Then, when the Khawārij rose in rebellion, someone came to him and said, “Now is your opportunity!” He replied, “No! The righteous servant’s admonition has benefited me.”

When Mālik ibn Anas—may Allah Most High have mercy on him—was asked, “Abū ‘Abd Allāh, ‘The Most Merciful rose over the Throne’—how did He rise over it?” Mālik lowered his head and broke into a sweat. The people waited to hear his response. He then raised his head towards the questioner and said:

“Rising over is not unknown; its manner cannot be comprehended. Belief in it is obligatory, and asking about it is an innovation. I consider you an evil man.”

He ordered that the man be removed, and he was taken out. Whoever interprets rising over as taking dominion has given an answer different from Mālik’s and followed a path other than his. Mālik’s answer—may Allah have mercy on him—concerning rising over is fully satisfactory and sufficient for all the divine attributes, such as descent, coming, the hand, the face, and others.

Thus, concerning descent, for example, one should say:

“Descent is known; its manner is unknown. Belief in it is obligatory, and asking about it is an innovation.”

The same should be said concerning all the other attributes, since they stand on the same footing as rising over, which is mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah.

It is also established that Muhammad ibn al-Hasan—the companion of Abū Hanīfa—said:

“All the jurists, from east to west, have agreed upon believing in the Quran and the hadith transmitted by trustworthy narrators from the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—concerning the attributes of the Lord, Mighty and Majestic, without explanation or