manner is obligatory, because Allah has spoken of it about Himself. He knows Himself best, is the most truthful in speech, and the finest in expression. Thus His statement embodies perfect knowledge, perfect truthfulness, perfect intent, and perfect eloquence and clarity; consequently, accepting it and believing in it is incumbent.

As for his words, “and asking about it—that is, about its how-ness—is an innovation,” this is because no such questioning was known in the time of the Prophet ﷺ or his Rightly Guided Caliphs. Since it relates to matters of religion, introducing it is an innovation, and asking such questions is a hallmark of the people of deviation. Moreover, because no answer to them is possible, they amount to unwarranted excess in religion; the Prophet ﷺ said, “The extremists are ruined.”

The very same principle that Mālik and his teacher stated applies to Allah’s descent to the lowest heaven and to the other divine attributes: their meanings are known, their modalities are unknown; believing in them in the sense intended is obligatory, and inquiring about their how-ness is an innovation.