The word Aqeedah is derived from al-Aqad, which is to 'tie something (firmly)', 'I'taqadtu such and such, means "I tied my heart and mind to it". In Sharee'ah it is the belief in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day and belief in al-Qadar (Predestination) - its good and evil, these are called the Pillars of Eeman (faith), the things around which faith exists in a persons character.

There are two main schools in Aqeedah the Ashari and Maturidi which most Muslims follow, while the later was popular amongst the common people the former was adopted more widely amongst Islam's mujtahid (major) scholars. 

What most don't know about Aqeedah is that traditionally this is the area of knowledge that dealt with cosmology, the nature of the universe as well as the nature of the Creator and our relationship to Him, it is this later context that this section is dedicated to.

Tawhid in its perfected form is the harmony of man with his environment, if man’s self is not in harmony with his surroundings and at peace then he is blind to his creator who manifests himself through his creation, man’s otherwise turbulent nature would blind his perception and he would be dominated by emotions such as anger, hate and lust.

How can man recognize the value of peace if he thirsts to satisfy his desire, in this way and because of the effect idols in their many forms have on society, whether movie stars or pop idols, the prophet (saws) said in relation to animate objects in art “Those who make pictures (of them) will be punished on the day of judgment. It will be said to them: Bring to life what you have created!”

This is because they have challenged God’s place within man’s heart, so on that day they will be challenged in turn because of the false nature of the idol, and its effects of stoping man from ennobling himself.

Muslim’s traditionally held the belief that "the Heart of Man is the throne of the Merciful" (“Qalb al Insan Arsh al Rahman”), because of the hearts role to acquire noble qualities by which man perceives the world and its creator and then shapes it according to his vision.

For Muslims this is the reality of the fundamental formula of Islam “There is no divinity other than God” (“La ilaha illah Llah”), meaning there should not be in mans heart anything greater than God (Allahu Akbar). Muslims “see in figurative art, a fundamental error or illusion in projecting the nature of the absolute into the relative, by attributing to the relative an autonomy that does not belong to it. In this way, Islamic artists did not seek to express themselves as such, but rather aimed to ennoble matter and its natural order”.

In relation to this Allah said to man “Have you seen him who chooses, for his god his own lust? (25:43), “For indeed it is not the eyes that grow blind, but it is the hearts, which are within the bosoms, that grow blind” (22:46).

This inner blindness about which the prophet Muhammad (saws), explained, “Indeed Allah does not look at your appearance or form, but rather Allah looks at your Heart”, Allah judges man by the quality of his heart whether it embodies beautiful attribute’s or wretched ones. These teachings served to direct mans energy and capacity towards the things which would spiritually and materially benefit him in life through the creation of a balanced society.

Instead of covering buildings and other surfaces with human figures, Muslim artists developed complex geometric decorative designs, as well as intricate patterns of vegetal ornament (such as arabesque), with which to adorn palaces and mosques and other public places.

The development of infinitely repeating patterns was used to represent the unchanging laws Allah placed in nature, as He said “AND [remember:] We have not created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them without [an inner] truth” (15:85). In this way the rules of construction of geometric patterns provide a visual analogy to religious rules of behavior.

Both the contemplation of and the creative skill in making patterns lead in their own way to an understanding of the perfection found in Nature as it moves the elements, a mathematical representation of nature or the moon in its orbit. Islamic patterns, unique as an art form, was unitary in its aim and function, the symbols inherent in Islamic patterns and geometry express the connection between the material and spiritual world, the world of Angels and the world of Man, they bring to life what is expressed in metaphors and allegory and are directed towards that undifferentiated unity between the two worlds.

“We have explained in detail in this Qur’an, for the benefit of mankind, every kind of similitude: but man is, in most things, contentious (18:54)

What does “Allah is Reality” or Allahu Haq mean, the word Haq itself means Truth, Justice, Reality and each of these words is meant in the absolute sense referring to the absolute Truth/Justice/Reality of the universe. Through out the Quran and many Ahadith when ever something represents Allah properly without deficiency other than it is created and limited by the boundaries of the universe, He associates it with Himself directly to teach us that these things represent His qualities completely and through them we can understand Him, Allah does this in a few places like the Arsh (Throne), Time or more precisely the span of time and the reality (Haq) created by the universe.

The truth and justice we are referring to in the word Haq (reality) is the truth and justice of the universe, this is called Karma in some religions but in the Quran Allah says “Allah tasketh not a soul beyond its scope. For it (is only) that which it hath earned, and against it (only) that which it hath deserved.” (2:286) every action we take in life there is a reaction to it in the universe and this verse is telling us pure actions bring us benefit in life while evil actions bring us evil.

If we ask whose reality are we experiencing the Answer is Allah’s reality and we are tasked with knowing life in order to ultimately Know Him, “This is so, because Allah is the Reality: it is He Who gives life to the dead, and it is He Who has power over all things.” (22:6) His power over everything means the fact that He is the reality of the universe is directly related to the laws of the universe. The reality (Haq) of the universe represents Him entirely so Allah is teaching us that His will and who He is, is known by understanding it.

The subtext of the word Haq (truth, justice and reality) is that it is reliant on the laws of the universe to bring it about so this means the laws of physics, chemistry, biology, all of science therefor reality exist only because of them, Allah says about this “His is all creation and all command (All laws of the universe)”(7:52).

Looking at the context of verse 22:6 more carefully, we will see that Allah states this very clearly in intricate detail when we read 22:5 and 22:6 together;

O mankind! if ye have a doubt about the Resurrection (in essence about Him), (consider) that We created you out of dust (consider how your reality came into existence), then out of sperm (the first life of man to exist, his first reality), then out of a leech-like clot (his second reality), then out of a morsel of flesh, partly formed and partly unformed (his third reality), in order that We may manifest (our power) to you (Not only can we resurrect you but we have already created and recreated you multiple times in your mothers womb. You began as something with out a will, a drop of sperm, a creature entirely subservient to the laws of the universe with no ability to choose, in the same manner Angels themselves have no choice in life, and so like them we earn the right to know Allah’s power because we existed in this form. The first forms we take are not just forms with no consequence to our fate because we have no choice, this Haq (reality) is the first step in deciding mans fate for the rest of his and the Angels are tasked with asking the questions about our future because of what they witness from us here. Allah declared that these first realities we experience are the reason why we get to witness His power. And this verse is why spiritual purity of the mother is so important, her actions in life shape the fate of her child, fate is entanglement and what she does entangles her child shaping the rest of its life); and We cause whom We will to rest in the wombs for an appointed term (some are fated to die here others are born), then do We bring you out as babes (the fourth reality man experiences), then (foster you) that ye may reach your age of full strength (the fifth reality man experiences); and some of you are called to die (young not experience more), and some are sent back to the feeblest old age (allowed to witness the last reality of man before death), so that they know nothing after having known (much), and (further just as), thou seest the earth barren and lifeless (it is a slave to the laws of the universe with out choice), but when We pour down rain on it, it is stirred (to life), it swells, and it puts forth every kind of beautiful growth (the resurrection is the next reality man will experience and Allah will bring us into it just as easy as a seed which becomes a plant).(22:5)

“This is so (you experience all of these realities), because Allah is the Reality (you need to know in full by understanding life from different perspectives to see the greater reality of Life. Insects only know their world but man can know theirs other creatures, his own and other peoples worlds through his intellect, heart and ability to understand, from this He can then see Allah in the greater picture of life): it is He Who gives life to the dead (brings about change, death and rebirth), and it is He Who has power over all things (beocuse all of it is in His control/hand).”(22:6)

If we understand what some of the basic statements on this in the Quran mean, we can explain other more complex statements in it. This is the nature of the Quran one verse explains another, “Allah bestows from on high the best of all teachings in the shape of a divine writ fully consistent within itself, repeating each statement [of the truth] in manifold forms”(39:23) each verse explaining another verse in the Quran and because of this unique quality the scholars said the Quran explains the Quran.

Because all Laws are in His control/hand He said, “Allah is the One who holds the heavens and the Earth (the universe), lest they cease to exist. And if they vanished no one could then keep hold of them (this is a literal statement about physics). Certainly He is Most Forbearing, Ever-Forgiving.”(35:41)

The subatomic part of the universe creates all the laws of the universe, if the laws stopped existing Atoms would stop existing because they created atoms from sub atomic particles smaller than them, some we call electrons others protons and there are many kinds. Atoms would unravel or come apart just as they formed or come into existence and consequently space and all the suns and planets would also cease to exist.

These laws exist because of the first particles that came into existence after the big bang, meaning what creates the Laws of physics and other sciences are the subatomic forces that created all particles, and they are made of the first and smallest particles that existed in the universe. By simile, to us a gust of wind is made of small Atoms and that is a force that shapes the weather on earth, so likewise to Atoms the particles they are made from the forces that created them are made of the smallest and first particles to exist after the big bang and they are like a gust of wind that shaped the subatomic world.

The first particle to exist is in the depths of subatomic space near the limit of the universe, many have asked what is outside the universe the prophet (saws) answered this question, after first describing the subatomic world and when he reached the limit of subatomic space (Sidrat al muntaha) he said “knowledge of creatures stops at the knowledge of the creator”, not even the Angels know and no one has been taught anything about this, this tells us something about the universe indirectly, from the description we can be certain that Allah created the universe with defined limits and it has a size known to Allah and isn’t infinite.

We are created from what is inside the universe which relies on it to exist and outside of it nothing else has been created, no person, Angel or Jinn can go outside the universe because the Atoms or particles they are created from can’t exist there, they need the boundaries of the universe and it’s systems that sustain the Atoms we are made from to continuously exist, because everything that supports their existence does not exist outside creation and so the very particles man, Jinn and Angels are made from would disintegrate into nothing “Allah is the One who holds the heavens and the Earth (the universe), lest they cease to exist. And if they vanished no one could then keep hold of them (all of this is about physics). Certainly He is Most Forbearing, Ever-Forgiving.”(35:41).

The point of all this is to remove bewilderment about what the universe looks like in peoples minds, it has definite dimensions, and the point of understanding that is to understand more complex verses in the Quran that talk about the word Haq (Reality), because Allah teaches about it in gradual steps and so it needs to be explained in gradual steps.

This is one of the most important verses in the Quran about reality beocuse He tells us the Asbab (the causes) behind reality, Allah says “So exalted is Allah (He is above everything in His nature), the Sovereign (of everything), the Reality (Haq of everything); there is no deity except Him, Lord of the Noble Throne.” (23:116)

When we look at this verse every one can understand the qualities being mentioned individually, but not why they are being mentioned together and in relation to the fact He is the only Lord and what this has to do with His Arsh (throne). But to the Arabs of 1400 years ago this is the language of science and Allah taught about the entire universe in their mother tongue.

The first Quality Allah mentions is his exaltedness, “So exalted is Allah”, Allah is above creation but what does this mean. If we look at our bodies which creates our intellect, our organs and nervous system all work together to create it so we can say man relies on his body and it’s senses to know anything. But our body in turn relies on the stuff it is made of, the subatomic particles that each Atom is made of to exist and they rely on the laws (forces) of the universe that created them. Besides this man also absolutely needs one more thing to exist and that is time, this is because time is the movement (rate of change) of everything in the universe, if it didn't exist it means nothing is moving or interacting with anything, no reactions are occurring while with time our Atoms and particles are always in motion causing reactions. The universe created time when it was created and man as well as the particles our body is made of can only exist in a place that time exists in, in contrast to this Allah is timeless along with what is outside the universe which we will see from Ahaidth.

All of this is a matter of science and physics, probably one of the most erroneous ideas that pervaded the ancient world and still persists to this day is that time is not real, it is simply the ticking of a clock something we imagine, many famous scholars, philosophers and consequently because of them today educated people believe this, but science has conclusively proven that time and space are intertwined together and they now refer to space as space-time, most of modern physics relies on this fact. What ever happens to space happens to time and vice versa, this is because space and all matter create the flow of time we experience, the universe created the flow of time when it began and Allah affirms all of this in a famous Hadith Qudsi literally referring to the flow of time as proof.

Man experiences life through time and because of this fact Allah said about Himself that He is the passing of Time, this is how His qualities are known. Had time been something we invented as some thought, Allah would not have said He is time itself, He would not have said He is something that man imagines, if time wasn’t affected by what happens to the fabric of space (all matter) then the Isra wal Miraj of the prophet (saws) would be impossible becouse He completed the journey in a single night telling us in some circumstances time is different (physics can explain how but the answer is to involved for this topic, suffice to say time is reliant on matter and Mass to exist so in places of little matter or Mass like subatomic space, where the building blocks of time are not formed like here, the flow of time is different and Allah affirms this exists, in the Quran in a few places).

Imam Shafii said; “The Arabs in the time of ignorance, when they were stricken with difficulty, adversity, or tragedy, used to say: “O, the vicissitudes of time!” (Vicissitude means a change in circumstance or fortune) In this way, they would attribute those events to time and curse it on that basis. However, the doer is none other than Allah Almighty, so it was as if they were cursing Allah, for He is, in truth, the one who brought about that situation. It is in consideration of this meaning that cursing time has been prohibited.”

Thus Allah said to the Arabs: “The son of Adam offends Me when he curses time, for I am (the Passing of) time (Dhuhr). In My hand is the affair (change in the universe). I alternate the night and the day (I move the universe and create the reality you live with).” (Bukhari (4826) and Muslim (2246))

So what does this have to do with the verse, understanding how the universe works means you understand how your reality exists and Allah is teaching us that through this knowledge you will come to know Him. Allah says He is exalted above the universe, this means He doesn’t rely on the things our body relies on to exist or know life, that means He has no organs, a body, isn’t in need of Atoms, particles, the laws of the universe that created them and He doesn’t need time to exist like the Atoms and particles we are created from need the passing of time, He doesn’t need anything in the universe so the manner of His existence is above our existence in every way because we rely on all these things, this is what exalted above means in the Quran.

After mentioning He is exalted above creation Allah says He is “the Sovereign (of everything)”, which means “In My hand is the affair (change in the universe). I alternate the night and the day (I move the universe and create the reality you live with)”. He is behind every law of the universe sustaining every moment of existence, many through out history argued that Allah created the universe like a machine, He created it then left it to run according to it’s laws and sits back watching everything, but Allah clearly states “Allah is the One who holds the heavens and the Earth (the universe), lest they cease to exist (he sustains it at every moment). And if they vanished no one could then keep hold of them (No one else is keeping everything alive). Certainly He is Most Forbearing, Ever-Forgiving.”(35:41) which means He is constantly intervening and from this verse we can understand how Allah is the sustainer of every thing and every moment of time, He is time itself.

The is the reality behind our existence while Allah in the manner He exists in is exalted above needing anyone or anything to sustain His life. Such statements are scientific arguments made to the Arabs of 1400 years ago they are not hollow declarations, meaning compare how you came to exist with what You know about how Allah exists, and you will see How Allah is exalted above everything. The word in the Quran He uses is Ta’aly and Tabaruk in surah al Mulk (67:1), the verse reads “Exalted is He in whose Hand is the dominion”, this is a scientific argument instructing you, which is literally saying see how the universe (Dominion) works to understand His exaltedness. What is beautiful about the phrase is that the word Tabaruk usually means to derive blessings from something and so the underlaying knowledge in the verse is that brakah (blessings) are derived from the subatomic world which is where the Laws of Allah (physics, chemistry etc) exist and shape our lives.

Imam Rumi said “Look at every animal from the gnat to the elephant: they all are Allah’s family and dependent on Him for their nourishment (dependant on the way He created nature). What a nourisher is Allah! All these griefs within our hearts arise from the smoke and dust of our existence and vain desires.”

Understanding how Allah is the sustainer helps us understand how He is the sovereign, simply agreeing He is the sovereign of everything is not the same as understanding how, and for this we need to know how the systems He created work.

If we say all life needs the sun to exist we understand quickly what this means but in scientific terms what we need from the sun is it’s light or the photon particles it sends to earth.

In verse 23:116 Allah is telling us through pointing at His exaltedness to look at the subtle aspects of the universe, the subatomic world explains how Allah is the sovereign and how He is the reality (al Haq), “So exalted is Allah (Above everything in His nature), the Sovereign (of the universe), the Reality (Haq of the universe)”. When Allah said He IS the passing of time (Dhuhr) Allah associated our reality with himself in order to teach us.

Because Allah is the one in control of the universe there is no deity other than Him to compete with Him on what the laws of the universe should look like; “If there had been in them (space and earth) any gods except Allah, they would both have certainly been in a state of disorder (the universe would not function as it should, and life could not exist); therefore glory be to Allah, the Lord of the dominion (the universe), above what they attribute (to Him).”(21:22)

But because it functions correctly Allah said; “Exalted is (Allah) who holds all control in His hands (everything that controls the universe, all the laws are in His hand, man looks at the laws and says where is Allah when they move things, while Allah says all the Laws that move everything are being controlled by Him); who has power over all things; who created death and life to test you and reveal which of you does best––He is the Mighty, the Forgiving; who created the seven heavens (the seven subatomic depths), one above the other (one within the other as we go deeper from within one particle to the next). You will not see any flaw in what the Lord of Mercy creates (the heavens or subatomic world run the universe and we are being asked to look at them). Look again! Can you see any flaw? Look again! And again! (this is the nature of the Arabic word Heaven it is the same word that is used for space, subatomic space and Jannah) Your sight will turn back to you, weak and defeated (by the depth).”(67:1-4)

Can any person see Jannah, no, but man through science can see subatomic space and study it which is what “Look” means, study subatomic space and see if you can find flaws with how the universe is constructed. “You will not see any flaw in what the Lord of Mercy creates. Look again! Can you see any flaw? Look again! And again!” Allah is challenging us to look at the minute details in how things are created, the subatomic. So this passage that began by declaring the exaltedness of Allah explains how understanding space is related to His sovereignty which is why the surah was called al Mulk, the dominion (of Allah).

Here is another verse that talks about the relationship between everything we have mentioned; “In time We shall make them fully understand Our messages [through what they perceive] in the utmost horizons [of the universe] (meaning they will be able to understand what Allah is saying by studying space) and within themselves [and by studying the microscopic and subatomic], so that it will become clear unto them that this [revelation] is indeed the truth." [Qur'an 41:53] Understanding space, mans self, his physiology including the microscopic and subatomic parts of him will allow him to understand the reality of Allah.

But how is all of this related to the Arsh of Allah like the verse states, “So exalted is Allah (Above the nature of everything, in His nature), the Sovereign (of the universe), the Reality (of everything); there is no deity except Him (who created the order we see in the universe), Lord of the Noble Throne.” (23:116)

Because the Arsh (throne) and Kursi (footstool) are similar in nature the answer comes by understanding what the Kursi of Allah is, because it is explained in ahadith and the Quran, knowledge of the Kursi (footstool of Allah) makes it clear what the role of the Arsh is in the Haq (Reality) of everyone.

The Kursi (footstool) is given it’s name because of it’s distance to the Arsh (Throne) of Allah in space, just like a foot stool sits at the bace of every throne so the King can rest his feet. The first thing we need to know about them is that the Arsh and Kursi cover the entire universe.

The Arsh has a purpose in the universe similar to the laws of physics and likewise the Kursi, Allah created the Universe from His “light” (24:35) which today we call that light subatomic particles (Light is a generic term for all particles in this verse, see our tafsir to this verse for a deeper explanation), He then encompassed the entire universe with His knowledge before He created what was in it (65:12) so it can be created according to His knowledge from these particles, Allah basically placed His Blueprint (knowledge) for all things in the Universe before creating them so they would shape the universe as it was being created. This is something many scholars like Imam Ibn Arabi, Imam Ghazali and Imam Rumi understood and wrote about in the language of their time.

If we ask the Question how does a plant know to grow into the shape of a plant Allah teaches us His knowledge influences it’s creation, and this is the role of the Kursi in the universe which we can learn from Ahadith and the Quran. Allah encompasses all things with His knowledge (65:12) and Ibn Abbas (ra) explained “His Kursi is His knowledge” (kursiyyuhu `ilmuhu) (Bukhari).

Ayat al Kursi explains this reality in relation to Allah’s existence very clearly; “Allah! There is no deity save Him, the Alive, the Eternal. Neither slumber nor sleep overtaketh Him. Unto Him belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth (the universe is the context of this verse in relation to How Allah acts in it). Who can intercedeth with Him save by His leave? He knoweth that which is in front of them (death) and that which is behind them (this life) [He has complete knowledge of their future and what they left behind, man moves on while Allah persists with the next generation of man, this is mans limited Reality/Scope in comparison to His, our knowledge of existence is limited but He is the span of time], while they encompass nothing of His knowledge save what He will. His Kursi (footstool) encompasses the heavens and the earth, and He is never weary of preserving them (at every moment of existence). He is the Sublime (Exalted above His creation, the same word is used as verse 23:116 Ali-u), the Tremendous.” (2:255) (becouse Allah is talking about man's limited life in comparison to His knowledge, there is a subtext in the verse referring to His knowledge through all of time not just the present).

The many verses of the Quran and ahadith on this subject together explain that the Kursi exists in the subatomic depths of space, the prophet (saws) explains in various ahadith that there are seven regions to the subatomic world, the same as there are seven regions to Jannah which ends at the Arsh, seven regions to Hell, Space and the seven earths are the microscopic parts/regions of our world (the prophet (saws) describes the microscopic creatures that exist there).

The Kursi is Allah’s knowledge of the universe through which everything comes into existence according to how Allah planned it, it is a force that helps mould the subatomic particles and matter everything is created from according to His will.

Because the Arsh and Kursi are similar in nature, in ayat al Kursi (2:255) the verse also indirectly tells us that the Arsh also encompasses the heavens and the earth, both don’t just exist in the heavens Allah’s Kursi and Arsh exist on earth as well.

So what is the role of the Arsh in the universe, a number of verses in the Quran explain this in the language of the Arabs living 1400 years ago.

The Arsh exists at the deepest most subatomic depth of the universe called sidrat al muntaha (the furthest limit) in the Quran (53:14) while the Kursi (footstool) is closer to us, it’s distance sub atomically by simile, is like a footstool is to a throne (Arsh), hence their names.

Moreover the verse which explains that Allah encompasses everything in His knowledge (65:12) is entirely about subatomic space and the laws of the universe, and the role of this knowledge is to shape how everything will be created; “It is Allah Who created the seven heavens (the seven regions of space in this context, the solar system, galaxy etc, in other verses the word can either mean subatomic space or Jannah/heaven depending on context) and of the earth, it’s like (the other planets). The command (laws of the universe) comes forth between them (meaning the Laws come about in subatomic space) so that perhaps you would know that Allah is Powerful over everything and that Allah, truly, enclosed everything in Knowledge. (The laws of the universe that created everything are directly related to how Allah enclosed everything in His knowledge which is why they are being mentioned together)” (65:12)

Most ahadith and verses of the Quran that talk about the throne usually also explain how the universe was created so we know it’s role is related and it serves purpose that supports creation, the Prophet (saws) said: “There was Allah and nothing existed before Him, (after He created the universe) His Throne was on the water (this is the subatomic depth beneath the throne and above the kursi as ahadith explain, from the water (or ocean, the term is a simile) Allah extracted all subatomic particles which is exactly what modern physics teaches, that at the beginning of the universe all particles came from one single “ocean”, they all came from one type of particle then multiplied). Then He created the heavens and the earth, and He wrote all things in al-Lawh al-Mahfooz (the Preserved Tablet).”

To each prophet (as) Allah sent He gave them a unique light called the light of prophethood to prove they are a prophet, this light wasn’t made of photons like normal light it was made of the first particles to exist in the universe from which Allah created everything. The prophet (saws) referring to this spiritual light of all prophets would often say “the first thing Allah created was my light”, in modern terms He (saws) is saying the first thing Allah created was a subatomic particle.

So if the Kursi relates to Allah’s knowledge in the universe and how it shapes what He created what does His Arsh relate to, Allah says in the Quran;

“Indeed, your Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth in Six Days (periods of time), and then He established himself (Istawa) on the Throne” (7:54).

“The Most Gracious (Allah) established himself (Istawa) on the (Mighty) Throne” (20:5)

“And He it is Who has created the heavens and the earth in six days (periods of time) and His Throne was on the water (the first ocean of particles to exist), that He might try you, which of you is the best in deed” (11:7) we can be certain from ahadith according to the prophets explanations that water here is a simile for an ocean of subatomic particles that exists between the Kursi and the Arsh.

The Arsh is the boundary of the universe, sidrat al muntaha, the furthest limit of what Allah created, it surrounds the entire universe and is spread through out it at every subatomic depth, the prophet (saws) said “Do you know the greatness of Allah? Truly, His Throne (arsh) is on His Heavens (universe) like this – and he formed with his fingers something like a dome over him (over his head)” (Abu Dawwud) meaning it surrounds the universe entirely.

Established (Istiwa) on the throne means His qualities are established on the throne, if the Kursi is responsible for the basic knowledge of life and everything in the universe the Arsh is responsible for the knowledge of Allah himself, it is responsible for allowing the universe to know Allah and His qualities which is why He associated it with Himself directly, to teach us.

Established can’t mean anything like physical movement or attachment on Allah’s behalf because in many verses He says He is exalted above His creation including the throne;

“So Exalted be Allah, the True King; there is no deity but Him, the Lord of the Supreme Throne!” (23:116)

“and He is the Lord of the Mighty Throne” (9:129) “Owner of the Throne, the Glorious”(85:15) Lord and Owner mean He controls it and isn’t in need of it.

The purpose of Allah saying He Istawa the Arsh then afterwards explaining that He is exalted above the universe is to clearly state He has no physical connection to it, He is the creator of the throne and also exalted above it, but the throne serves a supreme purpose in the Universe which Allah is explaining to us by associating it with Himself using the word Istawa which in the context of creating the universe means after exiting from nothing Allah allowed the universe to know Him through the Arsh, this is the place from where Allah is known from in the universe, the radiance of His light that touches people's hearts comes from here and through it they can know him.

"And We have already created man and know what his soul whispers to him (the context here is things Allah created from particles), and We are closer to him than [his] jugular vein" (50:16). This is only possible when looking at the atoms we are made from and this is from where Allah guides man;

"Allah is the Light (particles) of the heavens and the earth...Allah guides to His light (from with in subatomic space) whom He wills. And Allah presents examples for the people, and Allah is Knowing of all things."(24:35, our tafsir to this verse gives a comprehensive explanation)

If we start from the first ocean of particles to exist, the water mentioned in the Quran, each of the forms matter takes on since then is a veil between us and Allah where He to remove those veils (forms) that matter has taken on we could directly see His light; The prophet (saws) said “Allah hath Seventy Thousand Veils of Light and Darkness (in the universe): were He to withdraw their curtain (meaning they are created and can be removed), then would the splendours of His Aspect surely consume everyone who apprehended Him with his sight” (Imam al Ghazali, Mishqat al Anwar) Allah did this very thing for Musa (as) but the Atoms and particles the mountain was made from could not handle the raw power that has no veil of form between it and Allah, hence the mountain turned to dust or in modern terms it’s Atoms disintegrated.

The prophet (saws) said “Do you know the greatness of Allah? Truly, His Throne (‘arsh) is on His Heavens like this” – and he formed with his fingers something like a dome over him – and it groans on account of Him like a saddle groans because of its rider.” (Abu Dawwud) considering the fact the Arsh that is the limit of the universe groans because of what is outside the universe, which the prophet (saws) called the splendour of Allah’s aspect, it means that the pure “Aura” or “radiance” of Allah (both terms are a simile because we don’t what it actually is) that reflects His nature in the most complete way, entirely exalted above needing anything in the universe and does not require time to exist like Allah, that timeless place is putting pressure on the Arsh causing it groan, make a creaking sound.

On the night of Isra wal Miraj the prophet came the closest of any human to the splendour of Allah, and reached a distance of two bows length away from that aspect, “Till he was (distant) two bows' length or even nearer”(53:9) Abu Dharr (RA) said: I asked the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him): Did you see your Lord? The Prophet (Peace be upon him) replied: He is Nur (نُورٌ) I Saw Him ( انى أَرَاهُ) (Muslim) that splendour which caused Musa (as) to faint the prophet (saws) saw it and it looked like light.

“While he was in the highest part of the horizon (the limit of the universe): Then he approached (Allah) and came closer, And was at a distance of but two bow-lengths or nearer; And He revealed unto His slave that which He revealed. The (prophets) heart lied not (in seeing) what it saw.”(53:7-11)(our tafsir to Surah al Najm explains these verses in detail)

The Prophet (saws) on that night was taken up to a point where he heard the screeching of the Pens (writing the divine Decree). He saw a man who had disappeared into the light of the Throne. He said: "Who is this? Is this an angel?" It was said to him, no. He said: "Is it a Prophet?" Again the answer was no. He said: "Who is it then?" The answer was: "This is a man whose tongue was moist with Allah's remembrance in the world, and his heart was attached to the mosques, and he never incurred the curse of his father and mother."

Allah teaches us that man gains both knowledge and wisdom with his heart; “Have they, then, never journeyed about the earth, letting their hearts gain wisdom, and causing their ears to hear? Yet, verily, it is not their eyes that have become blind - but blind have become the hearts that are in their breasts!”(22:46)

How does all of this then relate to Allah’s reality, man knows Allah through his heart and Allah places His light here to help him which mans spiritual heart benefits from and shapes his life. In modern terms the spiritual heart is the subatomic part of our heart created by it’s complex nervous system and the electromagnetic field it generates, which we know through the scientific study of our physiology, this field or light surrounds the entire body and through it man senses the world around Him to gather knowledge about it in order to know Allah. The prophet (saws) explained this in a lengthy hadith that talks about how the universe was created from subatomic particles;

The prophet (saws) said “…Then He (Allah) divided the fourth (particle) into four other parts (particles) and created from the first the heavens (subatomic space), and from the second the earth (planets/physical part of the universe), and from the third the Paradise (Jannah) and the Fire, and then he divided the fourth (particle) into four parts (particles) and created from the first (particle) the Light in the believers visions (the electromagnetic field and light of the brain which is our imagination, or the light we see in our mind), and from the second (particle) the light (electromagnetic field) of their hearts which is knowledge of Allah (How man knows Allah), and from the third (particle) the light of their inner harmony (Uns, inside the heart there is a another deeper light made of different particles) which is (responsible for) Tawhid (how they know that) ‘There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah…”. (Abd al-Razzaq (d. 211) narrates it in his Musannaf according to Qastallani in al-Mawahib al-laduniyya (1:55) and Zarqani in his Sharh al-mawahib (1:56 of the Matba`a al-`amira edition in Cairo).

It then becomes clear that the spiritual depth of the heart is the depth of the subatomic universe, when the heart sees deeper into the unseen it is actually seeing deeper into subatomic space and it continues to do this until it reaches the Arsh of Allah which is something every prophet (as) and saintly person (ra) achieves.

About this the great scholar Imam Tustari said in his famous tafsir “Allah does no open the heart of a servant if it still contains three things, loving to remain (in this world), love of wealth, and concern about tomorrow.” This is the meaning of surah al Sharh (91) in the Quran “Have We not expanded thee thy breast? (Heart)― (1) And removed from thee thy burden (2)”, when Allah expands the heart it reaches deeper spiritually/sub atomically in it’s perception and the result is that person gains more knowledge and wisdom, Musa (as) understood this about the heart and so when Allah was commissioning Him as a Prophet He (saws) asked Allah directly for this expansion of the heart, “[Moses] said, "My Lord, expand for me my breast (heart, in other words increase me in knowledge), And ease for me my task”(20:25-26), eventually Allah would send Him to al Khidr (as) for this very thing because al Khidr had mastered gaining knowledge from Allah with His heart, Allah mentions what happened in surah al Kahf (18).

Imam Tustari then explained in his Tafsir “the nafs (self) has seven celestial veils (hujub samawiyyah) and seven earthly veils (hujub ardiyyah)”, (things that cover the nafs, in relation to mans character a veil is something that covers our inner perception about things, like a desire that deludes our judgment/sight, it makes our perception in varying degrees delusional), the imam then explained “when ever man buries his nafs (self) in earth upon earth (ardan ardan), (consistently lowers his esteem and ego), his heart (qalb) is raised up heaven upon Heaven (sama’an sama’an, literally raised subatomic depth upon subatomic depth). And when he (completely) buries the nafs (ego) under the ground (tahta at tara, there is no more ego), the heart reaches the throne” (Arsh), in it’s perception and the place it receives it’s spiritual sustenance from, The (prophets) heart lied not (in seeing) what it saw” when He (saws) witnesed the Arsh.

So the Arch and the Kursi are two things responsible for shaping mans reality (Haq), or how He perceives the world. The Kursi is responsible for the knowledge he gains about things in the world and the Arsh is responsible for him knowing Allah.

So when Allah says “So exalted is Allah (Above everything, in His nature), the Sovereign (of everything), the Reality (of everything); there is no deity except Him, Lord of the Noble Throne.” (23:116) the Arsh is connected with the exaltedness of Allah because it allows man to understand this, it is related to His sovereignty because He is the Lord of the Arsh that is raising everyone up in spirituality and wisdom, it is related to His Haq (reality) because it shapes everyones reality so they can see Allah in life, and because Allah associated the Arsh with Himself so literally which is responsible for all of this, He said He is reality (Haq) itself, “there is no deity except Him, Lord of the Noble Throne”.

فَتَعَـٰلَى ٱللَّهُ ٱلۡمَلِكُ ٱلۡحَقُّ‌ۖ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ رَبُّ ٱلۡعَرۡشِ ٱلۡڪَرِيمِ

Footnotes:

1. We have written in detail about the Arsh and Kursi in our other works, the Islamic Journal #5 and in the articles on subatomic space found in the notes section of our Facebook page, click the more button on the front page, and also see the comments for reference material. When we first wrote about this matter we where blessed with seeing the prophet (saws) soon after in a dream, He (saws) asked one of the Angels with Him to show us the Arsh, He (saws) then cheerfully said to us “The Arsh is exactly like you wrote”, we have written about that dream describing the Arsh in detail (see the notes section), we were also been blessed with taking knowledge from the prophet (saws) who taught us about the nature of ghayb (the unseen) affirming it is the subatomic part of our universe as well as other matters, the understanding of what He (saws) gave us is what you see in our works.

Consider the fact that Angels are created from photons and the human soul from other subatomic particles, when a person dies the angels carry that soul made of particles and take it to it’s final destination which must exist in the universe because that is the only place things created in the universe can exist.

“Thus have We inspired you with a soul from Our command (created from the laws of the universe); you had known neither the Book nor faith, but We made it (the soul) a light (mechanism) by which We guide those of Our servants whom We Will.” (42:52)

2. Our engineering studies have given us competency in scientific matters but for some they have raised the issue of ijazah a number of times over the years since we began writing. Because we have seen the prophet (saws) defend us a number of times when salafi’s and their friends insinuate more than this question, insha allah we will explain the matter as it was explained to us by the friends of Allah. In the time of the prophet (saws) every person was allowed to discuss and develop his ideas to their fullest extent no matter how far of the right track that lead them in their understanding, the Angels in a dream showed us a sincere muslim Bedouin in the desert amongst his tribe discussing what the prophet (saws) had said and giving entirely wrong explanations, which is the equivalent of a private individual talking about Islam. This is so they are able to grow as people with out anyone stunting their growth (in contrast to this the prophet (saws) warned about the Maskh of people in our time in ahadith, it would cover the world), it was then said in the prophets (saws) time people themselves could recognise those who had knowledge from those who did not and this was enough to safeguard people. Today we have taken safeguarding knowledge to extremes and taken it into peoples homes and lives, and the restrictions we placed on speaking/thinking in our life time “We invented it” and just assumed Allah would punish people who spoke with out ijazah, which the prophet (saws) entirely looked down upon.

(Anyone recalling ahadith on this subject should consider that words change their meaning over time, as well as the weight of words and their context, and today the entire world is gripped by Maskh, the deliberate stunting of peoples personnel growth which would inevitably warp our language. If society went to one extreme scholars who where responsible for society would have to go in the other direction to bring them back to the middle ground, scholars today already state the light of Allah won’t be found in Islamic institutions because they are state controlled).

3. The word Ijazah simply means permission, the companions who did not have any Ijazah like the scholars of today where mostly bedouin arabs without formal education, they could explain the Quran better than most Mujtahid scholars, so how can the companions be more right than people with formal training. The answer is simple, but most people don’t consider it, the companions witnessed the prophet and witnessed what everything in the Quran meant, they had all the answers and didn’t need study to know what the right answer was. A person who the prophet educates will have a better understanding of what things mean than a person spending years of study just so he knows how to look for a needle in a hay stack and still not be certain of anything at the end. A person who knows what the “ocean” looks like knows more than a person who spends his entire life guessing, this is how people like the companions and Arifeen (knowers) can know the Quran better than scholars.

Imam Bukhari said in his Sahih, “al-alim ar-Rabbani is the scholar who raises people on small knowledge (easy concepts) before big knowledge (intricate or confusing matters)” Allah said in the Quran to the companions long before the first ijazah or university appeared “Be you Rabbaniyun” (3:79) learned men of religion who are saintly and practise what they know and teach it to others, we invented the systems we have today, but that never dictated to Allah who deserved the light of knowledge, this is what the prophet (saws) frowned upon beocuse today it is part of peoples belief.

4. Having said that many years ago in our youth after surviving a lengthy fitnah that would have destroyed many people, and retaining a sound heart, we formally took knowledge from the prophet (saws) himself and where given ijazah from Him to teach Islam. This is the Ijazah (permission) in the time of the prophet (saws) and this is the kind we received;

Ibn Abbas reported: When the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, sent Mu’adh to Yemen, he said to him:

إِنَّكَ تَأْتِي قَوْمًا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ فَادْعُهُمْ إِلَى شَهَادَةِ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ فَإِنْ هُمْ أَطَاعُوا لِذَلِكَ فَأَعْلِمْهُمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ افْتَرَضَ عَلَيْهِمْ خَمْسَ صَلَوَاتٍ فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ وَلَيْلَةٍ فَإِنْ هُمْ أَطَاعُوا لِذَلِكَ فَأَعْلِمْهُمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ افْتَرَضَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَدَقَةً تُؤْخَذُ مِنْ أَغْنِيَائِهِمْ فَتُرَدُّ فِي فُقَرَائِهِمْ فَإِنْ هُمْ أَطَاعُوا لِذَلِكَ فَإِيَّاكَ وَكَرَائِمَ أَمْوَالِهِمْ وَاتَّقِ دَعْوَةَ الْمَظْلُومِ فَإِنَّهُ لَيْسَ بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَ اللَّهِ حِجَابٌ

Verily, you are coming to a people among the people of the Book, so call them to testify there is no God but Allah and I am the Messenger of Allah. If they accept that, then teach them that Allah has obligated five prayers in each day and night. If they accept that, then teach them that Allah has obligated charity to be taken from the rich and given to the poor. If they accept that, beware not to take from the best of their wealth. Be on guard from the supplication of the oppressed, for there is no barrier between it and Allah. (Muslim)

Mu`adh ibn Jabal said: "When Allah's Messenger (saws) sent me to Yemen he said: 'How will you pass judgment if a judgment is asked of you?' I replied: 'I shall pass judgment on the basis of Allah's Book.' He said: 'What if it is not found in Allah's Book?' I replied: 'Then according to the sunnah of Allah’s Messenger' He said: 'What if it is not in the Sunna of Allah's Messenger?' I replied: 'I will make ijtihad (reason) through my judgment. and I will leave no stone unturned.' Whereupon the Prophet (saws) slapped my chest and said: 'Praise belongs to Allah Who has made the messenger of the Messenger of Allah consistent with what pleases him.'" (Abu Dawwud, Tirmidhi, Ahmad)

This is what the prophet (saws) gave to us of knowledge that night before granting us Ijazah; Ibn 'Umar (ra) said: “I heard the Prophet Muhammad saying, "While I was sleeping, I saw a bowl full of milk was brought to me and I drank of it (to my fill) till I noticed its wetness flowing (in my body). Then I gave the remaining of it to 'Umar (Ibn al Khatab).” They asked, "O Prophet Muhammad! What have you interpreted (about the dream)? He said, "(It is) knowledge." (Bukhari) The Milk meant Allah was placing knowledge in His (saws) heart and the heart of Umar (as), many through history have been given knowledge in such a manner by Allah, and scholars like Imam Ibn Sireen have written about it.

We related all of this to our family at the time and then sought the opinion of two prominent scholars on the matter, later they would both become the Mufti of our country, one after the other and we learnt about the state that society was in to our horror, much of which is related in our book on Syria through the prophets (saws) own words because the prophet (saws) spoke about everything that would occur. It was after we spoke to the scholars that we experienced the next major fitnah in our life, and after surviving it some years later, that is when Allah granted us a vision of the Arsh (throne).

ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ