Bila Kayf

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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 what",[1] or "without modality"[2] 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.[3] Literally, the phrase is translated as "without how" but figuratively as "in a manner that suits His majesty and transcendence".[4]

Bila Kayf was a way of resolving theological problems in Islam in āyāt (verses of the Quran) by accepting without questioning.[3][5] 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.[6][7]

  1. ^ Aaron W. Hughes (2013). Muslim Identities: An Introduction to Islam. Columbia University Press. p. 193. ISBN 9780231531924.
  2. ^ Reuven Firestone (2001). Children of Abraham: An Introduction to Judaism for Muslims. KTAV Publishing House. p. 92. ISBN 9780881257205.
  3. ^ a b Kadri, Sadakat (2012). Heaven on Earth: A Journey Through Shari'a Law from the Deserts of Ancient Arabia to the Streets of the Modern Muslim World. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. p. 187. ISBN 978-1-4668-0218-6.
  4. ^ Zulfiqar Ali Shah (2012). Anthropomorphic Depictions of God: The Concept of God in Judaic, Christian and Islamic Traditions: Representing the Unrepresentable. International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT). pp. 399–400. ISBN 9781565645752.
  5. ^ Rafiabadi, Hamid Naseem (2009). The Intellectual Legacy of Ibn Taimiyah. Pinnacle Technology. p. 48. ISBN 978-1-61820-648-0.
  6. ^ Wensinck, A J (2013). The Muslim Creed: Its Genesis and Historical Development. Routledge. p. 99. ISBN 978-1-135-03009-4.
  7. ^ Rafiabadi, Hamid Naseem (2009). The Intellectual Legacy of Ibn Taimiyah. Pinnacle Technology. pp. 74–5. ISBN 978-1-61820-648-0.