Bukhari

The Chapter of Hadith Number: Q7418 from Sahih Bukhari: «بَابُ: {وَكَانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَى الْمَاءِ}، {وَهُوَ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ} :»
Relevance between the Chapter and the Hadith:
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah, through this chapter, has mentioned the Throne (Arsh) and, with very precise words, has also established its created nature. He has further clarified that Allah Ta’ala is established (istiwa) over the Throne, and that believing in this without interpretation (ta’wil) is obligatory, and avoiding the path of interpretation is the way of the Salaf. Under this chapter, Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has mentioned ten ahadith. The first hadith is narrated from Sayyiduna Imran bin Husayn radi Allahu anhu, in which the Throne is mentioned. The second hadith is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah radi Allahu anhu, in which the Throne is also mentioned. The third hadith is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas radi Allahu anhu, in which the words «فوق سبع سموات» appear, which allude to the Throne. The fourth hadith is also narrated from Sayyiduna Anas radi Allahu anhu, in which the sky is mentioned. The fifth hadith, narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah radi Allahu anhu, also mentions the Throne. The sixth hadith, also narrated from him, contains mention of the Throne as well. The seventh hadith, narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Dharr radi Allahu anhu, apparently does not contain the word “Throne,” but elsewhere in Sahih Bukhari the word “Throne” is present in relation to this hadith. Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has mentioned this hadith in full in the Book of the Beginning of Creation «باب صفة الشمس و القمر» (Hadith number: 3199), where these words are found:
«قال النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم لأبي ذر حين غربت الشمس: ”أتدري أين تذهب؟“ قلت: الله و رسوله أعلم؛ قال: فإنها تذهب حتى تسجد تحت العرش فستأذن ويؤذن لها . . . . .»
“The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said to Sayyiduna Abu Dharr radi Allahu anhu: ‘Do you know where the sun goes when it sets?’ Sayyiduna Abu Dharr radi Allahu anhu replied: ‘Allah and His Messenger know best!’ The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: ‘It goes and prostrates beneath the Throne.’”
Therefore, the relevance of this hadith to the chapter is also established through the mention of the Throne. In the seventh hadith, the verse from Surah Tawbah is quoted, at the end of which the Throne is mentioned. The eighth hadith, narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas radi Allahu anhuma, also mentions the Mighty Throne. The ninth hadith, narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Sa’id radi Allahu anhu, also mentions the Throne. The tenth hadith, narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah radi Allahu anhu, also contains mention of the Throne. However, under the chapter, the hadith narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas radi Allahu anhuma, «المجيد», is in the meaning of “Noble.” In all the ahadith under this chapter, the word «المجيد» does not appear. Then how is the relevance of the ahadith to the chapter established, since the chapter mentions «المجيد»? Addressing this confusion, Allamah Ibn al-Munir rahimahullah writes:
“In this chapter, whatever Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has mentioned is related to the mention of the Throne, except for the narration from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas radi Allahu anhuma. However, with it, he has drawn attention to a subtle point, which is that in the verse, the recitation of «المجيد» with kasrah is not an attribute of the Throne, so that it is not imagined that it (too) is eternal, but (even with kasrah) it is an attribute of Allah, as evidenced by the recitation of Nafi’.” [المتوري : ص 429], [فتح الباري لابن حجر : 235/14]
Therefore, the narration from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas radi Allahu anhuma is not related to the Throne, but rather it is related to an attribute of Allah Ta’ala. Thus, this is what Imam Bukhari rahimahullah intended to clarify.

Hadith Commentary:
Allah’s being established (istiwa) upon the Throne (‘Arsh) is true; it is necessary to have faith in this without interpretation (ta’wil), and refraining from interpretation is the way of the Salaf.

Hadith Commentary:
➊
In this hadith, by (هَذَا الأَمرُ) is meant every created thing in the universe that we observe in our daily lives; that is, the people of Yemen had asked about the origin of the observable universe. This is also apparent from the literal meaning of the question, as Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah has written.
(Fath al-Bari: 6/346)
Although he has also mentioned the possibility that the question was about the first created being among all creatures, the answer shows that this possibility is very remote, because in this hadith the creation of the earth and the heavens is mentioned, whereas according to another hadith, Allah Ta’ala first created the Pen (qalam) and commanded it to write.
It asked: What should I write? The command was given: Write the decree (qadar) of everything that will be created until the Day of Resurrection.
(Sunan Abi Dawud, al-Sunnah, Hadith: 4700)
Furthermore, in another hadith, it is explicitly stated that Allah Ta’ala wrote the decree of the universe fifty thousand years before the creation of the earth and the heavens, and at that time Allah’s Throne (‘Arsh) was upon water.
(Sahih Muslim, al-Qadr, Hadith: 6748(2653))
Allah Ta’ala’s Throne and the water are both created by Allah Ta’ala and were present at the time the decrees were written.
The statement of Allah Ta’ala is:
“He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, and His Throne was upon the water.”
(Hud 11:7)
➋
From this verse, it is also understood that the creation of water occurred before the creation of the earth and the heavens, and at the time of the creation of the earth and the heavens, Allah Ta’ala’s Throne was upon the water. After creation, this Throne is above the seven heavens and the Kursi (Footstool) as well.
The material for the creation of the earth and the heavens was smoke (dukhān), which had accumulated in the form of vapor from the water that existed at that time.
This is indicated in Surah Ha Mim al-Sajdah, verse 11. Then, by splitting this smoke, Allah Ta’ala created the earth, the heavens, the sun, the moon, the stars, etc., as Allah Ta’ala says:
“Indeed, the heavens and the earth were joined together, then We split them apart.”
(al-Anbiya: 21:30)
➌
The purpose of this hadith is to describe the greatness, loftiness, and exalted status of Allah Ta’ala’s Throne (‘Arsh), that its worth and rank are far greater than the worth and rank of the earth and the heavens, and its existence predates the existence of the earth and the heavens by far.
And Allah knows best.

Hadith Commentary:
➊
The Throne (‘Arsh) of Allah was upon the water.
This means that Allah, the Exalted, first created water.
Then He created the Throne (‘Arsh) above it, and beneath the Throne there was only water—there was nothing else.
From this, it is understood that water and the Throne were created before the earth and the heavens.

➋
In this hadith it is stated:
“There was nothing besides Allah.”
This means that Allah is pre-eternal and has always existed.
Before Him, there was nothing—not water, not the Throne, nor the Spirit—because all of these are other than Allah.
In any case, the order of the beginning of creation is thus understood: Allah, the Exalted, first created water, then the Throne, and after that, He created the rest of the universe.

➌
From this, it is understood that the Throne of Allah is also a created thing (makhluq), and it is in need of Allah, the Exalted, whereas Allah, the Exalted, is not in need of it.