and Ibn Mandah al-Asbahānī, the hadith scholar. The evidence for this is that the Throne is indisputably in a direction, and the explicit text of the Quran establishes that He is established upon it. This entails that He is in a direction, for every rational person, whether Muslim or unbeliever, raises his hands and face only toward heaven when supplicating. This is sufficient.

Moreover, those among the Mu‘tazilah and Ash‘arīs who deny direction say, ‘He is neither in a direction nor outside it.’ Whoever says this is like someone who affirms that one being exists alongside another, yet the existence of the one neither precedes nor follows that of the other.

Furthermore, ordinary people make no distinction between saying, ‘I sought him but did not find him anywhere,’ and saying, ‘I sought him, only to find that he did not exist.’