And Zakariyyā ibn Yahyā al-Sājī, the leading scholar of Basra in his time—from whom al-Ashʿarī learned much of what he adopted of the views of the scholars of the Sunnah, hadith, and jurisprudence—said:

“The position concerning the Sunnah that I found our companions—the hadith scholars whom we met—holding is that Allah is over His Throne in His heaven and draws near to His creation however He wills.”

A similar statement was made by Abū Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Ishāq ibn