This is a translation of the various narrations that deal with the fact that Allah, Exalted is He, ‘Sits’ on the Throne.
Not only are the narrations provided and translated, but also the explanations provided by the various Fuqahaa’, Mufasireen, ‘Ulamaa’, Muhadditheen, and Lughaween. I have made it a point to include not only the defenses of these narrations, but also the criticisms…
Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmathullah,
Akhee,
First: I wonder when you will have this article in full.
Second: Is ‘Sitting’ a meaning of Isthawa of Allah? Are you sure??
Jazakallahukhair
Abu Hamna
As Salaamu Alayka,
Akhee, yes, I am confident that among the meanings for ‘Istawaa ‘alaa, is ‘to sit upon’, and this is confirmed by al-Mawrid by Rohi al-Ba’albaki among the Qamus, and no less than ‘Ibn Qayyeem, ath-Thahabee, Wakee’ bin al-Jarrah, and other illuminaries of Islam.
For the complete article please follow the links above.
You will see that I am more than fair in providing the evidence for and against this view, excluding those who are extremely biased against it.
It has become clear to me with the combined linguistic, narrative, and fiqh evidences that the view that Allah, Exalted is He, does in fact ‘Sit’ on the Throne, is the most correct view, though I do not obligate anyone with stating it as such or consider it as absolutely necessary to word it that way…
At the very least I hope to inform people that this view did and does exist and although it is a minority view, it is not Shathth, and it is acceptable among ‘Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah.
Thank you for viewing my blog and for your thoughts,
As Salaamu Alayka,
Salaam alaiykum warahmatallah,
Very nice you have given details to the 2 sides of the debate. Very fair akhi.
Jazaakallah khairan
As salaam alaikum,
Even if we accept that Sitting is one meaning of Istiwaa. It must be understood in such a manner that bears no resemblance to creation, whilst acknowledging that Allah is seperate from His creation, including His throne.
Of course such statements may baffle some, but Allah is Samad and Unlike anything else! Minds cannot perceive Him!
Jazaakallahu Khair, may Allah keep us steadfast upon His religion:)
Wa ‘Alaykas Salaam,
Tayyib, you are absolutely correct about what you said ‘Akheel-Habeeb ‘Abu Zayd. Any Attribute of Allah, Lofty and Exalted is He, must be understood to be free from any defect, likeness to creation, containment or encompassment by creation, and free from anything that the intellect or imagination might procure…
I would like to remind you brother, that all I propose in the above article is to take a look at what some of our Righteous ‘Ulamaa’ have said about how to understand al-‘Istawaa. I do not present my own opinion at all, but in the introduction.
Perhaps what I propose is new in terms of translation, but it is not new in terms of ma’anaa or meaning.
And of course, as long as the majority of Muslims do not understand the ‘Arabic of Qur’aan and Sunnah, and as long as our ‘Ummah continues to rely in large part on interpretations and translations, then unfortunately there are many aspects of our Deen that will remain the domain of the ‘Arab readers and speakers.
And as for Da’wah and Propagation, much of it is done by people who purposefully adhere to texts and meanings that are easier to palate. So many aspects of the Deen that are either unpopular or sources of division, do not get translated or discussed. This is what leads to brothers and sisters sometimes reacting to material they have never seen before, and cause them to question it- even though it is an accurate text and encapsulation of an acceptable opinion according to ‘Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah.
And rather I ask that Allah, Exalted is He, establish our leaders and callers upon al-Birr wal-Taqwaa, and make it easy for us to accept the truth when it is made plain to us…
Thank you for your comments and may Allah, Exalted is He, reward you with better…
Asalamu Alaikum wrwb , Sabhan Allah what a title , when you think about it even without the evidences Allah SWT ) has His throne so why would he not used it as He created everything for a purpose , who would sit on His Throne if not Him the Magnificent Master of All Sabhan Allah .
I think Allah swt has told us about certain of His features in His Wisdom so we as lowly human beings can have a grasp on or a connection that we can comprehend about Allah in a very subtle way.
But Sabhan Allah He also throws our thinking as we can never never know his complete appearance and this makes Him all the more Irresistable
La huwla walla quwaita illah Bilaah Aleeul Adheem
Look forward to reading the book Jazakillah Khayr may Allah have mercy on you ameen
و عليك السلام,
And may Allah have mercy on you and the Muslims all of them.
May Allah reward you with better, and thank you for sharing your thoughts and comments.
Please comment after reading as well, إن شاء الله.
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