And when He negated that there should be for Him a partner or minister in creation, He mentioned how He acts in this great dominion that He created in six days from the world of spirits and command. He said, beginning and explaining the intended meaning of 'settling': ﴿He manages the affair﴾, meaning every affair of this world by acting in it like one who looks into its ends to perfect its conclusions and necessities, just as He looked into its beginnings to ensure the soundness of its openings and initiations. He does not entrust anything of it to any of His creation. Al-Razi said in the Lawa'ih: This is evidence that His settling on the Throne means the manifestation of power, and the Throne is the manifestation of management, not the depth of the managed.

And when the intent for the Arabs is merely the management of what they can observe of the world, He said, specifying: ﴿from the heaven﴾, meaning that the affair which He perfected descends as one who looks into the ends of what he knows ﴿to the earth﴾, not addressing what is above that, noting that the heaven encompasses everything high, thus including all of the world.

And when the ascent is more difficult than the descent, as is customary, it was thus deemed improbable. He indicated this by saying: ﴿Then he ascends﴾, meaning he rises. The matter is singular - and this is from good usage - to Him, meaning by the ascent of the dominion to Allah, that is to the places He has honored or commanded to be in it, as His saying: ﴿Indeed, I am going to my Lord﴾ [As-Saffat: 99] and ﴿And whoever leaves his home emigrating to Allah and His Messenger﴾ [An-Nisa: 100] and similar to that, or to the place from which the descent of the decree began, which is the heaven. It is as if he is ascending in ladders, which are the steps as you are accustomed among yourselves, in a quicker time than the blink of an eye ﴿in a day﴾ of the days of this world ﴿its measure﴾ if the ascender were one of you as you know ﴿a thousand years of what you count﴾ from your years that you know. What indicates this estimation is something from common knowledge and something from the wording. As for the wording, it is the expression with 'was' along with the arrangement of the speech without it if something else were intended. As for the common knowledge, it is that a capable person builds a great high house in a year, for example. When he finishes it, his servant ascends to its top in less than two steps of the sand. Thus, the proportion of that from the time of its building is but a negligible part. This is while he is a created being in need, so what do you think of the One who created creation in six days while He is free of all things and capable of all things? The apparent expression is that this estimation of a thousand is for the distance between the heaven and the earth based on [the fact that] the beginning and the end do not enter. So if we want to apply this verse to the verse of the question, we take this in relation to the ascent of one of us standing if it were possible, and the earth is made one in number, and the first of its multiplicity is as it is said considering the regions. And the thickness of the heavens is added to the total, and it is added to the total like half of it for the distance of the curvature in the construction of the stairs and the ascent which is like the circumference of the circle with the chord that divides it into halves to facilitate our ascent. It is the measure of half the distance of the level and something small, because when you divide a circle with a chord, what is between the two ends of the chord from the circumference of half the circle is equal to that chord once and a half, and something small is added for the curvature of the stairs. So if we do that, what is between one surface of the curved throne and what faces it from the other surface is according to its penetration from both sides and the penetration of the layers of the seven heavens: fourteen, thirty-two thousand years, because it is understood from this context that from the concave of the heaven to the surface of the earth we are on is the distance of a thousand years and [the distance] between each two heavens is like the distance between [the heaven and the earth, and the thickness of each heaven likewise. Thus, the distance between one] surface of the earth to the surface of the highest throne is sixteen thousand years, and the distance from the surface of the earth to the highest surface of the throne (p-235) from the other side likewise. Then, added to the total, which is thirty-two thousand years, is the distance of the thickness of the earth, which is a thousand years, so that the total is thirty-three thousand years, to which is added what is for the ascent, which is half of that distance and something that is seventeen thousand years. Thus, that is fifty thousand years. I have made the surface of the highest throne the end, because it is customary that none ascends to the throne of the king except him, and that ambitions stop before it, and indeed, none ascends to his throne. The consideration of that will come [in] the last face. And if we say: the lands are seven, assuming they are arranged spheres that do not overlap, and we included the throne in the count, we say: it is with the throne and the heavens nine. The two sides surrounding the earth are eighteen layers, and the lands are seven, so that is twenty-five layers. Each one - along with what is between it and the other according to what is apparent in the verse - is two thousand. Thus, this number is doubled, so it becomes fifty thousand. This face is one of the clearest faces and closest to the understanding of the verse, and it does not require addition for the curvature of the stairs. It is permissible to say: the secret - and Allah knows best - (p-236) in making what its distance is five hundred years - as in the hadith - a thousand years for the ascent, and the hadith is not a text in a specific distance until it is avoided from its interpretation. [Rather] it has come with different words, some of them five hundred, and some of them seventy-two years, and some of them seventy-one, and so on. So every word must be carried on a distance, and we say: the five hundred is for the ascender in a straight stair like the stair of the date palm, for example, and the seventy-two for the flight of the bird, and the thousand as in the verse for a winding stair. And this is indicated by what was narrated by Al-Tirmidhi - and he said: its chain is good - from Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Al-As, may Allah be pleased with them, that the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, said: "If a bullet like this - and he pointed to something like a skull - were sent from the heaven to the earth, which is the distance of five hundred years, it would reach the earth before night. And if the chain were sent, it would travel forty autumns, night and day, before it reaches its origin or its bottom." [Or you can say: the thousand is for the totality of the decree in descent and ascent]. And Allah knows best. And if we made the beginning included, then the thousand would be from the surface of the earth we are on to the convex of the heaven, so that the verse would agree with the hadith stating that between the earth and the heaven is five hundred years, and the thickness of the heaven likewise, (p-237) and so are the rest of the heavens and the throne. We included the throne in the count and said: the lands are seven interwoven like the heavens, each one of them in the one that follows it, so the one we are in is the highest and surrounds all of them. It is like the throne for the heavens. Thus, the seven heavens from both sides are fourteen thousand, and the lands likewise, so that is twenty-eight thousand, and the throne and the chair from both sides are four, so that is thirty-two thousand, to which is added what increases the curvature of the stairs that allows us to ascend, which is half the total distance and something. So the half is sixteen thousand, and we make the thing that has not been clarified for us two thousand. Thus, that is eighteen thousand to thirty-two, so the total is fifty thousand, and it may be that this is in relation to the heavens with the lands, and all are overlapping and interwoven. So that is twenty-eight [layers from the surface of the seventh heaven to its upper surface from the other side, so that is twenty-eight] thousand years, for every body five hundred. And when he clarified it and between the other body likewise, that is [one thousand]. Thus, it is doubled in relation to the descent and ascent, so it would be sixty-five thousand, calculated from it fifty thousand, and the fraction is eliminated. However, this face contradicts the apparent meaning of the verse in Surah As-Sa'al, which is His saying, the Most High: ﴿The angels and the Spirit ascend to Him in (p-238) a day whose measure is fifty thousand years﴾ [Al-Ma'arij: 4], for there is no mention of the descent in it. And Allah knows best. And each of these faces is more grounded than what Al-Baydawi said in Surah As-Sa'al, and closer to understanding and common knowledge. For if his apparent state is that he made the eighteen thousand from the highest canopies of the throne to the highest canopies from the other side, there is no evidence [for] this nor common knowledge that assists in the ascent of the servants to the highest canopy, which is higher than it, and knowledge is with Allah, the Most High. And Ishaq ibn Rahawaih narrated from Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him, from the Messenger, blessings and peace be upon him, that he said: "What is between the heaven of this world and the earth is five hundred years, and [what is] between each heaven and the one that follows it is five hundred years to the seventh heaven, and the earth is like that, and what is between the seventh heaven and the throne is like [all of] that." And know that the saying that the lands are seven is the apparent meaning of His saying, the Most High: ﴿Allah is He who created seven heavens and of the earth, the like of them﴾ [At-Talaq: 12]. This is supported by what was narrated by the two Shaykhs [and others] from Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, that the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, said: "Whoever wrongs a span of land, Allah will put a collar around his neck from (p-239) seven lands." And in a narration for Al-Baghawi: "He will be swallowed into seven lands." And Ibn Hibban narrated in his Sahih from Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, said: "Indeed, when death approaches the believer - and he mentioned it until he said -: And as for the disbeliever, when his soul is taken, it is taken to the earth, and the keepers of the earth say: We have not found a more foul smell than this, and it reaches the [earth] below." Al-Mundhiri said: It is in Ibn Majah with a sound chain, and it supports those who say: Indeed, they are overlapping and interwoven like spheres, and between each two lands is space like the heavens. What Al-Hakim narrated and authenticated from Abdullah ibn Amr, may Allah be pleased with them, that the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, said: "Indeed, the two lands between each land and the one that follows it is the distance of five hundred years, and the upper one is on the back of a fish" until the end of it. And it is in the last of the encouragement for the keeper Al-Mundhiri in the last horrors of the Day of Resurrection in its chains and its shackles. And Abu Ubaid [Al-Qasim] ibn Salam narrated in the Gharib of Hadith from Mujahid, may Allah have mercy on him, that he said: The Sacred Sanctuary was prohibited from the seven heavens and the seven lands, and that it is the fourth of fourteen houses, in every heaven is a house and in every land is a house. If it fell, some of it would fall upon some - its prohibition means its direction and alignment. (p-240) And in Majma' Al-Zawa'id for the keeper Nur Al-Din Al-Haythami that Imam Ahmad narrated through the chain of Al-Hakam ibn Abdul Malik, who is weak, from Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said: "While we were with the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, a cloud passed by, and he said: Do you know what this is? We said: Allah and His Messenger know best! He said: The clouds and the corners of the earth are driven by Allah to whom He does not thank Him, nor does he call upon Him. Do you know what is above you? We said: Allah and His Messenger know best! He said: The lofty one is a wave restrained, and a protected roof. Do you know how far is between you and it? We said: Allah and His Messenger know best! He said: The distance of five hundred years. Then he said: Do you know what is above it? We said: Allah and His Messenger know best! He said: Another heaven. Do you know how far is between you and it? We said: Allah and His Messenger know best! He said: [The distance of] five hundred years - until he counted seven heavens. [Then] he said: Do you know what is above that? We said: Allah and His Messenger know best! He said: The throne. He said: Do you know how far is between it and the seventh heaven? We said: Allah and His Messenger know best! He said: The distance of five hundred years. Then he said: What is this beneath you? We said: Allah and His Messenger know best! He said: An earth. He said: Do you know what is beneath it? We said: Allah and His Messenger know best! He said: Another earth. Do you know how far between them? We said: Allah and His Messenger know best! He said: The distance of seven hundred years until he counted seventy lands. Then he said: And by Allah, if you were to lower a rope, it would descend." Then he recited: ﴿He is the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden, and He is Knowing of all things﴾ [Al-Hadid: 3]. He said: Al-Tirmidhi narrated it except that he mentioned [that] between each land and the other is five hundred years, and here seven hundred. And he said at the end: "If you were to lower a rope, it would descend upon Allah." And perhaps he meant: [upon] the throne of Allah or upon His command and knowledge and power, meaning that it is in His dominion and His grasp, and nothing is outside of His command - and Allah knows best. And I saw in the Jamia of Al-Usul for Ibn Al-Athir after mentioning this hadith [what is its text] Abu 'Isa said: The recitation of the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, of the verse indicates that he meant: it would descend upon the knowledge of Allah and His power and His dominion, and it would support the saying that they are overlapping and interwoven spheres - and Allah knows best - as it was narrated that the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, said: "The seven heavens and the seven lands in relation to the throne are like a ring thrown in a desert." And he did not say: like a dirham - for example - and likewise (p-242) what Muhammad ibn Abi Umar and Ishaq ibn Rahawaih and Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah and Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Ibn Hibban narrated from Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him, a long hadith in it mentioning the prophets, and in it that the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, said: "Do you know what is the example of the heavens and the earth in the chair?" I said: No, except [that] you teach me from what Allah has taught you. He said: The example of the heavens and the earth in the chair is like a ring thrown in a desert, and indeed the superiority of the chair over the heavens and the earth is like the superiority of the desert over that ring." Its origin is in Al-Nasa'i and Al-Tayalisi and Abu Ya'la. Likewise, what the owner of Al-Firdaws narrated from Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, that the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, said: "The seven heavens in the greatness of Allah are like a hazelnut hanging." And His saying, the Most High: ﴿His chair extends over the heavens and the earth﴾ [Al-Baqarah: 255] indicates that the chair encompasses all from all sides. [And His saying, the Most High: ﴿If you are able to pass beyond the regions of the heavens and the earth, then pass beyond﴾ [Ar-Rahman: 33] is explicit in that, for the passing is used in the breach, especially with the expression 'from' without 'in', and likewise His saying about the heaven ﴿And it has no openings﴾ [Q: 6]. And Allah is the Grantor of success.