creature, and He did not come to be above creation through any created thing. Rather, He—glorified be He—created all creatures, and He Himself is above them. His being above them does not depend on any of them, as a created being depends on the created thing above which it stands. By His power, He—glorified be He—sustains the Throne and its bearers.
A report relates that when Allah created the Throne, He commanded the angels to bear it. They said:
“Our Lord, how can we bear Your Throne when Your majesty is upon it?”
He said:
“Say: ‘There is no might nor power except through Allah.’”
They were able to bear the Throne only through His strength, exalted be He. If Allah endows a created being with strength, it can bear whatever He wills it to bear, of His majesty or anything else. Thus, by His strength and power, He sustains both the bearer and what is borne. How, then, could He depend on anything? Moreover, a servant supported by something elevated would fall if that support fell. Allah is far too self-sufficient, exalted, and great to be described in any such way.
Furthermore, He—glorified be He—created that elevated place, elevated direction, and elevated space, if these are conceived as something existent—as when these terms are used to designate the Throne, and the Throne is taken to be the elevated place—as in Hassān’s verse:
“Our God is exalted high above a throne;
And Allah’s place is higher and greater.”