Others, including Ibn ʿAqīl and Ibn al-Jawzī, said that this ruling extends beyond this attribute to all other attributes whose apparent meanings are set aside on the basis of evidence requiring such a departure.

In any case, the well-known position among the scholars of Imam Ahmad’s school is that they do not interpret figuratively the attributes involving movement—such as coming, arrival, descent, going down, drawing near, and drawing closer—just as they do not interpret the other attributes figuratively, following the righteous predecessors. The statements of the early generations on this subject indicate that they affirmed the meaning under dispute.

When al-Awzāʿī was asked about the hadith of descent, he said: “Allah does whatever He wills.” Hammād ibn Zayd said: “He draws near to His creation however He wills.” This is what was reported by