Discussion of Istiwa' and its meaning, and the refutation of those who differ on this matter.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : So what do you say, my Muslim brother, after we have established the creed? What do you say about the one who says, "Istawa upon the Throne" means "He ruled the Throne and took possession of it"? Is he correct or mistaken? He is mistaken, greatly mistaken, a great error regarding Allah, meaning in the right of Allah, and a mistake regarding the texts. It is absolutely impossible for this expression to mean ruling and taking possession in any language. In what language was the Qur'an revealed? In the Arabic tongue. Find a word in the language, from the first person who spoke it to the last person who speaks it, that says "istawa upon such-and-such" meaning "he took possession of it." You will not find it, you will never find it. Every Arab who addresses "so-and-so istawa upon such-and-such" means "he rose above it." "Allah istawa upon the Throne" means "He rose above it." And glory to Allah, we ask Allah the Exalted not to let our hearts deviate, and to place light in our hearts by which we are guided. And whoever Allah does not give light, he has no light. How can it be said: [Al-A'raf 7:54] By Allah, if we say "istawa" means "took possession" and "ruled," then who was the owner of the Throne when He created the heavens and the earth, or before that? Who was it? Answer, everyone. It means it was owned by someone else. If we say "then He took possession of the Throne," it means the Throne belonged to someone other than Allah before this, and that war and fighting occurred until Allah took possession of it. Can a rational person say this? It is impossible.
Then this is a transgression against the text, a transgression against the text from two angles, everyone, pay attention. We say a statement by which we hold Allah accountable, and by its explicitness, and we fear Allah if we say about Allah what we do not know. If he says "istawa upon the Throne" means "He took possession of it," he has committed a transgression against this verse from two angles.
The first angle: that he invalidated what it indicates by the requirement of the Arabic language and by the testimony of the righteous predecessors.
And the second: that he innovated for it or created for it a meaning from himself, saying: "Istawa means took possession." He said to us: "I will argue with you that if you affirm that Allah istawa upon the Throne, it becomes like the rider's istawa upon the mount." This is likening Allah (Mighty and Majestic) to creation. He said in the Noble Qur'an:[Az-Zukhruf 43:12-13] And it is known that we istawa upon the mount, or upon the ship. The ship that flies, that waves, that moves in the air, or the ship that moves in the water, or the ship that moves on land. The ship now includes three things: airplanes, cars, what? And ships. Okay, it is known that if we istawa upon these things, if they fall or capsize, we fall, is that not so? Because we need them. So he says, for example, if you affirm that Allah istawa upon the Throne, you have affirmed that He needs the Throne and that He is similar to our istawa upon ships and livestock. So we say, glory to Allah, are you affirming a self for Allah or not? He will say, yes, or no? If he says yes, he has declared himself defeated in the argument, meaning he is defeated. And if he says no, he has declared his denial of the Creator (Mighty and Majestic). If he says, "I do not affirm a self for Allah," glory to Allah, it means he denied Allah. And if he says, "I affirm a self for Allah," we say, come, do you not have a self? He will say, yes, or no?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : He cannot say no, he will say yes. Why is that? I say, okay, I affirm a self for you and a self for Allah. Does affirming a self for Allah necessitate that it be similar to your self? He will say, no, it is impossible. He has a self befitting Him, and I have a self befitting me. We say, glory to Allah, I affirm an istawa befitting Him for Allah, and an istawa befitting you for you. Is this clear or not clear, everyone? Clear, and by Allah, clearer than the sun. Okay.
who created the heavens and earth in six days and then established Himself above the Throne
خلق السماوات والأرض في ستة أيام ثم استوى على العرشThen this is a transgression against the text, a transgression against the text from two angles, everyone, pay attention. We say a statement by which we hold Allah accountable, and by its explicitness, and we fear Allah if we say about Allah what we do not know. If he says "istawa upon the Throne" means "He took possession of it," he has committed a transgression against this verse from two angles.
The first angle: that he invalidated what it indicates by the requirement of the Arabic language and by the testimony of the righteous predecessors.
And the second: that he innovated for it or created for it a meaning from himself, saying: "Istawa means took possession." He said to us: "I will argue with you that if you affirm that Allah istawa upon the Throne, it becomes like the rider's istawa upon the mount." This is likening Allah (Mighty and Majestic) to creation. He said in the Noble Qur'an:
and 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
وجعل لكم من الفلك والأنعام ما تركبون لتستووا على ظهوره ثم تذكروا نعمة ربكم إذا استويتم عليهThe student: Yes.
The Shaykh : He cannot say no, he will say yes. Why is that? I say, okay, I affirm a self for you and a self for Allah. Does affirming a self for Allah necessitate that it be similar to your self? He will say, no, it is impossible. He has a self befitting Him, and I have a self befitting me. We say, glory to Allah, I affirm an istawa befitting Him for Allah, and an istawa befitting you for you. Is this clear or not clear, everyone? Clear, and by Allah, clearer than the sun. Okay.