Bukhari

Hadith Commentary:
In all the ahadith of this chapter, Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has established the transcendence (‘uluw) and exaltedness (fawqiyyah) of Allah, the Exalted, and for this he has affirmed the direction of above (jiha al-fawq), just as it is the creed of Ahl al-Hadith. And in the narration of Ibn Abbas radi Allahu anhu, in which it is stated "the Lord of the Throne," this also conveys the same meaning, because the Throne (‘Arsh) is above all bodies, and the Lord of the Throne will be above the Throne. It is astonishing regarding Ibn al-Munir that he, contrary to the approach of Imam Bukhari, said that the purpose of this chapter is to negate direction (jiha).

If this had been Imam Bukhari’s intention, then why would he have brought verses about ascending (su‘ud) and rising (‘uruj), and ahadith about transcendence (‘uluw) in this chapter? It is thus clear how the influence of the "chicks of the philosophers" has affected Ibn al-Munir, Ibn Hajar, and such scholars of hadith, who, from the evidences affirming direction, understand the opposite meaning, i.e., the negation of direction. Indeed, this is a most astonishing thing.

Hadith Commentary:
1.
This earth upon which we dwell, the sun is millions of miles above it.
Despite being so high, it too is beneath the Throne (‘Arsh) of Allah, the Exalted.
And the Mighty Throne (‘Arsh al-‘Azim) is the roof for all creation.
Allah, the Exalted, is established (mustawi) upon the Throne, as is explicitly stated in the Qur’an and Hadith.
From this, Imam al-Bukhari rahimahullah established the transcendence (‘uluw) of the Divine Essence (Dhat Bari Ta‘ala).
What is the nature (kayfiyyah) of this transcendence? Only Allah, the Exalted, knows best regarding this.
Imam Malik rahimahullah was asked: “Allah, the Exalted, is established upon the Throne, but what is the nature of this establishment (istiwa)?” He replied:
The meaning of the word istiwa—that Allah, the Exalted, is settled or elevated upon the Throne—is clear, but regarding the nature of Allah’s establishment upon the Throne, nothing has been conveyed to us from the Lawgiver (shari‘ alayhi as-salam). Therefore, it is obligatory to have faith in Allah’s being established upon the Throne, while questioning its nature is an innovation (bid‘ah).
(Fath al-Bari: 13/500)
2.
In any case, this reality cannot be denied that Allah, the Exalted, is above us. However, it is astonishing regarding the commentator of Sahih al-Bukhari, Ibn al-Munir, that he said—contrary to the position of Imam al-Bukhari rahimahullah—that the purpose of this chapter heading is to negate direction (jiha).
If this had been Imam al-Bukhari rahimahullah’s intent, then why would he have brought under this chapter those verses concerning the ascension of the angels and the rising of pure words, and the hadiths that establish the attribute of transcendence (‘uluw) for the Divine Essence?
3.
Hafiz Ibn Taymiyyah rahimahullah writes that regarding the transcendence (‘uluw) of the Divine Essence and His being established upon the Throne, people are of four types, whose details are as follows:
➊
Allah, the Exalted, is neither outside the universe nor inside it; for Him, there is no direction—neither above nor below.
➋
Allah, the Exalted, is present everywhere in essence (dhat).
This is also the foundation of the doctrine of wahdat al-wujud (unity of existence).
➌
He is above the Throne and, in essence, present everywhere as well.
➍
According to the Book and Sunnah, only that is affirmed for Allah, the Exalted, which He has affirmed for Himself or which His Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam has indicated regarding Him.
No distortion (tahrif) or figurative interpretation (ta’wil) should be made, nor should He be likened to the creation.
According to this creed, Allah, the Exalted, is exalted above the Throne in essence, above the heavens, and His knowledge is everywhere.
(Majmu‘ al-Fatawa: 5/229)
4.
In the Indian subcontinent, some people hold the belief that Allah, the Exalted, is present everywhere in essence, and they consider wahdat al-wujud to be correct and true, whereas this belief is utterly false.
The statement of Allah, the Exalted, is:
“He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then He established Himself upon the Throne. He knows what enters the earth and what comes out of it, and what descends from the sky and what ascends therein. And wherever you may be, He is with you.” (al-Hadid 4)
In this noble verse, both matters are established: that Allah, in essence, is exalted above His Throne, and in knowledge, He is everywhere.
The meaning of Allah’s ma‘iyyah (being with) is His all-encompassing supervision, and it is not related to the surface of the earth but is present everywhere in the universe.
All the words and deeds of humans, and all their movements and stillness, are within His knowledge.
No one can hide from Allah, the Exalted, nor can anyone hide their actions and deeds from Him.
Allah’s ma‘iyyah is not in terms of His essence, but in terms of His power and His knowledge. Thus, Imam Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, while commenting on the aforementioned verse, writes:
“O people! That Allah is a witness over you; wherever you may be, He knows you. He knows your deeds, your abode, and your movements, and He is established upon His Throne above the seven heavens.”
(Tafsir al-Tabari: 27/125)
Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal rahimahullah was asked about Allah’s ma‘iyyah, and he replied:
By this is meant Allah’s knowledge.
He is the Knower of the unseen, encompassing everything.
He is the Witness, the Knower of the unseen.
He knows the unseen, and our Lord is upon the Throne without modality (bi-la kayf), but we cannot describe its nature.
(Sharh Hadith al-Nuzul: p. 74)
In any case, there is consensus among the people of knowledge that Allah, the Exalted, is above the Throne, and His knowledge is everywhere.
(Siyar A‘lam al-Nubala’: 17/650)

Hadith Commentary:
Ibn Kathir and Qastallani have said that the Throne (‘Arsh) is not spherical, as the astronomers (ahl al-hay’at) think, rather it is a dome (qubbah).
It has pillars which the angels are holding.
Thus, the Throne is above, in the direction of the tops of people’s heads.
Then, during the day, the sun is very close to the Throne, and at midnight it is far from its place at the Throne, at the time when it is at the fourth heaven. At that time, it prostrates, and it is granted permission to go towards the east and to emerge from there.
By prostration (sujud), humility and submission are meant.
I say: these are the discourses of that era,
when people did not have clear knowledge of the earth being spherical and inhabited on all sides.
Now, through experience and observation, it has been established that the earth is spherical, but there is a difference of opinion among the philosophers as to whether the earth revolves around the sun or the sun revolves around the earth.
The contemporary philosophers have adopted the first view, and the hadith supports the second view.
Now, when the Throne is above the earth from all sides, then it is also necessary for it to be spherical, and due to the difference of horizons, at every moment the sun is rising somewhere and setting somewhere else.
In this situation, a problem arises in the hadith, and the answer is that by prostration, submission and humility are meant, so it is as if it is always in prostration beneath the Throne, and is seeking permission from the Lord to proceed further.
Near the Day of Judgment, this permission will not be granted to it, and it will be commanded to return from where it came, so it will then appear from the west.
And Allah knows best. We believe in Allah and as the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said. (Wahidi)
“And the sun runs to its resting place...” The author of al-Lam‘at said: Other explanations have been mentioned in the commentaries regarding this verse, but not this hadith. There is no doubt that what is mentioned in the agreed-upon hadith is what is reliable and to be depended upon. It is astonishing that al-Baydawi mentioned various explanations in his tafsir regarding the state of the sun, but did not mention the explanation found in this hadith. Perhaps this was due to his philosophizing—may Allah protect us from that. In the words of al-Sulabi as well, there is something that suggests constriction of the chest; we ask Allah for well-being. End (Bukhari Hashiyah, p. 709)
The author of al-Lam‘at said: Regarding Allah’s statement, “And the sun runs to its resting place...” (), other explanations have been mentioned in the commentaries, and the content of this hadith has been left aside.
There is no doubt that what is stated in the aforementioned hadith of Bukhari and Muslim regarding the sun is what is reliable and to be depended upon.
It is astonishing regarding Imam Baydawi that he mentioned many explanations regarding the state of the sun in his tafsir, but left out the explanation and statement found in this hadith; perhaps this was due to the influence of Greek philosophy upon him.
We seek refuge in Allah, and at this point, what Allamah Tayyibi rahimahullah has said also causes constriction and tightness in the chest (which cannot be accepted with an open heart).

Hadith Commentary:
➊
In one narration, the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:
“The sun, after prostrating beneath the Throne, seeks permission from Allah to rise, then it rises from the east. Soon, it will not be granted permission to rise from the east, and it will be told: ‘Return from where you came.’ Then it will rise from the west.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of the Beginning of Creation, Hadith: 3199)

➋
There are two meanings of “mustaqarr” (appointed place):
Mustaqarr zamani, i.e., the appointed time; mustaqarr makani, i.e., the appointed place.
It is better to take the meaning here as mustaqarr zamani, i.e., the time when the sun, after completing its appointed term, will end its movement.
In this case, the meaning of the verse will be that the sun is moving in its orbit with such a firm and strong system that there is never a difference of even a minute or a second.
Thousands of years have passed over its movement, yet this movement is not perpetual; rather, there is a specific mustaqarr (appointed time) for it, upon reaching which this movement will cease and end, and that is the Day of Resurrection.
This meaning is also supported by another verse, where Allah the Exalted says:
“Each (the sun and the moon) runs for an appointed term.”
(al-Ra’d 13:2)
At this place, the words “ajal musamma” (appointed term) are used, which mean a fixed period; therefore, the meaning is that the movement of both the sun and the moon is not perpetual, but has a fixed time, upon reaching which this movement will end.
It is agreed upon by nearly all scholars that the earth is round (spherical), and Allah’s Throne encompasses this earth from all sides, so from this, the spherical nature of Allah’s Throne is established.
In this regard, the sun, due to the difference of horizons, is always rising and setting somewhere at every moment, as if it is always in prostration beneath the Throne and seeking permission from the Lord to move forward.
Near the Day of Resurrection, it will not be granted permission to move forward, and it will be commanded: “Return from where you came.” Then it will rise from the west, and the Day of Resurrection will occur.

➌
It should be remembered that the meaning of the sun’s prostration is its submission and humility; on this basis, the meaning of the hadith is that the sun, throughout its entire circuit, is in prostration before Allah the Exalted beneath the Throne, i.e., it moves by His permission and command. For this prostration and permission, it does not require any pause or rest.
During its movement in its orbit, it is at every moment prostrating to Allah the Exalted and seeking permission to move forward, and this process will continue in this way until the approach of the Day of Resurrection.

➍
In any case, at the time of the sun’s rising and setting, a new transformation occurs in the world.
The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, considering this transformative time suitable for human admonition, instructed that one should not think of the sun as moving independently and by its own will, but rather that it is subject to the permission and will of Allah the Exalted.
Its every rising and setting occurs by the permission of Allah the Exalted.
Its obedient movement has been termed as prostration, because the prostration of every thing is according to its own state, as the Noble Qur’an itself has clarified.
Therefore, to understand the sun’s prostration as being only by placing its forehead on the ground like a human’s prostration is not correct.
The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, near the time of sunset in Madinah Tayyibah, instructed Abu Dharr radi Allahu anhu through a question and answer to be alert to this reality, which we have mentioned above.
And Allah knows best.

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues:
According to different regions and different countries, its rising and setting are distinct,
and it does not need to pause or wait to seek permission for this,
it is rising and setting by His command,
and it is the management of its Owner,
in which there is no possibility of being ahead or behind by even a minute or a second.
By His command, changes occur in the seasons,
and according to His command, the interval between rising and setting is sometimes less and sometimes more,
and in some places, it remains almost the same in every season,
(the day and night are nearly equal),
and while passing beneath the Throne, it seeks permission.