imagine a finality for His limit within themselves; rather, we believe in the limit and entrust the knowledge thereof to Allah the Almighty. Furthermore, His location also has a limit, as He is upon His Throne, above His heavens; thus, these are two limits.
...Whoever claims that Allah has no limit has rejected the Qur’an and claimed that He is nothing; for Allah has described the limit of His location in many places in His Book, saying: {The Most Merciful rose over the Throne} [Ta-Ha: 5], {Do you feel secure that He who is in the heaven...} [Al-Mulk: 16], {They fear their Lord above them} [Al-Nahl: 50], {Indeed, I will take you and raise you to Myself} [Ali ‘Imran: 55], and {To Him ascends good speech, and righteous work raises it} [Fatir: 10].
All of this and its likes are evidences and indications of the limit; and whoever does not acknowledge it has disbelieved in Allah’s revelation and denied the signs of Allah.
I say: Negating the limit, according to al-Darimi (may Allah have mercy on him), necessitates the negation of Allah’s loftiness (‘uluw) over His creation and His rising (istiwa’) over His Throne. Negating that is disbelief by the consensus of the Muslims. Further clarification will follow shortly in the words of Ibn Mandah and al-Dashti (may Allah have mercy on them both).
Mention will also be made in the upcoming section regarding some of those who denied the limit for Allah the Almighty and how they are among those who negate Allah’s loftiness over His creation.
Abu al-Qasim ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Hafiz Abu ‘Abd Allah ibn Mandah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “There is no religion for one who does not affirm a limit for Allah, because he [thereby] eliminates the barrier, the veil, the indications, and the address between himself and Allah.” [This will appear in paragraph (9)].
Al-Dashti (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “It is part of the creed of the People of Hadith—who are the People of the Sunnah, the leaders of the Muslims, and their scholars—that they believe and testify that whoever says:”
يتوهم لحده غاية في نفسه؛ ولكن نؤمن بالحدِّ، ونكِلُ عِلْمَ ذلك إلى الله تعالى، ولمكانه أيضًا حدٌّ، وهو على عرشه فوق سمواته، فهذان حدان اثنان.
.. من ادَّعى أن ليس لله حدٌّ فقد ردَّ القرآن، وادَّعى أنه لا شيء؛ لأنَّ الله وصف حدَّ مكانه في مواضع كثيرة في كتابه، فقال: ﴿الرَّحْمَنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوَى﴾ [طه: ٥]، ﴿ءَأَمِنتُم مَّن فِي السَّمَاءِ﴾ [الملك: ١٦]، ﴿يَخَافُونَ رَبَّهُم مِّن فَوْقِهِمْ﴾ [النحل: ٥٠]، ﴿إِنِّي مُتَوفِّيكَ وَرَافِعُكَ إِلَيَّ﴾ [آل عمران: ٥٥]، ﴿إِلَيْهِ يَصْعَدُ الْكَلِمُ الطَّيِّبُ وَالْعَمَلُ الصَّالِحُ يَرْفَعُهُ﴾ [فاطر: ١٠]
فهذا كله وما أشبهه شواهد ودلائل على الحد؛ ومن لم يعترف به فقد كفر بتنزيل الله، وجَحَدَ آيات الله. اهـ
قلت: فنفي الحد عند الدارمي رحمه الله يستلزم نفي علو الله على خلقه واستوائه على عرشه، ونفي ذلك كفرٌ بإجماع المسلمين، وسيأتي قريباً زيادة بيان في كلام ابن منده والدشتي رحمهما الله.
وسيأتي كذلك في المبحث القادم ذكر بعض من أنكر الحد لله تعالى وأنهم من نفاة علو الله تعالى على خلقه.
٢- قال أبو القاسم عبد الرحمن بن الحافظ أبي عبد الله بن منده رحمه الله:
ولا دين لمن لا يرى لله الحد؛ لأنه يُسقِط مِن بينِه وبين الله الحاجز، والحجاب، والإشارات، والخطاب. اهـ [سيأتي الفقرة (٩)]
٣- قال الدشتي رحمه الله: فمن مذهب أصحاب الحديث الذين هم أهل السُّنة وأئمة المسلمين وعلمائهم؛ يعتقدون ويشهدون أن من قال:
