The fourth example: Allah the Exalted’s saying: {Then He rose toward the heavens}, and the answer is that the people of the Sunnah have two views regarding its interpretation: the first is

The Shaykh :"The fourth example: The saying of Allah the Exalted:

Then He rose above the heaven

ثم استوى إلى السماء

" There are two views in the interpretation of istawa toward the heavens " And the answer is: that the people of the Sunnah have two views regarding its interpretation: the first is that it means He rose to the heavens, which is the view preferred by Ibn Jarir. He said in his tafsir, after mentioning the disagreement: And the most appropriate meaning for the saying of Allah, Glorious is His name:

Then He istawa to the heavens and arranged them

ثم استوى إلى السماء فسواهن

He elevated Himself above them and rose, so He arranged them by His power and created them as seven heavens " So Ibn Jarir (may Allah have mercy on him) made 'ila' (toward) mean 'ala' (above) and interpreted it accordingly, because istawa came in the Qur'an in the meaning of elevation preceded by what? By 'ala' (above). So he said this is interpreted according to that, so 'Then He rose above the heavens and He made them seven heavens' means He elevated Himself above them. And the intended meaning of istawa here, according to his interpretation, is not like the intended meaning of istawa on the Throne, but the intended meaning is absolute elevation, not specific elevation " Al-Baghawi mentioned it in his tafsir: the view of Ibn Abbas and most of the mufassirun of the Salaf. This is by adhering to the apparent wording of

Istawa (He rose)

استوى

and delegating the knowledge of the manner of this rising to Allah, Mighty and Majestic " .