Throne of God in Islam

Al-ʽArsh (Arabic: العرش, romanized: Al-ʿArsh, lit. 'The Throne') is the throne of God in Islamic theology. It is believed to be the largest of all the creations of God.^[1]^[2]

The Throne of God has figured in extensive theological debates across Islamic history with respect to the question of the anthropomorphism and corporealism of God.^[3]

Quran

The Quran mentions the throne some 25 times (33 times as Al-ʽArsh), such as in verse 10:3 and 23:116:

Surely your Lord is Allah Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days, then subjugated the Throne, conducting every affair. None can intercede except by His permission. That is Allah—your Lord, so worship Him ˹alone˺. Will you not then be mindful?
— Surah Yunus 10:3

Exalted is Allah, the True King! There is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Him, the Lord of the Honourable Throne.
— Surah Al-Mu'minun 23:116

The Quran depicts the angels as carrying the throne of God (Surah Ghafir 40:7) and praising his glory (Surah Az-Zumar 39:75).

The Ayat al-Kursi (often glossed as "Verse of the footstool"), is a verse from Al-Baqara, the second sura of the Quran. It references the Kursi (كرسي) which is different from the Throne (عرش), and also God's greatest name, Al-Hayy Al-Qayyoom ("The Living, the Eternal").^[4]

Hadith

Sunni

Sunni prophetic hadith say that The Throne is above the roof of Al-Firdaus Al-'Ala, the highest level of Paradise where God's closest and most beloved servants in the hereafter shall dwell.^[5]

Sunni scholars of hadith have stated that Muhammad said the reward for reciting Ayatul Kursi after every prayer is Paradise,^[6] and that reciting it is a protection from the devil.^[7]

Characteristics

Its breadth has been described as the Seven Heavens is like a ring in a desert in relation to the Kursi or the footstool of Allah, and likewise the Kursi is like a ring in a desert in relation to "the Throne",^[8] On the authority of Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, he said: ^[9]

I said to the Prophet: O Messenger of God, whatever has been revealed to you is greater. He said: Ayat al-Kursi, then he said: O Abu Dharr, what are the seven heavens with the Kursi except like a ring thrown into a desert land, and the preference of the Throne over the Chair is like the preference of the desert over the ring.

The Throne is the highest of all creatures, and it was primarily on the water.^[10] The Quran says:
and His Throne was upon the waters.
— Surah Hud 11:7
and on the authority of Abdullah ibn Masud he said:^[11]
The distance between the highest heaven and the world is five hundred years, and between the Kursi and the water as well, and the Throne is above the water, and God is the subjugater of the Throne, nothing of your deeds is hidden from Him.

Views

Sufi

Sufi Muslims believe God created the throne as a sign of his power and not as place of dwelling.^[13]

Abu Mansur al-Baghdadi (d. 429/1037) in his al-Farq bayn al-Firaq (The Difference between the Sects) reports that 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, said: "God created the Throne as an indication of His power, not for taking it as a place for Himself."^[14] The vast majority of Islamic scholars, including Sunnis (Ash'aris, Maturidis and Sufis), Mu'tazilis, and Shi'is (Twelvers and Isma'ilis) believe the Throne (Arabic: العرش al-'Arsh) as a symbol of God's power and authority and not as a dwelling place for Himself,^[15]^[16]^[17] others describe it as an allegory, and many others said that the heart of the believer is the Throne of Allah (قلب المؤمن عرش الله), a quote criticized by Salafi Muslim scholars.^[18]

Salafi

Some Islamic sects, such as the Karramis and the Salafis believe that God has created it as a place of dwelling.^[19]^[20]^[21]

Bearers of the Throne

Bearers of the Throne or ḥamlat al-ʽarsh (حملة العرش) are a group of angels in Islam. The Quran mentions them in 40:7 and 69:17. Other hadiths describes them with six wings and four faces.^[22] While according to a hadith transmitted from At-Targhib wat-Tarhib authored by ʻAbd al-ʻAẓīm ibn ʻAbd al-Qawī al-Mundhirī, the bearers of the throne were angels who shaped like a rooster, with their feet on the earth and their nape supporting the Throne of God in the highest sky.^{[Notes 1]} a number modern Islamic scholars from Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University , and other institutes Yemen and Mauritania also agreed the soundness of this hadith by quoting the commentary from Ibn Abi al-Izz who supported this narrative.^[23]

These four angels are also held to be created from different elements: One from light, one from fire, one from water and one from mercy. It is also said they are so large that a journey from their earlobes to their shoulders would take seven hundred years.^[24] According to various Islamic tafsir scholars which compiled by Islamic University of Madinah and Indonesian religious ministry, the number of these angels will be added from four into eight angels during the Day of Resurrection.^[25] This interpretation were based on Qur'an chapter Surah Al-Haqqa 69:17.^[25]

According to Al-Suyuti who quoted a Hadith which transmitted by Ibn al-Mubarak, archangel Israfil is one of the bearer of the throne.^[26]

Note

^ The hadith were: "...Allah, the most exalted, has permitted me to speak of a rooster whose legs have separated the earth, and its neck is bent under the throne..." through the narration of Abu Hurairah by Abd al-Qawi al-Mundhiri through Al-Qadi Abu Ya'la. The Hadith were judged as authentic and sound by numerous hadith scholars such as by Nur al-Din al-Haythami in his work, Majma al-Zawa'id, Al-Tabarani in his work, Al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, Mustafa al-Adawi in Sahih Al-Ahadith Al-Qudsi and also by Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani in his work Silsalat al-Hadith as-Sahihah^[23] It also commented as safe as it is also supported by other Hadith from another chain from Jabir ibn Abd Allah in the Sunan Abu Dawood.^[23]

References

^ Islam Issa (2016). Milton in the Arab-Muslim World. Taylor & Francis. p. 97. ISBN 9781317095927.
^ Tafseer al-Qurtubi, 8/302, 303.
^ Sinai, Nicolai (2023). Key terms of the Qur'an: a critical dictionary. Princeton (N.J.): Princeton university press. pp. 68–69. ISBN 978-0-691-24131-9.
^ Book 004, Number 1768: (Sahih Muslim).
^ Saheeh al-Bukhaari (#2581).
^ Sunnan Nasai'i al Kubra, (6/30), At-Tabarani; Al-Kabeer (8/114).
^ Sahih al-Bukhari - Volume 3, Book 38, Number 505
^ ما هو الفرق بين عرش الربّ وكرسيه islamqa.info Archived 17 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine
^ Ibn Taymiyyah in Majmoo’ al-Fatawa 6/ 556.
^ خلق العرش والكرسي ـ موقع الكلم الطيب Archived 13 July 2017 at the Wayback Machine
^ Al-Tawhid p.: 105, and Al-Bayhaqi in the Names and Attributes p.: 401, and Ibn al-Qayyim in Mukhtasar al-Sawa’iq al-Mursalah p.:435 Al-Dhahabi in Al-Ulwu li’l-Ali al-Ghaffar p. 64.
^ Begley, Wayne E. The Garden of the Taj Mahal: A Case Study of Mughal Architectural Planning and Symbolism, in: Wescoat, James L.; Wolschke-Bulmahn, Joachim (1996). Mughal Gardens: Sources, Places, Representations, and Prospects Dumbarton Oaks, Washington D.C., ISBN 0884022358. pp. 229–231.
^ The Creed of Imam Al-Tahawi.
^ "Allah's Establishment Over the Throne". sunnah.org. As-Sunnah Foundation of America. Archived from the original on 31 May 2021.
^ Mohammad Ibrahim Teymori. "The Creed of Imam Tahawi" (PDF). Afghan Islamic Cultural Centre in London, UK. pp. 20–24.
^ Shahrur, Muhammad (2009). The Qur'an, Morality and Critical Reason: The Essential Muhammad Shahrur. BRILL. ISBN 9789047424345.
^ Yılmaz, Hakkı (14 June 2020). The Division By Division English Interpretation of THE NOBLE QUR'AN in The Order of Revelation. Hakkı Yılmaz. p. 566.
^ Jabbar, Abdunur Ibn Abdul (7 April 2015). আকীদাহ্ সম্পর্কিত কতিপয় গুরুত্বপূর্ণ মাস'আলাহ্ - বাংলা - আব্দুননূর ইবন আব্দুল জাব্বার (Some Important Mas'alahs Regarding Aqidah - Bengali - Abdunur Ibn Abdul Jabbar) (PDF) (in Bengali). Islamhouse.com. p. 7. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
^ Rifai, Sayyid Rami Al (2016). The Light Of Allah In The Heavens and The Earth: The Creation Of The Atom (24:35) and The Physics Of Spirituality. Sunnah Muakada.
^ Elias, Jamal J. (1995). The Throne Carrier of God: The Life and Thought of 'Ala' ad-dawla as-Simnani. SUNY Press. ISBN 9780791426111.
^ al-Din, Khwajah Kamal (1963). The Islamic Review. Woking Muslim Mission and Literary Trust.
^ Stephen Burge (2015). Angels in Islam: Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti's al-Haba'ik fi Akhbar al-malik. Routledge. p. 265. ISBN 978-1-136-50473-0.
^ ^a ^b ^c Abdullaah Al-Faqeeh; Fatwa centers & Islamic educational institutes in Yemen and Mauritania (2013). "رتبة حديث: أذن لي أن أحدث عن ملك من ملائكة الله من حملة العرش..." [The rank of hadith: Permit me to narrate on the authority of one of the angels of God from among the bearers of the Throne... Fatwa Number: 205000]. Islamweb (in Arabic). Saudi Arabia: Al-Imaam Muhammad Bin Saud Islamic University. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
^ Syrinx von Hees (2002). Enzyklopädie als Spiegel des Weltbildes: Qazwīnīs Wunder der Schöpfung: eine Naturkunde des 13. Jahrhunderts (in German). Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. p. 283. ISBN 978-3-447-04511-7.
^ ^a ^b Wahbah al-Zuhayli; Abdul-Rahman al-Sa'di; Muhammad Sulaiman Al Asyqar. "Surat An-Nazi'at ayat 5; Tafsir Juz Amma". Tafsirweb (in Indonesian and Arabic). Islamic University of Madinah; Ministry of Religious Affairs (Indonesia); Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
^ Al-Suyuti (2021). Muhammad as Said Basyuni, Abu Hajir; Yasir, Muhammad (eds.). Misteri Alam Malaikat (Religion / Islam / General) (in Indonesian). Translated by Mishabul Munir. Pustaka al-Kautsar. pp. 29–33, 172. ISBN 9789795929512. Retrieved 6 February 2022. Quoting Ibnul Mubarak from a book of az-Zuhd; ad Durr al-Manshur, chain narration from Ibnul Mubarak to Ibn SHihab (1/92)

[24] The hadith were: "...Allah, the most exalted, has permitted me to speak of a rooster whose legs have separated the earth, and its neck is bent under the throne..." through the narration of Abu Hurairah by Abd al-Qawi al-Mundhiri through Al-Qadi Abu Ya'la. The Hadith were judged as authentic and sound by numerous hadith scholars such as by Nur al-Din al-Haythami in his work, Majma al-Zawa'id, Al-Tabarani in his work, Al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, Mustafa al-Adawi in Sahih Al-Ahadith Al-Qudsi and also by Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani in his work Silsalat al-Hadith as-Sahihah^[23] It also commented as safe as it is also supported by other Hadith from another chain from Jabir ibn Abd Allah in the Sunan Abu Dawood.^[23]

[1] Islam Issa (2016). Milton in the Arab-Muslim World. Taylor & Francis. p. 97. ISBN 9781317095927.

[2] Tafseer al-Qurtubi, 8/302, 303.

[3] Sinai, Nicolai (2023). Key terms of the Qur'an: a critical dictionary. Princeton (N.J.): Princeton university press. pp. 68–69. ISBN 978-0-691-24131-9.

[4] Book 004, Number 1768: (Sahih Muslim).

[5] Saheeh al-Bukhaari (#2581).

[6] Sunnan Nasai'i al Kubra, (6/30), At-Tabarani; Al-Kabeer (8/114).

[7] Sahih al-Bukhari - Volume 3, Book 38, Number 505

[سؤال_وجواب-8] ما هو الفرق بين عرش الربّ وكرسيه islamqa.info Archived 17 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine

[9] Ibn Taymiyyah in Majmoo’ al-Fatawa 6/ 556.

[الكلم_الطيب-10] خلق العرش والكرسي ـ موقع الكلم الطيب Archived 13 July 2017 at the Wayback Machine

[11] Al-Tawhid p.: 105, and Al-Bayhaqi in the Names and Attributes p.: 401, and Ibn al-Qayyim in Mukhtasar al-Sawa’iq al-Mursalah p.:435 Al-Dhahabi in Al-Ulwu li’l-Ali al-Ghaffar p. 64.

[12] Begley, Wayne E. The Garden of the Taj Mahal: A Case Study of Mughal Architectural Planning and Symbolism, in: Wescoat, James L.; Wolschke-Bulmahn, Joachim (1996). Mughal Gardens: Sources, Places, Representations, and Prospects Dumbarton Oaks, Washington D.C., ISBN 0884022358. pp. 229–231.

[13] The Creed of Imam Al-Tahawi.

[14] "Allah's Establishment Over the Throne". sunnah.org. As-Sunnah Foundation of America. Archived from the original on 31 May 2021.

[Mohammad_Ibrahim_Teymori-15] Mohammad Ibrahim Teymori. "The Creed of Imam Tahawi" (PDF). Afghan Islamic Cultural Centre in London, UK. pp. 20–24.

[16] Shahrur, Muhammad (2009). The Qur'an, Morality and Critical Reason: The Essential Muhammad Shahrur. BRILL. ISBN 9789047424345.

[17] Yılmaz, Hakkı (14 June 2020). The Division By Division English Interpretation of THE NOBLE QUR'AN in The Order of Revelation. Hakkı Yılmaz. p. 566.

[18] Jabbar, Abdunur Ibn Abdul (7 April 2015). আকীদাহ্ সম্পর্কিত কতিপয় গুরুত্বপূর্ণ মাস'আলাহ্ - বাংলা - আব্দুননূর ইবন আব্দুল জাব্বার (Some Important Mas'alahs Regarding Aqidah - Bengali - Abdunur Ibn Abdul Jabbar) (PDF) (in Bengali). Islamhouse.com. p. 7. Retrieved 6 January 2023.

[19] Rifai, Sayyid Rami Al (2016). The Light Of Allah In The Heavens and The Earth: The Creation Of The Atom (24:35) and The Physics Of Spirituality. Sunnah Muakada.

[20] Elias, Jamal J. (1995). The Throne Carrier of God: The Life and Thought of 'Ala' ad-dawla as-Simnani. SUNY Press. ISBN 9780791426111.

[21] -Din, Khwajah Kamal (1963). The Islamic Review. Woking Muslim Mission and Literary Trust.

[22] Stephen Burge (2015). Angels in Islam: Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti's al-Haba'ik fi Akhbar al-malik. Routledge. p. 265. ISBN 978-1-136-50473-0.

[Fatwa_Number:_205000-23] Abdullaah Al-Faqeeh; Fatwa centers & Islamic educational institutes in Yemen and Mauritania (2013). "رتبة حديث: أذن لي أن أحدث عن ملك من ملائكة الله من حملة العرش..." [The rank of hadith: Permit me to narrate on the authority of one of the angels of God from among the bearers of the Throne... Fatwa Number: 205000]. Islamweb (in Arabic). Saudi Arabia: Al-Imaam Muhammad Bin Saud Islamic University. Retrieved 3 March 2022.

[25] Syrinx von Hees (2002). Enzyklopädie als Spiegel des Weltbildes: Qazwīnīs Wunder der Schöpfung: eine Naturkunde des 13. Jahrhunderts (in German). Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. p. 283. ISBN 978-3-447-04511-7.

[Tafsirweb_Religious_affair_ministry_Haqqah-26] Wahbah al-Zuhayli; Abdul-Rahman al-Sa'di; Muhammad Sulaiman Al Asyqar. "Surat An-Nazi'at ayat 5; Tafsir Juz Amma". Tafsirweb (in Indonesian and Arabic). Islamic University of Madinah; Ministry of Religious Affairs (Indonesia); Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance. Retrieved 30 January 2022.

[Suyuti-27] Al-Suyuti (2021). Muhammad as Said Basyuni, Abu Hajir; Yasir, Muhammad (eds.). Misteri Alam Malaikat (Religion / Islam / General) (in Indonesian). Translated by Mishabul Munir. Pustaka al-Kautsar. pp. 29–33, 172. ISBN 9789795929512. Retrieved 6 February 2022. Quoting Ibnul Mubarak from a book of az-Zuhd; ad Durr al-Manshur, chain narration from Ibnul Mubarak to Ibn SHihab (1/92)

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