Was the disagreement regarding the issue of "Where is Allah?" present during the time of Al-Shafi'i and Imam Ahmad, and did they debate it, and were there any statements with authentic chains of transmission reported from them concerning it?

The discussion regarding the question "Where is Allah?" existed during the era of Imam Ahmad and before him. Imam Ahmad refuted the Jahmiyya who claimed that Allah is everywhere, clarifying the falsehood of their statement. Imam Al-Shafi'i affirmed that Allah is above the 'Arsh (Throne), distinct from His creation. It was narrated from him that he acknowledged Allah is upon His 'Arsh in His heaven, approaching His creation as He wills and descending to the lowest heaven as He wills. This contradicts the Aqeedah of the Habashis who deny Allah's elevation in His essence and say, "Allah exists without a place." The questioner's assumption that quoting from the Imams will resolve the dispute is incorrect, because the people of innovation distorted the meanings of the texts through reinterpretation. An example of this is the issue of "the Qur'an is the uncreated speech of Allah," which some opponents verbally agreed with but contradicted in reality.