The ‘Uluww (Elevation) of Allah

Allah’s elevation above the Throne is explicitly taught in dozens of scriptural texts. Consider a small sample below.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

مَن لَمْ يَرْحَمْ مَن فِي الأرْضِ، لَمْ يَرْحَمْهُ مَن فِي السَّماءِ

Whoever does not show mercy to whom is present on earth will not receive mercy from He who is above the sky (fil Samaa').[1]

This narration makes it clear that Allah is really above the sky. Notice the flow of the narration where it talks about where human beings are (i.e., earth) and then speaks about where Allah is (i.e., above the sky).

Another clear hadith is the following:

إنَّ الْمَيِّتَ تَحْضُرُهُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ، فَإِذَا كَانَ الرَّجُلُ الصَّالِحُ، قَالُوا: اخْرُجِي أَيَّتُهَا النَّفْسُ الطَّيِّبَةُ، كَانَتْ فِي الْجَسَدِ الطَّيِّبِ، اخْرُجِي حَمِيدَةً، وَأَبْشِرِي بِرَوْحٍ، وَرَيْحَانٍ، وَرَبٍّ غَيْرِ غَضْبَانَ "، قَالَ: " فَلَا يَزَالُ يُقَالُ ذَلِكَ حَتَّى تَخْرُجَ، ثُمَّ يُعْرَجَ بِهَا إِلَى السَّمَاءِ، فَيُسْتَفْتَحُ لَهَا، فَيُقَالُ: مَنْ هَذَا ؟ فَيُقَالُ: فُلَانٌ، فَيَقُولُونَ: مَرْحَبًا بِالنَّفْسِ الطَّيِّبَةِ، كَانَتْ فِي الْجَسَدِ الطَّيِّبِ، ادْخُلِي حَمِيدَةً، وَأَبْشِرِي بِرَوْحٍ، وَرَيْحَانٍ، وَرَبٍّ غَيْرِ غَضْبَانَ " قَالَ: " فَلَا يَزَالُ يُقَالُ لَهَا حَتَّى يُنْتَهَى بِهَا إِلَى السَّمَاءِ الَّتِي فِيهَا اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ

The angels come and get the dead. If the man was righteous, they would say: “Come out oh pleasant soul that was in a pleasant body. Come out praised and receive the glad tidings of rest and provision and a Lord who is pleased.” This will be kept on being said to it, then it would ascend to the heaven, which will be opened for it, and it would then be said: “Who is this?”. They (i.e., the angels) will say: “So and so.” Then it will be said: “Greetings to the pleasant soul that was in a pleasant body. Come in praised and receive the glad tidings of rest and provision and a Lord who is pleased.” This will be kept on being said to it until it reaches the heaven, which Allah All-Mighty is above.[2]

The narration clearly states that the soul will continue to ascend until it reaches the heavens, which Allah is above.

We also read in the story of al-Israa wal-Mi’raaj:

Then the Prophet descended till he met Moses, and then Moses stopped him and asked, "O Muhammad ! What did your Lord en join upon you?" The Prophet replied," He enjoined upon me to perform fifty prayers in a day and a night." Moses said, "Your followers cannot do that; Go back so that your Lord may reduce it for you and for them." So the Prophet turned to Gabriel as if he wanted to consult him about that issue. Gabriel told him of his opinion, saying, "Yes, if you wish." So Gabriel ascended with him to the Irresistible and said while he was in his place, "O Lord, please lighten our burden as my followers cannot do that." So Allah deducted for him ten prayers where upon he returned to Moses who stopped him again and kept on sending him back to his Lord till the enjoined prayers were reduced to only five prayers.[3]

Again, it is clear.

Allah’s ‘Uluww was the mainstream position of the Salaf and classical scholars until the Asha’ris rose to prominence around the sixth Islamic century.[4]

Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

العَرْشُ فَوْقَ الماءِ واللَّهُ فَوْقَ العَرْشِ لا يَخْفى عَلَيْهِ شَيْءٌ مِن أعْمالِكُمْ

The Throne is above the water, and Allah is above the Throne, and nothing from your actions is hidden from Him.[5]

Ibn Mas'ud is clearly speaking about Allah's 'Uluww in terms of elevation and not merely honor or status, for he began by saying that the Throne is above the water, which was obviously in terms of proximity. Continuing the same sentence, he obviously used the word "above" to describe Allah’s whereness, for it would not have made sense to use "above" for Throne in terms of proximity and then "above" for Allah in terms of honor or status in the same sentence the way he uttered it.

Muqaatil bin Hayyan (a scholar from Khurasaan who died before 150 A.H.) said regarding the Qur'anic verse, "There is no Najwa (secret counsel) of three, but He is their fourth" (58:7): 

هو على عرشه وعلمه معهم

He is above His Throne, and His knowledge is with them.[6]

Imam al-Awza’i (d. 157 A.H.) said:

كنا والتابعون متوافرون نقول:ان الله عز وجل فوق عرشه ونؤمن بما وردت به السنة من صفاته

We and the Ta’biun were abundant and used to say: Allah, Exalted is He, is above His Throne, and we believe in what was mentioned in the Sunnah concerning His attributes.[7]

Al-Awza’i’s remark clearly highlights that this was the normative stance of the Salaf.

Hammad b. Zayd (d. 179 A.H.) said concerning the Jahmites:

إنَّما يُحاوِلُونَ أنْ لَيْسَ فِي السَّماءِ شَيْءٌ

They try to say that there is nothing above the heavens.[8]

Abul Hassan Muhammad bin Al-Attaar heard Muhammad ibn Mus'ab Al-'Aabid (a shaykh from Baghdad who died in 228 A.H.) say:

من زعم أنك لا تتكلم ولا ترى في الآخرة، فهو كافر بوجهك، أشهد أنك فوق العرش، فوق سبع سموات، ليس كما تقول أعداء
Whoever states that you do not speak or be seen in the Hereafter is a kaafir of you. I testify that you are above the Throne that is above the seven heavens , unlike how the heretics, the enemies of Allah, state.[9]

Muhammad is clearly stating that Allah is literally above the heavens. This is made especially clear when he says, "not like how the heretics, the enemies of Allah state," as they denied that Allah was literally above the heavens. No Muslim, no matter how deviant, denied Allah’s honour. Thus, the ‘Uluww being discussed here is one of whereness.

Ahmad ibn Sa'eed Al-Rabaati (246 A.H.) said:

حضرت مجلس ابن طاهر وحضر إسحاق، فسئل عن حديث النزول أصحيح هو؟ قال، نعم، فقال له بعض القواد: كيف ينزل؟ فقال: أثبته حتى أصف لك النزول! فقال الرجل: أثبته فوق، فقال إسحاق: قال الله: ﴿وجاءَ رَبُّكَ والمَلَكُ صَفًّا صَفًّا﴾ فقال ابن طاهر: هذا يا أبا يعقوب يوم القيامة. فقال: ومن يجئ يوم القيامة من يمنعه اليوم؟

I attended the gathering of Ibn Taahir, and Ishaq (bin Rahawaih)[10] was present. He was asked regarding the hadeeth of Descent, "Is it Saheeh?" To which he replied: "Yes." Some heads said to him: "How does He Descend?" He replied: "Affirm Him[11] so that I may describe for you the Nuzool!" So the man said: "I affirm Him above." So Ishaq said: "Allah said: And when your Lord and the angels shall come in rows." So Ibn Taahir said: "Oh Abu Ya'qoob, this is referring to the Day of Judgment." So he (i.e., Ishaq) replied: "As for He who comes on the Day of Judgment, who could stop Him today?"[12]

This narration teaches us a number of things:

1) Some were still asking, "How does Allah Descend?"

2) The response of Ahlus Sunnah to such a question was not to get into a philosophical discussion but rather to suffice by citing scripture in response.

3) Sound reasoning and simple common sense could be utilized. This is shown when Ishaaq asked a simple and reasonable question "If Allah could come on the Day of Judgment, then why can't He Descend to us today?" Moreover, making the connection between “coming” and “descending” clearly entails that Ishaq understood the core meaning of these terms and was not a mufawwidh.

4) Ahlus Sunnah affirmed "aboveness" for Allah. The "aboveness" in this narration is clearly not to do with rank since it is contradistinguished from the act of descending.

5) The Aqeedah of Ishaq bin Rahawaih is made crystal clear here. No one accused him of anthropomorphism. This indicates that his Aqeedah was representative of Ahlus Sunnah during his time.

Ibn Qutaybah (d. 276 A.H.) said in his Ta’weel Mukhtalaf Al-Hadeeth, page 394:

وكَيْفَ يَسُوغُ لِأحَدٍ أنْ يَقُولَ: إنَّهُ بِكُلِّ مَكانٍ عَلى الحُلُولِ مَعَ قَوْلِهِ: ﴿الرَّحْمَنُ عَلى العَرْشِ اسْتَوى﴾ ١، أيِ: اسْتَقَرَّ… وما قَوْلُهُ تَعالى: ﴿إلَيْهِ يَصْعَدُ الكَلِمُ الطَّيِّبُ والعَمَلُ الصّالِحُ يَرْفَعُهُ﴾ ٣. وكَيْفَ يَصْعَدُ إلَيْهِ شَيْءٌ هُوَ مَعَهُ؟ أوْ يُرْفَعُ إلَيْهِ عَمَلٌ وهُوَ عِنْدُهُ؟ وكَيْفَ تَعْرُجُ المَلائِكَةُ والرُّوحُ إلَيْهِ يَوْمَ القِيامَةِ؟

How can anyone say that Allah is everywhere when He said, "The Most Gracious has done Istiwaa on the Throne," meaning He settled... and when He said, "To Him ascends the good words and righteous deeds are raised up by Him." How can anything that ascends unto Him be with Him? Or righteous deeds ascend to Him when they are with Him? And how can the angels and the Spirit ascend unto Him on the Day of Judgment?

Ibn Abi Shaybah (d. 297), speaking about the Jahmites, said:

وأنْكَرُوا العَرْشَ وأن يكون الله هُوَ فَوْقَهُ، وفَوْقَ السَّماواتِ، وقالُوا: إنَّ اللَّهَ فِي كُلِّ مَكانٍ

They denied the Throne and that Allah is above it, and above the heavens. And they said: Allah is everywhere.

Here we clearly see that those who deny that Allah is above the heavens are following the path of the Jahmites.

For several more statements of classical scholars, the reader is encouraged to check out these part series by sister Um Abdullah:

The Belief of the Pious Predecessors 1 Of 3 (original Arabic here)

The Belief of the Pious Predecessors 2 Of 3 (original Arabic here)

The Belief of the Pious Predecessors 3 Of 3  (original Arabic here)

The Addition of "Bi-Dhatihi" When Speaking About Allah's Uluw and Istiwa (original Arabic here)

Several scriptural references explicitly establish the affirmation of Allah’s whereness above the Throne. Moreover, the plethora of clear statements from prominent scholars of the Salaf and classical scholars who followed in the subsequent few hundred years demonstrates that this was the dominant stance of Islamic scholarship in the first half millennium of Islam.

Recommended Reading:

Allah's Divine Attributes Discourse

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[1] Shaykh al-Albani states in Mukhtasar al-‘Uluww, p. 84: This has been narrated by trustworthy people and is collected by al Tabaraani. Also see his Silsila as-Saheeha, vol. 2, p. 630.

Fil sama’ is not to be translated literally as “in the sky.” Read more here.

[2] Musnad Ahmad; its isnad is declared to be Saheeh by Shaykhs Shu’yab al-Arnaut and Ahmad Shakir.

[3] Saheeh al-Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 93, Number 608

[4] See Does It Matter If the Majority of Scholars Follow Your Theological School?

[5] Imam Adh-Dhahabi comments: Abdullah ibn Imam Ahmad narrates this in his Sunnah, and Abu Bakr al-Mundhir, and Abu Ahmad Al 'Assaal, and Abu Qaasim Al Tabaraani, and Abu al-Shaykh, and Abu Qaasim Al Lalakaa'iy, and Abu Umar Al Talamanki, and Abu Bakr Al Bayhaqi and Abu Umar bin Abdul Barr in their works and its isnaad is Saheeh.

Commenting after adh-Dhahabi, Sheikh Al Albaani states in Mukhtasar al-‘Uluww, p. 103: This was also narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah (page 70) and Ad-Daarimi (page 105) and Abu al-Shaykh in Al-'Adhimma (2/34) and Al Lalakaa'iy in Sharh Usool 'Itiqaad Ahlus Sunnah (2/91/1) and Sunayd bin Daawud with a Saheeh Isnaad just as Ibnul Qayyim said in his Juyoosh, page 100, and their isnaads are Saheeh.

[6] Sheikh Al Albaani declared its Isnaad to be hasan in Mukhtasar al-Uluww, p. 138. Similarly, Nasir al-Damyati (ناصر الدمياطي) in his edition of Imam al-Baihaqi’s al-Asmaa’ wal-Sifaat also declares it’s isnad to be hasan under narration no. 909. Also see the comments of the editor of Sifaat Rabb al-‘Alameen li-Ibn al-Muhibb as-Saamit, vol. 2, p 275, footnote no. 5.

[7] Imam al-Bayhaqi relayed this in narration no. 865 of his al-Asmaa’ wal-Sifaat. Ibn Taymiyyah declared its isnad to be Saheeh in his Dar’ Ta’arudh al-Aql wal-Naql, vol. 6, p. 262. Imam adh-Dhahabi also declared its isnad to be Saheeh in his Tadhkirat al-Huffadh, vol. 1, p. 136. Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani ruled its isnad to be jayyid in Fathul Bari, vol. 13, p. 406.

[8] Shaykh Shu’ayb al-Arnaut declared this narration to Saheeh to Hammad in his edition of Musnad Ahmad, vol. 45, p. 567.

[9] Sheikh Al-Albaani declared its isnad to be Saheeh in Mukhtasar al-Uluww, p. 183.         

[10] He died in 238 A.H.

[11] In another version it says "Affirm Him above."

[12] This narration is reported in Al-Saabooni's Aqeedatul Salaf wa Ashaabul Hadeeth. The editor Abu Al-Yameen Al-Mansoori in his edition said that the narration is Saheeh on page 51, footnote no. 3. Likewise, the editor Abi Abdullah Al-Shameeri in his edition said that the isnad is Saheeh on page 34, footnote no. 1. Furthermore, Sheikh Al-Albaani states that the isnad is Saheeh in Muktasar al-Uluww, p. 193.