Malikite scholars have consistently adhered to the belief of tanzih

والصَّلَاةُ والسَّلاَمُ عَلَى سَيّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ أَشْرَفِ اْلمُرْسَلِيْنَ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ الطَّيّبِيْنَ الطَّاهِرِيْن

Malikite scholars have consistently adhered to the belief of tanzih, meaning Allah's exemption from any attribute of creatures, such as place, direction, or 'how'.

Al-Baqillaniyy

Qadi Abu Bakr Muhammad Al-Baqil-laniyy Al-Malikiyy Al-‘Ash^ariyy  (d. 403 AH) stated in "Al-‘Insaf fima yajibu-^tiqaduhu wa la yajuzu l-jahlu bih" (p. 65): "The Throne is not a locus of establishment or a site for Allah, because Allah ta^ala eternally exists, and no place exists eternally. After creating places, He did not deviate from what He is from eternity."

Al-Baqillaniyy also stated in "Al-‘Insaf fima yajibu-^tiqaduhu wa la yajuzu l-jahlu bih" (p. 64): "It is incumbent to recognise that the Lord ta^ala is exempt from anything that suggests entry into existence or any imperfection. Therefore, He is exempt, ta^ala, from being characterised by directions, from being qualified by the attributes of what comes into existence, and He is not characterised by change, displacement, standing, or sitting, as stated by His word ta^ala:

﴿لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَىء﴾

(laysa kamithlihi shay’)

« Nothing resembles Him in any way » suratu sh-Shura / 11

And because of His word:

 ﴿وَلـم يَكُن لَّهُ كُفُواً أَحَدٌ﴾

 (wa lam yakun lahu kufuwan ‘ahad) suratu l-'Ikhlas / 4

 "He has no equivalent".

Indeed, the attributes mentioned imply entry into existence, and Allah ta^ala is exempt from all of these.

Ibnu Battal

The belief in tanzih was also upheld by the Imam, the Shaykh of Muhaddith Abu ^Abdi l-Lah Muhammad ibnu ‘Isma^il Al-Bukhariyy (d. 256 AH), the author of the famous Sahih. Commentators on his Sahih recognised that Al-Bukhariyy exempted Allah from place and direction.

Therefore, Shaykh ^Aliyy Ibnu Khalaf, the Malikiyy scholar known by the nickname Ibnu Battal, one of the commentators on Al-Bukhariyy's Sahih (deceased in 449 AH), remarked: "Al-Bukhariyy's intention in this chapter is to refute the Jahmites who ascribed corporeality to Allah by adhering to these literal meanings, although Allah is not a body. He eternally exists, and no place exists eternally." (Fat-hu l-Bari, volume 13, page 416)

Al-Qurtubiyy

The Mufassir Muhammad Ibnu Ahmad Al-‘Ansariyy Al-Qurtubiyy, the Malikiyy scholar (died in 671 AH), said: "By the name 'Al-^Aliyy', one aims at elevation by merit and eminence, and not elevation by location, because Allah is exempt from location." (Al-Jami^u li‘Ahkami l-Qur’an, Suratu l-Baqarah / 255, volume 3, page 278)

Al-Qurtubiyy also said, " The significance of:

﴿فَوقَ عِباَدِهِ﴾

(fawqa ^ibadih) suratu 'Ali ^Imran / 18

lies in the superiority of dominion, evident through the manifestation of His omnipotence and the inevitable realisation of His will over them. Essentially, His slaves are conditioned by His will, without implying any form of spatial elevation. (Same reference, suratu l-'An^am / 18, volume 6, page 399)

He also said: "The rule is His exemption, suhanahu wa ta^ala, from the movement, displacement and occupation of places" (same reference suratu l-'An^am / 3, tome 6 p 390). Similarly in his exegesis of the 'Ayah (same reference suratu l-Fajr / 22, tome 20 p 55):

 ﴿وَجَاءَ رَبُّكَ وَالـملَكُ صَفًّا صفًّا﴾

 (wa ja’a Rabbuka wa l-malaku saffan saffa) suratu 'Ali ^Imran / 22

 "...manifestations of the omnipotence of Your Lord will come with the angels, ranks by ranks": "Allah, glory be to Him, is not characterised by movement from one place to another; change and displacement are impossible for Him. He has neither place nor time. He is not subject to moments or to time, because the passage of time implies that past moments elude Him, and one from whom something eludes is not all-powerful."

Al-Qarafiyy

The illustrious 'usuliyy scholar, Shaykh Ahmad ibnu Idris Al-Qarafiyy the Malikiyy, the Egyptian, one of the fuqaha' - specialists in jurisprudence - among the Malikiyys (died 684 AH), said in Al-’Ajwibatu l-Fakhirah, p. 93:

"وهو -أي الله- ليس في جهةٍ ، ونراه نحن وهو ليس في جهة"

 "Allah is not confined to any direction; we, the believers, will behold Him without Him being bound by any direction."

Muhammad Mayyarah et Ibnu ^Ashir

The esteemed scholar Muhammad Mayyarah Al-Malikiyy (d. 1072 AH) in his work Ad-Durru th-Thamin wa l-Mawridu l-Ma^in, a commentary on Al-Murshidu l-Mu^in ^ala d–Daruriyyi min ^Ulumi d-Din by Shaykh ^Abdu l-Wahid Ibnu ^Ashir Al-‘Ansariyy Al-‘Ash^ariyy Al-Malikiyy, may Allah have mercy on them both, stated:

"أَجمعَ أَهْلُ الحَقِّ قَاطِبَةً على أنَّ الله تَعالى لا جِهَةَ له ، فلا فوقَ له ولا تحتَ ولا يمينَ ولا شمالَ ولا أمامَ ولا خَلْفَ"

"The people of truth were unanimous in affirming that Allah ta^ala is free from direction; He has no top, no bottom, no right, no left, no front, and no back" (Ad-Durru th-Thamin, p. 30).

Az–Zurqaniyy

Shaykh Muhammad Ibnu ^Abdi l-Baqi Az–Zurqaniyy Al-Malikiyy  (died in 1122 of the Hegira) said in his commentary on Imam Malik's Muwatta' (commentary by Az–Zurqaniyy on Imam Malik's Muwatta' tome 2 p 36): " Al-Baydawiy said: Given the categorical proofs confirming Allah's exemption from both corporeality and location, it is inconceivable to ascribe to Him ‘nuzul’ as understood in the sense of descending from one elevated place to another below.

Abu l-Barakat Ad-Dardir

The Shaykh, the eminent scholar, Abu l-Barakat ‘Ahmad Ibnu Muhammad Ad-Dardir Al-Malikiyy Al-Misriyy (died 1201 AH), stated in " Al-Kharidatu l-Bahiyyah " - within the Collection of Summaries of Importance, No. 31, page 25 - regarding Allah ta^ala:

"مُنَـزَّهٌ عن الحلول والجهة والاتصال والانفصال والسَّفه"

"He is exempt from incarnation, direction, contact, separation, and any attribution that would be considered absurd."

Muhammad ^Arabiyy At-Tabban

The Muhaddith  (specialist in the transmission of hadith), Shaykh Muhammad ^Arabiyy At-Tabban the Malikite, a teacher at Madrasatu l-Falah  and the Mecca Mosque (deceased in 1390 AH), stated in "Bara’atu l-‘Ash^ariyyin " volume 1, page 79: "The sound-minded people, the adherents of Ahlu s-Sunnah, including the Shafi^ites, the Hanafites, the Malikites, and those Hanbalites  who have not gone astray, along with others, have unanimously agreed that Allah, tabaraka wa ta^ala, is free from place, body, limit, and any likeness to His creatures."

Ibnu ^Ashur

Shaykh Muhammad Tahir Ibnu ^Ashur Al-Malikiyy (d. 1393 AH) said, "His word:

﴿مَن فِي السَّمَاءِ﴾

(man fi s-sama’) suratu l-Mulk / 17

is mentioned twice in contexts that might seem to imply physical incarnation or spatial confinement. However, this apparent meaning is not befitting of Allah.

Shaykh Muhammad Tahir Ibnu ^Ashur Al-Malikiyy served as the president of the Malikiyy muftis in Tunisia. He was also the Shaykh of the Mosque of Az–Zaytunah and its associated institutions in Tunisia. This information is documented in " Al-‘A^lam " by Az–Zarkaliyy, volume 6, page 174. Further reference can be found in his exegesis, "At-Tahrir wat-Tanwir," volume 29, page 33.