He said: ‘He says, “He rose over the Throne,” but he does not know whether the Throne is on earth or in heaven.’ He replied: ‘If he denies that He is in heaven, he has disbelieved.’”

[The statement of ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Mubārak transmitted from him by al-Bukhārī]

ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ahmad and others narrated through authentic chains of transmission that ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Mubārak was asked: “How do we know our Lord?” He replied: “By knowing that He is above His heavens, over His Throne, distinct from His creation. We do not say, as the Jahmiyyah do, that He is here on earth.”

Among those who reported this from Ibn al-Mubārak was al-Bukhārī in his book The Creation of Human Actions. Imam Ahmad and others likewise said this.

[The statement of Ibn Khuzaymah]

Muhammad ibn Ishāq ibn Khuzaymah—known as the Imam of Imams—said:

“Whoever does not affirm that Allah is above His heavens, over His Throne, distinct from His creation, must be called upon to repent. If he repents, well and good; otherwise, he is to be beheaded and then cast onto a refuse heap, so that neither Muslims nor protected non-Muslims are troubled by his foul smell.”

This statement is well known from him. It was narrated by al-Hākim in his History of Nishapur and by Abū ʿUthmān al-Naysabūrī in his well-known treatise.

[The statement of Rabīʿah ibn Abī ʿAbd al-Rahmān]

Al-Khallāl narrated through a chain whose narrators were all trustworthy, from Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah, who said:

“Rabīʿah ibn Abī ʿAbd al-Rahmān was asked about His words:

‘The Most Merciful rose over the Throne.’ [Tā Hā: 5]

He said: ‘Rising over the Throne is not unknown; its manner cannot be comprehended. The message comes from Allah, the Messenger is responsible for conveying it, and we are responsible for believing it.’”

[The statement of Mālik ibn Anas]

And this