the early generations—may Allah be pleased with them—and the imams, who said, “None but He knows how He is.” As Mālik said, “The rising over the Throne is known, but its modality is unknown.” Similar statements abound in their words.

Some of them, however, deny this and say, “He has no quiddity that could be expressed in words, nor any modality that could be conceived in the mind.” This is the position of Ibn ‘Aqīl and others, and it accords with the position of those who deny the divine attributes.