Understanding Allah's Rising Above the Throne
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : I have some questions about fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) and some about 'aqidah (creed). Where should I start, Shaykh? May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : Knowledge, if you seek it, is vast, and life is short in acquiring it. So prioritize the most important of it over the next most important.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good. Okay, Shaykh, I have a book here titled "The Most Merciful Has Risen Above the Throne, Glorified and Exalted is He." Its author, may Allah reward him with good, says that istiwaa' (rising above the Throne) is either absolute or qualified. He says the absolute means perfection and completeness, and among its proofs is his saying:[Al-Qasas 28:14]. So speak about istiwaa', Shaykh. He defined istiwaa' with definitions I do not know, Shaykh, whether they are permissible or not: he ascended, He is high, He rose, and He settled.
The Shaykh : And what do you have to do with this deep sea?
The questioner : How do we understand this istiwaa'?
The Shaykh : As the Salaf (the earliest generations) understood it. Do you know how the Salaf understood it?
The questioner : No, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Istawa means He rose above.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : This is how the Salaf understood it. And rest easy.
The questioner : Okay, Shaykh, this is a question. I listened to your lecture, Shaykh, or the discussion with those who ask that Allah has no place. But if you are asked, does Allah have a place, what do you answer, Shaykh?
The Shaykh : What do you mean by place?
The questioner : I am at a loss, Shaykh. Any place is where He is, Glorified and Exalted is He, meaning above the Throne.
The Shaykh : May Allah guide you.
The questioner : A place for this?
The Shaykh : May Allah guide you.
The questioner : May Allah grant that.
The Shaykh : I am asking you what you understand from the word "place"?
The questioner : There is no place for Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He. There is not.
The Shaykh : May He guide you. May Allah guide you. May Allah guide you.
The questioner : May Allah grant that.
The Shaykh : The word "place" alone, what do you understand from it?
The questioner : A place, any place.
The Shaykh : Meaning, is it a created thing or an uncreated thing?
The questioner : Created, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes. So if you are asked, is Allah in a created thing? You say, far be it from Him.
The questioner : No, no, I am sorry.
The Shaykh : Did you understand? I do not think you understood.
The questioner : I understood, but Shaykh...
The Shaykh : No. But Shaykh, what do you have to do with the Mu'attilah (those who deny the divine attributes), the Mu'awwilah (those who use figurative interpretation), and the Jahmiyyah (a sect that denied the divine attributes)? What do you have to do with them?
The questioner : Do I say He has no place, or do I say "The Most Merciful has risen above the Throne," Shaykh?
The Shaykh : May Allah guide you.
The questioner : May Allah grant that.
The Shaykh : Did you understand what a place is?
The questioner : Yes, a place is a created thing, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : So Allah is not contained in a created thing.
The questioner : There is no created thing.
The Shaykh : So Allah is not contained in a created thing.
The questioner : Yes, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : But when you believe that Allah has risen above the Throne, is He in a created thing? No. If "The Most Merciful has risen above the Throne" does not mean He is in a place.
The questioner : Praise be to Allah, praise be to Allah, yes.
The Shaykh : Did you understand?
The questioner : You have clarified this doubt. May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : And there is no continuation.
The questioner : Please, go ahead.
The Shaykh : So these contemporary Mu'attilah (those who deny the divine attributes), who have almost corrupted the beliefs of the common people, say that Allah is neither inside the world nor outside it. This is kufr (disbelief). Allah is not inside the world. Do you know that this is kufr? Did you understand?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : As for those who say He is not outside the world, this is also kufr. Did you understand this?
The questioner : Yes, Shaykh, but if they say Allah is not inside the world, how is that kufr, Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Shaykh, may Allah guide you, they do not say it that way. May Allah guide you. They say He is not inside the world nor outside it. May Allah guide you.
The questioner : But if they say He is not inside, but they did not say outside the world.
The Shaykh : May Allah guide you.
The questioner : May Allah grant that.
The Shaykh : Why do you assume the opposite of reality?
The questioner : Okay, Shaykh, okay, did I understand now?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah.
The questioner : Praise be to Allah. Okay, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : And I will add to that. I say, if they say Allah is not inside the world, tell them: then where is Allah? If they say to you, "He has risen above the Throne," then they are on the Salafi creed. Otherwise, they will say He is not inside the world nor outside it. And this is denial, and this is kufr. Perhaps you have understood me.
The questioner : Yes, Shaykh, I understood you.
The Shaykh : Okay, what else do you have?
The Shaykh : Knowledge, if you seek it, is vast, and life is short in acquiring it. So prioritize the most important of it over the next most important.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good. Okay, Shaykh, I have a book here titled "The Most Merciful Has Risen Above the Throne, Glorified and Exalted is He." Its author, may Allah reward him with good, says that istiwaa' (rising above the Throne) is either absolute or qualified. He says the absolute means perfection and completeness, and among its proofs is his saying:
And when he attained his full strength and was [mentally] mature
وَلَمَّا بَلَغَ أَشُدَّهُ وَاسْتَوَىٰThe Shaykh : And what do you have to do with this deep sea?
The questioner : How do we understand this istiwaa'?
The Shaykh : As the Salaf (the earliest generations) understood it. Do you know how the Salaf understood it?
The questioner : No, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Istawa means He rose above.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : This is how the Salaf understood it. And rest easy.
The questioner : Okay, Shaykh, this is a question. I listened to your lecture, Shaykh, or the discussion with those who ask that Allah has no place. But if you are asked, does Allah have a place, what do you answer, Shaykh?
The Shaykh : What do you mean by place?
The questioner : I am at a loss, Shaykh. Any place is where He is, Glorified and Exalted is He, meaning above the Throne.
The Shaykh : May Allah guide you.
The questioner : A place for this?
The Shaykh : May Allah guide you.
The questioner : May Allah grant that.
The Shaykh : I am asking you what you understand from the word "place"?
The questioner : There is no place for Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He. There is not.
The Shaykh : May He guide you. May Allah guide you. May Allah guide you.
The questioner : May Allah grant that.
The Shaykh : The word "place" alone, what do you understand from it?
The questioner : A place, any place.
The Shaykh : Meaning, is it a created thing or an uncreated thing?
The questioner : Created, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes. So if you are asked, is Allah in a created thing? You say, far be it from Him.
The questioner : No, no, I am sorry.
The Shaykh : Did you understand? I do not think you understood.
The questioner : I understood, but Shaykh...
The Shaykh : No. But Shaykh, what do you have to do with the Mu'attilah (those who deny the divine attributes), the Mu'awwilah (those who use figurative interpretation), and the Jahmiyyah (a sect that denied the divine attributes)? What do you have to do with them?
The questioner : Do I say He has no place, or do I say "The Most Merciful has risen above the Throne," Shaykh?
The Shaykh : May Allah guide you.
The questioner : May Allah grant that.
The Shaykh : Did you understand what a place is?
The questioner : Yes, a place is a created thing, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : So Allah is not contained in a created thing.
The questioner : There is no created thing.
The Shaykh : So Allah is not contained in a created thing.
The questioner : Yes, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : But when you believe that Allah has risen above the Throne, is He in a created thing? No. If "The Most Merciful has risen above the Throne" does not mean He is in a place.
The questioner : Praise be to Allah, praise be to Allah, yes.
The Shaykh : Did you understand?
The questioner : You have clarified this doubt. May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : And there is no continuation.
The questioner : Please, go ahead.
The Shaykh : So these contemporary Mu'attilah (those who deny the divine attributes), who have almost corrupted the beliefs of the common people, say that Allah is neither inside the world nor outside it. This is kufr (disbelief). Allah is not inside the world. Do you know that this is kufr? Did you understand?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : As for those who say He is not outside the world, this is also kufr. Did you understand this?
The questioner : Yes, Shaykh, but if they say Allah is not inside the world, how is that kufr, Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Shaykh, may Allah guide you, they do not say it that way. May Allah guide you. They say He is not inside the world nor outside it. May Allah guide you.
The questioner : But if they say He is not inside, but they did not say outside the world.
The Shaykh : May Allah guide you.
The questioner : May Allah grant that.
The Shaykh : Why do you assume the opposite of reality?
The questioner : Okay, Shaykh, okay, did I understand now?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah.
The questioner : Praise be to Allah. Okay, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : And I will add to that. I say, if they say Allah is not inside the world, tell them: then where is Allah? If they say to you, "He has risen above the Throne," then they are on the Salafi creed. Otherwise, they will say He is not inside the world nor outside it. And this is denial, and this is kufr. Perhaps you have understood me.
The questioner : Yes, Shaykh, I understood you.
The Shaykh : Okay, what else do you have?
Source
سلسلة الهدى والنور، المجلس 972 — d3watuna.com (2:35)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.