If Allah descends to the lowest heaven, does the Throne become empty of Him or not?
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The questioner : ... to say ...
The Shaykh : Yes, this person is asking, saying: If He descends to the lowest heaven, does the Throne become empty of Him or not? Does the Throne become empty of Him or not? We say: As a matter of etiquette, do not inquire into this. And I say to the one who asked me: You are an innovator "I do not see you as anything but an innovator". And thank your Lord that I allowed you to remain in the lesson; otherwise, I would have expelled you, just as Malik expelled the one who asked him about the manner of rising above the Throne. For when the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) informed the Companions of this, did they say, "O Messenger of Allah, does the Throne become empty of Him or not?" And I am amazed that the Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) spoke of such a thing and investigated it. But the Shaykh al-Islam was compelled to investigate this because people spoke about it, and the responsibility lies with the one who first spoke about it. Otherwise, you will not find a single letter indicating that any of the Companions said, "Does the Throne become empty of Him or not?" And are we obligated to know this? If we were obligated to know it, Allah or His Messenger would have taught it to us. So silence is what is obligatory.
But if we are tested, we say that the scholars have three opinions regarding this.
The first opinion is that the Throne becomes empty of Him.
The second opinion is that it does not become empty of Him.
The third opinion is to suspend judgment. We say: Allah knows best. And the Shaykh al-Islam leans toward the view that the Throne does not become empty of Him, because Allah mentioned rising above the Throne and did not exclude any time from the times. And he said that combining rising above the Throne and descending is possible with regard to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), even though it is not possible with regard to creation, because the created being is limited; if He vacates one direction or is occupied in one direction, the other direction becomes empty of Him. But the Lord (Mighty and Majestic) is not measured by creation. However, I see that it is better for a person to purify himself from this objection from the very beginning.
The Shaykh : Yes, this person is asking, saying: If He descends to the lowest heaven, does the Throne become empty of Him or not? Does the Throne become empty of Him or not? We say: As a matter of etiquette, do not inquire into this. And I say to the one who asked me: You are an innovator "I do not see you as anything but an innovator". And thank your Lord that I allowed you to remain in the lesson; otherwise, I would have expelled you, just as Malik expelled the one who asked him about the manner of rising above the Throne. For when the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) informed the Companions of this, did they say, "O Messenger of Allah, does the Throne become empty of Him or not?" And I am amazed that the Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) spoke of such a thing and investigated it. But the Shaykh al-Islam was compelled to investigate this because people spoke about it, and the responsibility lies with the one who first spoke about it. Otherwise, you will not find a single letter indicating that any of the Companions said, "Does the Throne become empty of Him or not?" And are we obligated to know this? If we were obligated to know it, Allah or His Messenger would have taught it to us. So silence is what is obligatory.
But if we are tested, we say that the scholars have three opinions regarding this.
The first opinion is that the Throne becomes empty of Him.
The second opinion is that it does not become empty of Him.
The third opinion is to suspend judgment. We say: Allah knows best. And the Shaykh al-Islam leans toward the view that the Throne does not become empty of Him, because Allah mentioned rising above the Throne and did not exclude any time from the times. And he said that combining rising above the Throne and descending is possible with regard to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), even though it is not possible with regard to creation, because the created being is limited; if He vacates one direction or is occupied in one direction, the other direction becomes empty of Him. But the Lord (Mighty and Majestic) is not measured by creation. However, I see that it is better for a person to purify himself from this objection from the very beginning.