“The Muslimūn and everyone with ʿaql (reason) have said:
"It is inconceivable for something to exist not in a place, and whatever is not in a place is nonexistent."”
“But we say: "[He] ʿIstawā (lt. rose, established) from lā makan (no place) to [a] makan ([a] place)."”
“For He, ʿAzza wa-Jall, is laysa ka-mithlihi shayʾ ([there is] nothing is like Him) from His creation, nor is He measured by anything from among His beings. He is not comprehended by qiyās (analogy), nor is He compared to the nās (people).
There is no ʾIlāh except Him. He was before everything, then He created places, the heavens, the earth, and what is between them. He is the Ever-Remaining after everything, the Creator of all things, having no sharīk (partner).
The Muslimūn and everyone with ʿaql (reason) have said:
"It is inconceivable for something to exist not in a place, and whatever is not in a place is nonexistent."
It has been confirmed by al-maʿqūl (rational proof) and established by clear dalīl (evidence) that He was, in al-ʾazal (eternity), lā fī makān (not in a place), and He was not maʿdūm (nonexistent).
So how can He be compared to anything from His khalq (creation), or subjected to tamthīl (likening) or tashbīh (resemblance) between Him and them?
Taʿālā Allāh—far above what the ẓālimūn (wrongdoers) say—ʿulūw kabīr (with a great loftiness).
Nothing can be comprehended from His waṣf (description) except what He has waṣafa (described) Himself with, or what His Nabī and Rasūl have described Him with, or what the ʾUmmah al-Ḥanīfiyyah (the upright nation) has unanimously agreed upon regarding Him.”
As demonstrated above, we can see that he mentions those who follow their ʿaql (reasoning), to deduct that 'whatever is not in a place, is nonexistent'; and refutes them by stating the following three things:
He was before everything, and He created places
He was in eternity, not in a place, and He was not nonexistent
Nothing can be comprehended from His description
“If it is said:
"Is it permissible, according to you, that one who was lā fī makān (in no place) in al-ʾazal (eternity), and then is in a makān (place)?"
It is said to him:
As for intiqāl (movement) or taghayyur al-ḥāl (change of state), there is no way to attribute this to Him.
For His existence in al-ʾazal (eternity) does not need a makān, and likewise, His nuqlah (transition) does not need a makān.
He is not like the creation, for when something from the khalq (creation) exists, it necessitates a makān, and its nuqlah necessitates a makān, making it transition from makān to makān.
But Allāh, ʿAzza wa-Jall, is not like this.
For He was in al-ʾazal (eternity) without being in a makān, and likewise, His nuqlah does not need a makān.
This is something that the ʿuqūl (intellects) cannot reject.
But we say:
"[He] ʿIstawā (lit. rose, established) from lā makān (no place) to [a] makān ([a] place)."”
What we can observe, he states the following aspects:
Considers moving from place to place; to be in a place; must being in a place in order to 'transition', are aspects of creation, not to be attributed to Allāh
He rejects a change of state, and he refutes the question regarding a 'relative place'.
10846 – A firqah (group) affiliating itself with as-Sunnāh has said:
"Indeed, He yanzil (descends) bi-dhātihi (by His essence)."
This is a mahjūr (abandoned) statement, because Taʿālā dhikruhu (exalted is His mention) is not [in] a makān (place) where ḥarakāt (movement) is possible, nor does He possess anything [else] of the ʿalāmāt (characteristics) of the makhlūqāt (created beings).
Clear negation of place, and movement for Allāh.
He calls both aspects characteristics of created beings.
“ʾAḥmad ibn ʿAbd Allāh informed us, that his father informed him, saying:
ʾAḥmad ibn Khālid narrated to us, saying:
Yaḥyā ibn ʿUthaym ibn Ṣāliḥ in Miṣr narrated to us, saying:
I heard Nuʿaym ibn Ḥammād say:
"The ḥadīth of an-Nuzūl (descent) refutes the Jahmiyyah in their arguments."
He also said:
"He yanzil (descends) bi-dhātihi (by His essence) while He is ʿalā Kursiyyihi (upon His Throne)."”
“ʾAḥmad ibn ʿAbd Allāh informed us, that his father informed him, saying:
ʾAḥmad ibn Khālid narrated to us, saying:
Yaḥyā ibn ʿUthaym ibn Ṣāliḥ in Miṣr narrated to us, saying:
I heard Nuʿaym ibn Ḥammād say:
"The ḥadīth of an-Nuzūl (descent) refutes the Jahmiyyah in their arguments."
He also said:
"He yanzil (descends) bi-dhātihi (by His essence) while He is ʿalā Kursiyyihi (upon His Throne)."
Abū ʿUmar said:
"This is nothing according to the people of understanding among Ahl as-Sunnāh, because it is a kayfiyyah (modality; a 'how'), and they avoid it. And for it is only applicable to that which is encompassed by visible sight, while Allāh Taʿālā is far above that.
"And whatever is ghāʾib (hidden) from the eyes, those of ʿuqūl (reason) do not describe it except by khabar (report; narration). And there is no khabar regarding the ṣifāt (attributes) of Allāh except what He has waṣafa (described) Himself with in His Kitāb, or what was conveyed upon the tongue of His Rasūl.
"So we do not go beyond that into tashbīh (resemblance), qiyās (analogy), tamthīl (likening), or tanzīr (comparison), for laysa ka-mithlihi shayʾ, wa-huwa as-Samīʿ al-Baṣīr (There is nothing like Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing).””
He now refutes the statement explicitly, states it is abandoned.
Also adheres closer to the Mufawwiḍah manner of creed, by stating that the attributes Allāh of can not be described, by any means, except by what is authentically transmitted or reported. Combine this with his prior statements regarding that no form of understanding can be taken place regarding the attributes of Allāh, this would mean, any form of interpretation, whether it be as simple as taking the apparent meaning, is impossible to be taken.
10846 – A firqah (group) affiliating itself with as-Sunnāh has said:
"Indeed, He yanzil (descends) bi-dhātihi (by His essence)."
This is a mahjūr (abandoned) statement, because Taʿālā dhikruhu (exalted is His mention) is not [in] a makān (place) where ḥarakāt (movement) is possible, nor does He possess anything [else] of the ʿalāmāt (characteristics) of the makhlūqāt (created beings).
This is a repetition of what was posted earlier, to prove he explicitly negates movement, and spacial limitation.
“Allāh عز وجل is far above addressing except with what the ʿArab understand from their known speech patterns, in a way that its maʿnā (meaning) is clear to the hearers. Al-Istiwāʾ is maʿlūm (known) in the lugah (language) and mafhūm (understood). It is al-ʿulūw (lit. elevation) and al-irtifāʿ (rising above something), as well as al-istiqrār (settling) and at-tamakkun (establishment) of it.”
“And Allāh عز وجل has said:
"Wa-jāʾa rabbuka wa-al-malak ṣaffan ṣaffā" (And your Lord will come, and the angels, rank upon rank). (Al-Fajr: 22)
However, His majīʾ (coming) is not ḥarakah (motion), zawāl (displacement), or intiqāl (transition from one place to another), because such things only apply if the one coming is a jism (body) or jawhar (substance). Since it has been established that He is neither a jism nor a jawhar, then His majīʾ is not ḥarakah or naqla (movement from one location to another).
If you reflect upon this in light of their statement: "Jāʾat fulānan qiyāmatuhu" (His Resurrection has come to him), "Jāʾahu al-mawt" (Death came to him), "Jāʾahu al-maraḍ" (Illness came to him), and similar expressions referring to something real that has befallen him without an actual coming, it will become clear to you.
And by Allāh’s protection and tawfīq (divine guidance), understanding is granted.”
Now to note, he states that for movement to occur, displacement to occur, or even transition itself, one must be a body or substance. And he refutes this by stating Allāh is not that.
What necessitates as conclusion is that he affirms istiqrār, in only the linguistic sense. With no meaning beyond it, it is either that he is Mufawwaḍ, or that he believes in a contradiction.
(3.2) Affirmation & praise of Aṭ-Ṭabarī's Tafsīr regarding matters of ʿaqīdah
“[They (referring to the Companions one page prior) do not say:] And how does He yanzil (descend)? From where did He come? From where did He tajallā (manifest Himself)? From where does He descend?
For He is not like anything from His creation, and He is far above all things, and He has no partner.
And in the statement of Allāh عز وجل:
"Falammā tajallā rabbuhu lil-jabal" (And when his Lord manifested Himself to the mountain). (Al-Aʿrāf: 143)
There is a clear indication that He was not mutajalliyan (manifested) to the mountain before that.
And in this is what explains the meaning of the ḥadīth of at-Tanzīl (descent).
Whoever wishes to examine the statements of the ʿulamāʾ (scholars) regarding these statements of Allāh عز وجل [i.e.]:
"Falammā tajallā rabbuhu lil-jabal" (And when his Lord manifested Himself to the mountain),
let him refer to the Tafsīr of Baqqī ibn Mukhlad and Muḥammad ibn Jarīr [aṭ-Ṭabarī] and examine what they have mentioned regarding it.
For in what they have stated, there is sufficiency.
And by Allāh’s protection and tawfīq (divine guidance), understanding is granted.”
Now it gets interesting, he refers the reader to the Tafsīr of aṭ-Ṭabarī on the matters, similar, to this...
When we have posted the Tafsīr of aṭ-Ṭabarī relevant on matters of creed (ʿaqīdah), we will make a reference point in this article, to that article.
“ʾAḥmad ibn ʿAbd Allāh narrated to us, saying:
Abū ʾUmayyah aṭ-Ṭarsūsī narrated to us, saying:
ʿUthmān ibn Abī Shaybah narrated to us, saying:
Muḥammad ibn Faḍl narrated to us, from Layth, from Mujāhid, regarding ʿAsq:
"That your Lord may raise you to Maqāman Maḥmūdan (a praised station)."
He said:
"He will expand [or make space] for him upon the ʿArs̲h and seat him with Him."”
“ʾAḥmad ibn ʿAbd Allāh narrated to us, saying:
Abū ʾUmayyah aṭ-Ṭarsūsī narrated to us, saying:
ʿUthmān ibn Abī Shaybah narrated to us, saying:
Muḥammad ibn Faḍl narrated to us, from Layth, from Mujāhid, regarding ʿAsq:
"That your Lord may raise you to Maqāman Maḥmūdan (a praised station)."
He said:
"He will expand [or make space] for him upon the ʿArsh and seat him with Him."
This statement is against al-Jamāʿah (the consensus) of the Ṣaḥābah and those who came after them.
The ʿulamāʾ (scholars) agreed in the taʾwīl (interpretation) of this āyah (verse), that the Maqām al-Maḥmūd (praised station) refers to ash-Shafāʿah (intercession).
Discussion on this matter from a ʿaqlī (rational) perspective is lengthy, and it has its own place outside of this kitāb (book).
And with Allāh is at-tawfīq (guidance and success).”
(5) Reported & affirmation of Tafwīd in matters of ʿaqīdah
“ʿAbd al-Wārith ibn Sufyān narrated to us, saying:
Qāsim ibn ʾAsbagh narrated to us, saying:
ʾAḥmad ibn Zuhayr narrated to us, saying:
Al-Haytham ibn Khārijah narrated to us, saying:
Al-Walīd ibn Muslim narrated to us, saying:
I asked al-ʾAwzāʿī, Sufyān ath-Thawrī, Mālik ibn Anas, and Layth ibn Saʿd, multiple times, about the aḥādīth [like those] that mention ar-Ruʾyah (the vision of/on Allāh).
They said:
"Pass them on as they have come, [and] bilā kayf (without a how [modality])."”