A Critical Examination of the Leader of Ahl ul-Ḥadith’s Approach to “the Praised Place”

The unique place of the Prophet Muḥammad (SAWA) and his exclusive characteristics are agreed by all Muslims and many freethinkers of the world. Shafā’ah (intercession) with the divine permission (ethn) in the resurrection is among his places agreed by all Muslims which referred to in some Qur’anic verses. The Qur’anic verse 17: 79 is a verse that according to the majority of Muslim scholars and documented by many narrations, refer to shafā’ah and called it “the Praised Place” (Maḳaman Maḥmūdan). Nevertheless, the leaders of Ahl al-Ḥadith (the people of narrations), agreeing the view of Mudjāhid, considered the meaning of “the Praised Place” as “the sitting of the Prophet (SAWA) besides the divine Throne” and emphasizing on this position, accused the opponents by various accusations such as kufr (blasphemy). With an analytic-descriptive method and documented to authentic Islamic sources, this article examined this position and resulted in that the above mentioned view, in addition to incoherence to prophetic narrations and the belief of the great scholars, includes limitedness and body for God.