Majmū‘ Fatāwā Ibn Taymiyyah, Vol. 5, p. 150
Shaykhul-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah (رحمه الله) affirmed in his fatāwā that the Earth is spherical in shape, in harmony with the established reality of celestial phenomena and the foundational beliefs of Islam. He explained that the heavenly spheres surround the Earth, and above all creation is the Magnificent Throne (‘Arsh), which is not part of the celestial spheres but entirely separate and supreme over them.
Now the excerpts:
فصل اعلم أن " الأرض " قد اتفقوا على أنها كروية الشكل وهي في الماء المحيط بأكثرها ; إذ اليابس السدس وزيادة بقليل والماء أيضا مقبب من كل جانب للأرض والماء الذي فوقها بينه وبين السماء كما بيننا وبينها مما يلي رءوسنا وليس تحت وجه الأرض إلا وسطها ونهاية التحت المركز ; فلا يكون لنا جهة بينة إلا جهتان : العلو والسفل وإنما تختلف الجهات باختلاف... الإنسان .
Chapter: Know that the Earth is Spherical
Know that the scholars have unanimously agreed that the Earth is spherical in shape, and it lies in the surrounding water that covers most of it; for the dry land makes up about one-sixth and a little more, while the water is also domed on all sides of the Earth. The water above the Earth lies between it and the sky, just as we are between the Earth and the sky above our heads. Beneath the surface of the Earth is only its core and the end of its bottom, which is the center.
Thus, we have no clear directions except for two: up and down. The variation in directions only arises due to the position of the human being.
So, the highest part of the Earth is its surface from every direction, and its lowest part is that which lies beneath the surface—at the central core—which is known as the point of gravitational pull (محط الأثقال). From the Earth's surface and the surrounding waters towards the center is downward, and from the center back to the surface is upward.
Since the lowest heaven (the first sky) surrounds the Earth from above, it too is spherical, and so are the rest of the heavens. The Kursiyy (Footstool) is above all the celestial spheres, and the Throne (‘Arsh) is above the Kursiyy. The relation of the spheres and what is in them to the Kursiyy is like a ring thrown in a vast desert, and the entirety of creation compared to the Throne is like a ring in a desert.
The celestial spheres are circular as established by the Qur’an, Sunnah, and scholarly consensus. The word “falak” (فلك) itself indicates circular motion. Allah says:
“Each is swimming in a falak (orbit)” [Surah Al-Anbiya: 33]
Ibn ‘Abbas - radiyallahu an'huma - said: "In a falakah like the falakah of a spindle.” It is also said in Arabic: "Tafallaka (تفلك) the girl’s breast" meaning “it became round.” Scholars of astronomy and mathematics are all agreed upon this.
About the Throne (‘Arsh)
As for the Throne, it is domed. This is because it was reported in the Sunan of Abu Dawood from Jubayr ibn Mut‘im who said:
"A Bedouin came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, souls are exhausted, children are starving…’” until he mentioned:
“Indeed, Allah is above His Throne, and His Throne is above His heavens and earth like this,” and he pointed with his finger like a dome.
It has not been authentically established that the Throne is a perfect sphere; rather, it is established that it is above the celestial spheres and that it has pillars. This is as found in the two Sahihs (Bukhari and Muslim) in the hadith of Abu Sa‘eed:
A Jewish man came to the Prophet ﷺ after one of the companions had slapped him. The Prophet asked the companion: “Why did you slap him?”
He replied: “O Messenger of Allah, I passed by him in the market while he was saying: ‘By the One Who chose Musa over all people!’ So I got angry and slapped him, saying, ‘Over Muhammad too?’”
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Do not give superiority among the Prophets. On the Day of Resurrection, people will fall unconscious, and I will be the first to regain consciousness. I will find Musa holding onto one of the pillars of the Throne, and I will not know whether he regained consciousness before me or was exempt due to the shock of Mount Tur.”
In affirming the height of the Throne, the Prophet ﷺ said:
“When you ask Allah, ask Him for Al-Firdaws. For it is the middle of Paradise and its highest point, and above it is the Throne of the Most Merciful, and from it the rivers of Paradise gush forth.”
So these hadiths show that the Throne is the highest of all creations, the ceiling of the creation, and that it is domed and has pillars. In every case, it is above—whether it surrounds the spheres or not. What is certain is that the entire created universe, both upper and lower realms, in relation to the Creator, the Exalted and Most High, is extremely insignificant. Allah says:
“They did not appraise Allah with true appraisal…” [Surah Al-Zumar: 67]
A Great Principle for Affirming Allah’s Highness
It is intellectually and instinctively obligatory to affirm the Highness (‘Uluww) of Allah. It may be stated:
“Allah was, and there was nothing else with Him. Then He created the world.”
This creation must be:
1. Either within Himself, and then separated from Him — and this is impossible, as Allah is far above coming into contact with impurities or anything else.
2. Or He created it outside Himself, then entered into it — and this too is impossible, as Allah is far above dwelling within His creation.
These two are unanimously rejected by all Muslims.
3. Or, He created it outside of Himself and did not dwell in it — and this is the truth that cannot be denied and is most befitting for Allah.
This was the principle used by Imam Ahmad in his argument against the Jahmiyyah during the time of the Inquisition (Mihna). Al-Ash‘ari mentioned in his Maqālāt the view of Muhammad ibn Kullāb (1), whom Ash‘ari followed, that:
“It is known by reason that Allah is above the world, and His Istiwa (rising) is known by revelation and the reports of the Messengers, who were sent to perfect human nature. And there is no altering the natural disposition created by Allah.”
This is in opposition to the misguided among philosophers and others who turned realities upside down." End of quote.
(1) Some people would later deviated ascribing themselves to Muhammad bn Kullaab and Abu Al-Hasan al-Ash'aree to form Kullabiyyah and Ash'ariyyah respectively the latter of which is the leading deviated sect of today.
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