until Allah the Exalted puts in [Hell] those whom He has put forward for it among the people of torture.

وَأَمَّا الرِّوَايَةُ الَّتِي فِيهَا يَضَعُ اللَّهُ فِيهَا رِجْلَهُ فَقَدْ زَعَمَ الْإِمَامُ أَبُو بَكْرِ بْن فَوْرَكَ أَنَّهَا غَيْرُ ثَابِتَةٍ عِنْدَ أَهْلِ النَّقْلِ وَلَكِنْ قَدْ رَوَاهَا مُسْلِمٌ وَغَيْرُهُ فَهِيَ صَحِيحَةٌ وَتَأْوِيلُهَا كَمَا سَبَقَ فِي الْقَدَمِ وَيَجُوزُ أَيْضًا أَنْ يُرَادَ بِالرِّجْلِ الْجَمَاعَةُ مِنَ النَّاسِ كَمَا يُقَالُ رِجْلٌ مِنْ جَرَادٍ أَيْ قِطْعَةٌ مِنْهُ

As for the narration in which there is: “Allah puts His ‘Rijl’ in it”, Imam Abu Bakr Ibn Furak claimed that it is not confirmed to the people of transmission. However, Muslim and others narrated it, so it is authentic, and its explanation is like what preceded concerning the “qadam”, and it is valid also that what would be meant by ‘rijl’ is “a group of people”, just as it is said: a “rijl of locusts”, meaning a swarm of them.

قَالَ الْقَاضِي أَظْهَرُ التَّأْوِيلَاتِ أَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ اسْتَحَقُّوهَا وَخُلِقُوا لَهَا

The Judge said: the most likely of explanations is that they are a people deserving of Hell and who were created for it.

قَالُوا ولابد مِنْ صَرْفِهِ عَنْ ظَاهِرِهِ لِقِيَامِ الدَّلِيلِ الْقَطْعِيِّ الْعَقْلِيِّ عَلَى اسْتِحَالَةِ الْجَارِحَةِ عَلَى اللَّهُ تَعَالَى

They said: “There is no alternative to diverting it from its apparent meaning because of the definitive mental evidence against the impossibility of a limb for Allah – Exalted is He.”

[That is the end of what is copied about this from Al-Hafidh An-Nawawiyy.]

We close this section with the profound Saying of God [Surah Al-Ambiya` (S21), Ayah 99]:

which means: Had those (idols) been worthy of worship, they would not have come to Hell.

Sharh An-Nawawiyy ^Ala Sahih Muslim, Volume 17, Page 266-267:


[1] [Al-Bukhariyy. Sahih Al-Bukhariyy. Volume 8. Page 134. Hadith Number 6661.

Muslim. Sahih Muslim. Volume 4. Page 2187. Hadith Number 2848.]

[2] [An-Nawawiyy. Sharh An-Nawawiyy. Volume 17. Page 266-267.]

https://archive.org/details/waq13422/17_13430/page/n266/mode/2up

[3] The Mutakallimun; Sunni theologians.