Allah is above the Throne. This is the unanimous and agreed belief of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah, as the renowned commentator Allama Qurtubi (may Allah have mercy on him) (d. 671 AH) writes:
ولم ینکر أحد من السلف الصالح أنہ استویٰ علی عرشہ، وإنما جھلوا کیفیۃ الاستواء.
“None of the righteous predecessors denied that Allah istawa (rose) over His Throne; they only declared the modality of istiwa to be unknown.”
In contrast, the misguided Jahmiyyah say that Allah is present everywhere, and they take evidence from this statement of Allah:
وَ لَقَدۡ خَلَقۡنَا الۡاِنۡسَانَ وَ نَعۡلَمُ مَا تُوَسۡوِسُ بِہٖ نَفۡسُہٗ ۚۖ وَ نَحۡنُ اَقۡرَبُ اِلَیۡہِ مِنۡ حَبۡلِ الۡوَرِیۡدِ،
“And indeed We created man, and We know what his soul whispers to him, and We are closer to him than his jugular vein” (Qaf: 16).
The Sunni Imam Ibn Jarir al-Tabari (may Allah have mercy on him)
and the Imam of Ahl al-Sunnah, Hafiz Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him)
state that this refers to the angels who are present with a person at the time of death, and who are also mentioned in the following verse. Some scholars take it to mean Allah’s knowledge or power.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) (661–728 AH) states:
ھذہ الآیۃ لا تخلو إما أن یراد بھا قربہ سبحانہ أو قرب ملائکتہ، کما قد اختلف الناس فی ذلک، فإن أرید بھا قرب الملائکۃ فقولہ: إذ یتلقی المتلقیان عن الیمین وعن الشمال قعید، فیکون اللہ سبحانہ و تعالی قد أخبر بعلمہ ھو سبحانہ بما فی نفس الإنسان، واخبر بقرب الملائکۃ الکرام الکاتبین منہ، ودلیل ذلک قولہ تعالیٰ: (ونحن اقرب إلیہ من حبل الورید٭ إذ یتلقی….)، ففسر ذلک بالقرب الذی ھو حین یتلقی العتلقیان و بای معنی فسر، فإن علمہ و قدرتہ عام التعلق، وکذلک نفسہ سبحانہ لا یختص بھذا الوقت، وتکون ھذہ الایۃ مثل قولہ تعالی: (أم یحسبون أنا لا نسمع سرھم و نجواھم بلی ورسلنا لدیھم یکتبون)، ومنہ قولہ فی أول السورۃ: (قد علمنا ما تنقص الأرض منھم و عندنا کتاب حفیظ)، وعلیٰ ھذا فالقرب لامجاز فیہ، وإنما الکلام فی قولہ تعالی: (ونحن أقرب) حیث عبربھا عن ملائکتہ و رسلہ أو عبربھا عن نفسہ، أو عن ملائکتہ، ولکن قرب کل بحسبہ، فقرب الملائکۃ منہ تلک الساعۃ، وقرب اللہ تعالیٰ منہ مطلق کالوجہ، الشانی إذا أرید بہ اللہ تعالیٰ، أی نحن أقرب إلیہ من حبل الورید، فیرجع ھذا إلی القرب الذاتی اللازم، وفیہ القولان: أحدھما إثبات ذلک، وھو قول طائفۃ من المتکلمین و الصوفیۃ، وفیہ القولان: أحدھما إثبات ذلک، وھو قول طائفۃ من المتکلمین و الصوفیۃ، و الثانی أن القرب ھنا بعلمہ، لأنہ قد قسال: (ولقد خلقنا الانسان و نعلم ما توسوس بہ نفسہ و نحن أقرب إلیہ من حبل الورید)، فذکر لفظ العلم ھنا دل علی القرب بالعلم، ومثل ھذہ الآیۃ حدیث أبی موسی: إنکم لا تدعون أصم ولا غائبا، إنما تدعون سمیعا قریبا، إن الذی تدعونہ أقرب إلی أحدکم من عنق راحلتہ، فالآیۃ لاتحتاج إلی تأویل القرب فی حق اللہ تعالی إلا علی ھذا القول، وحینئذ فالسیاق دل علیہ، وما دل علیہ السیاق ھو ظاھر الخطاب……
“This verse has two possible interpretations: one is that it refers to the nearness of Allah, and the other is that it refers to the nearness of the angels, as people have differed on this. If the nearness of the angels is meant, then by His knowledge Allah is informing about the whisperings that arise in a person’s soul, and He is informing that the noble recording angels are near to him. The proof of this is that after mentioning this nearness, Allah immediately mentions the angels seated on the right and the left to record a person’s deeds. In whatever sense it is interpreted, the knowledge and power of Allah are all-encompassing, and likewise Allah is not restricted to any particular time. This statement of Allah is similar to this verse, where Allah said:
أَمْ یَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّا لَا نَسْمَعُ سِرَّہُمْ وَنَجْوَاہُم بَلَی وَرُسُلُنَا لَدَیْْہِمْ یَکْتُبُونَ
“Do they think that We do not hear their secrets and their private conversations? Yes, and Our messengers are with them, writing.” Similarly, at the beginning of this surah (Surah Qaf) He said:
قَدْ عَلِمْنَا مَا تَنقُصُ الْأَرْضُ مِنْهُمْ وَعِندَنَا كِتَابٌ حَفِيظٌ
“We know what the earth diminishes of them, and with Us is a preserving record.”
So in this sense there is no metaphor in this nearness. The point is only what Allah meant by ‘Nahnu’ (We). Whether the nearness of Allah’s angels is meant or Allah Himself, each one’s nearness is according to its own manner. The nearness of the angels is only at that (time of death), whereas the nearness of Allah (in knowledge and power) is absolute (at all times). The second meaning is that the intended nearness here is Allah’s essential, necessary nearness. There are two views on this: one is that of some of the mutakallimun and Sufis, who affirm it. The other view is that here Allah’s knowledge is meant, because Allah said:
﴿وَ لَقَدۡ خَلَقۡنَا الۡاِنۡسَانَ وَ نَعۡلَمُ مَا تُوَسۡوِسُ بِہٖ نَفۡسُہٗ ۚۖ وَ نَحۡنُ اَقۡرَبُ اِلَیۡہِ مِنۡ حَبۡلِ الۡوَرِیۡدِ ﴾
“And indeed We created man, and We know what his soul whispers to him, and We are closer to him than his jugular vein.”
From the word ‘knowledge’ in this verse it is understood that the nearness here is in terms of knowledge. In the meaning of this verse is also the hadith narrated by Sayyidna Abu Musa al-Ash’ari (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet ﷺ said:
((إنکم لا تدعون أصم ولا غائبا، إنما تدعون سمیعا قریبا، إن الذی تدعونہ أقرب إلی أحدکم من عنق راحلتہ))
“You are not calling upon one who is deaf or absent; rather you are calling upon One who is All-Hearing and near. The One whom you call upon is closer to one of you than the neck of his mount.”
This verse requires interpreting the nearness of Allah only according to this view. Here the context also indicates it, and what the context indicates is the apparent meaning of the address…”
He further states:
وھو بذلک أقرب إلینا من حبل الورید، وکیف لا یکون کذلک، وھو أعلم بما توسوس بہ أنفسنا منا، فکیف بحبل الورید؟ وکذلک قال أبو عمرو الطلمنکی قال: ومن سال عن قولہ: (ونحن أقرب إلیہ من حبل الورید) فاعلم ان ذلک کلہ علی معنی العلم بہ والقدرۃ علیہ، والدلیل من ذلک صدر الآیۃ، فقا ل اللہ تعالی: (ولقد خلقنا الإنسان و نعلم ماتوسوس بہ نفسہ ونحن أقرب إلیہ من حبل الورید)، لأن اللہ لما کان عالما بوسوستہ کان أقرب إلیہ من حبل الورید، وحبل الورید لا یعلم من توسوس بہ النفس، ویلزم الملحد علی اعتقادہ أن یکون معبودہ مخالطا لدم الإنسان ولحمہ، وأن لا یجرد الإنسان تسمیۃ المخلوق حتی یقول: خالق و مخلوق، لأن معبودہ بزعمہ داخل حبل الورید من الإنسان وخارجہ، فھو علی قولہ ممتزج بہ غیر مباین لہ، قال: وقد أجمع المسلمون من أھل السنۃ علی أن اللہ علی عرشہ بائن من جمیع خلقہ، وتعالی اللہ عن قول أھل الزیغ وعما یقول الظالمون علوا کبیرا.
“Allah is nearer to us than our jugular vein by His knowledge. How could it not be so, when He knows the whisperings of our souls better than we do? What is the jugular vein? Likewise, Abu Amr al-Talmanki (may Allah have mercy on him) says: Whoever asks about the statement of Allah, ‘We are closer to him than the jugular vein’, should know that all of this is in the sense of knowledge and power. The proof of this is the beginning of the verse, where Allah states that We created man, and We know the whisperings that arise in his soul, and We are closer to him than his jugular vein. Since Allah knows his thoughts, He is nearer than the jugular vein, because the jugular vein does not know thoughts. (Upon the heretic who holds the nearness of Allah to be essential) it is necessary to hold that his deity is mixed with human blood and flesh, and that a person should not separate the name of the creature from the Creator, because in his view Allah is within and outside the jugular vein of a person. According to his claim, Allah is mixed with the human being, not separate from him. Yet the Muslims of Ahl al-Sunnah have agreed that Allah is established over His Throne and separate from all His creation. He is also far above the statements of the misguided and the wrongdoers.”
From this, the meaning of the statement of Allah:
وَإِذَا سَأَلَکَ عِبادِی عَنٌی فإِنی قَرِیبٌ أُجِیبُ دعوٰۃ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ
is also clarified, that the nearness here too refers to knowledge and power.
The Jahmiyyah also present this statement of Allah:
وَ ہُوَ الَّذِیۡ فِی السَّمَآءِ اِلٰہٌ وَّ فِی الۡاَرۡضِ اِلٰہٌ ؕ وَ ہُوَ الۡحَکِیۡمُ الۡعَلِیۡمُ ﴾
This means: He is the Allah who is the object of worship in the heavens and on the earth.
Hafiz Ibn Abd al-Barr (may Allah have mercy on him) (368–463 AH) writes:
فوجب حمل ھذہ الآیۃ علی المعنی الصحیح المجتمع علیہ، وذلک أنہ فی السماء إلہ معبود من أھل السماء، وفی الأرض إلہ معبود من أھل الأرض، وکذلک قال أھل العلم بالتفسیر.
“It is necessary to interpret this verse according to the correct, agreed-upon meaning, which is that in the heavens He is the God worshipped by the inhabitants of the heavens, and on the earth He is the God worshipped by the inhabitants of the earth (that is, whether on earth or in the heavens, worship is directed to Him alone). The scholars of tafsir have said the same.”
Imam al-Ajurri (may Allah have mercy on him) (d. 360 AH) says:
ومما یلبسون بہ علی من لا علم معہ قولہ تعالیٰ ؛ (وھو اللہ فی السماوات وفی الأرض)، وبقولہ عزوجل : (وھو الذی فی السماء إلہ وفی الأرض إلہ)، وھذا کلہ إنما یطلبو ن بہ الفتنۃ، کما قال اللہ عزوجل: (فیتبعون ما تشابہ منہ ابتغاء الفتنۃ و ابتغاء تأویلہ)، وعند أھل العلم من أھل الحق (وھو اللہ فی السماوات وفی الأرض یعلم سرکم و جھرکم و یعلم ما تکسبون)، ھو کما قال أھل الحق یعلم سرکم مماجاءت بہ السنن أن اللہ عزوجل علی عرشہ، وعلمہ محیط بجمیع خلقہ، یعلم ما تسرون وما تعلنون، یعلم الجھر من القول و یعلم ما تکتمون، وقولہ عزوجل : (وھو الذی فی السماء إلہ وفی الأرض إلہ)، فمعناہ: أنہ جل ذکرہ إلہ من فی السموات، وإلہ من فی الأرض، ھو الالہ یعبد فی السموات، وھو الإلہ یعبد فی الأرض، ھکذا فسرہ العلماء…..
“Among the things with which the Jahmiyyah deceive people who have no knowledge is the saying of Allah, ‘And He is Allah in the heavens and in the earth,’ and His saying, ‘And He is the One who is God in the heavens and God on the earth.’ All of this they use only to create fitnah, as Allah the Mighty and Majestic said: ‘So they follow that which is unclear of it, seeking discord and seeking its interpretation.’ According to the people of knowledge from among the people of truth, the meaning of ‘And He is Allah in the heavens and in the earth, He knows your secret and your open, and He knows what you earn’ is, as the people of truth have said, that He knows your secret. This is established from the Sunnah: that Allah the Mighty and Majestic is above His Throne, while His knowledge encompasses all His creation; He knows what you conceal and what you disclose, He knows the loud speech and He knows what you hide. As for His saying, the Mighty and Majestic, ‘And He is the One who is God in the heavens and God on the earth,’ its meaning is that He, may His remembrance be exalted, is the God of those in the heavens and the God of those on the earth; He is the God worshipped in the heavens and He is the God worshipped on the earth. This is how the scholars explained it…..”
Hafiz Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him), under the saying of Allah the Exalted:
﴿ وَ ہُوَ اللّٰہُ فِی السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ فِی الۡاَرۡضِ ؕ یَعۡلَمُ سِرَّکُمۡ وَ جَہۡرَکُمۡ وَ یَعۡلَمُ مَا تَکۡسِبُوۡنَ ﴾
writes:
اختلف مفسر وھذہ الآیۃ علی أقوال، بعد الاتفاق علی تخطئۃ قول الجھمیۃ الأول القائلین بأنہ تعالی عن قولھم علوا کبیرا فی کل مکان، حیث حملوا الآیۃ علی ذلک، فأصح الأقوال أنہ المدعو اللہ فی السموات وفی الأرض، أی یعبدہ ویوحدہ ویقرلہ بالإلھیۃ من فی السموات ومن فی الأرض، ویسمونہ اللہ، ویدعونہ رغبا ورھبا، إلا من کفر من الجن و الإنس، وھذہ الآیۃ علی ھذا القول کقولہ تعالی: (وھو الذی فی السماء إلہ وفی الأرض إلہ)، أی: ھو إلٰہ من فی السماء وإلہ من فی الأرض، وعلی ھذا فیکون قولہ: (یعلم سرکم وجھرکم) خبرا أوحالا، والقول الثانی: أن المراد أن اللہ الذی یعلم ما فی السموات وما فی الأرض، من سر وجھر، فیکون قولہ: (یعلم) متعلقابقولہ: (فی السماوات وفی الارض) تقدیرہ: وھو اللہ یعلم سرکم وجھرکم فی السموات وفی الأرض، ویعلم ما تکسبون……
“The mufassirun have several opinions regarding this verse, but they all agree on refuting the view of the Jahmiyyah, who say, far exalted is He above what they say, that Allah is in every place, and they interpreted the verse in that sense. The most correct view is that the meaning of this noble verse is that the One who is called Allah in the heavens and on the earth is Allah Himself; that is, all creation in the heavens and on the earth worships Him, affirms His oneness, acknowledges His divinity, names Him Allah, and calls upon Him, whether out of fear or out of hope, except those among the jinn and mankind who have disbelieved. In this meaning the verse is like the saying of Allah the Exalted: ‘And He is the One who is God in the heavens and God on the earth’ (i.e., He is the God of those in the heavens and the God of those on the earth), meaning He is the object of worship for the creation of the heavens and the earth. On this basis, the words ‘He knows your secret and your open’ will be a statement or a circumstantial clause. The second view is that the meaning is that Allah knows whatever is hidden or apparent in the heavens and on the earth. On this meaning, the words ‘He knows’ are connected with ‘in the heavens and in the earth,’ and the intended sense is: ‘And He is Allah who knows your secret and your open in the heavens and in the earth, and He knows what you earn….’ That is, He is the One who knows your hidden and apparent things in the heavens and on the earth, and knows what you do.”
The heretics also present this hadith for their false belief: Abu Musa al-Ash’ari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that when we ascended high places we would raise our voices saying Allahu Akbar, so the Prophet ﷺ said:
أیھا الناس !اربعواعلی انفسکم ، فإنکم لا تدعون أصم ولا غائبا، إنہ معکم، إنہ سمیع قریب. ”
O people! Be easy on yourselves, for you are not calling upon one who is deaf or absent; indeed He is with you, He is All-Hearing and near.”
The words in Sunan al-Tirmidhi (3374, its chain is sahih) are:
إن ربکم لیس بأصم ولا غائب ، ھو بینکم وبین رؤوس رحالکم.
“Your Lord is neither deaf nor absent; rather He is between you and the necks of your mounts.”
Imam al-Tirmidhi (may Allah have mercy on him), after narrating this hadith, says:
ومعنی قولہ: ھو بینکم و بین رؤوس رواحلکم، إنما یعنی علمہ وقدرتہ.
“The intended meaning of this statement of the Prophet is only that Allah’s knowledge and power are with you.”
Allamah Ibn Rajab (may Allah have mercy on him) (736–795 AH) writes:
ولم یکن أصحاب النبی صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم یفھمون من ھذہ النصوس غیر المعنی الصحیح المراد بھا، یستفیدون بذلک معرفۃ عظمۃ اللہ و جلالہ، واطلاعہ علی عبادہ و إحاطتہ بھم، وقربہ من عابدیہ، وإجابتہ لدعائھم، فیزدادون بہ خشیۃ اللہ و تعظیماوإجلالا و مھابۃ و مراقبۃ واستحیاء، یعبدونہ کانھم یرونہ، ثم حدث بعدھم من قل ورعہ، وساء فھمہ وقصدہ، وضعفت عظمۃ اللہ وھیبتہ فی صدرہ، وأراد أن یری الناس امتیازہ علیھم بدقۃ الفھم وقوۃ النظر، فزعم أن ھذہ النصوص تدل علی أن اللہ بذاتہ فی کل مکان، کمایحکی ذلک عن طوائف من الجھمیۃ و المعتزلۃ ومن وافقھم، تعالی اللہ عما یقولون علو کبیرا، وھذا شیء ما خطر لمن کان قبلھم من الصحابۃ رضی اللہ عنھم، وھؤلاء ممن یتبع ما تشابہ منہ ابتغاء الفتنۃ و ابتغاء تأویلہ، وقد حذر النبی ﷺ أمتہ منھم فی حدیث عائشۃ الصحیح المتفق علیہ، وتعلقوا أیضا بما فھموہ بفھمھم القاصر مع قصدھم الفاسد بآیات فی کتاب اللہ، مثل قولہ تعالی (وَ ہُوَ مَعَکُمۡ اَیۡنَ مَا کُنۡتُمۡ ؕ) (الحدید:۴) وقولہ: (مَا یَکُوۡنُ مِنۡ نَّجۡوٰی ثَلٰثَۃٍ اِلَّا ہُوَ رَابِعُہُمۡ) (المجادلۃ: ۷)، فقال من قال من علماء السلف حینئذ: إنما اراد أنہ معھم بعلمہ، وقصدوا بذلک إبطال ما قالہ اولئک، ممالم یکن أحد قبلھم قالہ ولا فھمہ من القرآن.
“The Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, may Allah be pleased with them all, understood nothing from these noble verses except the correct meaning. Through them they gained knowledge of Allah’s greatness and majesty, of His awareness of His servants, of His encompassing of them, of His nearness to those who worship Him, and of His answering of their supplications. Through this, their fear of Allah, their reverence, awe, watchfulness, and modesty before Him increased, and they worshipped Him as if they were seeing Him. Then there came after them people whose piety diminished, whose understanding and intention became corrupt, and in whose hearts the greatness and awe of Allah weakened. They wished to show people their distinction through subtle understanding and strong reasoning, so they claimed that these texts indicate that Allah is in every place by His essence, as is related from groups of the Jahmiyyah and the Mu’tazilah and those who agree with them. Allah is exalted far above what they say. This matter did not occur to those Companions who came before them, may Allah be pleased with them. These are among those who follow what is ambiguous in it, seeking discord and seeking its interpretation. The Prophet ﷺ warned his Ummah against them in the authentic hadith of Aisha, which is agreed upon. They also held onto verses from the Book of Allah, through their deficient understanding combined with their corrupt intention, such as His saying: “And He is with you wherever you are” (al-Hadid: 4), and His saying: “There is no secret conference of three but that He is their fourth” (al-Mujadilah: 7). Then some of the scholars of the early generations said: “He only meant that He is with them by His knowledge.” They intended by this to refute what those people had said, which no one before them had said or understood from the Qur’an.”
The Jahmi innovators also argue with the narration in which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
والذی نفس محمد بیدہ ! لو أنکم دلیتم رجلا بحبل إلی الأرض السفلی لھبط علی اللہ.
“By the One in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad! If you lowered a man with a rope to the lower earth, he would fall upon Allah.”
The chain of this narration is “da’if” (weak). In it, Imam al-Hasan al-Basri is a “mudallis” (one who conceals defects), and his hearing (sama’) is not established by explicit statement, so the chain is “da’if”. Secondly, Imam al-Hasan al-Basri’s hearing from Abu Hurairah is not established according to the majority of scholars.
Therefore, this narration is “da’if” (weak) due to being broken (munqati’).
Thirdly, after mentioning this narration, Imam al-Tirmidhi writes:
وفسر بعض أھل العلم ھذا الحدیث، فقالوا: إنما ھبط علی علم اللہ وقدرتہ وسلطانہ، وعلم اللہ وقدرتہ وسلطانہ فی کل مکان، وھو علی عرشہ کما وصف فی کتابہ.
“Some people of knowledge have interpreted this hadith. They said that the man would fall upon Allah’s knowledge, power and sovereignty. Allah’s knowledge, power and sovereignty are in every place, and He is above His Throne, as He has described in His Book.”
Summary:
We, the Ahl al-Hadith, are upon the way of the Imams of Ahl al-Sunnah. The unanimous belief of all the Imams of Ahl al-Sunnah was that Allah is exalted above the Throne. We do not deviate from this belief at all, whereas in this era the belief of the descendants of Jahm ibn Safwan is that Allah is present in every place, yet despite this they never tire of calling themselves Ahl al-Sunnah.
