time.

This accords with His descent to the lowest heaven and His words:

“Is there anyone supplicating? Is there anyone asking? Is there anyone repenting?”

As for this descent, is it like His drawing near on the afternoon of ‘Arafah, which does not occur for non-pilgrims in other lands, since no prescribed standing takes place there, nor any boasting before the angels? Similarly, the opening of the gates of Paradise, the closing of the gates of Hell, and the chaining of the devils when Ramadan begins are only for the Muslims who fast Ramadan, not for the disbelievers who do not acknowledge its sanctity. Likewise, His looking upon them on the day of Badr and His saying to them:

“Do whatever you wish,”

were particular to those people. Or is this descent general in scope? There is discussion concerning this, but this is not the place for it.

Discussion of this nearness is of the same kind as discussion of His descent every night, His drawing near on the afternoon of ‘Arafah, His speaking to Moses from the tree, and His words:

“Blessed is whoever is in the fire and whoever is around it.”

Elsewhere, we have mentioned what the early generations said concerning such matters, including Hammād ibn Zayd, Ishāq ibn Rāhawayh, and others: that He descends to the lowest heaven without the Throne becoming devoid of Him. We have explained that this is the correct view, although some who claim to follow the Sunnah think that the Throne becomes devoid of Him.

Abū al-Qāsim ‘Abd al-Rahmān ibn Mandah wrote a work on this subject. He rejected as unsound the view of those who say that He descends without the Throne becoming devoid of Him, and judged weak what was reported on this matter from Ahmad ibn Hanbal