Abul-Qasim al-Taymi al-Isfahani al-Shafi’i (457- 535 H) was a major authority of Ahlus-Sunnah, one of the Shuyukh of al-Ibn al-Sam’ani. He studied in Isfahan (Sunni stronghold in pre-Rafidi-Safawi Persia) and amongst his teacher was a female, ‘Aishah bint al-Hassan al-Warkaniyyah al-Isfahaniyyah, a praised and reliable transmitter of Hadith. He also studied in Baghdad (Iraq), Nayshabur (Persia, Khorasan), and Ray (modern-day Tehran). He was buried in Isfahan (the graves of many classical Sunni scholars that exist all over Iran were desecrated by the anti-Sunni Rafidhi Twelver Shia Safavid empire and its spiritual descendants).

Imam Nawawi mentions him in his Siyar A’lam al-Nubala`:

الإمام العلامة الحافظ ، شيخ الإسلام ، أبو القاسم ، إسماعيل بن محمد بن الفضل بن علي بن أحمد بن طاهر القرشي التيمي ، ثم الطلحي الأصبهاني الملقب بقوام السنة ، مصنف كتاب ” الترغيب والترهيب ” .

مولده في سنة سبع وخمسين وأربعمائة .

The Imam, the ‘Allamah, the Hafidh, Shaykh al-Islam, Abul-Qasim, Isma’il ibn Muhammad ibn al-Fadhl ibn ‘Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Tahir al-Qurashi al-Taymi al-Talhi (i.e. of Arab descent) known as ‘Qawwam al-Sunnah’ (the establisher of the Sunnah), the author of ‘al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib’.

Al-Nawawi continues by mentioning that Abul-Qasim al-Tamimi al-Isfahani al-Shafi’i was a master of the Arabic language (unlike the Rafidi clerics and zanadiqah of Isfahan and Qom today).

قال أبو موسى المديني : أبو القاسم إسماعيل الحافظ إمام أئمة وقته ، وأستاذ علماء عصره ، وقدوة أهل السنة في زمانه

وقال عبد الجليل كوتاه : سمعت أئمة بغداد يقولون : ما رحل إلى بغداد بعد الإمام أحمد أفضل ولا أحفظ من إسماعيل .

‘Abu Musa al-Madini said: Abul-Qasim, the Hafidh, the Imam of the Imams of his time, and the teacher of the scholars of his time, a role model for Ahlus-Sunnah during his era …’

[Siyar A’lam al-Nubala`]

Qawwam al-Sunnah, Abul-Qasim  al-Isfahani al-Shafi’i  creed regarding the attributes of Allah

وسُئل عن صفات الرب تعالى فقال: «مذهب مالك، والثوري، والأوزاعي، والشافعي، وحماد ابن سلمة، وحماد بن زيد، وأحمد، ويحيى بن سعيد القطان، وعبد الرحمن بن مهدي، وإسحاق بن راهويه، أن صفات الله التي وصف بها نفسه، ووصفه بها رسوله، من السمع، والبصر، والوجه، واليدين، وسائر أوصافه، إنما هي على ظاهرها المعروف المشهور، من غير كيف يتوهم فيها، ولا تشبيه ولا تأويل، قال ابن عيينة: «كل شيء وصف الله به نفسه فقراءته تفسيره» ثم قال: أي هو على ظاهره لا يجوز صرفه إلى المجاز بنوع من التأويل.»

Abul-Qasim Isma’il al-Isfahani was asked about the attributes of the Rabb, ta’ala, to which he responded:

‘The Madhhab of Malik, al-Thawri, al-Awza’i, al-Shafi’i, Hammad b. Salamah, Hammad b. Zayd, Ahmad (ibn Hanbal), Yahya b. Sa’id al-Qattan, Abd al-Rahman b. Mahdi and Ishaq b. Rahawayh is that the attributes of Allah, the ones by which he described His Self and by which His Messenger (ﷺ) described Him with from the Hearing (السمع), the Seeing (البصر), the Face (الوجه), the Two Hands (اليدين) and the rest of His attributes than they are to be taken upon their well known and famous apparent meanings (‘ala dhâhiriha al-ma’rûf al-mashhûr), without suggesting a how-ness for them and without tashbih (to resemble Allah with the creation) and ta`wil (reinterpreting the attributes of Allah). Ibn ‘Uyayna said: “Everything by which Allah described Himself with then its recitation is its explanation (tafsir).” Abul-Qasim says then commenting upon Ibn ‘Uyayna’s saying: “That means the attributes have to be taken on their apparent meaning and it is not permissible to interpret (ta`wil) as metaphors and figurative meanings (majaz).”

[Al-‘Uluww in its Mukhtasar version p. 282 by Imam Dhahabi]

And here a primary source, a book written by Qawwam al-Sunnah al-Isfahani himself where after mentioning a number of Quranic verse and Ahadith regarding the Sifat (attributes) of Allah, ‘azza wa jall, he says:

وقال بعد ذكر مجموعة من الآيات والأحاديث في صفات الله عز وجل
:فهذا وأمثاله مما صح نقله عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم،

فإن مذهبنا فيه ومذهب السلف إثباته وإجراؤه على ظاهره، ونفي الكيفية والتشبيه عنه وقد نفى قوم الصفات فأبطلوا ما أثبته الله تعالى، وتأولها قوم على خلاف الظاهر فخرجوا من ذلك إلى ضرب من التعطيل والتشبيه، والقصد إنما هو سلوك الطريقة المتوسطة بين الأمرين، لأن دين الله تعالى بين الغالي والمقصر عنه. والأصل في هذا أن الكلام في الصفات فرع على الكلام في الذات، وغثبات الله تعالى إنما هو إثبات وجود لا إثبات كيفية، فكذلك إثبات صفاته إنما هو إثبات وجود لا إثبات كيفية، فإذا قلنا يد، وسمع، وبصر، ونحوها، فإنما هي صفات أثبتها الله لنفسه ولم يقل: معنى اليد: القوة، ولا معنى السمع والبصر: العلم والإدراك. ولا نشبهها بالأيدي والأسماع والأبصار، ونقول إنما وجب إثباتها لأن الشرع ورد بها، ووجب نفي التشبيه عنها لقوله تعالى:{لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ}، كذلك قال علماء السلف في أخبار الصفات: أمروها كما جـاءت. فإن قيل: فكيف يصح الإيمان بما لا يحيط علمنا بحقيقته؟ أو كيف يتعاطى وصف شيء لا درك له في عقولنا؟

[الحجة في بيان المحجة وشرح عقيدة أهل السنة]

‘This and other [narrations] have been authentically narrated from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and our Madhhab with regards to that (the attributes of Allah) is the Madhhab of the Salaf which is to affirm them and the take them upon their apparent meanings (‘ala dhâhirihâ) and negating how-ness (modality) to them and Tashbih (likening Allah to the creation). A group of people has rejected the attributes [of Allah] and thus has canceled what Allah has affirmed for Himself. Another group has interpreted (the attributes) based on something other than their apparent meanings and ended up in al-Ta’til (nullification of the attributes) and al-Tashbih (likening Allah to the creation).

And the aim (of Ahlus-Sunnah) is to be upon the middle-path between the two [extremes], this is because the religion of Allah, ta’ala, stands in the middle between the Ghali (extremist/exaggerator) and Muqassir (deficient in religion).

Cause the speech with regards to the attributes is part of speech concerning the essence (i.e. Allah); and the affirmation of the essence is the affirmation of its existence, not its how-ness. Likewise is the affirmation of the attributes.

So when we say hand, hearing, seeing, and such, it is because these are attributes that Allah has affirmed for Himself; He did not say: the meaning of the hand is power, or that the meaning of the hearing and the seeing is knowledge and awareness. Or how to describe something in our minds that is inconceivable?

And we do not compare them (i.e. Allah’s hand, face, and hearing) with the hands, hearing and seeing (of the creation); we say that what is wajib (compulsory) to affirm them, because they have been established in the Shar’, and it is imperative to negate al-Tashbih (likening Allah to the creation), due to His statement: {There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer. } [42:11]; this is what the scholars of the Salaf said in relation to the reports of the attributes (of Allah): “Pass them (narrations) on as they came .”

Source:

Al-Hujjah fi Bayan al-Mahajjah, 1/288-289]