are inadmissible in their view, even though in this they contradict the revealed texts and the consensus of the early generations and the leading scholars of the religion. For the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, asked a question using “where”: he said, “Where is Allah?” The person questioned replied, “In heaven,” and he judged the person who gave this answer to be a believer. Likewise, he was asked, “Where was our Lord before He created the heavens and the earth?” and he answered that question. Yet Abū ‘Uthmān’s answer accords with the position of those who affirm: people of sound innate reason, among both earlier and later generations, who say that He is above the world. Knowledge of this is innate, rational, and self-evident; it does not depend on revelation.

As for knowing that He rose over the Throne after creating the heavens and the earth in six days, this depends on revelation and is known only through what the prophets conveyed. For this reason, Allah Most High prescribed for the followers of the revealed religions to gather on one day each week, so that the recurring week would serve as a reminder of the week in which Allah created the heavens and the earth, then rose over the Throne. Hence, the week is known only through the people of the divine scriptures, unlike the day, which is known through sensory observation. Likewise, the month and the year are known through sensory observation, while the moon’s course is known through observation and calculation. The week, however, has no sensory basis. Similarly, no mention of the days of the week is found among nations that have no scripture and have learned nothing from the people of the scriptures, such as the Turks who remain in their wilderness regions: their language has names for the day, the month, and the year, but not for the days of the week,