Allah’s (s.w.t.) Establishment on the Throne Refers to His Sovereignty
بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Some people claim Allah ( s.w.t. ) is on the ‘Arsh , based on verses such as the following: سُوۡرَةُ طٰه ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنُ عَلَى ٱلۡعَرۡشِ ٱسۡتَوَىٰ ( ٥ ) (Allah) Most Gracious is Firmly Established on the Throne (of Authority). (Surah ThaHa:5) Imam Abu Manswur ‘Abd al-Qahir ibn Thahir al-Baghdadi ( r.a. ), in Uswul ad-Din , wrote, “The correct position according to us is the interpretation of the Throne in this verse to mean Sovereignty, as if He meant that Sovereignty has not been established for any but Him. This interpretation is taken from the saying of the Arabs, ‘So-and-so’s throne has toppled,’ if he lost his power.” He then cited three examples from poetry illustrating this. He further said, about the characteristics of the Ahl as-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah , in his al-Farq bayn al-Firaq , “The Ahl as-Sunnah are in consensus that Allah, the Flawless, the Exalted, is not bounded by location.”...