Part 19

But at the same time, we affirm that Allah, the Most High encompasses all things, and that nothing among His created things encompasses Him, and that He is Independent of His creation, and He does not need anything from His created beings. We also hold that it is not permissible for a believer to deviate from what is proven by the Book (of Allah) and the Sunnah, in favor of the opinion of any person, whoever it may be, as we have said in the evidences which we mentioned at the beginning of this answer.

As for their saying that Allah, the Most High is in the heart of the believer, there is no evidence for this, neither in the Book of Allah nor in the Sunnah of His Messenger # nor in the sayings of any of the righteous Salaf, as far as we are aware. It is also completely false, for if it was meant by it that Allah, the Most * High is present in the heart of the creature, then it is definitely false, because Allah, the Most High is Greater and Mightier than that. And very astonishing that a person should flee from the idea of Allah, the Most High being above the heavens,

Fatawa Arkanul-Islam 128 PeY! vist sats

which is proven by the Book (of Allah) and the Sunnah, then he accept something for which there is no evidence in the Book (of Allah) and the Sunnah, which is this claim that Allah, the Most High is in the heart of the believer, although there is not a single letter in the Book (of Allah) or the Sunnah to prove that.

But if what was meant by saying that Allah, the Most High is in the heart of the believing worshipper was that he always remembers his Lord in his heart, then this is true, but it should be phrased in such a way as to prove the true manner of it, and to negate the false meaning. So, it should be said, for example: The remembrance of Allah is always in the heart of the believing worshipper. But what is apparent from the words of the one who says that, is that he wants to replace the belief that Allah, the Most High is above the heavens with this false belief. With this meaning, it is false, as we have said.

So, the believer must beware of rejecting what is proven by the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger # and which the Salaf have agreed upon unanimously, in favor of general and obscure interpretations which are open to both correct and false meanings. He must hold fast to the path of the foremost of those who embraced Islam among the Muhajirun''! and the Ansar,*} so that he may be included in the Words of Allah, the Most High:

a PAKS ed sae es 2 Ate eA JONG nil & SINT 322th} 6S SGN GE os oie ATS ie ss pe te bores ae eee aw esl Sah 5 IG ") Muhajirun: The Muslims of Makkah who fled from the persecution inflicted upon them by the pagans of Quraish to the sanctuary of AlMadinah. 1 Ansar: The Muslim of Al-Madinah, who welcomed and supported the

migrants from Makkah (the Muhajirun) upon their arrival in AlMadinah.

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“And the foremost to embrace Islam of the Muhajirun (those who migrated from Makkah to Al-Madinah) and the Ansar (the citizens of Al-Madinah who helped and gave aid to the Muhajirun) and also those who followed them exactly (in Faith) Allah is well-pleased with them as they are well-pleased with Him. He has prepared for them Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise), to dwell therein forever. That is the supreme success,"

May Allah make us all among them, and may He grant us all Mercy from Him, verily, He is the Bestower.

Q. 33. Is the interpretation of Allah’s Istawa over His Throne to mean His Exaltedness in a manner befitting His Majesty, the interpretation of the righteous Salaf?

A. The interpretation of Allah, the Most High’s Istawa over His Throne to mean that He is above His Throne in a manner befitting His Majesty is the interpretation of the righteous Salaf.

Ibn Jarir (At-Tabari), the Imam of the scholars of Tafsir said in his Tafsir: Among the meanings of the word Istawa are: elevation and ascension, as in the saying of a person: So-and-so Istawa on. his bed.

And he said in his explanation of the Words of Allah, the Most High: sich gol BSD

“The Most Gracious (Allah) rose over (Istawa) the (Mighty)

Throne (in a manner that suits His Majesty).’"*! He, Glorified is the mention of His Name, says: ‘The Most

, Beneficent Istawa over His Throne.’ (That is,) He has Ascended

and Risen. And nothing has been transmitted from the Salaf that contradicts this.

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What he means is that Istawa linguistically is used in different ways:

1. That it is unlimited and not restricted, so its meaning would be: completeness and perfection, such as in the Words of Allah, the Most High:

‘And when he attained his full strength, and was perfect (in manhood),’""!

2. That it is combined with the letter Wauw, (which means ‘and’) so that its meaning would be: to be equal or to be equivalent, as in the people's saying: The water and the step are at the same level.

3. That it is combined with the word Ila (which means ‘to’), so that its meaning would be: objective, as in the Words of Allah, the Most High:

“Then He rose over (Istawa) towards the heaven.’'*!

4. That it is combined with the word ‘Ala (on, over), in which case, its meaning would be: elevation and ascension, as in the Words of Allah, the Most High:

“The Most Gracious (Allah) rose over (Istawa) the (Mighty) Throne (in a manner that suits His Majesty).\?!

Some of the Salaf held the view that Istawa combined with Ila is the same as Istawa combined with ‘Ala, in which case, the meaning would be: ascension and elevation. And some of them

OT Al-Qasas 28:14 '2) Al-Bagarah 2:29

held that Istawa combined with ‘Ala means: to go up and to be established.

As for its being interpreted as meaning sitting, Ibn Al-Qayyim has transmitted in As-Sawa‘iq (4:1303), from Kharijah bin Mus‘ab regarding the Words of Allah, the Most High:

“The Most Gracious (Allah) rose over (Istawa) the (Mighty) Throne (in a manner that suits His Majesty).""")

He said: And is there any Istawa without sitting? And the mention of sitting has been mentioned in a Hadith narrated by Imam Ahmad, on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, in a Marfu’?! form. And Allah knows better.

Q. 34. Your Eminence, the Shaikh, You have said regarding Allah’s Istawa over His Throne: It is a specific Exaltedness over the Throne, befitting the Majesty of Allah, the Most High and His Greatness; would Your Eminence be so kind as to clarify this?

A. We mean by our saying regarding Allah’s Istawa over His Throne: It is a specific Exaltedness over the Throne in a manner befitting the Majesty of Allah, the Most High and His Greatness that it is an Elevation which is unique to Him, over the Throne, and it is not the general elevation common to all created beings. For which reason, it is not correct to say that He has ascended over the created things, or over the heavens, or over the earth, although He is exalted above all created things, exalted above the heavens, exalted over the earth and so on.

'2) Marfu’: A chain of narrators that narrate a statement from the Prophet

As for the Throne, we say: Verily, Allah, the Most High is exalted over His Throne, and He has ascended over His Throne; so His Istiwa’ is more specific than general ‘Uluww (Exaltedness). This is why Allah’s Istawa over His Throne is one of His Attributes of Action, related to His Will, as opposed to His ‘Uluww, which is one of His Essential Attributes which is inseparable from Him.

Shaikhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, has clarified something similar to what we have said, in his explanation of the Hadith of (Allah’s) Descent on page 522, vol. 5 of Majmu’ Al-Fatawa, in the collection of Ibn Qasim: And if it was said: ‘If His Istawa over the Throne took place only after creating the heavens and the earth in six days, then before that, He was not Above the Throne.’ It would be said (in reply): The Istawa (of Allah) is a specific kind of ‘Uluww, for everything which ascends over something is elevated over it, but not everything which is elevated over something has ascended over it. This is why it is not said of everything that is elevated over something else that it has ascended over it. But everything about which it is said that it has ascended over something else is elevated over it. The meaning of this is clear and complete.

As for our saying: in a manner befitting His Majesty and His Greatness, what is meant by it is that His Istawa over His Throne, like the rest of His Attributes, is in a manner befitting His Majesty and His Greatness and it does not resemble the Istawa of the created beings, for it pertains to the manner of this Istawa, because attributes are related to the thing described by them. So just as Allah, the Most High has a Self which does not resemble the self of others, so His Attributes do not resemble the attributes of others:

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“There is nothing like Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-

Seer.!"] There is nothing like Him in His Self, nor in His Attributes. This is why Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, said, when he was asked about the manner of the Istawa: The Istawa is not unknown, but the manner of it is not understood, to believe in it is an obligation, and to ask about it is an innovation. This is the rule for all of the Attributes, for they are confirmed for Allah, the Most High, as He has confirmed them for Himself in a manner befitting Him, without corrupting the meaning, without denial, without explaining how it is and without comparison.

This clarifies the meaning of the statement that the Istawa over the Throne is a specific type of Exaltedness over the Throne, which is unique to Him. Because the general exaltedness is confirmed for Allah, the Almighty, the All-Powerful before the creation of the heavens and the earth, at the time of their creation and after their creation, because it is one of His Essential and Intrinsic Attributes, like His Hearing, His Seeing, His Omnipotence, His Power and the like, as opposed to His Istawa.