forearm by half its length or by its full length again. It is therefore not literally his forearm, but a measure he has established, which is then attributed to the one who established it. Know this. In the language, “the Compeller” also means a great king, and so forth.
(Interpreting) the Foot
“The Compeller places His foot in it.” “Foot” means the bodily member. But one also says, “So-and-so has a foot in this affair,” meaning a firm standing. “Foot” also means a group of created beings, in which case the foot is an attribution. “The compeller” may also be a king, and this foot would then belong to that king, since a bodily member is impossible for God, Most High and Majestic.
(Interpreting Istiwāʾ)
Istiwāʾ also applies to settling, turning toward, and gaining mastery. Settling is an attribute of bodies, so it cannot apply to God Most High unless understood in the sense of firmness. Turning toward something means willing it, and will is an attribute of perfection. He says: “Then He turned toward the heaven” [al-Baqarah 2:29], meaning that He directed His intention toward it; and “He rose over the Throne” [al-Aʿraf 7:54], meaning that He gained mastery:
Bishr has gained mastery over Iraq
Without a sword or blood being shed.
(How to Turn from Likeness to Transcendence in a Manner Befitting the Real, Most High)
The reports and verses are many; among them are sound and unsound reports, and every report admits some meaning affirming transcendence. If you wish to make this easier for yourself, take the expression that suggests likeness, extract its function and spirit, or what results from it, and apply that to the Real,
Notes
Translator’s note TN380-1: Dhiraʿ, discussed across the preceding page and this one, means both a forearm and the cubit measured by it. Istiwāʾ is retained as the term whose different meanings the author distinguishes. In the alternative reading of “foot” as a group, the possessive expresses an attribution of that group to God.
