What was the creed of Imam al-Ash'ari and Imam al-Maturidi regarding the belief that Allah is above the Throne, and did they say that Allah is everywhere, as Ibn Arabi did?
Ahl al- wa al-Jama'ah believe that Allah is above His Throne, distinct from His creation, and His Throne is above His seven heavens. This is affirmed by the Qur'an, the Sunnah, and the consensus of the early Muslim generations (Salaf al-Ummah).
Opposing this are two views: 1. Those who say: Allah is in every place. This is the view of the Jahmiyyah, and it is a grave act of disbelief (kufr). 2. Those who say: He is neither inside the world nor outside it. This is the stance of the Ash'aris and the Maturidis, and it is a statement that contradicts reason, religious law (Shari'ah), and textual evidence. It was not known from any of the Imams of the Salaf.
As for Imam Abu al- al-Ash'ari, he affirmed Allah’s exaltation (uluw) and His being above His Throne in his book "Al-Ibanah," and he refuted those who interpreted istiwa' (being above) as istila' (dominating), emphasizing that Allah's istiwa' is specific to the Throne.
As for Abu Mansur al-Maturidi, he does not affirm elevation (uluw) and defers the meaning of istiwa'. He does not say that Allah is in every place; rather, he negates elevation and being in a place. He interpreted the verses of uluw as glorification of Allah, His power, and His authority, not as defining a place for Him.
It should be known that the statement that Allah is in every place is clear disbelief (kufr), and the Ash'aris and Maturidis do not disagree on this point.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/29205
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 29205
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy