The Basis of Islaam is to Act upon the Book and the Sunnah(contd)

ii) Denying thgat Allaah is above the heavens:

Perhaps the clearest proof that destroys the faslehood of those blind followers is that which occurs in al-Fiqh ul-Akbar (p.19 of the Egyptian printing) which is famous amongst the Hanafees and attributed to Abu haneefah: That Abu haneefah was asked about someone who says, 'I do not know if my lord is in the heavens or the earth?' So he said, 'He has disbelieved since Allaah ,the Most High says:

The Most Merciful ascended above the throne(Arsh) (Soorah Taaha) (20):5)

And His Arsh is above the heavens."So I said,if he says,'I say he is above the Arsh ,but I do not know if the Arsh is in the heavens or the earth? he said,"If he denies that He is above the sky,then he has disbelieved"

Imaam at-Tahawee al-Hanafee,says in his Aqeedah,"That Allaah the Most High is above the Arsh and whatever is below it, encompassing everything and above it".

Like wise,Ibn Abil 'Izz al-Hanafee says in his Sharh al-Aqeedatut-Tahaawiyyah (p.323 of the Maktab al-Islaamee printing), commenting upon those later blind followers and the like, "No notice is to be taken of those who ascribe themselves to the madhab if Abu haneefah, since groups of Mutazilah and others ascribe themselves to him, who go against him in many of his beliefs."

This explanation and its like establish that Abu haneefah and his early companions and the verifiers of the later scholars are with the (rest of the ) Salaf in believing that Allaah is above His creation and that he is above the heavens.(This belief) is shown clearly by the authentic ahaadeeth such as the hadeeth of the slave girl and it is stated in the clear aayaahs such as His,the Glorious and Most High's saying:

"Do you feel secure that He is above the sky,will not cause you to be swalloed up by the earth when it shakes (as in the earh quake)? (Sooratul Mulk)(67:16)

[7] Saheeh: Reported by Abu Daawood,at-Tirmidhee ,Ahmad,Ibn Maajah and al-Haakim and others from Abu Hurairah (rta) from the Prophet(saw).

It is reported by Abu Daawodd (2/503-504), ad-Daarimee (2/241), Ahmad and al-Haakim (1/128), who declared it Saheeh and adh-Dhahabee agreed from the hadeeth of Muaawiyaah ibn Abee Sufyaan (ra) in marfoo' form.

It is reported by Ibn Maajah (2/1322) from Awf ibn Maailik (ra) in marfoo form.

It is declared Saheeh by our shaykh in Silsilatul-Ahaadeeth us-Saheehah (3/480) and declared Saheeh by a number of the scholars,such as ash-Shatibee in al-Istisaam (2/189-190) and muhammad ibn al-Wazeer in ar-Rawd-ul-Baasim (2/115) and our Shaykh in Silsilatul-Ahaadeeth us-Saheehah (no.203 and 204) and Ibn katheer in his tafseer of the sublime Quraan (1/390) that it was strong and al-Haafidh Ib hajr declares it hasan in Takhreej ul-Kashhaaf (p.63) saying, "And its isnaad is hasan".

The narration which al-Masoomee (ra) mentioned is reported by at-Tirmidhee (5/25) by way of Abd ur-Rahmaan ibn Ziyaad al-Ifreeqee, the judge of Africa,who is weak on account of his memory, as al-Haafidh says in at-Taqreeb. However it has a supporting narration which brings it to the level of Hasan, which is reported by al-'Uqailee in ad-Duafaa and at-Tabaranee in as-Sagheer (no.150) by way of Abdullah ibn Sufyaan al-Madanee, from Yahya ibn Saeed al-Ansaree from Anas (ra) in marfoo form. Therefore al-Haafidh al-Iraqee indicates Hasan in al-Mughnee an Hamlil-Asfaar (3/199) and it is declared Hasan by our Shaykh al-Albanee (ha) in Saheeh ul-Jaami(5/80)