Did Imam Malik interpret the descent of the Lord as the descent of His command, and did Al-Shafi‘i interpret the attribute of the Face, and did Al-Hasan al-Basri interpret His saying, the Almighty: (And your Lord has come) meaning His command and judgment have come, and did Al-Dahhak and Abu Ubaydah interpret His saying, the Almighty: (Every­thing will perish except His Face) meaning except Him, and did Sufyan al-Thawri interpret the Istiwa’ (ascending) over the Throne as the intent of His command?

The methodology of the Salaf regarding the divine attributes is to affirm what Allah has affirmed for Himself or what His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has affirmed for Him, without tashbih (likening Him to creation), tamthil (representation), ta'wil (figurative interpretation), or ta'til (negation). The Ahl al-Sunnah have unanimously agreed on affirming the attributes in their true sense and have rejected ta'wil and tafwid (relegation of meaning) concerning them. Some scholars, such as Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani, Imam al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Mandah, al-Baghawi, Ibn Qudamah, and Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, have conveyed the Salaf's innocence from ta'wil, clarifying that the disputed ta'wil is the diversion of a word from its apparent, immediate meaning to a less probable one, and this is something not authentically established from any of the Companions, the Tabi'un, or the followed Imams. They also clarified that what has been attributed to some of the Salaf in terms of interpretations is either not authentically attributed or does not constitute ta'wil in the technical sense.