And the Ash'arites say: 'He existed and there was no place, so He is upon what He was before He created place.'" End quote.
I say: And the Ash'arites' denial of the elevation of the Lord Almighty and His establishment over His Throne is not disputed by anyone who understands and comprehends the reality of the Ash'arites' statement. I have already quoted their statements in the Introduction of this Book, and even their explicit declaration of disbelief against whoever affirms God Almighty's elevation above His creation.
As for the Imams of the Sunna declaring the disbelief of whoever denies the elevation, it is mass-transmitted (mutawatir) and widespread. This Book is only to establish this Issue, and the quotation of many of their statements has already preceded. Among that:
Ibn Khuzayma, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "Whoever does not acknowledge that God Almighty is established over His Throne above His seven heavens is a disbeliever in his Lord. He is asked to repent; if he repents [it is accepted], otherwise his neck is struck, and he is thrown onto some garbage dumps so that the Muslims and the covenanters are not harmed by the foul stench of his corpse. His wealth becomes spoils (fayʾ) that no one among the Muslims inherits, since a Muslim does not inherit from a disbeliever, as he, peace and blessings of God be upon him, said." ["Maʿrifat ʿUlūm al-Ḥadīth" (p. 125)]
And ʿUthmān b. Saʿīd al-Dārimī, may Allah have mercy on him, said in "al-Radd ʿalā al-Jahmiyya" (368) while mentioning the aspects of declaring the Jahmiyya to be disbelievers: "And we also declare them disbelievers because they do not know where God is, and they do not describe Him with 'where?', while God has described Himself with 'where?', and the Messenger, peace and blessings of God be upon him, described Him with it... And this is also from their clear disbelief. The entire Qur'an speaks in refutation of them, and they know that, or some of them do; but they are arrogant and they deceive the weak. They have known that there is no evidence more destructive to their claim than the Qur'an, except that they find no way to remove the root [text] out of fear of being killed and exposed. Yet, within themselves, they are deniers of what God described Himself with therein. We have debated some of their senior figures and heard that from them explicitly and clearly... So what disbelief is clearer than what we have recounted from them regarding the evil of their doctrines?" End quote.
Rather, Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyya, may Allah have mercy on him, made the disbelief of those who deny God Almighty's elevation above His creation greater than the disbelief of idol worshippers. He said in "Bayān Talbīs al-Jahmiyya" (4/176) in his speech against the Imam of the Ash'arites, al-Rāzī: "It becomes clear that what you have said is uglier than this polytheism, and than setting up rivals to God, just as the denial of Pharaoh—whom you agreed with that there is not above the heavens
والأشعرية يقولون: كان ولا مكان، فهو على ما كان قبل أن يخلق المكان. اهـ
قلت: ونفي الأشاعرة لعلو الرب تعالى واستوائه على عرشه لا يجادل فيه أحدٌ ممن يفهم ويعقل حقيقة قول الأشاعرة، وقد نقلتُ أقوالهم في مقدمة هذا الكتاب، بل وتصريحهم بتكفير من أثبت علو الله تعالى على خلقه.
وأما تكفير أئمة السُّنة لمن أنكر العلو فهو متواتر مستفيض، وما هذا الكتاب إلَّا لتقرير هذه المسألة، وقد تقدم نقل كثير من أقوالهم، ومن ذلك:
قال ابن خزيمة رَحِمَهُ اللهُ: من لم يقرَّ بأن الله تعالى على عرشه قد استوى فوق سبع سمواته فهو كافر بربه، يُستتاب فإن تاب وإلَّا ضربت عنقه، وأُلقي على بعض المزابل حيث لا يتأذَّى المسلمون والمعاهدون بنتن ريح جيفته، وكان ماله فيئًا لا يرثه أحد من المسلمين، إذ المسلم لا يرث الكافر كما قال ﷺ.
[«معرفة علوم الحديث» (ص ١٢٥)]
وقال عثمان بن سعيد الدارمي رَحِمَهُ اللهُ في «الرد على الجهمية» (٣٦٨) وهو يذكر أوجه تكفير الجهمية: ونكفرهم أيضًا أنهم لا يدرون أين الله؟ ولا يصفونه بـ(أين؟) والله قد وصف نفسه بـ (أين؟)، ووصفه به الرسول ﷺ .. وهذا أيضًا من واضح كفرهم، والقرآن كله ينطق بالرد عليهم، وهم يعلمون ذلك أو بعضهم؛ ولكن يكابرون ويغالطون الضعفاء، وقد علموا أنه ليس من حجة أنقض لدعواهم من القرآن، غير أنهم لا يجدون إلى رفع الأصل سبيلًا مخافة القتل والفضيحة، وهم عند أنفسهم بما وصف الله به فيه نفسه جاحـدون، قد ناظرنا بعض كبرائهم وسمعنا ذلك منهم منصوصًا مفسرًا ... فأي كفر أوضح مما حكيناه عنهم من سوء مذاهبهم. اهـ
بل جعل شيخ الإسلام ابن تيمية رَحِمَهُ اللهُ كفر نفاة علو الله تعالى على خلقه أعظم من كفر عباد الأوثان، فقال في «بيان تلبيس الجهمية» (٤/ ١٧٦) في كلامه على إمام الأشاعرة الرازي: يتبين أن الذي قلتَه أقبح من هذا الشرك، ومن جَعْل الأنداد لله، كما أن جحود فرعون الذي وافقتموه على أنه ليس فوق السموات =
