Using the term *istiwa'* (rising above the Throne) for a created being
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, is it understood from the author’s statement (may Allah have mercy on him) that *istiwa'* (rising above the Throne) over something is only for the Throne, that it is not permissible to express this term for anyone but Allah?
The Shaykh:
It is not mentioned that He rose above anything except the Throne. Search the Qur'an and the Sunnah; you will not find that Allah rose above anything except the Throne, which is the highest of created things, above all created things. The Throne is the ceiling of created things, the highest and the widest of them. Allah did not mention that He rose above the earth, or above a mount, or above a mountain, or above a blessing.
The questioner:
And is it permissible for me to say of a created being that it rose above the car or above the bed?
The Shaykh:
Allah said this. Allah said this and[Az-Zukhruf 43:13]. So you say [Az-Zukhruf 43:12-13], meaning He settles upon the ship or upon the mount, meaning you ride on top of it; this is riding on top. "Settled upon His Throne" means the plant, the ear of grain, settled upon the reed, meaning it rose up on it. Allah mentioned in creation that it settles upon things. Yes.
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, is it understood from the author’s statement (may Allah have mercy on him) that *istiwa'* (rising above the Throne) over something is only for the Throne, that it is not permissible to express this term for anyone but Allah?
The Shaykh:
It is not mentioned that He rose above anything except the Throne. Search the Qur'an and the Sunnah; you will not find that Allah rose above anything except the Throne, which is the highest of created things, above all created things. The Throne is the ceiling of created things, the highest and the widest of them. Allah did not mention that He rose above the earth, or above a mount, or above a mountain, or above a blessing.
The questioner:
And is it permissible for me to say of a created being that it rose above the car or above the bed?
The Shaykh:
Allah said this. Allah said this and
remember the favor of your Lord when you have settled upon them
تَذْكُرُوا نِعْمَةَ رَبِّكُمْ إِذَا اسْتَوَيْتُمْ عَلَيْهِand has made for you of ships and animals those which you mount. (13) That you may settle yourselves upon their backs and then remember the favor of your Lord when you have settled upon them
وَجَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنَ الْفُلْكِ وَالْأَنْعَامِ مَا تَرْكَبُونَ لِتَسْتَوُوا عَلَىٰ ظُهُورِهِ ثُمَّ تَذْكُرُوا نِعْمَةَ رَبِّكُمْ إِذَا اسْتَوَيْتُمْ عَلَيْهِ
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، [921 -1024] هل ورد أن الله استوى على غير العرش؟ وهل يجوز إطلاق لفظ الاستواء للمخلوق؟ — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.