Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
The Throne and the Kursi are two different creations, and neither one is the other. The Throne is greater and more vast than the Kursi, and it is the greatest of all created things. Allah تعالى established Himself above the Throne in a manner befitting His Majesty. As for the Kursi, it is the place of the feet of Ar-Rahman, according to the soundest view reported from the Salaf.
The Kursi is a tremendous creation. It has been reported from Ibn ‘Abbas رضي الله عنهما that the Kursi is the place of the two feet, while the Throne is such that none can comprehend its magnitude except Allah تعالى.
As for the Throne, it is the greatest and most vast of created things. It is above the Kursi, and Ar-Rahman سبحانه established Himself above it in a manner befitting His Majesty.
Therefore, those who considered the Throne and the Kursi to be one and the same were mistaken. The textual evidence and reports from the Salaf indicate that they are distinct.
It has been reported from Ibn Mas‘ud رضي الله عنه a lengthy narration describing the greatness and varying sizes of the created things. It mentions that the distance between the lowest heaven and the one above it is a journey of five hundred years, and likewise between the heavens; then between the seventh heaven and the Kursi, and between the Kursi and the water, while the Throne is above the water.
Ibn Al-Qayyim and Adh-Dhahabi considered this report authentic. Ibn ‘Uthaymeen رحمه الله mentioned that it has the ruling of a report attributed to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, because it concerns matters in which personal opinion has no place, and because Ibn Mas‘ud was not known to have taken such information from Isra’iliyyat.
The Throne is the greatest and most vast of created things. Allah تعالى described it with greatness, glory, and nobility. He said:
﴿فَتَعَالَى اللَّهُ الْمَلِكُ الْحَقُّ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْكَرِيمِ﴾
[Al-Mu’minun: 116]
And He سبحانه said:
﴿وَهُوَ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ﴾
[At-Tawbah: 129]
And Allah تعالى said:
﴿ذُو الْعَرْشِ الْمَجِيدُ﴾
[Al-Buruj: 15]
Ibn Kathir رحمه الله explained that the Throne is the roof of creation, and that all the heavens, the earths, and everything between them are beneath the Throne. They are all subdued by the power of Allah تعالى, His knowledge encompasses everything, and His decree takes effect over everything.
The Sunnah contains evidence that the Throne has pillars. Among this is the hadith of Abu Sa‘id Al-Khudri رضي الله عنه, in which the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
“The people will fall unconscious on the Day of Resurrection, and I will be the first to regain consciousness. Then I will find Musa holding on to one of the pillars of the Throne...”
Narrated by Al-Bukhari.
The Throne also has bearers among the angels. Allah تعالى says:
﴿الَّذِينَ يَحْمِلُونَ الْعَرْشَ وَمَنْ حَوْلَهُ يُسَبِّحُونَ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ وَيُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِ وَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا﴾
[Ghafir: 7]
A magnificent description of the creation of one of the bearers of the Throne has also been reported. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
“I have been permitted to speak about one of the angels of Allah who carries the Throne. The distance between his earlobe and his shoulder is a journey of seven hundred years.”
Narrated by Abu Dawud. Ibn Hajar said that its chain of transmission meets the conditions of authenticity.
The Throne is higher than the Kursi; indeed, it is above all created things.
Ibn Al-Qayyim رحمه الله explained this meaning by saying that when the heaven encompasses the earth, it is above it; when the Kursi encompasses the heavens, it is above them; and when the Throne encompasses the Kursi, it is above it.
This clarifies the immense greatness and vastness of the Throne in relation to the Kursi and the rest of creation.
It is incorrect to interpret the Throne as merely the kingdom or sovereignty, because the texts affirm the Throne as an independent created entity.
Allah تعالى says:
﴿وَيَحْمِلُ عَرْشَ رَبِّكَ فَوْقَهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ ثَمَانِيَةٌ﴾
[Al-Haqqah: 17]
And He سبحانه says:
﴿وَكَانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَى الْمَاءِ﴾
[Hud: 7]
If the Throne meant the kingdom, this would require interpreting the verses as meaning that the kingdom is carried, or that the kingdom was upon the water, which is not indicated by the context.
There has been disagreement regarding the interpretation of the Kursi, but the correct view, preferred by the source, is that the Kursi is different from the Throne.
Allah تعالى says:
﴿وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ﴾
[Al-Baqarah: 255]
It has been reported from Ibn ‘Abbas رضي الله عنهما:
“The Kursi is the place of the two feet, while the Throne is such that none can comprehend its magnitude except Allah تعالى.”
This is the report which scholars considered more likely to have been stated by Ibn ‘Abbas himself.
The view that the Kursi means knowledge, such that the meaning of the verse would be “His knowledge encompasses the heavens and the earth,” is not the preferred view in the source. Rather, the correct view is that the Kursi is an independent creation and is the place of the two feet, while the Throne is that above which Ar-Rahman established Himself.
The Throne and the Kursi are two different creations. The Throne is greater and more vast than the Kursi, and it is above it and above all created things. The Throne is the greatest of created things; it has pillars and is carried by angels of tremendous stature, and Ar-Rahman established Himself above it in a manner befitting His Majesty. As for the Kursi, it is a tremendous creation and is the place of the two feet of Ar-Rahman, according to the soundest reports from the Salaf.
Thus, it becomes clear that those who considered the Throne and the Kursi to be one and the same were mistaken. It also becomes clear that the Throne is not the Kingdom of Allah, and that the Kursi is not merely His knowledge.
And Allah knows best.