ماذا قصد البيهقي بقوله: "بلا أين" في وصف استواء الله تعالى؟

Al-Bayhaqi and others held the view that it is impermissible to ask about Allah with "where" (أين) in order to exalt Allah above place. However, the texts of the Qur’an and Sunnah, and the consensus of the Salaf, indicate the permissibility of this question, as in the hadith of the slave girl whom the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, asked: "Where is Allah?" She replied: "In the heaven." Imam Abd al-Ghani al-Maqdisi and al-Dhahabi affirmed that whoever denies the permissibility of this question has denied the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him.

As for Al-Bayhaqi's position on Istiwa' (Allah's establishment) and 'Uluw (Allah's loftiness), he affirms Istiwa' verbally while entrusting its meaning (tafwid al-ma'na). He negates direction and place for Allah and interprets the verses whose apparent meaning implies affirming direction and 'Uluw. This position is consistent with his theological school of thought, but it contradicts what is established in the authentic Sunnah regarding the permissibility of asking about Allah with "where," and it contradicts what is established from the Salaf concerning the interpretation of Istiwa' as 'Uluw (loftiness) and elevation, and their consensus on affirming the direction of above.