Praise be to Allah, and may blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah.
Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama‘ah affirm Allah’s Istiwa’ over the Throne as a real attribute in a manner befitting His Majesty. It is not intended as a metaphor or merely as “dominion” or “taking control,” while denying that Allah’s Istiwa’ resembles that of His creatures and acknowledging that we do not know the manner of His Istiwa’.
Allah تعالى affirmed His Istiwa’ over the Throne in several places in the Qur’an. He says:
“The Most Merciful rose over the Throne.” [Ta-Ha: 5]
And Allah تعالى says:
“Then He rose over the Throne.” [Al-A‘raf: 54]
This meaning is also mentioned in the surahs of Yunus, Ar-Ra‘d, Al-Furqan, As-Sajdah, and Al-Hadid.
Istiwa’ is among the attributes of action that Ahl al-Sunnah affirm for Allah تعالى in a manner befitting Him, without likening it to creation and without asking about its modality.
Ahl al-Sunnah hold that the Istiwa’ mentioned in these verses is affirmed according to its recognized linguistic meaning, and it is not correct to divert it to the meaning of “taking control” without evidence.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله established that Allah’s Istiwa’ over the Throne is affirmed by the Qur’an and Sunnah, and he transmitted this position from the early generations of the Ummah and the Imams of the Sunnah.
Imam Ibn Khuzaymah رحمه الله also rejected interpreting Istiwa’ as “taking control,” and affirmed the obligation of believing what Allah has informed us about Himself without altering the wording or its meaning.
It has likewise been reported from Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Mahdi al-Tabari that interpreting Istiwa’ as “taking control” does not stand, because Allah تعالى has dominion over all His creation, so specifying the Throne with this meaning would not convey any particular significance.
Affirming Istiwa’ does not mean that a person knows how Allah تعالى performs His Istiwa’. Its modality is among the matters whose knowledge Allah has kept exclusively to Himself.
For this reason, when Imam Malik رحمه الله was asked about Istiwa’, he said:
“Istiwa’ is known, its modality is unknown, belief in it is obligatory, and asking about it is an innovation.”
Thus, its basic meaning from a linguistic perspective is known, while its modality is unknown to us.
This is the methodology of Ahl al-Sunnah regarding Allah’s attributes: affirming what Allah affirmed for Himself, while denying any resemblance to created beings and refraining from investigating the modality of His attributes.
Allah تعالى says:
“There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.” [Ash-Shura: 11]
Regarding Allah’s statement:
“His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth.” [Al-Baqarah: 255]
It has been reported from Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما that he said:
“The Kursi is the place of the two feet, and the Throne—no one can estimate its magnitude.”
Scholars have transmitted this report and used it as evidence that the Throne and the Kursi are real entities, rather than merely metaphorical concepts.
Accordingly, Ahl al-Sunnah hold that what Allah تعالى has informed us about the Throne and Istiwa’ should be understood as real in a manner befitting Allah تعالى, without this implying any resemblance between His attributes and those of His creation.
There is a hadith in the Sunnah concerning the female slave whom the Prophet ﷺ asked:
“Where is Allah?”
She replied: “Above the heavens.” The Prophet ﷺ approved her answer.
Ahl al-Sunnah use this hadith, along with other texts, as evidence for affirming Allah’s exaltedness and being above His creation, while believing that Allah سبحانه does not resemble His creatures and His creation does not encompass Him.
As for differences in translations of the verses concerning Istiwa’, these differences alone cannot be used as evidence that the Qur’anic wording is metaphorical. Translation is essentially an interpretation of the meaning of the verse in another language, and it may differ according to the translator’s understanding, theological methodology, and ability to convey the meaning accurately.
Therefore, when translations differ, one should return to the Qur’anic text itself, reliable scholarly tafsir, and what has been authentically transmitted from the early generations regarding their understanding of these texts, rather than making a translation the criterion for determining the meaning of the verse.
Allah’s Istiwa’ over the Throne is established by the Qur’an and Sunnah, and Ahl al-Sunnah affirm it as real in a manner befitting Allah تعالى. It does not mean merely “taking control,” nor is it intended as a metaphor. At the same time, we do not know the manner of His Istiwa’, and we do not liken His Istiwa’ to that of created beings.
Therefore, what is required is to believe in Istiwa’, affirm it as it has been transmitted, declare Allah تعالى free from resembling His creation, and leave knowledge of the modality of the attribute to Allah سبحانه.
And Allah تعالى knows best.