Belief of Ahl al-Sunnah Regarding the Descent of Allah ﷻ
Source: Fatawa Ameen Puri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Ameen Puri
Question:
What is the belief of Ahl al-Sunnah regarding the descent of Allah ﷻ?
Answer:
Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jamāʿah believe that Allah ﷻ is established above the Throne (istiwaʾ), and they affirm this without delving into its modality. They also believe that Allah ﷻ descends, and His descent is true, in a manner befitting His Majesty. Numerous Qur’ānic texts and mutawātir aḥādīth prove this. The descent of Allah ﷻ to the lowest heaven during the last third of the night is established through authentic aḥādīth.
❀ Sayyidunā Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
ينزل ربنا تبارك وتعالى كل ليلة إلى السماء الدنيا حين يبقى ثلث الليل الآخر، فيقول : من يدعوني، فأستجيب له؟ من يسألني، فأعطيه؟ من يستغفرني، فأغفر له؟
"Every night when the last third of it remains, our Lord, Blessed and Exalted, descends to the lowest heaven and says: Who will call upon Me so that I may answer him? Who will ask Me so that I may grant him? Who will seek forgiveness from Me so that I may forgive him?"
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 1145, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 758)
❀ Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah (رحمه الله, 728 AH) states:
أجمعوا على أن الله ينزل كل ليلة إلى سماء الدنيا على ما أتت به الآثار كيف شاء لا يحدون فى ذلك شيئا .
"There is consensus among Ahl al-Sunnah that Allah ﷻ descends every night to the lowest heaven, as mentioned in the narrations, in whatever manner He wills. They do not define any specific modality for this descent."
(Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā: 5/578)
