and its branches is the religion of Islam. This is the way of the Companions, those who followed them in righteousness, and the leading scholars of the Muslims. They never accepted anyone’s opposing the Quran with a rational argument or opinion to which he gave precedence over it. Rather, if someone encountered a difficulty, he would ask until the correct understanding became clear to him. For this reason, Imam Ahmad wrote Refutation of the Heretics and the Jahmiyyah concerning Their Doubts about Unclear Passages of the Quran and Their Misinterpretation of Them. Likewise, the four imams and others referred questions concerning Allah’s oneness and attributes to the Quran and the Messenger, not to anyone’s opinion, reasoning, or analogy.

Al-Awzāʿī said:
“When the Successors were still numerous, we used to say: Allah is above His Throne, and we believe in those attributes of His that are reported in the Sunnah.”

Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal said:
“Allah is to be described only as He has described Himself and as His Messenger has described Him. One must not go beyond the Quran and hadith.”

Al-Shāfiʿī said in the introduction to al-Risālah (The Epistle):
“Praise be to Allah, who is as He has described Himself and above whatever descriptions His creatures give of Him.”

Mālik said:
“Istiwā (rising above) is known, its manner is unknown, and belief in it is obligatory