The Lexical Meaning of “Istawa ‘ala”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ 

The grammarian, Imam Abu al-Qasim al-Husayn ibn Mufadhdhal ar-Raghib al-Iswfahani (r.a.), wrote that the expression “istawa’ ‘ala” has the meaning of “istila’”, or “holding mastery over something”, as in the verse of Qur’an: 

سُوۡرَةُ طٰه

ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنُ عَلَى ٱلۡعَرۡشِ ٱسۡتَوَىٰ (٥) 

(Allah) Most Gracious is Firmly Established on the Throne (of Authority). (Surah ThaHa:5) 

He said, “It means that everything is alike in relation to Him in such manner that no one thing is nearer to Him than another thing, since He is not like the bodies that abide in one place exclusive of another place.”



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