On Claiming Allah (s.w.t.) is above the Throne

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

Imam ‘Izz ad-Din ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn ‘Abd as-Salam ash-Shafi’i (r.a.) was asked, in his Fatawa, “What do you say about Abu Zayd al-Qayrawani al-Maliki’s saying, ‘Allah (s.w.t.) is above His Exalted Throne in person, and He is in every place with His knowledge’?  Does such an affirmation attribute a direction to Allah (s.w.t.)?  And is the one who holds such belief declared a kafir?” 

He replied, “The apparent meaning of what ibn Abu Zayd said attributes direction for Allah, because he has made a difference between Allah’s (s.w.t.) Being on the Throne and His Being with His Creation.  As for the second question: the more correct position is that the one who holds belief in Allah’s (s.w.t.) direction is not declared a disbeliever, because the scholars of Islam did not bring such as these out of Islam, rather, they adjudicated inheritance from Muslims for them, burial in Muslim grounds, sanctity of their blood and property, and the obligation to pray over their remains.  The same is true of all the upholders of innovations: People never ceased to apply to them the rulings that apply to Muslims.  Pay no attention to what the common people claim about their disbelief.”