Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
The fact that the angels carry the Throne does not mean that they carry Allah تعالى, nor does it mean that Allah needs the Throne or those who carry it. Allah سبحانه is above His Throne and is Self-Sufficient and Independent of all His creation. The Throne and its bearers are created by His power, and the angels carry the Throne only through Allah’s strength, will, and assistance.
The texts of the Qur’an and Sunnah establish the exaltedness of Allah تعالى above His creation and that He is established over His Throne in a manner befitting His Majesty, without likening Him to His creation or asking how.
Allah تعالى says:
“The Most Merciful rose over the Throne.” [Ta-Ha: 5]
And He says:
“And He is the Most High, the Most Great.” [Ash-Shura: 4]
The Throne is created, while Allah تعالى is completely independent of it and of all His creation. He does not need any created thing for His exaltedness.
Allah تعالى has informed us that there are angels who carry the Throne. He says:
“Those who carry the Throne and those around it glorify their Lord with His praise, believe in Him, and seek forgiveness for those who believe.” [Ghafir: 7]
And He says:
“And eight will, that Day, bear the Throne of your Lord above them.” [Al-Haqqah: 17]
It is authentically reported from Jabir ibn Abdullah رضي الله عنهما that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“I have been permitted to tell you about one of the angels of Allah from among the bearers of the Throne. The distance between his earlobe and his shoulder is the distance of a seven-hundred-year journey.”
Narrated by Abu Dawud (4727), and authenticated by Al-Albani.
It has been reported that the bearers of the Throne are four today and will be eight on the Day of Resurrection. This is the view of a number of scholars of Qur’anic interpretation, although some reports specifying their number today require examination of their chains of transmission.
This misconception is based on an assumption that does not necessarily follow: namely, that whoever carries the Throne must necessarily carry whatever is above it.
This is not necessarily true even with created things. A person may carry a roof or an object that stands independently, without necessarily carrying everything located above it, unless that thing is physically dependent upon what is being carried.
Therefore, the mere fact that the angels carry the Throne does not mean that they carry Allah تعالى.
Allah سبحانه created the Throne, created the angels, and created within them the strength that enables them to carry it. Therefore, He is not in need of them in any way.
Allah تعالى is independent of everything besides Him. He is the Creator of all things, and nothing from His creation can exist except through His sustaining power and ability.
Allah تعالى says:
“Allah—there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of all.” [Al-Baqarah: 255]
The bearers of the Throne do not carry it through an independent power of their own. Rather, they carry it through Allah’s power, assistance, and will.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله explained that Allah سبحانه creates the creature, its power, and its actions, and that the angels carry the Throne only through His power and assistance. Thus, there is no implication whatsoever that Allah is dependent upon His creation.
This answers the basis of the misconception: Allah تعالى is Self-Sufficient, while all creation is dependent upon Him—not the other way around.
It is necessary to distinguish between the Throne and the One who is above the Throne.
The Throne is created and has its own characteristics and rulings. Carrying it does not necessarily mean carrying everything that is above it.
Therefore, Allah’s statement:
“And eight will, that Day, bear the Throne of your Lord above them”
does not mean that Allah تعالى is being carried. The verse establishes that the angels carry the Throne; it does not say that they carry Allah تعالى.
Likewise, claiming that Allah تعالى needs the Throne or its bearers contradicts a fundamental principle of Tawhid: that Allah سبحانه is independent of all the worlds.
Allah تعالى is above His Throne. The Throne is created, and its bearers among the angels are also created. Their carrying the Throne does not mean that they carry Allah تعالى or that He is in need of them.
The angels carry the Throne through Allah’s power, will, and assistance. Allah تعالى is their Lord and Creator, the Creator of the Throne, and He is independent of them all.
Thus, the question, “Where is Allah when the angels carry the Throne?”, is based on an invalid assumption. Carrying a created thing does not necessarily mean carrying everything that is above it.
Allah تعالى says:
“And your Lord creates what He wills and chooses; they have no choice. Glory be to Allah, and exalted is He above what they associate with Him.” [Al-Qasas: 68]
And He سبحانه says:
“He is not questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned.” [Al-Anbiya: 23]
And Allah knows best.