I have been permitted to tell about one of Allah’s angels who bears the throne that the distance between the lobe of his ear and his shoulder is a journey of seven hundred years.
Sunan Abi Dawud Book 42, Hadith 132
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An A’rab(a nomadic Arab) came to the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) and said: People suffering distress, the children are hungry, the crops are withered, and the animals are perished, so ask Allah to grant us rain, for we seek you as our intercessor with Allah, and Allah as intercessor with you. The Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) said: Woe to you: Do you know what you are saying? Then the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) declared Allah’s glory and he continued declaring His glory till the effect of that was apparent in the faces of his Companions. He then said: Woe to you: Allah is not to be sought as intercessor with anyone. Allah’s state is greater than that. Woe to you! Do you know how great Allah is? His throne is above the heavens thus(indicating with his fingers like a dome over him), and it groans on account of Him as a saddle does because of the rider.
Ibn Bashshar said in his version: Allah is above the throne, and the throne is above the heavens. He then mentioned the rest of the tradition. ‘Abd al-A’la, Ibn al- Muthana and Ibn Bashshar transmitted it from Ya’qub b. ‘Utbah and Jubair b. Muhammad b. Jubair from his father on the authority of his grandfather.
Abu Dawud said: This tradition with the chain of Ahmad b. Sa’ad is sound. It has been approved by the body (of traditionists) , which includes Yahya b. Ma’in and ‘Ali b. al-Madani, and a group has transmitted it from Ibn Ishaq, as Ahmad also said. And so far as I have been informed ‘Abd al-A’la, Ibn al-Muthanna, and Ibn Bashshar had heard from the same copy(of the collection of tradition).
Sunan Abi Dawud Book 42, Hadith 131 Next Hadith → I heard Abu Hurairah recite this verse : “Allah doth command you to render back your trusts to those to whom they are due” up to “For Allah is he who heareth and seeth all things”. He said : I saw the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) putting his thumb on his ear and finger on his eye.
Abu Hurairah said : I saw the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) reciting this verse and putting his fingers. Ibn Yunus said that al-Muqri said. “Allah hears and sees” means that Allah has the power of hearing and seeing.
Abu Dawud said: This is a refutation of the Jahmiyyah.
Sunan Abi Dawud Book 42, Hadith 133
Ibn Bashshar said in his version: Allah is above the throne, and the throne is above the heavens. He then mentioned the rest of the tradition. ‘Abd al-A’la, Ibn al- Muthana and Ibn Bashshar transmitted it from Ya’qub b. ‘Utbah and Jubair b. Muhammad b. Jubair from his father on the authority of his grandfather.
Abu Dawud said: This tradition with the chain of Ahmad b. Sa’ad is sound. It has been approved by the body (of traditionists) , which includes Yahya b. Ma’in and ‘Ali b. al-Madani, and a group has transmitted it from Ibn Ishaq, as Ahmad also said. And so far as I have been informed ‘Abd al-A’la, Ibn al-Muthanna, and Ibn Bashshar had heard from the same copy(of the collection of tradition).
Sunan Abi Dawud Book 42, Hadith 131 Next Hadith → I heard Abu Hurairah recite this verse : “Allah doth command you to render back your trusts to those to whom they are due” up to “For Allah is he who heareth and seeth all things”. He said : I saw the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) putting his thumb on his ear and finger on his eye.
Abu Hurairah said : I saw the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) reciting this verse and putting his fingers. Ibn Yunus said that al-Muqri said. “Allah hears and sees” means that Allah has the power of hearing and seeing.
Abu Dawud said: This is a refutation of the Jahmiyyah.
Sunan Abi Dawud Book 42, Hadith 133