Author: Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Ameenpuri
The consensus and unanimous belief of the believers is that Allah is above His Throne. Hafiz Dhahabi writes:
"I say that the belief of the righteous predecessors and the Imams of the Sunnah, as well as the companions, is that Allah is above in the heavens, on His Throne, and above His heavens. He descends to the lowest heaven, and their proof for this is the Quranic texts and the traditions. The Jahmiyya claim that Allah is everywhere, but Allah is far above their claims. Rather, He is with us by His knowledge wherever we are. The later scholars of theology said that Allah is neither above the heavens nor on the Throne, nor on the earth, nor inside the universe, nor outside it, neither separate from His creation nor connected to them. They claim all these attributes are characteristics of physical bodies, and Allah is free from being a body. The people of Sunnah and Hadith said to them: We do not delve deeply into this matter, and we say what we have mentioned in following the texts. We do not say what you claim because these negations describe nonexistence. Allah is far above nonexistence; rather, He is present, distinct from His creation, and described with the attributes He has given Himself, being above the Throne without modality."
(Mukhtasar al-Uluww lil-Dhahabi, p. 146-147)
Now, we will briefly mention authentic hadiths that clearly indicate Allah is above His Throne:
Hadith 1:
Narrated by Muawiyah bin al-Hakam al-Sulami: "I had a slave-girl who tended my sheep near Uhud and Jawaniyah. One day I came to see them and found that a wolf had taken away one of the sheep from her flock. I am a human being; I got upset as others do, and I slapped her. Then I came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and told him what happened. He considered it a grave action on my part. I said, 'O Messenger of Allah! Should I not free her?' He said, 'Bring her to me.' So I brought her to him. He asked her, 'Where is Allah?' She replied, 'In the heavens.' He asked, 'Who am I?' She replied, 'You are the Messenger of Allah.' He said, 'Free her, for she is a believer.'"
(Sahih Muslim: 537)
This hadith is an explicit text that Allah is above the Throne. Imam Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari (d. 324 AH) uses this hadith to prove that Allah is above the heavens on His Throne: "This indicates that Allah is above the heavens on His Throne."
(al-Ibanah fi Usul al-Diyanah by Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari, p. 109)
Imam Ibn Abd al-Barr (d. 463 AH) writes under this hadith: "The meaning of this hadith is clear, so there is no need to discuss it. As for the Prophet's question, 'Where is Allah?' and her response, 'In the heavens,' this is the belief of the people of truth." (al-Tamhid by Ibn Abd al-Barr, 22/80)
He also writes: "The Prophet's question in this hadith, 'Where is Allah?' and her answer, 'In the heavens,' is the belief of the people of Hadith and those who narrate it, understand it, and transmit it. All of them say what Allah says in His Book:
'The Most Merciful rose over the Throne.' (Surah Taha: 5) and that Allah is above the heavens and His knowledge is in every place."
(al-Istidkar by Ibn Abd al-Barr, 7/337)
The hadith of the Prophet ﷺ is evidence that a person is not a believer until he knows that Allah is in the heavens above the earth. If a person does not know that Allah is in the heavens, then he is not a believer. If such a person is a slave and is freed, it will not be sufficient for freeing a believing soul because he does not know that Allah is in the heavens. Do you not see that the Prophet ﷺ made the sign of her faith her knowledge that Allah is in the heavens? The Prophet's question, 'Where is Allah?' refutes those who say Allah is everywhere and cannot be described with 'where.' If Allah were everywhere, the Prophet ﷺ would not have confirmed her statement and testified to her faith.
Imam Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi (d. 620 AH) also affirms this: "The Prophet's statement in this hadith, 'Where is Allah?' and her response, 'In the heavens,' is the belief of the people of truth."
(al-Uluww by al-Dhahabi, p. 147)
Hadith 2:
Narrated by Abu Hurairah: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Angels take turns among you by night and by day, and they all assemble at the dawn (Fajr) and afternoon ('Asr) prayers. Those who have spent the night among you ascend (to the heavens), and their Lord asks them, though He is the best informed about them, 'In what condition did you leave My servants?' They reply, 'We left them while they were praying, and we came to them while they were praying.'"
(Sahih al-Bukhari: 7429, Sahih Muslim: 632)
Hadith 3:
Narrated by Abdullah ibn Amr: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The merciful are shown mercy by the Most Merciful. Be merciful on the earth, and He Who is in the heavens will have mercy upon you."
(Musnad Ahmad: 6/160, Sunan al-Tirmidhi: 1924, Sunan Abu Dawud: 4941)
Hadith 4:
Narrated by Jabir bin Abdullah: "In his sermon on the day of Arafah, the Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'You will be asked about me (on the Day of Resurrection), so what will you say?' They (the people) replied, 'We will testify that you have conveyed (the message), fulfilled (the trust), and advised sincerely.' Then, pointing with his forefinger towards the sky and then pointing at the people, he said, 'O Allah! Bear witness. O Allah! Bear witness.' He said this thrice."
(Sahih Muslim: 1218)
Hadith 5:
Narrated by Anas bin Malik: "Zainab bint Jahsh used to boast to the other wives of the Prophet (ﷺ), 'Your families gave you in marriage, while Allah gave me in marriage from above the heavens.'"
(Sahih al-Bukhari: 7421)
Hadith 6:
Narrated by Abu Sa'id al-Khudri: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Do you not trust me, while I am the trustworthy one of Him who is in the heavens? News of the heavens comes to me morning and evening."
(Sahih al-Bukhari: 4351, Sahih Muslim: 1064)
Hadith 7:
Narrated by Abu Hurairah: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "By Him in Whose hand is my life! Whenever a man calls his wife to his bed, and she does not respond, He Who is in the heavens will be angry with her until her husband is pleased with her."
(Sahih Muslim: 1436)
Hadith 8:
Narrated by Anas bin Malik: "We were with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) during a rainstorm. The Prophet (ﷺ) removed his garment until the rain fell on him. We asked, 'O Messenger of Allah! Why did you do that?' He replied, 'Because it has just come from its Lord, the Exalted and Glorious.'"
(Sahih Muslim: 898)
Hadith 9:
Narrated by Abu Hurairah: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "When the deceased is placed in the grave, two angels come to him. They make him sit and ask him, 'Who is your Lord?' He replies, 'My Lord is Allah.' They ask him, 'What is your religion?' He replies, 'My religion is Islam.' They ask him, 'Who is this man who was sent among you?' He replies, 'He is the Messenger of Allah.' They ask him, 'What did you do?' He replies, 'I read Allah's Book, believed in it, and acted upon it.' Then a caller from the heavens will proclaim, 'My servant has spoken the truth, so spread a bed for him from Paradise, clothe him from Paradise, and open a door for him to Paradise.'"
(Sahih Muslim: 2870)
Hadith 10:
Narrated by Aamir bin Sa'd on the authority of his father: "Sa'd bin Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) gave a verdict regarding Banu Qurayza that their warriors should be killed, their women and children should be taken as captives, and their properties distributed among the Muslims. This verdict was conveyed to the Prophet (ﷺ), who said, 'You have judged according to the ruling of Allah above the seven heavens.'"
(Musnad Ahmad: 2/364, Sunan Ibn Majah: 4262)
Hafiz Dhahabi remarks after mentioning this hadith: "And so we see that everyone who is asked, 'Where is Allah?' promptly and instinctively responds, 'In the heavens.' The hadith includes two matters: Firstly, it is permissible for a Muslim to ask, 'Where is Allah?' Secondly, it is permissible for the respondent to say, 'In the heavens.' Whoever denies these two matters is actually denying the statement of the Prophet (ﷺ)."
(al-Uluw lil-Dhahabi: p. 26)
The consensus and unanimous belief of the believers is that Allah is above His Throne. Hafiz Dhahabi writes:
"I say that the belief of the righteous predecessors and the Imams of the Sunnah, as well as the companions, is that Allah is above in the heavens, on His Throne, and above His heavens. He descends to the lowest heaven, and their proof for this is the Quranic texts and the traditions. The Jahmiyya claim that Allah is everywhere, but Allah is far above their claims. Rather, He is with us by His knowledge wherever we are. The later scholars of theology said that Allah is neither above the heavens nor on the Throne, nor on the earth, nor inside the universe, nor outside it, neither separate from His creation nor connected to them. They claim all these attributes are characteristics of physical bodies, and Allah is free from being a body. The people of Sunnah and Hadith said to them: We do not delve deeply into this matter, and we say what we have mentioned in following the texts. We do not say what you claim because these negations describe nonexistence. Allah is far above nonexistence; rather, He is present, distinct from His creation, and described with the attributes He has given Himself, being above the Throne without modality."
(Mukhtasar al-Uluww lil-Dhahabi, p. 146-147)
Now, we will briefly mention authentic hadiths that clearly indicate Allah is above His Throne:
Hadith 1:
Narrated by Muawiyah bin al-Hakam al-Sulami: "I had a slave-girl who tended my sheep near Uhud and Jawaniyah. One day I came to see them and found that a wolf had taken away one of the sheep from her flock. I am a human being; I got upset as others do, and I slapped her. Then I came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and told him what happened. He considered it a grave action on my part. I said, 'O Messenger of Allah! Should I not free her?' He said, 'Bring her to me.' So I brought her to him. He asked her, 'Where is Allah?' She replied, 'In the heavens.' He asked, 'Who am I?' She replied, 'You are the Messenger of Allah.' He said, 'Free her, for she is a believer.'"
(Sahih Muslim: 537)
This hadith is an explicit text that Allah is above the Throne. Imam Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari (d. 324 AH) uses this hadith to prove that Allah is above the heavens on His Throne: "This indicates that Allah is above the heavens on His Throne."
(al-Ibanah fi Usul al-Diyanah by Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari, p. 109)
Imam Ibn Abd al-Barr (d. 463 AH) writes under this hadith: "The meaning of this hadith is clear, so there is no need to discuss it. As for the Prophet's question, 'Where is Allah?' and her response, 'In the heavens,' this is the belief of the people of truth." (al-Tamhid by Ibn Abd al-Barr, 22/80)
He also writes: "The Prophet's question in this hadith, 'Where is Allah?' and her answer, 'In the heavens,' is the belief of the people of Hadith and those who narrate it, understand it, and transmit it. All of them say what Allah says in His Book:
'The Most Merciful rose over the Throne.' (Surah Taha: 5) and that Allah is above the heavens and His knowledge is in every place."
(al-Istidkar by Ibn Abd al-Barr, 7/337)
The hadith of the Prophet ﷺ is evidence that a person is not a believer until he knows that Allah is in the heavens above the earth. If a person does not know that Allah is in the heavens, then he is not a believer. If such a person is a slave and is freed, it will not be sufficient for freeing a believing soul because he does not know that Allah is in the heavens. Do you not see that the Prophet ﷺ made the sign of her faith her knowledge that Allah is in the heavens? The Prophet's question, 'Where is Allah?' refutes those who say Allah is everywhere and cannot be described with 'where.' If Allah were everywhere, the Prophet ﷺ would not have confirmed her statement and testified to her faith.
Imam Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi (d. 620 AH) also affirms this: "The Prophet's statement in this hadith, 'Where is Allah?' and her response, 'In the heavens,' is the belief of the people of truth."
(al-Uluww by al-Dhahabi, p. 147)
Hadith 2:
Narrated by Abu Hurairah: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Angels take turns among you by night and by day, and they all assemble at the dawn (Fajr) and afternoon ('Asr) prayers. Those who have spent the night among you ascend (to the heavens), and their Lord asks them, though He is the best informed about them, 'In what condition did you leave My servants?' They reply, 'We left them while they were praying, and we came to them while they were praying.'"
(Sahih al-Bukhari: 7429, Sahih Muslim: 632)
Hadith 3:
Narrated by Abdullah ibn Amr: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The merciful are shown mercy by the Most Merciful. Be merciful on the earth, and He Who is in the heavens will have mercy upon you."
(Musnad Ahmad: 6/160, Sunan al-Tirmidhi: 1924, Sunan Abu Dawud: 4941)
Hadith 4:
Narrated by Jabir bin Abdullah: "In his sermon on the day of Arafah, the Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'You will be asked about me (on the Day of Resurrection), so what will you say?' They (the people) replied, 'We will testify that you have conveyed (the message), fulfilled (the trust), and advised sincerely.' Then, pointing with his forefinger towards the sky and then pointing at the people, he said, 'O Allah! Bear witness. O Allah! Bear witness.' He said this thrice."
(Sahih Muslim: 1218)
Hadith 5:
Narrated by Anas bin Malik: "Zainab bint Jahsh used to boast to the other wives of the Prophet (ﷺ), 'Your families gave you in marriage, while Allah gave me in marriage from above the heavens.'"
(Sahih al-Bukhari: 7421)
Hadith 6:
Narrated by Abu Sa'id al-Khudri: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Do you not trust me, while I am the trustworthy one of Him who is in the heavens? News of the heavens comes to me morning and evening."
(Sahih al-Bukhari: 4351, Sahih Muslim: 1064)
Hadith 7:
Narrated by Abu Hurairah: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "By Him in Whose hand is my life! Whenever a man calls his wife to his bed, and she does not respond, He Who is in the heavens will be angry with her until her husband is pleased with her."
(Sahih Muslim: 1436)
Hadith 8:
Narrated by Anas bin Malik: "We were with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) during a rainstorm. The Prophet (ﷺ) removed his garment until the rain fell on him. We asked, 'O Messenger of Allah! Why did you do that?' He replied, 'Because it has just come from its Lord, the Exalted and Glorious.'"
(Sahih Muslim: 898)
Hadith 9:
Narrated by Abu Hurairah: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "When the deceased is placed in the grave, two angels come to him. They make him sit and ask him, 'Who is your Lord?' He replies, 'My Lord is Allah.' They ask him, 'What is your religion?' He replies, 'My religion is Islam.' They ask him, 'Who is this man who was sent among you?' He replies, 'He is the Messenger of Allah.' They ask him, 'What did you do?' He replies, 'I read Allah's Book, believed in it, and acted upon it.' Then a caller from the heavens will proclaim, 'My servant has spoken the truth, so spread a bed for him from Paradise, clothe him from Paradise, and open a door for him to Paradise.'"
(Sahih Muslim: 2870)
Hadith 10:
Narrated by Aamir bin Sa'd on the authority of his father: "Sa'd bin Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) gave a verdict regarding Banu Qurayza that their warriors should be killed, their women and children should be taken as captives, and their properties distributed among the Muslims. This verdict was conveyed to the Prophet (ﷺ), who said, 'You have judged according to the ruling of Allah above the seven heavens.'"
(Musnad Ahmad: 2/364, Sunan Ibn Majah: 4262)
Hafiz Dhahabi remarks after mentioning this hadith: "And so we see that everyone who is asked, 'Where is Allah?' promptly and instinctively responds, 'In the heavens.' The hadith includes two matters: Firstly, it is permissible for a Muslim to ask, 'Where is Allah?' Secondly, it is permissible for the respondent to say, 'In the heavens.' Whoever denies these two matters is actually denying the statement of the Prophet (ﷺ)."
(al-Uluw lil-Dhahabi: p. 26)