Allah's Existence and His Transcendence

Al-Tadmuriyyah addresses the divine transcendence and elevation with particular care, because this was among the most contested questions in the theological debates of Ibn Taymiyyah's era. The text affirms that Allah is above His creation, that He is elevated (ali) over the Throne (arsh), and that the expression 'al-Rahman 'ala al-'arsh istawa' (20:5), meaning 'the Most Merciful rose above the Throne,' is to be understood as a real attribute of the divine, not as a metaphor for divine sovereignty or power as many of the later Ash'ari interpreters argued. Ibn Taymiyyah marshals an extensive array of early scholarly statements to show that the Companions and the Successors understood this verse and similar expressions in their apparent sense.

The methodological point Ibn Taymiyyah makes here is characteristic of Al-Tadmuriyyah as a whole. When the Quran and the Sunnah use language that has an apparent meaning, the burden of proof lies with those who wish to depart from that apparent meaning. The early Muslims understood 'istawa' in the context of the verse about the Throne to mean a real elevation and settling, not a metaphor. Imam Malik ibn Anas, when asked about this verse, reportedly responded: 'The istiwa is known, the how is unknown, belief in it is obligatory, and asking about it is an innovation.' Ibn Taymiyyah cites this and similar statements from the early scholars to show that his approach is not a novelty but a recovery of the original Sunni methodology.

Ibn Taymiyyah also addresses the concern that affirming divine elevation implies that Allah is in a specific location or that space contains Him. His response is that elevation is affirmed as an attribute of Allah without specifying the manner of that elevation. Just as one affirms that Allah lives without imagining a life like creaturely life, one affirms that Allah is above His creation without imagining an elevation constrained by spatial categories. The heavens and the earth and what is above them are themselves created things, and the divine elevation is above all of creation in a manner that transcends the spatial framework within which created things exist.

The Ash'ari theologians of Ibn Taymiyyah's era tended to interpret istawa as meaning 'istawla,' that is, 'took control over' or 'conquered,' understanding the verse to be a statement about divine sovereignty rather than a description of divine location. Ibn Taymiyyah argues at length that this interpretation is linguistically and contextually unjustified. The Arabic word istawla does not have the meaning ascribed to it in this context, and the word istawa when followed by the preposition 'ala' in classical Arabic usage consistently refers to rising above or being elevated over something. The Ash'ari interpretation, in his view, was motivated by a correct desire to avoid anthropomorphism but employed an incorrect method, substituting an allegorical reading for a plain one without textual justification.