Section One:

The Meaning of Istiwa’ in the Speech of the Arabs

• Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The term al-Istiwa’ in the speech of the Arabs—with whose language Allah the Exalted addressed us and in which He revealed His Speech—is of two types: absolute (mutlaq) and restricted (muqayyad).

1. Absolute: That whose meaning is not connected via a preposition.

For example, His saying: {And when he attained his full strength and was established (wastawa)} [Al-Qasas: 14]. This means: he became complete and perfect. It is said: "the plant matured (istawa)" and "the food is cooked (istawa)."

2. As for the restricted type, it is of three varieties:

The first: Restricted by [the preposition] ila (to); such as the saying: "So-and-so ascended (istawa) to the roof" or "to the room." He, Glorified be He, mentioned this usage, made transitive by ila, in two places in His Book:

{He is the one who created for you all that is on the earth, then He turned (istawa) to the heaven} [Al-Baqarah: 29],

{Then He turned (istawa) to the heaven while it was smoke} [Fussilat: 11].

This means: highness (al-‘uluww) and rising (al-irtifa’) by the consensus of the Pious Predecessors (al-Salaf).

The second: Restricted by [the preposition] ‘ala (upon); such as His saying: {That you may settle (litastawu) upon their backs} [Az-Zukhruf: 13], His saying: {And it [the Ark] settled (wastawat) upon [Mount] al-Judi} [Hud: 44], and His saying: {Then it stood straight (fastawa) upon its stalk} [Al-Fath: 29].

This also means: highness (al-‘uluww), rising (al-irtifa’), and becoming upright (al-i‘tidal) by the consensus of the linguists.