He said: So Aḥmad applied the statement of affirming Al-Ḥadd for Allah Almighty, and he denied it in the narration of Ḥanbal, saying: We believe that Allah Almighty is over the Throne however He willed, and as He willed, without Al-Ḥadd and without an attribute that a describer can reach or anyone can delimit.
So he denied Al-Ḥadd for Him according to the mentioned attribute, and it is Al-Ḥadd that His creation knows, and the place where he applied it is interpreted with two meanings:
(One of them): Upon the meaning that He Almighty is in a specific direction, and He is not extending into the six directions; rather, He is outside the world, distinct from His creation, separate from them, not entering into all directions. And this is the meaning of the statement of Aḥmad: Al-Ḥadd that none knows except Him.
(And the second): That He is upon an attribute by which He is distinct from other than Him and differentiated. And for this reason, the gatekeeper is called a ḥaddād (preventer); because he prevents others from entering. So He Almighty is uniquely One, immune from having any partner in His most specific attributes.
He said: And we have prevented the application of the statement of Al-Ḥadd in more than one place in our book, and it must be permissible upon the manner that we mentioned.
Then he said: And the difference in the statements of Aḥmad regarding the affirmation of Al-Ḥadd must be interpreted upon the difference of two situations:
1 - So the place where he said: He is over the Throne with Al-Ḥadd, its meaning is: that what is parallel to the Throne from His Essence is Al-Ḥadd for Him, and a direction for Him.
2 - And the place where he said: (He is over the Throne without Al-Ḥadd), its meaning is:
قال: فقد أطلقَ أحمدُ القولَ بإثباتِ الحدِّ لله تعالى، وقد نفاهُ في روايةِ حنبل، فقال: نحن نؤمنُ بأنَّ اللهَ تعالى على العرشِ كيف شاءَ، وكما شاءَ بلا حدٍّ ولا صِفَةٍ يبلغُها واصفٌ أو يحدُّهُ أحدٌ.
فقد نَفَى الحدَّ عنه على الصِّفَةِ المذكورة، وهو الحدُّ الذي يعلمُهُ خلقُه، والموضعُ الذي أطلقَهُ محمولٌ على معنيين:
(أحدهما): على معنى أنَّهُ تعالى في جِهَةٍ مخصوصةٍ، وليس هو ذاهبًا في الجهاتِ السِّتَّةِ؛ بل هو خارجُ العالَمِ مُميَّزٌ عن خلقِهِ مُنفَصِلٌ عنهم غيرُ داخلٍ في كُلِّ الجهاتِ، وهذا معنى قولِ أحمد: حدٌّ لا يعلمُهُ إلَّا هو.
(والثاني): أنَّهُ على صِفَةٍ يَبين بها عن غيرِهِ ويتميزُ، ولهذا يُسمَّى البوابُ حدَّادًا؛ لأنَّهُ يمنعُ غيرَه من الدُّخولِ، فهو تعالى فردٌ واحدٌ ممتنعٌ عن الاشتراكِ لهُ في أخصِّ صفاتِهِ.
قال: وقد منعنا من إطلاقِ القولِ بالحدِّ في غيرِ موضعٍ من كتابِنا، ويجبُ أن يجوزَ على الوجهِ الذي ذكرنا.
ثم قال: ويجبُ أن يُحملَ اختلافُ كلامِ أحمد في إثباتِ الحدِّ على اختلافِ حالتين:
١ - فالموضعُ الذي قال: إنَّهُ على العرشِ بحدٍّ، معناهُ: أنَّ ما حاذى العرشَ مِن ذاتِهِ هو حدٌّ له، وجهةٌ لهُ.
٢ - والموضعُ الذي قال: (هو على العرشِ بغيرِ حدٍّ)، معناهُ:
