among them the hadith master Abd al-Ghanī al-Maqdisī. As for anyone who imagines that the heavens split apart and then join together again, this is among the gravest forms of ignorance, even though some men have fallen into it.

As for someone who does not believe that Allah is above the Throne, he does not believe in His descent, whether the Throne becomes empty of Him or not. One of their leading figures said to someone who affirmed the divine attributes, “His command descends.” The latter replied, “From whom does it descend? According to you, there is no one there! First affirm that He is there, then say, ‘His command descends.’” This resembles what Ishāq ibn Rāhawayh said in the presence of the emir Abd Allāh ibn Tāhir.

The correct view is that of the early generations: He descends without the Throne becoming empty of Him. A person’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 left his body. Likewise:

“The closest a servant comes to his Lord is when he is prostrating.”

His soul is still in his body. The principles governing souls differ from those governing bodies; how much more so with the angels, and then with the Lord of all worlds!

Night occurs at different times: the third of the night comes in the East before it comes in the West. His descent, as reported by His Messenger, is to the heaven above these people during the third of their night, and to the heaven above those people during the third of their night. No matter distracts Him from another. Likewise, His nearness to the supplicant who draws near to Him, and to the one who prostrates, is according to each individual, wherever he may be. Two men may prostrate in the same place, yet each has a nearness particular to him in which the other does not share.