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How can the Kursi be interpreted as the footstool of the Lord, while Allah is transcendent beyond time and space?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The Kursi is the footstool of Allah, and it, along with the 'Arsh (Throne), are among Allah's creations. Just as the الرحمن (Most Merciful) 's Istiwa' (ascension/establishment) upon the 'Arsh does not imply His need for the 'Arsh or its containment of Him, the same applies to the Kursi. If declaring Allah to be free from "place" means negating anything encompassing Allah, then this is correct. However, negating Allah's transcendence or His Istiwa' upon the 'Arsh is false, for Allah is above His 'Arsh, above His heavens. It has been authentically reported from Ibn 'Abbas and Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari, may Allah be pleased with them both, that the Kursi is the footstool. If negating "place" means the place that encompasses Allah, then it is correct. However, if it means negating Allah's transcendence, then it is false.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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