777 — Hanbal ibn Ishaq said: I asked Abu Abd Allah Ahmad ibn Hanbal about the hadiths narrated from the Prophet ﷺ: “Indeed, Allah descends to the lowest heaven.” Abu Abd Allah said: “We believe in them, affirm them as true, and do not reject any part of them when their chains of transmission are sound. Nor do we reject anything the Messenger of Allah said; and we know that whatever the Messenger brought is the truth.”

I then said to Abu Abd Allah: “Allah descends to the lowest heaven?” He said: I said, “His descent is by His knowledge—what does that mean?” He replied, “Be silent about this. What concern is it of yours? Accept the hadith as it has been narrated, without asking how and without defining it. This is only what has been conveyed in the reports and what the Book has brought. Allah said: ‘So do not set up equals with Allah’ [al-Nahl 16:74]. He descends as He wills, with His knowledge, power, and majesty. His knowledge encompasses all things. No describer can comprehend His true measure, and no fugitive can flee beyond His reach.”