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What is the correct belief regarding the attribute of the Throne (Al-ʿArsh) and the Footstool (Al-Kursī)? Is the mentioned Hadith concerning the attribute of the Throne, the heavens, and the mountain goats (al-awʿāl) authentic, and is the belief based upon it sound?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

This Hadith is weak due to its chain of narration relying on Abdullah ibn Umayrah al-Kufi, as only Simak ibn Harb narrated from him, and he was authenticated only by Ibn Hibban. Ibrahim al-Harbi said: "I do not know him." Al-Bukhari said: "His hearing from Al-Ahnaf is unknown." Al-Dhahabi said: "Simak narrated uniquely from Abdullah, and there is an element of Jahalah (unknownness) concerning Abdullah." Although Al-Tirmidhi declared it Hasan, and Ibn Khuzaymah and Al-Hakim declared it Sahih, and Ibn Taymiyyah and his student Ibn al-Qayyim strengthened it, the correct view is that there is weakness in its chain of narration. Abdullah ibn Umayrah is considered "acceptable" (Maqbool) when corroborated, but he was not corroborated in this Hadith. There is no authentic Hadith that specifies the number of the bearers of the Throne. The important thing is to believe that Allah is istiwa' (established) upon His Throne, separate from His creation. There is no blame upon whoever follows one of the reputable scholars in their authentication or weakening of it.

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

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