Section

Regarding his denial of contact, Ibn Fūrak said:

“Another section, on disproving contact. He said in his Kitāb al-Sifāt al-Kabīr (The Major Book of Attributes): ‘If He were in contact with His Throne, the Throne would be in contact with Him. If the Throne were in contact with Him, its contact with Him would cause a quality to arise in Him, as happens between any two things in contact. Exalted is Allah above temporal occurrences. Since the Throne’s contact with Him is impossible, His contact with the Throne is likewise impossible.’”

Ibn Fūrak said:

“These words of his make clear that contact is impossible for Allah. They also make clear his position that temporal occurrences do not subsist in His essence, and that anything in which temporal occurrences subsist is itself originated—contrary to the position of the Karrāmiyyah, the ignorant corporealists—and that two things in contact are in contact through two mutually contacting things coming into being within them.”

I say:

His position is indeed as Ibn Fūrak has reported it. The same is true of his account of his disagreement with the Karrāmiyyah concerning temporal occurrences. However, the Karrāmiyyah are closer to Ibn Kullāb concerning the Throne and Allah’s being above it, for their position and Ibn Kullāb’s are similar in this regard, whereas Ibn Fūrak