Overview
Tanzih
Quick Reference
Doctrine of divine exemption according to which God is unique and in no way like anything created. The basis of the prohibition of anthropomorphism (tashbih). Sufis interpret the doctrine as necessitating that one purge oneself of all images and preconceived notions about God in order to allow mystical experience to fully reveal God. This doctrine is linked to the concept of tawhid and formed the basis for the eighteenth-century Sufi concentration on union with the spirit of Muhammad, rather than God, since union between two unlikes is considered impossible (although some early mystics had claimed that such communion was possible due to the special relationship between creator and created).
From: Tanzih in The Oxford Dictionary of Islam »
Subjects: Religion
