Ibn Taymiyyah says when it comes to the wording about “four fingers.” He points out that the narrations contradict each other. One version says something remains, while another version explicitly denies that anything remains. Because of this contradiction, he says it is not possible to be certain that the Prophet ﷺ affirmed that any space is left on the Throne.

Then he discusses how some scholars tried to interpret the wording by saying that this remaining amount is “not occupied by sitting.” He brings this up to show the problem, not to support it.

He also explains why this interpretation is flawed. If it is said that part of the Throne remains unoccupied, this would imply that the Throne is larger than Allah. That would mean Allah’s greatness is being measured against a created thing, which is incorrect and contradicts the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and sound reason.

Full Passage

A group from the people of hadith rejected it (the hadith of the prophet ﷺ sitting on the throne) due to its inconsistency, as was done by Abu Bakr al Ismaʿili, Ibn al Jawzi, and others. However, most of Ahl al Sunnah accepted it.

In it, it says: “His Throne, or His Kursi, has encompassed the heavens and the earth, and He sits upon it, and nothing remains of it except the measure of four fingers, or nothing remains of it except the measure of four fingers. And it creaks with Him like the creaking of a new saddle with its rider.”

The wording “الأطيط creaking” also appears in the hadith of Jubayr ibn Mutʿim, which was reported by Abu Dawud in the Sunan.

Ibn ʿAsakir wrote a separate treatise about it, and he made the main point of criticism revolve around Ibn Ishaq.

However, the hadith has been narrated by scholars of Ahl al Sunnah such as Ahmad, Abu Dawud, and others, and it contains nothing except what has support from other narrations. The wording “الأطيط creaking” is also found in other reports.

The hadith of Ibn Khalifah was narrated by Imam Ahmad and others in a shortened form, and it is mentioned that Wakiʿ reported it.

However, many of those who narrated it reported it with the wording: “nothing remains of it except four fingers,” thus making the Throne have four fingers left over.

Al Qadi Iyad, Ibn al Zaghuni, and others like them held this wording to be sound, so they affirmed it and spoke about its meaning, saying that this amount is not occupied by the sitting.

It is also reported from Ibn al ʿAyidh that he said: “It is the place where Muhammad ﷺ sits.”

The hadith has been narrated by Ibn Jarir al Tabari in his tafsir and by others, and its wording is: “He sits upon it, and nothing remains of it the measure of four fingers,” with negation.

If there were nothing in the report except the contradiction between these two narrations, this one negates what that one affirms.

With that, it is not possible to be certain that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ intended affirmation, or that there remains from the Throne four fingers upon which the Lord does not sit.

This is a strange meaning, with no supporting evidence at all in any narration. Rather, it would imply that the Throne is greater than the Lord and larger, which is false, and contradicts what is known from the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and sound reason.

It would also imply that the greatness of the Lord is only known by magnifying the created Throne, while making the Throne greater than Him. So the Lord would only be magnified by comparison to a created thing, which is greater than Him. This is a corrupt meaning, contradicting what is known from the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and sound reason.

Majmu Al Fatawa by Ibn Taymiyyah (16/435–436)