al-Firdaws, which is the central and highest part of Paradise.

In the well-known hadith of Abū Dharr, he said:

“I asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, what is the greatest thing revealed to you?’

“He replied, ‘The Verse of the Kursī.’ Then he said, ‘O Abū Dharr, the seven heavens compared with the Kursī are no more than a ring cast into a vast wilderness, and the Throne’s greatness compared with the Kursī is like that of the wilderness compared with the ring.’”

This hadith has several chains of transmission. It was narrated by Abū Hātim ibn Hibbān in his Sahīh, Ahmad in al-Musnad, and others.

Those who have argued that the Throne is domed have cited the hadith in Sunan Abī Dāwūd and elsewhere, in which Jubayr ibn Mut‘im said:

“A Bedouin came to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, people are exhausted, families are hungry, and wealth has perished. So supplicate to Allah for us. We seek your intercession with Allah, and we seek Allah’s intercession with you.’

“The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, repeatedly glorified Allah until the effect of this could be seen on his Companions’ faces. He said, ‘Woe to you! Do you know what you are saying? Allah is not to be sought as an intercessor with any of His creation. Allah’s majesty is far greater than that. Allah is above His Throne, and His Throne is above His heavens and His earth like this.’ He gestured with his fingers to form the shape of a dome.”

Another wording reads:

“‘His Throne is above His heavens, and His heavens are above His earth like this.’ He gestured with his fingers to form the shape of a dome.”

Even if this hadith indicates a domed shape—as does his statement that al-Firdaws is the central and highest part of Paradise, together with his statements that its roof is the Throne of the Most Merciful and that above it is the Throne of the Most Merciful, since the centre can be the highest point only in something rounded—this does not establish that the Throne is one of the celestial spheres. Rather, if it is assumed to be above all the celestial spheres, this shape would be possible whether one says that it encompasses the celestial spheres or that it is above them without encompassing them, just as the surface of