in his epistle to Musaddad. He challenged the authenticity of this epistle, saying that it was falsely attributed to Ahmad. He also criticized its transmitter, Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Barda‘ī, saying that he was unknown and was not known among Ahmad’s companions.

Another group withholds judgment, saying neither that the Throne becomes devoid of Him nor that it does not, and objecting to those who make either statement. Among them is the hadith scholar ‘Abd al-Ghanī al-Maqdisī. As for imagining that the heavens split apart and then close together again, this is among the greatest forms of ignorance, even though some men have fallen into it.

The correct view is that of the early generations: He descends without the Throne becoming devoid of Him. A servant’s soul remains in his body night and day until he dies. During sleep, it ascends and may prostrate beneath the Throne, although it has not departed from his body. Likewise, a servant is nearest to his Lord while prostrating, even as his soul remains in his body. The laws governing souls differ from those governing bodies. What, then, of the angels—and what, then, of the Lord of the worlds?

Night occurs at different times: the third of the night arrives in the East before it does in the West. His descent, of which His Messenger informed us, is to the heaven above these people during the third of their night, and to the heaven above those people during the third of theirs. No affair distracts Him from another. Likewise, glory be to Him, hearing one thing does not distract Him from hearing another, nor do requests confound Him. Rather, glory be to Him, He will speak to His servants on the Day of Resurrection and call them to account, without attending to one distracting Him from another.