Clarification of the Affirmation of the Exaltedness of Allah and the Discussion on
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It has come from one of the Imams of the Salaf, and he is specifically Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak, one of the great Shaykhs of the Imam of the Sunnah, the Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him). He came with a phrase that gathered and contained [the meaning], saying: "Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) is above His Throne with His Essence, and He is distinct from His creation, and He is with them with His knowledge." In the last sentence, it says: "and He is with them with His knowledge." The previous discussion: [At-Talaq 65:12] But now, at the beginning of the speech, he speaks about the Divine Essence, saying: "Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) is above His Throne with His Essence." He took this from many, and very many, verses in the Noble Qur'an: [Taha 20:5] [Fatir 35:10] The famous hadith: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1924Hasan (Darussalam) And this hadith is as if it is a quotation from His saying (Blessed and Exalted is He): [Al-Mulk 67:16-17] So, the Imam Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak, the Shaykh of the Imam Ahmad, expresses these verses and others that Hafiz of Damascus, al-Hafiz al-Dhahabi, gathered in a special treatise, which is printed, and he named it: "The Exaltedness of the Exalted, the Forgiving." He gathered in this treatise the verses that revolve around this attribute of the Divine Essence, which is the attribute of absolute exaltedness, the verses and hadiths and the sayings of the Companions, and the athar of the Salaf, including the sayings of the four Imams, all of whom revolve around what Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak gathered in this word.
"Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) is above His Throne with His Essence, and He is distinct from His creation." He refuted the concept of indwelling (hulul), for He is Self-Sufficient, and He is the One who is free of need of the worlds. But that exaltedness which the human mind cannot comprehend, that is, cannot visualize, does not mean that He is unaware of any hidden thing. He said: No, "and He is with them with His knowledge." So, in this concise sentence, he gathered dozens of verses, hadiths, and sayings of the Salaf, so that the belief of the Muslim is a correct belief, far from the claim of the unity of existence, and far from the claim of indwelling (hulul) which some of the misguided sects claim.
"Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) is above His Throne with His Essence, distinct from His creation, and He is with them with His knowledge." So, this led us to this research, and perhaps we have lengthened it to a degree that may have caused some boredom, but knowledge is of this nature; it requires some patience so that the Muslim person advances in knowledge. What led us to this is that it is not permissible to name riba as "profit"; rather, we name it as Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) named it, so that this word continues to work its effect in the hearts of the believers. Unlike the word "profit," which remains permissible. Therefore, today, most of those who deal in riba hardly feel its prohibition, except those whom Allah protects, and they are few. Oh Allah! Please.
The questioner:[Hud 11:7] Can you explain it to us . ?
The Shaykh: The issue does not need an explanation beyond what is clear, because this is among the matters of the unseen (ghayb) in which it is not permissible for Muslims to expand [their discussion] and to bring in the mind, which is incapable of comprehending the unseen and visualizing it within the limits of what is observed. So, when our Lord says:
[Hud 11:7] It is a creation of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). The Throne was and remains upon the water. But this undoubtedly does not mean that the water is ancient and eternal with no beginning, and that the Throne is also ancient and eternal with no beginning, because everything other than Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is a created thing preceded by non-existence. So, when our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) speaks in the Noble Qur'an to people about this hidden creative reality, He informs us that the Throne is not upon the celestial bodies of the heavens, but upon the water, and this is all that is in the verse. Many people today interpret the Qur'anic texts with some scientific discoveries, and this is conjecture, if not fabrication. Because if we were asked about the science today, known as experimental science and astronomy, what are the seven heavens mentioned in the Qur'an? Of course, they would stand before it perplexed, even the atheists among them. We are not speaking about what is beyond nature; we are speaking about what our knowledge encompasses. So, we do not know except this void that is at a distance of two hundred to three hundred kilometers, as they say. This is filled with air, and after that, it is an absolute void, containing these celestial bodies and these planets which are counted in millions of millions.
So, they do not speak except about what they have witnessed, and therefore they cannot speak about the seven heavens with anything. Consequently, they cannot speak about the water upon which is the Throne of the Merciful (Blessed and Exalted is He). This is what can be answered regarding this question. Excuse me, yes.
has encompassed all things in knowledge.
أحاط بكل شيء علماThe Most Merciful [who is] above the Throne established.
الرحمن على العرش استوىTo Him ascends good speech, and righteous work raises it
إليه يصعد الكلم الطيب والعمل الصالح يرفعهBe merciful on the earth, and you will be shown mercy from Who is above the heavens.
ارحموا من في الأرض يرحمكم من في السماء(16) Do you feel secure that He who [holds authority] in the heaven would not cause the earth to swallow you and suddenly it would sway? (17) Or do you feel secure that He who [holds authority] in the heaven would not send against you a storm of stones? Then you would know how [severe] was My warning.
أأمنتم من في السماء أن يخسف بكم الأرض فإذا هي تمور أم أمنتم من في السماء أن يرسل عليكم حاصبا فستعلمون كيف نذير"Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) is above His Throne with His Essence, and He is distinct from His creation." He refuted the concept of indwelling (hulul), for He is Self-Sufficient, and He is the One who is free of need of the worlds. But that exaltedness which the human mind cannot comprehend, that is, cannot visualize, does not mean that He is unaware of any hidden thing. He said: No, "and He is with them with His knowledge." So, in this concise sentence, he gathered dozens of verses, hadiths, and sayings of the Salaf, so that the belief of the Muslim is a correct belief, far from the claim of the unity of existence, and far from the claim of indwelling (hulul) which some of the misguided sects claim.
"Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) is above His Throne with His Essence, distinct from His creation, and He is with them with His knowledge." So, this led us to this research, and perhaps we have lengthened it to a degree that may have caused some boredom, but knowledge is of this nature; it requires some patience so that the Muslim person advances in knowledge. What led us to this is that it is not permissible to name riba as "profit"; rather, we name it as Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) named it, so that this word continues to work its effect in the hearts of the believers. Unlike the word "profit," which remains permissible. Therefore, today, most of those who deal in riba hardly feel its prohibition, except those whom Allah protects, and they are few. Oh Allah! Please.
The questioner:
and His Throne had been upon water
وكان عرشه على الماءThe Shaykh: The issue does not need an explanation beyond what is clear, because this is among the matters of the unseen (ghayb) in which it is not permissible for Muslims to expand [their discussion] and to bring in the mind, which is incapable of comprehending the unseen and visualizing it within the limits of what is observed. So, when our Lord says:
and His Throne had been upon water
وكان عرشه على الماءSo, they do not speak except about what they have witnessed, and therefore they cannot speak about the seven heavens with anything. Consequently, they cannot speak about the water upon which is the Throne of the Merciful (Blessed and Exalted is He). This is what can be answered regarding this question. Excuse me, yes.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.
