Is it permissible to say that the meaning of *istiwa'* (rising above the Throne) is that He sat upon it?
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The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Here, what is it?
The questioner : Did any of the Salaf (the earliest generations) interpret *istiwa'* (rising above the Throne) as settling?
The Shaykh : Settling, yes, as sitting.
The questioner : As sitting.
The Shaykh : Yes, some scholars, some scholars, but I have not seen anyone say that *istiwa'* (rising above the Throne) means He sat upon it. However, it is not permissible for us to utter this unless it comes from Allah and His Messenger. We do not say it this way. Some people go beyond the limit, may Allah help us. But we say: do not go beyond the Qur'an and the Sunnah, as Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) said. These are matters of the unseen, and these are matters we do not grasp. Green wood comes out of which fire, by striking the flint, and it is green, wet, and cold wood, yet fire comes out of it, and it is hot and dry, as the Exalted said:[Ya-Sin 36:80] So the power of Allah is above our power, and no one can ever imagine the perfection and power of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). So do not go beyond the Qur'an and the Sunnah in the attributes, absolutely. Do not go beyond this, and do not fall short of this. Make yourself a follower of the texts of the Book and the Sunnah so that you are at ease and so that Satan does not play tricks on you. Yes, the time is up.
The student: ... the time is one hour.
The Shaykh : No, Shaykh, glory be to Allah.
The reciter: "And whoever is in this state"
The Shaykh : is in this state
The reciter: "And whoever is in this state, he is with His creation in reality, and He is above them on His Throne in reality[Ash-Shuraa 42:11] And we do not say, as the *Hululiyyah* from the *Jahmiyyah* (a sect that denied the divine attributes) and others say, that He is with His creation ... and we see that whoever says that is a disbeliever or misguided, because he described Allah with what is not befitting Him, namely deficiencies."
The Shaykh : Here, what is it?
The questioner : Did any of the Salaf (the earliest generations) interpret *istiwa'* (rising above the Throne) as settling?
The Shaykh : Settling, yes, as sitting.
The questioner : As sitting.
The Shaykh : Yes, some scholars, some scholars, but I have not seen anyone say that *istiwa'* (rising above the Throne) means He sat upon it. However, it is not permissible for us to utter this unless it comes from Allah and His Messenger. We do not say it this way. Some people go beyond the limit, may Allah help us. But we say: do not go beyond the Qur'an and the Sunnah, as Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) said. These are matters of the unseen, and these are matters we do not grasp. Green wood comes out of which fire, by striking the flint, and it is green, wet, and cold wood, yet fire comes out of it, and it is hot and dry, as the Exalted said:
[It is] He who made for you from the green tree, fire
الذي جعل لكم من الشجر الأخضر ناراThe student: ... the time is one hour.
The Shaykh : No, Shaykh, glory be to Allah.
The reciter: "And whoever is in this state"
The Shaykh : is in this state
The reciter: "And whoever is in this state, he is with His creation in reality, and He is above them on His Throne in reality