is likewise situated, He must certainly be either in contact with the world or directly opposite it.

The view of most of the Karrāmiyya, then, is that He is situated above, in contact with the Throne or separated from it by a finite distance.

The Haysamiyya say that He is separated from it by an infinite distance.”

[Response to him]

It may be said in reply:

People hold various views on this matter. Some say that He Himself is above the Throne, without being in contact with it and without any gap between Him and the Throne. This is the position of Ibn Kullāb, al-Hārith al-Muhāsibī, Abū al-‘Abbās al-Qalānisī, al-Ash‘arī, Ibn al-Bāqillānī, and several others of this group. Numerous groups among the various classes of scholars, the followers of the four imams, the adherents of hadith, the Sufis, and others have agreed with them on this.

These people say that He is above the Throne in His essence, yet is not a body, nor is He bounded or finite.

Others say that He Himself is above the Throne, even if He is described as having a measure known only to Him.

Among these, some do not admit the possibility of His being in contact with the Throne, while others admit it.

This is the position of the adherents of hadith and the Sunnah, and of many jurists, Sufis, and theologians other than the Karrāmiyya. As for the leading scholars of the Sunnah and hadith