The Wahhabi Belief that Allah (s.w.t.) is Literally Julus, Sitting, on the Throne

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ 

The Wahhabi sect believes that Allah (s.w.t.) being istawa’, Established, on the Throne is literal, and that He is sitting, julus. 

سُوۡرَةُ طٰه

تَنزِيلاً۬ مِّمَّنۡ خَلَقَ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ وَٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ ٱلۡعُلَى (٤) ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنُ عَلَى ٱلۡعَرۡشِ ٱسۡتَوَىٰ (٥) 

A Revelation from Him Who Created the Earth and the Heavens on high.  (Allah) Most Gracious is Firmly Established on the Throne (of Authority). (Surah ThaHa:4-5) 

Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Swalih al-‘Utsaymin in his Majmu’ al-Fatawa, “With respect to the sitting, ibn al-Qayyim reported in as-Sawa’iq, 1303/4, from Kharijah ibn Mus’ab with respect to the Saying of Allah the Exalted, ‘The Most Gracious is Firmly Established on the Throne (of Authority)’, how can the ascension be anything other than sitting?  And the mention of sitting has been reported in the hadits from Imam Ahmad from ibn ‘Abbas, in a marfu’ fashion.  And Allah Knows best.” 

سُوۡرَةُ طٰه

ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنُ عَلَى ٱلۡعَرۡشِ ٱسۡتَوَىٰ (٥) 

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

Imam Shams ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (r.a.) was talking about a non-existent narration in Musnad Ahmad, a fabricated hadits, through Kharijah who is actually matruk, discarded.  The Wahhabis also refer to Kitab as-Sunnah, a forgery attributed to Shaykh ‘Abdullah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal (r.a.).  It is full of anthropomorphism.  One section, concerning the question, “Is istiwa’ other than by julus?”, is answered, “He saw Him on a chair of gold carried by four angels: one in the form of a man, another in the form of a lion, another in that of a bull, and another in that of an eagle, in a green garden, outside of which there was a golden dais.” 

And finally, in his tafsir, an-Nahr al-Madd, Imam Atsir ad-Din Abu Hayyan Muhammad ibn Yusuf an-Nahwi al-Ghanathi (r.a.) reported about Shaykh Taqi’ ad-Din Ahmad ibn ‘Abd al-Halim ibn Taymiyyah (r.a.), “In his handwriting, a book of Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah, who was contemporary with us, which he called Kitab al-‘Arsh, I read, ‘Allah sits on al-Kursi and has left a space for the Messenger of Allah to sit with Him.’” 

Imam Tsiqat ad-Din Abu al-Qasim ‘Ali ibn al-Hasan ibn ‘Asakir (r.a.), in Tabyin Kadzib al-Muftari, wrote, “The Mushabbihah and Hashwiyyah said, ‘Descent is the descent of His dzat through movement and displacement, and istiwa’ is His sitting on the Throne and indwelling on top of it.’  al-Ash’ari took the middle road and said, ‘Descent is one of His Attributes and Istiwa’ is one of His Attributes and an Action He did pertaining to the Throne, called ‘istiwa’’.” 

Imam Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn Husayn al-Bayhaqi (r.a.), in al-Asma’ wa asw-Swifat, wrote, “al-Qadim is thus Elevated over His Throne, but neither sitting on nor standing on nor in contact with, nor separate from the Throne - meaning separate in His Essence in the sense of physical separation or distance.  For ‘contact’ and its opposite, ‘separation’; ‘standing’ and its opposite, ‘sitting’; are all the characteristics of bodies, whereas, “He is Allah the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; and there is none like unto Him.’ Therefore, what is allowed for bodies is impermissible for Him.”  And this is the Sunni position. 

سُوۡرَةُ الإخلاص

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

قُلۡ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ (١) ٱللَّهُ ٱلصَّمَدُ (٢) لَمۡ يَلِدۡ وَلَمۡ يُولَدۡ (٣) وَلَمۡ يَكُن لَّهُ ۥ ڪُفُوًا أَحَدٌ (٤) 

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Say: He is Allah the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begets not, nor is He begotten; and there is none like unto Him. (Surah al-Ikhlasw:1-4)