and His being with us by [His] knowledge. Based on this, the mention of "the Essence" (al-dhat) is not from superfluous speech, as will follow in the words of al-Dhahabi, with which he followed up on the statement of Ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani. Rather, it is for clarification and distinguishing between Allah’s highness above the Throne by His Essence and His accompaniment (ma'iyyah) with the creation by His knowledge.
Sheikh Abd al-Latif ibn Abd al-Rahman (may Allah have mercy on him) said in al-Rasa’il wa al-Masa’il (3/347): "Ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani said regarding His statement: {The Most Merciful ascended over the Throne} [Taha: 5]: meaning (by His Essence). Someone lacking knowledge and unacquainted with the path of the [early] Salaf and Imams (may Allah be pleased with them all) objected to him, floundering in this position with useless, superfluous speech that indicates a corrupt intent and a lack of firm understanding. We seek refuge in Allah from the blight of ignorance and delusions, and we seek His protection from the slipping of feet."
I say: Similarly, no weight is given to the statement of al-Dhahabi in his Siyar (19/607): "We have mentioned that the term 'by His Essence' is unnecessary; it disturbs souls, and omitting it is preferable. And Allah knows best."
I say: Rather, we utter it just as the Imams of the Sunnah uttered it without objection. As for his statement, "it disturbs souls," he spoke the truth, for it disturbs the souls of the people of innovation among the Jahmiyyah, the Ash'arites, and others from the Divesters (al-Mu'attilah) who negate the highness of the Lord, Exalted is He. No weight is given to them; this is why they explicitly negate it in their creeds and books.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said regarding the request for Bishr al-Marisi to repent when he denied that Allah is above the Throne: "Bishr only denied what the Divesters denied: that His Essence is above the Throne." [Mukhtasar al-Sawa’iq (3/1084)].
Ibn Hajar said in al-Fath (1/508): "In it is a rebuttal against whoever claims that He is over the Throne by His Essence."
And here is Ibn al-Subki, the Ash'arite, in Tabaqat al-Shafi'iyyah al-Kubra (6/143), following up on al-Karaji (may Allah have mercy on him) regarding his statement in his poem on the Sunnah: "Their creeds are that the Deity is by His Essence / Upon His Throne, along with His knowledge of the unseen." He (Ibn al-Subki) said: "There is nothing in it whose meaning is to be rejected except for his saying: 'by His Essence.'"
Rather, they even declare as disbelievers whoever utters it and believes it, as Imam al-Sijzi (may Allah have mercy on him) stated in his Risalah (p. 22): "According to al-Ash'ari, whoever believes that Allah is in the heaven by His Essence is a disbeliever." Some of their statements on this matter were previously cited in the Introduction (p. 39). The point is that the term "by His Essence" is among those terms which the People of the Sunnah agreed upon uttering to establish the reality of the Ascension for Allah the Exalted, not that it is metaphorical as the Jahmite Divesters claim. It is like the term "distinct from His creation" (ba’in min khalqihi); the People of the Sunnah only uttered it for further clarification and to vex the Jahmite Divesters who affirm the words without the realities and meanings.
Ibn Abi Hatim (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated that Hisham ibn 'Ubaydullah al-Razi, the judge—the companion of Muhammad ibn al-Hasan—imprisoned a man for Jahmism. The man repented and was brought to Hisham to be tested. He said: "Praise be to Allah for the repentance. Do you testify that Allah is over His Throne, distinct from His creation?" He replied: "I testify that Allah is over His Throne, but I do not know what 'distinct from His creation' means." He said: "Return him to prison, for he has not repented." [Bayan Talbis al-Jahmiyyah (1/440)].
(1) He refers to the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "Allah fermented the clay of Adam for forty days—or forty nights—then He moved His Hand like this, and there came out in His right hand everything good, and in the other everything evil..." the Hadith. It was narrated by al-Daraqutni in al-Afrad (2221) as a marfu’ report. He said: "Yahya ibn Kathir Abu al-Nadr al-Basri al-Taymi and ‘Asim were alone in narrating it as marfu’. It was also narrated by ‘Amr ibn ‘Ali, from Mu'tamir, from Yazid ibn Zuray‘, Yahya ibn Sa‘id, and Mu'adh ibn Mu'adh, from al-Taymi from him, from Salman or Ibn Mas‘ud who said: 'Allah, Mighty and Majestic, fermented the clay of Adam.'" This is what is preserved as a mawquf report. He said in al-’Ilal (5/338): "Sulayman al-Taymi narrated it from Abu ‘Uthman al-Nahdi from Salman or Ibn Mas‘ud as mawquf, and that is the correct version; whoever raised it to a marfu’ status has erred."
The mawquf version was narrated by al-Darimi in al-Naqd (52), al-Ajurri in al-Shari’ah (431), Abu al-Shaykh in al-‘Azamah (1006), Ibn Mandah in al-Tawhid (484), and al-Faryabi in al-Qadar (10) from Salman or ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with them), with the narrator expressing doubt as to which one.
