Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
The Kursi is a tremendous created being among Allah’s creations. The Qur’an indicates that it encompasses the heavens and the earth, yet despite this, it is far smaller than the Throne, and the Throne is greater than it.
According to what this fatwa establishes, the Kursi is above the seven heavens and below the Throne. As for determining the distances, forms, and manner of this arrangement, no revealed text provides such details, so one should not speculate about them.
Allah Almighty says:
“His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth.”
[Al-Baqarah: 255]
This verse indicates the immense greatness and vastness of the Kursi.
It is authentically reported from Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said:
“The Kursi is the place of the two Feet, and no one can comprehend the magnitude of the Throne.”
According to the fatwa, this report explains the meaning of the Kursi, while what it states is to be believed without likening Allah to His creation and without asking how.
The view considered strongest by the fatwa is that the Kursi is distinct from the Throne.
Another opinion has been reported from some scholars, but according to the fatwa, the correct view is that the Kursi is a creation distinct from the Throne and that the Throne is greater than it.
The Kursi is mentioned in Allah’s statement:
“His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth.”
[Al-Baqarah: 255]
As for the Throne, it is mentioned separately in many passages, including Allah’s statement:
“And His Throne was upon the water.”
[Hūd: 7]
And His statement:
“And on that Day, eight will bear the Throne of your Lord above them.”
[Al-Ḥāqqah: 17]
There is no contradiction in this.
Something may be extremely immense when compared with what is below it, yet small when compared with something far greater.
It is mentioned in the well-known hadith:
“The seven heavens compared to the Kursi are only like a ring thrown into an open desert, and the superiority of the Throne over the Kursi is like the superiority of the desert over the ring.”
The fatwa considers the hadith authentic based on its various chains of transmission taken together.
Its meaning is that the seven heavens, despite their vastness, are in comparison to the Kursi like a small ring thrown into an immense desert, and the Kursi itself, in comparison to the Throne, is likewise.
This demonstrates the greatness of Allah’s creation, but it does not mean that we know their actual measurements or numerical dimensions.
According to what the fatwa establishes, the Kursi is above the seven heavens, and the Throne is above the Kursi.
It cites Ibn al-Qayyim as explaining that since the heaven encompasses the earth, it is above it; since the Kursi encompasses the heavens, it is above them; and since the Throne is greater than the Kursi, it is above it.
The fatwa also cites some of the early scholars as saying that the Kursi is before the Throne.
Thus, according to the fatwa, the order of these created things is:
The heavens, then the Kursi above them, then the Throne above the Kursi.
The verse establishes that the Throne was upon the water:
“And His Throne was upon the water.”
[Hūd: 7]
However, the texts relied upon by the fatwa do not provide an explicit detail determining the position of the Kursi in relation to the water in a manner that would allow us to draw a precise arrangement between them.
Therefore, one should not assert details for which no clear textual evidence has been established.
What is known is that the Kursi is below the Throne and above the heavens. As for the detailed relationship between the Kursi and the water upon which the Throne was, as well as the distances and manner involved, these are matters of the unseen in which one must stop at the limits of the evidence.
According to what the fatwa reports from Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), this wording is authentically established.
It is believed as it has been reported, without comparing it to the attributes of created beings or attempting to imagine how it is.
Matters concerning Allah’s attributes belong to the unseen, and the governing principle is Allah’s statement:
“There is nothing like Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.”
[Ash-Shūrā: 11]
Thus, we affirm what has been reported, reject any resemblance to creation, and do not attempt to imagine that whose manner Allah has not revealed to us.
No.
The revealed texts provide us with a comparison that indicates their tremendous greatness, but they do not provide numerical measurements or dimensions that human beings can calculate.
Indeed, the report from Ibn ‘Abbas states:
“And no one can comprehend the magnitude of the Throne.”
The purpose of these texts is to increase faith in the greatness of Allah and the greatness of His creation, not to open the door to calculations and speculations for which there is no evidence.
The Kursi is a tremendous created being that encompasses the heavens and the earth. It is distinct from the Throne, and the Throne is vastly greater than it. According to the fatwa, the Kursi is above the seven heavens and below the Throne.
As for the statement that it is “the place of the two Feet,” this is established in the report from Ibn ‘Abbas according to the fatwa, and it is believed without likening Allah to His creation and without asking how.
We do not have an explicit text that precisely determines the position of the Kursi in relation to the water beneath the Throne. Therefore, it is preferable not to assert anything for which there is no evidence.
And Allah knows best.