Light upon Light notes DONE!

i am finally finished with my notes you can use this link as an easy index for navigation:

http://lotaenterprises.wordpress.com/aqeedah-2-light-upon-light/

inshallah i hope you found them beneficial, and please post any comments if you have them.

Nuzool

Nuzool is one of the most controversial attributes for the people of kalam. The basis of it is a hadith which has been narrated by 39 Sahabah, and is recorded in practically every book of hadith (most notably Bukhari and Muslim).

The following is one of the narrations of it,

Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Our Lord, the Blessed and the Exalted, descends every night to the lowest heaven when one-third of the latter part of the night is left, and says: Who supplicates Me so that I may answer him? Who asks Me so that I may give to him? Who asks Me forgiveness so that I may forgive him? [Muslim]

This hadith is explicit and nothing can be understood from it except the fact that indeed it is Allah(swt) who descends and asks who is asking of HIM so that HE may forgive us.

Some of the mutakallimoon tried to argue that this means His Mercy descends and not Him. The response to this is that aside from the fact that this is ta’wil, the hadith mentions “Allah Tabaraku wa Ta’aala descends” so how could it make sense that “His Mercy the Exalted and Most High” descends?

There is an ijmaa’ of the early scholars on this issue as well. Fudayl ibn Iyaad (d. 187AH) said that if someone says I do not believe in a Lord that descends, to say I believe in a Lord that does as He wills.

This hadith as mentioned, is mutawaatir, and has hundreds of chains of narration. See again the contradiction of the people who say they will only take mutawaatir narrations in Aqeedah, and then reject this narration.

Another argument they employ is to use logic and say that it is always the last third of the night somewhere, so is Allah constantly descending? ibn Taymiyyah responded to this by saying that this is a perfect example of the methodology of the people of kalam. Time and space are both created, so how can they try to confine the Creator who is far above time and space to these restrictions?

Ma’iyyah and Qurb

Ma’iyyah means to ‘be with’ and Qurb means ‘closeness’ or ‘close to’ (like qareeb).

Ma’iyyah 

These are oft-misunderstood ayaat of the Quran. Examples of these ayaat include

1. Have you not seen that Allâh knows whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth? There is no Najwa of three, but He is their fourth, nor of five but He is their sixth, not of less than that or more, but He is with them wheresoever they may be; and afterwards on the Day of Resurrection, He will inform them of what they did. Verily, Allâh is the All-Knower of everything. [58:7]
2. He (Allah) said: “Fear not, verily! I am with you both, hearing and seeing. [20:46]
3. If you do not aid the Prophet - Allah has already aided him when those who disbelieved had driven him out [of Makkah] as one of two, when they were in the cave and he said to his companion, “Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us.” And Allah sent down his tranquillity upon him and supported him with angels you did not see and made the word of those who disbelieved the lowest, while the word of Allah - that is the highest. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise. [9:40]
4. But those who knew with certainty that they were to meet their Lord, said: “How often a small group overcame a mighty host by Allah’s Leave?” And Allah is with the patient ones. [2:249]

These ayaat are misconstrued  by some to mean Allah is everywhere, however, just the context of the actual ayaat themselves (I have italicized for emphasis) indicate that Allah’s Knowledge is everywhere, not Allah ‘physically’. This is also further proved by the following ayah:

He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days and then Istawa (rose over) the Throne (in a manner that suits His Majesty). He knows what goes into the earth and what comes forth from it, what descends from the heaven and what ascends thereto. And He is with you (by His Knowledge) wheresoever you may be. And Allah is the All-Seer of what you do. [57:4]

al-Asbahaani, a scholar who wrote a dictionary for words in the Quran, said ma’a (with) can mean coming together physically, or in time (i.e. they were born together), or to indicate help, i.e. Allah is with them. This is something that exists in the English language as well. And as mentioned, this is proven simply by the context of the ayaat.

Imam Ahmed said, “The verse started with knowledge, and ended with knowledge.”

In one extremely insightful argument, ibn Qudaamah said, when the Prophet(s) told Abu Bakr, Allah is with us, if it was meant as they said, then it would necessitate that Allah is with the Pagans outside the cave as well just as equally!

The Ash’aris claim that this is making ta’wil of these verses. al-Aajurree said this cannot be ta’wil since ma’a can have different meanings based on the context.

This is especially obvious from the context of the ayaat. ad-Dahhak, a student of ibn Abbas said, “He is upon the Throne, and His Knowledge is with them.” Sufyaan ath-Thawree said concerning His being ‘with’ that it is “His Knowledge.”

Ibn Taymiyyah (rh) said, “Whoever looks into the words of the famous Imaams from the Salaf (the first three generations of Muslim) concerning this topic will come to know that they were the most accurate in discernment regarding this topic, due to authentic texts and unadulterated intellects. He will see that their statements are established upon the texts and the intellect. Due to this, they were united, not differing, established, not deficient. Those who opposed the Salaf and the imams did not understand the reality of their statements. So they did not know the reality of the texts and the intellects, so they started to go in different directions and they began to differ about the Book, so they became opponents of the Book. Indeed Allah the Exalted said, “And Indeed those who differ about the Book are in extreme dissension” (2:176) (Dar’ut Ta’aarudul-Aql wan-Naql (2/301)).

Lastly is the ayah that is one of the most misunderstood.

And indeed We have created man, and We know what his own self whispers to him. And We are nearer to him than his jugular vein. [50:16]

Again, the context makes this ayah clear. It should also be noted that the scholars of tafseer also noted that the ‘we’ in this ayah means the angels recording the deeds, and this is understood from reading the ayaat immediately following it, ”When the two receivers receive, seated on the right and on the left” [50:17].

Qurb

And when My servants ask you, concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided. [2:186]

This ayah is also self explanatory in this regards. It is why the scholars have said we are closest to Allah when we are in sajdah. He is Qurb to those whom He loves.

Allah is Above the Throne - From the Scholars

1. Imam adh-Dhahabee – rahimahullaah – said, “Whoever you ask, “Where is Allah? Then his quick and natural answer will be, above the heavens. There are two points in this Hadeeth, firstly the asking by the Muslim, “Where is Allah?” Secondly the answer of the person questioned, “Above the heavens.” Whoever rejects these two points is rejecting the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم)” (‘Kitaab al-Uluww’ (p.101)).
2. Imam adh-Dhahabee – rahimahullaah – narrates from Abdullah ibn Umar (radi-Allahu ‘anhu), “Allah created four things with his hands, the Throne, Pen, Adam and Paradise, then for the rest of the creation he said “Be” and it became” (Ibn Jareer in his ‘Tafseer’ (23/185), Daarimee in ‘Radd Alal Mareesee’ (p.90), Baihaaqee in ‘Asmaa Was-Sifaat’ (p.233)).
3. Imam Abu Sa’eed Uthmaan ad-Daarimee – rahimahullaah – says, “Then the Scholars before us and after us all have Ijmaa (consensus), that when we seek help from Allah or when we call him, we raise and spread our hands towards the sky and our sight is also upwards. We do not call upon him by looking below us in the earth, behind or in front, to the right or the left. We concentrate towards the sky, because everyone knows that Allah is above them, and everyone who prays says in prostration, “Praise be to Allah the Most High” (‘Radd Alal Jahmiyyah’ (p.20)).
4. Sufyaan ath-Thawree was asked about the verse, “and He is with you wheresoever you are”. He said, ‘His Knowledge’ (Bukhaaree’s, ‘Khalq Af’aal Ebaad’).
5. Muhammad bin Yusuf said (one of the teachers of Bukhaaree), ‘the one who says that Allah is not over His Throne is a kaafir. And the one who thinks that Allah did not speak to Moses is a kaafir’ (Bukhaaree’s, ‘Khalq Af’aal Ebaad’).
   Qatada (the famous student of ibn ‘Abbaas radi Allahu anhu) said about His saying, “and He is Allah in the Heaven and in the Earth” - ‘the One Who is worshipped in the heaven and in the earth’” (Bukhaaree’s, ‘Khalq Af’aal Ebaad’).
6. Imam ibn Khuzaimah said, “Whoever does not acknowledge that Allah is above His ‘Arsh, above His seven heavens, and that He is separated from His creatures, is a Kafir, (unbeliever). Such person must be ordered to repent and disavow his belief, or else he must be beheaded and thrown on a garbage dump so that neither Ahlul-Qiblah (the Muslims) nor Ahludth-dthimmah (non-Muslims living in Muslim lands) be annoyed by the foul odor of his carcass.”

Allah is Above the Throne - From the Sahabah and Madhhabs

Sahabah 

1. In his speech subsequent to the death of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم), Abu Bakr as-Saddiq said: “He who was worshipping Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم), (let him know that) Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) is dead, and he who was worshipping Allah, (let him know that) Allah is above the heaven Ever-Living, never dies’” (Bukhari).
2. Imaam adh-Dhahabee (rh) narrates from Ibn Abbaas (ra), “Before creating the creation, Allah was above his Throne. Then he created the Pen, and it wrote everything that would happen up until the Day of Judgement” (Bayhaqi in ‘Asmaa Was-Sifaat).

The Four Madhaahib (Sunni Schools of Legal Jurisprudence)

1. Imaam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (rh) was asked, ‘Allah is above the seventh heaven, above His Throne, distinct from his creation, and His Power and Knowledge are in every place?’ And he replied, ‘Yes, above the Throne and His Knowledge is in every place’ (‘Sharh Usul I’tiqaad Ahlus Sunnah’ of al-Laalikaaee (d.414AH)).
2. Imaam Maalik (rh) said, “Allah is Above the heaven, and His knowledge is in every place, nothing is hidden from Him.” (‘Sharh Usul I’tiqaad Ahlus Sunnah’ of al-Laalikaaee (d.414AH)).
3. Abu Haneefah (rh) said, when asked of his opinion of the one who says, ‘I do not know whether Allah is above the heavens or on the earth.’ - “He has disbelieved, because Allah says, “The Most Merciful rose above the Throne,” and His Throne is above His seven heavens.’ He was then asked , ‘what if he said that Allah is above His Throne but he does not know whether the Throne is in the heavens or on the earth?’ He said, ‘He has disbelieved, because He has denied that He is above the heavens, And whosoever denied that He is above the heavens has disbelieved.” (‘Sharh Usul I’tiqaad Ahlus Sunnah’ of al-Laalikaaee (d.414AH), ‘al-Uluww’ of adh- Dhahabee, also ‘Sharh Aqueedah at-Tahaawiyyah’ of ibn Abee al-Izz al-Hanafee).
4. Abu Haneefah said, “And Allah the Exalted is called upon upwards, and not downwards, because downwards is not a quality of Ruboobiyyah (Lordship) and Uloohiyyah (Divinity) in anything” (al-Fiqh ul-Asbat).
5. A woman asked Abu Haneefah, “Where is your Lord whom you worship” So he said, “Verily Allah the Exalted is above the sky (fis-samaa`), not in the earth.” So a man said to him, `Have you seen the statement of Allah the Exalted, “And He is with you.” (57:4) He said, “He is as you are when you write to a man, `Verily I am with you,’ whilst you are absent from him” (al-Asmaa was-Sifaat).
6. And Aboo Nu’aym relates from Ja’far Ibn ‘Abdullaah who said, `We were with Maalik Ibn Anas, so a man came, so he said, “O Abaa ‘Abdullaah, “The Most Merciful has ascended above His Throne,” (20:5) How has He ascended?’ So anger came over Maalik, such that no affair like this had ever caused to come over him. So he looked towards the earth and scratched with his cane in his hand, until he raised his hand and wiped the sweat from his forehead, tossed the cane aside, and said, ‘The modality (kayf of it cannot be comprehended by the intellect, and al-istiwaa’ (ascent) is not unknown, and having faith in it is obligatory, and the question concerning it is an innovation. And I think that you are a person of innovation,’ and he commanded him to leave.” Ibn Hajar said in Fathul Baaree (commentary of Sahih al-Bukhari) (13/406- 407) that its isnaad (chain of narrators) is hasan (good). And it was authenticated by adh-Dhahabee in al-Uluww (p. 103).

I took many of these from this book.

Allah is Above the Throne - From the Sunnah

1. It is narrated from Abu Hurairah (ra) that the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, “Two groups of angels come to you, one group in the night and one group in the day, they gather at the times of Fajr and Asr. The ones who spent the night rise to Allah and Allah asks them whilst he knows fully aware, “How did you leave my slaves.” The angels reply, “They were praying when we reached them and they were still praying when we left them.” (Humaam ibn Munabeh in ‘Saheehfah as-Saadiqah’ (p.89), Ahmad in his ‘Musnad’, Ibn Khuzaimah in ‘Kitaab at-Tawheed’ (p.7 Uthmaan Daarimee in ‘Radd Alal-Jahmiyyah’ (p.30))
2. Imaam adh-Dhahabee (rh) narrates from Abu Hurairah (ra), the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said that Allah will say, “For the reason of my might, where are the people who love each other, today I will give them the shade of my Throne. Where there is no shade apart from my shade” (Hadeeth Mutawaatir). This establishes that the Throne is in fact real, and not something ‘metaphorical.’
3. Abdullah bin Amr reported that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: “Be merciful to those on earth, so that the One above the heavens will be merciful to you” (Bukhari/Muslim).
4. Zaynab (ra), the wife of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم), used to claim excellence over the rest of his wives by telling them, “It is only your parents who gave you in marriage to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم), while it is Allah Who gave me in marriage to him from above the seven heavens” (Bukhari).
5. Narrated Abu Huraira, “I heard Allah’s Apostle (صلى الله عليه وسلم) saying, Allah divided Mercy into one-hundred parts and He kept its ninety-nine parts with Him and sent down its one part on the earth, and because of that, its one single part, His creations are Merciful to each other, so that even the mare lifts up its hoofs away from its baby animal, lest it should trample on it” (Bukhari).
6. Jabir ibn Abdullah said, “The Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said in his speech on the day of Arafah, ‘Did I convey (the message)?’ They said, ‘Yes.’ While raising his finger to the sky and then pointing at them, he said, ‘O my Lord, be a witness.’” [Muslim]
7. Abu Sa’eed said that the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, “Do you not trust me when I am trusted by Him Who is above the heavens? Revelation comes to me day and night.” (Bukhari/Muslim)
8. Abu Musa al-Ash’ari narrated that the Messenger said (صلى الله عليه وسلم), “Allah does not sleep and he ought not to. He descends the Qist (justice) and raises it up. Deeds of the night are ascended to Him before the day. His veil is Light, if He unveils it, the light of His Face will burn everything that sight reaches” (Muslim).
9. ‘Abdullah. Ibn ‘Abbas reported: A person from the Ansar who was amongst the Companions of Allah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) reported to me: As we were sitting during the night with Allah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم), a falling star gave a dazzling light. Allah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: What did you say in the pre-Islamic days when there was such a shot (of meteor)? They said: Allah and His Messenger know best (the actual position), but we, however, used to say that that very night a great man had been born and a great man had died, whereupon Allah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: (These falling stars) are shot neither at the death of anyone nor on the birth of anyone. Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, issues Command when He decides to do a thing. Then (the Angels) supporting the Throne sing His glory, then sing the dwellers of heaven who are near to them until this glory of God reaches them who are in the heaven of this world. Then those who are near the supporters of the Throne ask these supporters of the Throne: What your Lord has said? And they accordingly inform them what He says. Then the dwellers of heaven seek information from them until this information reaches the heaven of the world. In this process of transmission (the jinn snatches) what he manages to overhear and he carries it to his friends. And when the Angels see the jinn they attack them with meteors. If they narrate only which they manage to snatch that is correct but they alloy it with lies and make additions to it (Muslim).
10. Narrated Salman al-Farsi: The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: Your Lord is munificent and generous, and is shy to turn away empty the hands of His servant when he raises them to Him (Abu Dawud).
11. Mu’awiyah as-Sahmi reported: “I had some sheep which I kept between Uhud and Juwaniyyah with a slave-girl to look after them. One day, I went out to check on my sheep and discovered that a wolf had devoured one of them. Since I am just a human, (I became angry) and struck the girl. Later on, I came to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and reported to him the incident. He terrified me with the gravity of my action. I said, ‘Messenger of Allah!’ Shall I free her (as an expiation of my sin.) He said ‘Call her over.’ When I did, he asked her, ‘Where is Allah?’ She said, ‘Above the heavens.’ Then he asked her, ‘Who am I?’ She said, ‘The Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم). Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) ordered me, ‘Free her. She is a believer’” (Muslim, Abu Dawud, and others).

It is important to remember that whatever the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said about the religion is the truth. Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an, Your companion has neither gone astray nor has erred. Nor does he speak of (his own) desire. It is only an Inspiration (revelation) that is inspired (revealed). (53:2-4)

The last hadith listed here is the most important. It establishes the validity and importance of not only asking the question where is Allah, but more importantly, the correct answer to it. To give any answer other than this is to oppose the Sunnah. It also shows that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) established that the girl was a ‘true believer’ based simply on her answer to these questions. This is because it establishes beyond a shadow of a doubt that her conception of tawheed was correct, and in opposition to the tawheed of the Arabs of jahiliyyah.

There is another narration of a similar hadith, except the girl was unable to speak. So when he asked her where is Allah, she pointed at the heavens, and when he asked, ‘Who am I?’ she pointed at the heavens and pointed at him, indicating you are the one sent by Him.

Lastly, I wanted to point out the following from Nudhmul Faraa’id of al-Albaanee,

On the authority of Abdullah ibn ‘Amr (radi Allaahu ‘anhu), on the authority of the Prophet (sal-Allaahu ‘alayhi was-sallam) that he said, “The Most Merciful of those who give mercy is Ar-Rahmaan – Blessed and Exalted is He. Show mercy to those on earth, and the one above the heavens will show mercy to you. And ar-Rahm (the womb) is derived from Ar-Rahmaan, so whoever keeps good relations with it, Allah keeps good relations with him, and whoever cuts it off, Allah cuts him off.

Benefit:

An he said in this hadith “fee” and its meaning here is above (a’laa), just like Allah saying “Say: travel fee (upon/in/on) the land…” [6:11]. So the hadeeth is from the many evidences about Allah – the Exalted – being above (fawq) all of the creation. And “fee” is that which al-Hafidh adh-Dhahabee utilizes in his book al-’Uluww. And indeed this is what I concluded from the summarization of it near me. And I put that down in my explanation of the introduction. And I took from it ahadeeth and athaar (narrations), and I put them above the weak reports. May Allah make it easy for it to be published. And all praise is due to Allah.

Allah is Above the Throne - From the Quran

1. And (remember) when Allâh said: “O ‘Iesa (Jesus)! I will take you and raise you to Myself and clear you [of the forged statement that 'Iesa (Jesus) is Allâh's son] of those who disbelieve, and I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve till the Day of Resurrection. Then you will return to Me and I will judge between you in the matters in which you used to dispute.” (3:55)
2. And He is the Irresistible, above (fawq) His slaves, and He is the All-Wise, Well¬Acquainted with all things. (6:1
3. They fear their Lord above them, and they do what they are commanded. (16:50)
4. Whosoever desires honour, power and glory then to Allâh belong all honour, power and glory. To Him ascend (all) the goodly words, and the righteous deeds exalt it, but those who plot evils, theirs will be severe torment. And the plotting of such will perish. (35:10)
5. From Allâh, the Lord of the ways of ascent. The angels and the Rûh [Jibrael (Gabriel)] ascend to Him in a Day the measure whereof is fifty thousand years (70:3-4)
6. Do you feel secure that He, Who is over the heaven (Allâh), will not cause the earth to sink with you, then behold it shakes (as in an earthquake)? (67:16)
7. Or do you feel secure that He, Who is over the heaven (Allâh), will not send against you a violent whirlwind? Then you shall know how (terrible) has been My Warning? (67:17)
8. Say (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) Ruh-ul-Qudus [Jibrael (Gabriel)] has brought it (the Qur’an) down from your Lord with truth, that it may make firm and strengthen (the Faith of) those who believe and as a guidance and glad tidings to those who have submitted (to Allâh as Muslims). (16:102)
9. Glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most High (87:1)

These ayaat clearly indicate that Allah is the Creator, and we are the creation. The two are separate and distinct, and not the same. 

Additionally, these ayaat show that Allah is the All-Knower of everything, and disposes of all affairs. His being over the Throne does not negate this. Notice how they say, for example, “They fear their Lord above them” and they do not say, “They fear their Lord beneath them,” or “around them,” or “inside them,” or “the One in no direction.”

It is therefore clear from the repetition of this in the Qur’an that this is an important issue. In fact, it is the message that the Prophets all came with. This is proved by the following verse,

And Fir’aun (Pharaoh) said: “O Hâmân! Build me a tower that I may arrive at the ways, “The ways of the heavens, and I may look upon the Ilâh (God) of Mûsa (Moses) but verily, I think him to be a liar.” Thus it was made fair-seeming, in Fir’aun’s (Pharaoh) eyes, the evil of his deeds, and he was hindered from the (Right) Path, and the plot of Fir’aun (Pharaoh) led to nothing but loss and destruction (for him). (40:36-37)

It is sad, that Fir’awn understood our aqeedah better than the Ash’aris and mutakallimoon.

The Attribute of Istiwaa

Imam Bukhari recorded from Abul-Aaliyah (d. 94AH) that istiwaa means He rose over it.

There are 9 ayaat in the Quran that specifically mention istiwaa and I have listed them here:

1. He it is Who created for you all that is on earth. Then He Istawâ (rose over) towards the heaven and made them seven heavens and He is the All-Knower of everything. (2:29)
2. Indeed your Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth in Six Days, and then He Istawa (rose over) the Throne (really in a manner that suits His Majesty). He brings the night as a cover over the day, seeking it rapidly, and (He created) the sun, the moon, the stars subjected to His Command. Surely, His is the Creation and Commandment. Blessed be Allah, the Lord of the ‘Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists)! (7:54)
3. Who created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them in six Days. Then He Istawâ (rose over) the Throne. The Most Beneficent (Allâh)! Ask Him (O Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم), as He is Al-Khabîr (The All-Knower of everything). (25:59)
4. Allâh is He Who raised the heavens without any pillars that you can see. Then, He Istawâ (rose above) the Throne. He has subjected the sun and the moon (to continue going round)! Each running (its course) for a term appointed. He regulates all affairs, explaining the Ayât (proofs, signs) in detail, (so) that you may believe with certainty in the meeting with your Lord. (13:2)
5. Surely, your Lord is Allâh Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days and then Istawâ (rose over) the Throne, disposing the affair of all things. No intercessor (can plead with Him) except after His Leave. That is Allâh, your Lord; so worship Him (Alone). Then, will you not remember? (10:3)
6. The Most Beneficent (Allâh) Istawâ (rose over) the (Mighty) Throne.  (20:5)
7. Allâh it is He Who has created the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them in six Days. Then He Istawâ (rose over) the Throne. You (mankind) have none, besides Him, as a Walî (protector or helper etc.) or an intercessor. Will you not then remember (or be admonished)? (32:4)
8. Then He Istawâ (rose over) towards the heaven when it was smoke, and said to it and to the earth: “Come both of you willingly or unwillingly.” They both said: “We come, willingly.” (41:11)
9. He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days and then Istawa (rose over) the Throne (in a manner that suits His Majesty). He knows what goes into the earth and what comes forth from it, what descends from the heaven and what ascends thereto. And He is with you (by His Knowledge) wheresoever you may be. And Allah is the All-Seer of what you do. (57:4)

One need to do nothing more than look up these ayaat and read them in context to see the true meaning of istiwaa. Some of the groups of kalam tried to claim that istiwaa actually means istawlaa (to conquer) and this is incorrect for a number of reasons. It is not the understanding of any of the first generations of Islam, and there is no evidence to suggest that it is the correct meaning. Allah also specifies thumma (then), ie.e. He created the heavens and then He istiwaa over the Throne. The early scholars of Arabic language also rejected it. In fact, ibn al-’Araabee refuted it by saying that istawlaa occurs only when you have an enemy to fight.

Some of the scholars of kalam also tried to use a line of poetry to show istiwaa meant to conquer. However, this line of poetry was fabricated and was found in none of that author’s works (who by the way was a Christian poet). Also, it is incorrect methodology to ignore the explicit evidences in the Quran and Sunnah and turn to some obscure line of poetry. Lastly, poetry is used to help understand exotic words, not to distort obvious ones.

It should also be noted that the early Ash’aris actually affirmed istiwaa (e.g. Bayhaqi, Abul-Hasan, Baqilanee) and the later ones rejected it. This is yet another indication that their creed has changed over time, and is therefore incorrect.

Another argument some groups try to use to deny this Lofty Attribute of Allah is to say that istiwaa has over 15 meanings, so we do not know which one was intended. This is just like their making tafwid. This is akin to saying that the Quran is vague and we do not know what it means, the Quran may as well have just said “alpha beta chi” here and it would carry the same meaning for these groups of kalam.

Notice how vile this claim is, it destroys all spirituality of Allah’s Names and Attributes. Instead of knowing Allah is above us, He is Majestic, over His Mighty Throne, the same Throne that will shade some people on the day of judgement, from above the heavens, Allah is protecting us, from above the heavens He sent down the revelation to us, to guide us, to worship Him, and glorify Him Most High (subhaana Rabbi al-A’laa), they have stripped this from the Noble Attributes of Allah. They have destroyed this meaning and turned it into some sort of intellectual puzzle that no one can decipher, audhubillah.

‘Uluww - Other Opinions

The first incorrect opinion regarding this Attribute is the saying that Allah is everywhere.

• Hulooliyyah ‘Aamah - (Hulool means to occupy a space, or be around). This is like the saying of Jahm ibn Safwan (the first to reject Allah’s ‘Uluww) that Allah is like the air, i.e. all around us.
• Hulooliyyah Khaasah - the belief that Allah is in a certain person’s surroundings, or in certain places only, e.g. idol worship.
• Ittihaadiyyah ‘Aamah - to believe that Allah is everywhere, inside of everything, and there is no existence other than Him. This is the belief of the heretical sufis.
• Ittihaadiyyah Khaasah - to believe that Allah is manifest inside a specific person, e.g. the Christian’s belief in Jesus.

Muslim groups mostly fell into the first and third of those mentioned.

The second opinion is that of the mujassimah who say Allah(swt) is enclosed in a space, or is physically sitting on the Throne. As a side note here, I must personally mention that some English books on Aqeedah, specifically some translated works of ibn Uthaymeen (rahimahullah) have incorrectly translated his works to say “sitting on the Throne” (i.e. saying jalasa instead of istiwaa) when this is not found in the Arabic. It is a mistake in the translation, may Allah (swt) forgive us for our shortcomings.  

The third deviant opinion is what is held by people of kalam (and most modern day Ash’aris) that Allah cannot be described with a direction. That is, He is neither to the left of us, the right of us, under us, over us, etc. This is in direct opposition to the way of Ahlus Sunnah because they have employed detailed negation and concise affirmation.

The Ash’aris argued basically that this makes it appear Allah “needs” a Throne to sit on, that having a direction necessitates having a body, and that a being characterized by direction must ‘occupy space’ (tahayyuz) and have a directional relationship vis-a-vis other objects, thus implying a created being.

These assumptions are all based in Aristotelian logic, and contradict the rules established for Allah’s Names and Attributes. The simple response is that there is no basis for their assumptions, and the implications they assume are unfounded. As has been repeated over and over, we affirm what Allah says, and do not question the ‘how’. It is by delving into the ‘how’ that they made these assumptions and deviated.  

The next post insha’Allah will cover the actual Attribute of Istiwaa in more detail.

‘Uluww (Highness) - General Overview

This has 3 connotations, Allah is highest in 1) His Control, 2) His Power, and 3) His Essence.

In reality, this is something that does not need to be proved, but because of the statements of some deviant groups on this issue, it has become necessary.

The proofs regarding this issue are too many to enumerate. I have compiled some of them through my own research and they will be in the proceeding posts insha’Allah. This post will serve to give a brief overview of some of the proofs and their categories. I have not fully quoted the ayaat in this post because most of them will be quoted in the subsequent posts on this issue. I have, however, linked directly to these ayaat so they can be viewed in Arabic and English.

First is the explicit ayaat mentioning Allah’s rising over the Throne. Also many hadith indicate that the Throne is above the heavens.

There are references also to things being “raised” (rafa’a) to Him, such as good deeds, (35:10, 4:158, 3:55). Also there are examples of good deeds being lifted up to Him with the word sa’ada.

There are also proofs showing Allah is “fis-Samaa’” and this means above (67:16-17). It should be noted that fee can also mean in, however, in this context it means above. This is also the case in the hadith of the slave-girl. One proof for this is the ayah 20:71, where Fir’awn says he will crucify the people fee date-palms. Obviously this means on them and not “in” them. Another proof for this is Allah’s saying to “travel fil-’ard (in the earth).” No one takes this to mean to be actually in the earth, but upon the earth.

Many of Allah’s Names also indicate His Transcendence, such as al-’Alee, al-A’laa, Ta’aala, al-Muta’aal, al-Qaahir, and many others showing He is above everything in His Power and Essence.

Another clear proof is the incident of al-Israa’ wa al-Mi’raaj.

The scholars of the early generations also said there is ijmaa’ (scholarly consensus) on this issue. Imam Ahmed ibn Hanbal also argued this point from a logical perspective by saying, “Either Allah created us in Him, or outside Him. If it was inside then this is a statement of kufr. If outside, then Allah would choose best the direction for Him to be - i.e. being above the creation.” (rough translation).

The most undeniable proof, however, may be that of the fitrah. It is ingrained in us to look up, or to point up, to raise our hands up to Allah in supplication. Allah created us upon this pure fitrah, and even non-Muslims point up when referring to Allah.