The second position is that of the speculative theologians who say that Allah is not above the Throne, that the Throne and the Footstool stand in the same relation to Him, and that He is neither inside the universe nor outside it.

They do, however, affirm the movement of the servant and the angels. They say that the servant’s drawing near to Allah consists in his own movement towards places honoured by Allah: the heavens, the bearers of the Throne, and Paradise. This is how they interpret the Prophet’s ascension, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. They and the preceding group agree that the servant’s body moves towards honoured places, just as they affirm “acts of worship.” Their disagreement concerns only the movement of his soul. The first group concedes “the movement of the soul” in the sense of its changing from one state to another, but not in the sense of its moving from one place to another.

The bodily movement on which they agree—and, according to the latter group, the movement of the spirit as well—is towards every place where knowledge of Allah is manifest, such as the heavens, mosques, Allah’s allies, and places where Allah’s names and signs are found. Thus, it is movement towards . . . (1)

The third position is that of “Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jamā‘ah,” who affirm that Allah is upon the Throne; that the bearers of the Throne are nearer to Him than those below them; and that the angels of the highest heaven are nearer to Allah than the angels of the second heaven. They affirm that when the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was taken up to heaven, he drew ever nearer to his Lord as he ascended and rose, and that his ascension was to Allah, not merely to one of His creatures. They also affirm that the soul of the person praying draws near to Allah in prostration, even though his body is lowered. This is what the texts of the Quran indicate.