—for Allah is dependent on nothing whatsoever; He is the One who is absolutely free of all need.” See Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā (5/199). Thus the Shaykh said, “Allah has istiwāʾ (rising),” and he never said, “Allah sits.” He clearly distinguished between the Creator’s istiwāʾ and the rising of created beings.
- They allege that he declared, “Allah’s descent to the lowest heaven each night is like his own descent from the pulpit.” This is yet another falsehood pinned on Shaykh al-Islām—an invention of Ibn Baṭṭūṭah which, praise be to Allah, we have already exposed.
When the Shaykh was asked about the hadith of Divine descent, part of his reply was:
“Whoever understands from this hadith and its likes anything from which Allah must be declared transcendent—such as likening Him to the attributes of created beings or attributing to Him any imperfection that contradicts the perfection He deserves—has erred. Should he voice such a notion, he must be stopped; and if he claims that this hadith implies or necessitates it, he has likewise erred.” See Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā (5/323).
He also said:
“Whoever maintains that He descends by moving and relocating as a person climbs down from a rooftop to the courtyard below—like those who say that the Throne is vacated, so that His descent would mean leaving one place and occupying another—has spoken falsehood. The Lord must be declared far above that.” See Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā (5/578).
- They assert that he forbade visiting the Prophet’s grave ﷺ. This, too, is a clear fabrication. Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah never prohibited visiting the Prophet’s grave—or any other grave—so long as the visit conforms to the legal evidences: the visitor must be a man, and the purpose of the visit must be reflection and taking heed