Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Associate Professor of Hadith Department, Faculty of Hadith Sciences and Education, University of Quran and Hadith, Tehran, Iran.
2
M.A. in Qurʾanic Sciences and Ḥadīth, University of Qurʾan and Ḥadīth, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
The hadith of "Placing the Foot" is among the most challenging narrations in Sunni tradition, as its literal meaning appears incompatible with the principle of Divine Transcendence and negates the rejection of anthropomorphism and composition in the Divine Essence. The present study, using an analytical-critical approach, seeks a scholarly mechanism to resolve this apparent conflict with the foundations of transcendent monotheism. It examines the written origins, analyzes the text and chains of transmission, and explores the strategies scholars have employed to overcome the literal complications of this narration. This hadith has been recorded in Sunni sources since the third century AH in three different formats and four variations (extended, intermediate, abridged, and the alternative substitution of "Jabbār" for "Rabb"). However, it lacks an independent line of transmission in early Imami works, appearing only in later literature through critical or allegorical approaches. A comparison of versions reveals instability, summarization, textual corruption, and variations in key wording, all of which undermine the validity of its literal interpretation. In addressing the conflict between the literal meaning of the hadith and the foundations of transcendence, scholars have adopted two primary strategies: "Allegorical interpretation (interpreting "Foot" as metaphor, e.g., a position, a group, the people of Hell, or a manifestation of Divine Power) and total rejection (emphasizing its fabrication or irreconcilable conflict with definitive rational and scriptural foundations)." Ultimately, this article rejects the literalist (anthropomorphic) approach and offers solutions such as "Interpreting it as an allegorical expression" or "Metaphorical Interpretation" to resolve the conflict between the literal text and rational principles. By critiquing both approaches and dismissing the literalist (anthropomorphism-centered) reading, the study concludes that resolving the conflict between the literal text and definitive religious principles is only possible through metaphorical or allegorical interpretation.
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