and others. Al-Khallāl said in Kitāb al-Sunnah (The Book of the Sunnah):

Ja‘far ibn Muhammad al-Firyābī narrated to us: Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Muqaddamī narrated to us: Sulaymān ibn Harb narrated to us, saying:

Bishr ibn al-Sarī asked Hammād ibn Zayd, “Abū Ismā‘īl, concerning the reported hadith, ‘Our Lord descends to the lowest heaven’—does He move from one place to another?” Hammād ibn Zayd remained silent, then said, “He is in His place and draws near to His creation however He wills.”

Ibn Battah also transmitted it in his book al-Ibānah (The Elucidation), saying:

Abū al-Qāsim Hafs ibn ‘Umar al-Ardabīlī narrated to me: Abū Hātim al-Rāzī narrated to us: Sulaymān ibn Harb narrated to us, saying:

Bishr ibn al-Sarī asked Hammād ibn Zayd, “Abū Ismā‘īl, concerning the reported hadith, ‘Allah descends to the lowest heaven’—does He move from one place to another?” Hammād ibn Zayd remained silent, then said, “He is in His place and draws near to His creation however He wills.”

Ibn Battah also said:

Abū Bakr al-Najjād narrated to us: Ahmad ibn ‘Alī al-Abbār narrated to us: ‘Alī ibn Khashram narrated to us, saying: Ishāq ibn Rāhawayh said:

I went in to see ‘Abd Allāh ibn Tāhir, who asked, “What are these hadiths that you narrate?”

I replied, “Which ones, may Allah set the emir’s affairs aright?”

He said, “You narrate that Allah descends to the lowest heaven.”

I replied, “Yes. They were transmitted by the trustworthy narrators who transmit hadiths concerning legal rulings.”

He asked, “Does He descend and leave His Throne?”

I replied, “He is able to descend without the Throne being left without Him.”

He said, “Yes.”

I said, “Then why do you raise this question?”

Al-Lakā’ī also transmitted it through a disconnected chain of transmission, with wording different from this. This chain is sounder. Both this account and the preceding one are authentic, and their transmitters are trustworthy imams.

Thus Hammād ibn Zayd says, “He is in His place and draws near to His creation however He wills,” thereby affirming His nearness to His creation together with