The emergence of contemporary Salafi school in the mainstream Muslims is
intended to make the Ahl al-Salaf as the primary models of faith and to return the
related problems of faith according to the path taken by the companions and tabi‘in,
which had been quoted only from the al-Quran and al-Sunnah. These stances left
great influences on their method of interpretations upon the Quranic verses
including the Ayat al-Sifat (verses on Divine Attributes) and condemning others out
of the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama‘ah. Therefore this research is intended to identify
responses of Muslim figures and scholars against the Contemporary Salafi School’s
stances and their method of interpretations on Ayat al-Sifat. In addition, this
research is also intended to explain the views of the majority of scholars on the
conceptual and methods of interpretation of Ayat al-Sifat adopted by the Ahl alSunnah wa al-Jama‘ah. The paper is produced with the synthesization of content
analysis that focuses on published works by selected Contemporary Salafi school
figures and other muslim scholars and also relevant contemporary researchers in
relation to these issues of Ayat al-Sifat and its methods of interpretations. The results
of this research found that most scholars do not accept the method of literal
interpretations on Ayat al-Sifat proclaimed by Contemporary Salafi School due to
the existence of two catogeries ofthe Quranic verses, which are known as Wadih Jalli
and Khafi Mutashabih or Mutashabih al-Sifat. In certain cases, the method of 'ta’wil'
is highly needed to clarify the meaning of Ayat al-Sifat so easily understood by
human intellect and at the same time to purify Allah the almighty from signs of
weaknesses and resemblance. The extreme acts from Contemporary Salafi School in
defending their methods of interpretations make them an 'exclusive' school which
separated themselves from other muslims, and limit the diversity of the methods of
interpretations enabled by the majority of mufassirin.