Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
It is not obligatory for every Muslim, especially an ordinary Muslim without specialized knowledge, to know all the details concerning the nature and form of the Throne and the Footstool. Rather, what is obligatory is to believe generally in what has been established in the Qur’an and Sunnah. As for precise details that have not reached a person, or for which there is no authentic text, he is not required to investigate them, and he is neither a disbeliever nor sinful merely because he is ignorant of them.
First, the fatwa indicates that the book Al-Fiqh al-Akbar cannot be definitively confirmed as having been authored by Imam Abu Hanifah, may Allah have mercy on him, although it is well known among the Hanafi scholars and a number of scholars have transmitted material from it.
Moreover, the statement mentioned in the question—that whoever “does not know where the heavens are” is a disbeliever—is not the wording transmitted from Abu Hanifah.
Rather, what is attributed to him in the book concerns someone who says:
“I do not know whether my Lord is in heaven or on earth.”
It also concerns someone who affirms Allah’s rising over the Throne but says that he does not know whether the Throne is in heaven or on earth. Thus, according to the fatwa, the issue in the transmitted text is connected to denying Allah’s exaltedness and is not a ruling upon a Muslim who is simply ignorant of details concerning the form of the heavens or the Throne.
No.
The fatwa mentions that scholars differed over whether the Throne is rounded or domed.
Some scholars held that it is domed and cited a hadith containing the words:
“And His Throne is above His heavens like this,”
and the Prophet ﷺ gestured with his fingers in the shape of a dome.
However, the fatwa itself points out that this hadith is weak.
Some scholars also used the established report that the Throne has legs as evidence that it is not rounded. The fatwa cites statements from Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Baz, and Ibn Uthaymeen describing the Throne as being above the heavens and having legs.
However, these details are not among the matters that ordinary Muslims are required to know.
According to the fatwa, it is sufficient for a Muslim to believe in what has been established concerning the Throne, including that it is a عظیم creation, among the greatest and highest of created things, and that Allah, Exalted is He, rose over the Throne in a manner befitting Him.
Allah تعالى says:
“The Most Merciful rose over the Throne.”
[Ta-Ha: 5]
And He سبحانه says:
“Indeed, your Lord is Allah, who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then rose over the Throne.”
[Al-A‘raf: 54]
As for details for which there is no authentic and explicit text, it is not obligatory to believe in them or to investigate them.
One of the most important points clarified by the fatwa is the distinction between general faith and knowledge of details.
Every Muslim is required to believe in Allah and His Messenger ﷺ and to affirm generally everything brought by revelation.
However, knowing every theological issue and every report mentioned in the texts in detail is not obligatory upon every individual.
The fatwa quotes Ibn Taymiyyah as stating that detailed knowledge of what the Messenger ﷺ brought is among the communal obligations, and that what is obligatory upon each individual differs according to his knowledge, ability, and what has reached him from the texts.
Thus, a scholar and a student of knowledge may be required to know details that are not required of an ordinary Muslim.
A person who has not received a particular report and has no ability to learn about it is not required to have detailed faith in something of which he has no knowledge.
Rather, this falls under his general belief that everything authentically established from Allah and His Messenger ﷺ is true.
Therefore, the fatwa states that when the Messenger ﷺ informed of something that did not reach a Muslim and which he had no means of knowing, he is not punished for failing to affirm it specifically, because it is included in his general affirmation of everything brought by the Messenger ﷺ.
No. An ordinary Muslim is not required to investigate such details in order for his faith to be valid.
The fatwa concludes that a Muslim is not required to investigate descriptions of the Throne for which there is no authentic text, such as whether it is rounded or domed. Rather, it is sufficient for him to believe generally and affirm everything authentically established from the Messenger ﷺ.
Therefore, merely being unaware of these details or not investigating them is neither apostasy nor disbelief. According to the fatwa, it is not sinful in principle.
Every Muslim is not required to know all the details concerning the Throne, the Footstool, and the heavens, nor is he required to investigate the shape of the Throne, how it surrounds anything, or other detailed matters.
What is obligatory is to believe generally in what has been established from Allah and His Messenger ﷺ, and then to believe specifically in whatever authentic texts have reached him and become established for him.
As for the statement transmitted from Abu Hanifah, it does not concern merely being ignorant of details about the form of the Throne and the heavens. Rather, according to the fatwa, it occurs in the context of the issue of Allah’s exaltedness and His rising over the Throne.
Therefore, a person who does not know the details concerning the shape of the Throne, the location of the Footstool, or how the heavens surround anything does not become a disbeliever or sinful merely because of his ignorance of these matters.
And Allah knows best.