Regarding the 'Arsh, the four fuqahaa said:
Imaam Abu Haneefah
Abu Muti' Al-Balkhi reported: "I asked Imaam Abu Haneefah about a person who says, 'I do not know whether my Rabb is, above the heavens or on earth?' Abu Haneefah, may Allaah grant him His mercy, said: 'A person who makes such a statement becomes an apostate because Allaah, the Exalted says, 'The Merciful has ascended above the 'Arsh, and the 'Arsh of Allaah is above His heavens'. I further asked Abu Haneefah, 'What if such a person admits, Allaah is above His 'Arsh, but exclaims, I do not know whether His 'Arsh is above the heavens or on earth'. Abu Haneefah responded: 'If he denies that the 'Arsh is above the heavens, he is an apostate." Sharh ut-Tahaawiyyah, p.288 If the person apostatises by saying that he did not know where is the 'Arsh of Allaah, then by right a person who denies the Loftiness of Allaah altogether is definitely worse than an apostate.
Imaam Maalik
Abdullah bin Nafi' reported: Maalik bin Anas said: 'Allaah is above the heavens, but His knowledge encompasses everything. Nothing escapes His knowledge.' Abdullah bin Ahmad, as-Sunnah, and others.
Imaam Ash-Shafi'ee
Imaam
ash-Shafi'ee said: "The creed which I hold is the same creed the
Muslims before me were holding, namely, the Testimony of Faith: "There
is no god worthy of being worshipped except Allaah, that Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allaah, and that Allaah is above His 'Arsh, above the
heavens. He descends to the lowest heaven whenever He wishes."Al-Juyoosh
al-Islaamiyyah, Ibn al-Qayyim, p.93. Imaam ibn Khuzaimah, a Shafi'ite
himself, said: "Whoever disacknowledges that Allaah is above His 'Arsh,
above His seven heavens, and that He is separated from His creatures, is
a Kaafir (unbeliever). Such person must be ordered to repent and
disavow his belief, or else he must be beheaded and thrown on a garbage
dump so that neither Ahlul-Qiblah nor Ahludth-dthimmah be annoyed by the
foul odour of his carcass." Abu Bakr Muhammad at-Tamimi, a
Shafi'ite Imaam of Naisaboor, said: "I do not pray behind a person who
denies the attributes of Allaah and does not recognize that Allaah is
above His 'Arsh."
Imaam Ahmad ibn Hanbal
He was asked: "Is Allaah above His 'Arsh, above the seventh heaven, separate from His creatures, and is His knowledge and power encompassing everything everywhere? He replied: 'Certainly, He is above His 'Arsh and nothing escapes His knowledge." Al-Juyoosh al-Islaamiyyah, Ibn al-Qayyim, p.123. All of the above show that the entire Muslim ummah, in the past and present, is in unison regarding the belief in the Loftiness and Supremacy of Allaah, the Exalted.
And it is that we accept the aayaat and ahaadeeth of the Attributes upon their apparent meanings, and we leave their true meanings, while believing in their realities, to Allaah ta'aalaa. For Maalik, one of the greatest of the 'ulamaa of the Salaf, when asked about al-istiwaa' in His Saying (ta'aalaa): "Ar-Rahmaan rose over the Throne." [Taa-Haa: 5] said: "Al-istiwaa' is known, the "how" of it is unknown, believing in it is waajib, and asking about it is bid'ah."
And finally to quote point 98 of Kitaab Sharh us-Sunnah by Imaam Al-Barbahaaree (i.e. the same Imaam whom Imaam Ash'ari went to for 'ilm but was turned away):
The Jahmiyyah were ruined due to their pondering about Allaah and following their opinions
"Know that the ruin of the Jahmiyyah was that they pondered about their Lord, the Mighty and Majestic. They introduced “Why?” and “How?” They abandoned the narrations, used analogy and weighed the religion according to their opinions, so they openly showed disbelief and it being disbelief is obvious. They declared the rest of the people to be disbelievers and were lead themselves into divesting (Allaah of His attributes).
Imaam Ahmad ibn Hanbal
He was asked: "Is Allaah above His 'Arsh, above the seventh heaven, separate from His creatures, and is His knowledge and power encompassing everything everywhere? He replied: 'Certainly, He is above His 'Arsh and nothing escapes His knowledge." Al-Juyoosh al-Islaamiyyah, Ibn al-Qayyim, p.123. All of the above show that the entire Muslim ummah, in the past and present, is in unison regarding the belief in the Loftiness and Supremacy of Allaah, the Exalted.
**********
And it is that we accept the aayaat and ahaadeeth of the Attributes upon their apparent meanings, and we leave their true meanings, while believing in their realities, to Allaah ta'aalaa. For Maalik, one of the greatest of the 'ulamaa of the Salaf, when asked about al-istiwaa' in His Saying (ta'aalaa): "Ar-Rahmaan rose over the Throne." [Taa-Haa: 5] said: "Al-istiwaa' is known, the "how" of it is unknown, believing in it is waajib, and asking about it is bid'ah."
And finally to quote point 98 of Kitaab Sharh us-Sunnah by Imaam Al-Barbahaaree (i.e. the same Imaam whom Imaam Ash'ari went to for 'ilm but was turned away):
The Jahmiyyah were ruined due to their pondering about Allaah and following their opinions
"Know that the ruin of the Jahmiyyah was that they pondered about their Lord, the Mighty and Majestic. They introduced “Why?” and “How?” They abandoned the narrations, used analogy and weighed the religion according to their opinions, so they openly showed disbelief and it being disbelief is obvious. They declared the rest of the people to be disbelievers and were lead themselves into divesting (Allaah of His attributes).
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