What Is the Tawhidic Mystery Behind the Qur’an’s Combining of Anthropomorphic Language and Transcendence?

Anthropomorphism serves as a staff for human thought and reason, enabling them to rise and set out on the journey toward God, step by step along the path of transcendence. In other words, anthropomorphism is a bridge to cross before boarding the vessel of transcendence.

From another perspective, anthropomorphic passages fall within the category of ambiguous verses, which must ultimately be referred back to the clear ones.

Āl ʿImrān 3:7 هُوَ الَّذي أَنْزَلَ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتابَ مِنْهُ آياتٌ مُحْكَماتٌ هُنَّ أُمُّ الْكِتابِ وَ أُخَرُ مُتَشابِهاتٌ فَأَمَّا الَّذينَ في‏ قُلُوبِهِمْ زَيْغٌ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ ما تَشابَهَ مِنْهُ ابْتِغاءَ الْفِتْنَةِ وَ ابْتِغاءَ تَأْويلِهِ وَ ما يَعْلَمُ تَأْويلَهُ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَ الرَّاسِخُونَ فِي الْعِلْمِ يَقُولُونَ آمَنَّا بِهِ كُلٌّ مِنْ عِنْدِ رَبِّنا وَ ما يَذَّكَّرُ إِلاَّ أُولُوا الْأَلْبابِ
It is He who has sent down to you the Book. Some of its verses are clear and decisive; they are the foundation of the Book, while others are ambiguous. Those whose hearts are inclined to deviation pursue what is ambiguous in it, seeking to cause discord and to impose their own interpretation. Yet none knows its interpretation except God and those firmly grounded in knowledge. They say, “We believe in it; all of it is from our Lord.” But only those possessed of reason take heed.

َ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحِيمِ بْنِ عَتِيكٍ الْقَصِيرِ قَالَ: كَتَبْتُ عَلَى يَدَيْ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ بْنِ أَعْيَنَ إِلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع أَنَّ قَوْماً بِالْعِرَاقِ يَصِفُونَ اللَّهَ بِالصُّورَةِ وَ بِالتَّخْطِيطِ فَإِنْ رَأَيْتَ جَعَلَنِيَ اللَّهُ فِدَاكَ أَنْ تَكْتُبَ إِلَيَّ بِالْمَذْهَبِ الصَّحِيحِ مِنَ التَّوْحِيدِ فَكَتَبَ إِلَيَّ سَأَلْتَ رَحِمَكَ اللَّهُ عَنِ التَّوْحِيدِ وَ مَا ذَهَبَ إِلَيْهِ مَنْ قِبَلَكَ فَتَعَالَى اللَّهُ الَّذِي لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْ‏ءٌ وَ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ تَعَالَى عَمَّا يَصِفُهُ الْوَاصِفُونَ الْمُشَبِّهُونَ اللَّهَ بِخَلْقِهِ الْمُفْتَرُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَاعْلَمْ رَحِمَكَ اللَّهُ أَنَّ الْمَذْهَبَ الصَّحِيحَ فِي التَّوْحِيدِ مَا نَزَلَ بِهِ الْقُرْآنُ مِنْ صِفَاتِ اللَّهِ جَلَّ وَ عَزَّ فَانْفِ عَنِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى الْبُطْلَانَ وَ التَّشْبِيهَ فَلَا نَفْيَ وَ لَا تَشْبِيهَ هُوَ اللَّهُ الثَّابِتُ الْمَوْجُودُ تَعَالَى اللَّهُ عَمَّا يَصِفُهُ الْوَاصِفُونَ وَ لَا تَعْدُوا الْقُرْآنَ- فَتَضِلُّوا بَعْدَ الْبَيَانِ
Al-Kāfī (Islamic edition), vol. 1, p. 100

ʿAbd al-Raḥīm ibn ʿAtīq al-Qaṣīr relates: “Through the hand of ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Aʿyan, I wrote to Abū ʿAbd Allāh (Imam al-Ṣādiq, peace be upon him): ‘There are people in Iraq who describe God in terms of a face and human features. If you deem it appropriate—may God make me your ransom—please write to me about the sound doctrine of divine unity.’

“The Imam wrote to me: ‘You asked—may God have mercy on you—about divine unity and what those around you believe concerning it. Exalted is God, nothing is like Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing. He is far above the claims of those who describe Him—those who liken God to His creatures and falsely attribute things to Him.

“‘Know—may God have mercy on you—that the sound doctrine of divine unity is the one set out in the Qur’an concerning the attributes of God, Mighty and Majestic. So keep falsehood and anthropomorphism far from the exalted presence of God: neither deny His attributes altogether nor liken Him to His creatures.

“‘He is God, established and existent. Exalted is God above what those who describe Him say. Do not go beyond the Qur’an and the limits of what it says about the divine attributes, lest you stray after its clear exposition.’”