To what extent is the phrase "Indeed, Allah existed when there was no place, and He is now as He was" established, and is it attributed to Imam Malik, and what is its legal (Shar'i) standing?

Allah Almighty is high above His creation, ascended over His Throne. The common saying, "Allah was when there was no place, and He is now as He always was," is false and was not uttered by any of the Imams of Sunnah. It is a fabrication of later Jahmiyyah, whose intention behind it is to deny Allah's highness and His ascension over the Throne. The authentic Hadith is: "Allah was, and there was nothing before Him, and His Throne was upon water, and He wrote everything in the Reminder, then He created the heavens and the earth."