Clarifying the Meaning of Istawa and Istawala in the Statement of Ibn al-Qayyim
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
Is it not the case that in the statement of Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him), "but He took possession of the universes," does this not imply that He withdrew it, and is this not incorrect?
Answer:
It is more appropriate to say "took possession of the universes," meaning that He (Glorified and Exalted is He) holds the entire universe in His dominion and grasp. Or that He took possession of the universes from eternity, since He created them. As for the Throne, one does not say "took possession of it" (istawala); one says "He rose above it" (istawa), as Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said.
Is it not the case that in the statement of Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him), "but He took possession of the universes," does this not imply that He withdrew it, and is this not incorrect?
Answer:
It is more appropriate to say "took possession of the universes," meaning that He (Glorified and Exalted is He) holds the entire universe in His dominion and grasp. Or that He took possession of the universes from eternity, since He created them. As for the Throne, one does not say "took possession of it" (istawala); one says "He rose above it" (istawa), as Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said.
Source
شرح الكافية الشافية في الانتصار للفرقة الناجية [ القصيدة النونية ] [ صالح الفوزان ]، بداية من قوله : يا رب قد قالوا بأن مصاحف الإسلام ما فيها من القرآن — islamhouse.com (1:03:34)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.