And Abdullaah bin Ahmad bin Hanbal reported in "ar-Radd alal-Jahmiyyah": My father narrated to me (and then mentioned his chain of narration) from Abdullaah bin Naafi', who said: Maalik bin Anas said:

Allaah is above the heaven, and His knowledge is in every place, nothing escapes it.

Source: "Mukhtasar al-Uluww" of adh-Dhahabi (p. 140).

And Ibn Battah al-Ukbari brings this same narration with his chain, in "al-Ibaanah al-Kubraa", in the third book (of the printed edition) which constitutes the completion of "ar-Radd alal-Jahmiyyah" (3:153/154):

Abu Hafs narrated to us, saying: Abu Nasr Asamah narrated to us, saying: al-Fadl bin Ziyaad narrated to us, saying: I heard Abu Abdullaah (Ahmad bin Hanbal) saying: Maalik bin Anas said:

Allaah, the Exalted, is above the heaven and His knowledge is in every place, no place escapes it (His knowledge).

So I said to Abu Abdullaah, "Who informed you of this about Maalik?" He said, "I heard it from Surayj bin an-Nu'maan, from Maalik".

And it is also reported in "Sharh Usool il-I'tiqaad" of al-Laalikaa'ee (no. 673) with his chain of narration:

Muhammad bin Abdullaah bin al-Hajjaaj informed us, saying: Ahmad bin al-Husayn informed us, saying: Abdullaah bin Ahmad narrated to us, saying: My father said: Surayj bin an-Nu'maan said: Abdullaah bin Naafi' narrated to me: Maalik said: "Allaah is above the heaven, and His knowledge is in every place, nothing escapes it."

And it is also reported in:

• "ash-Sharee'ah" of al-Aajurree (no. 695)
• "Masaa'ilu Ahmad" of Abu Dawud (p. 263)

And it has been claimed by the deniers of al-uluww and by those affected by the Mutakallimoon that the creed of Imaam Maalik was that of tafweed - and they do not have a single narration that is authentic to Imaam Maalik to prove that anything of ta'weel of tafweed emanated from him. And the proof is upon the claimant and as for his saying regarding al-Istiwaa, then that constitutes the principle of Ahl us-Sunnah that the meanings of the attributes are known but the realities (kaifiyyah and haqeeqah) are unknown, so the attributes are affirmed without takyeef and tamtheel, and without additional meanings and explanations (ta'weel).

Concerning the Isnaad of This Narration

The Jahmites have cast doubt over this narration on account of Abdullaah bin Naafi' as-Saa'igh regarding whom there is speech from the Muhadditheen regarding his memory.

You have to look at the sum whole of what these people are up to so when you look at the fact that they try to claim regarding Imaam Maalik that he made ta'weel of Allaah's Nuzool to Allaah's mercy, and they do that on the basis of a narration through Habeeb bin Abee Habeeb, about whom Ibn Adee said, "The ahaadeeth are all fabricated, whether from Maalik or other than him", and about whom an-Nasaa'ee said, "Matrook in hadeeth" and about whom Imaam Ahmad said, "He is not thiqah (trustworthy)". After this, they then try to rely upon another route to this narration which contains two narrators, Muhammad bin Alee al-Jabbulee, a severe Raafidee, and another, Jaami' bin Saudah, suspected of fabricating hadeeth by adh-Dhahabee - and this can be found in al-Meezaan of adh-Dhahabee. So these narrations are not established from Imaam Maalik and the problems with these narrations are more severe than that of Abdullaah bin Naafi' mentioned above - so you see their hypocrisy in all of that.

As for the narration from Imaam Maalik that "Allaah is above the heaven and His knowledge is in every place", then that view is narrated authentically from a vast number of the Salaf with authentic chains of narration, and it is not possible that Imaam Maalik had a saying different to theirs, rather his saying is their very saying.

Ibn Abee Zamanayn (d. 399H) brings in his "Usool us-Sunnah", from Zuhayr bin Abbaad, who said:

Everyone that I reached from the mashaayikh: Maalik bin Anas, Sufyaan, Fudayl bin Iyaad, Abdullaah bin al-Mubaarak, and Wakee' Ibn al-Jarraah were saying: The Nuzool is haqq (true and real).

So we see the hypocrisy of the Jahmites in relying upon weak and fabricated sayings regarding Imaam Malik and ta'weel, whilst they cast doubt regarding the narration from Abdullaah bin Naafi'.

And finally, of what benefit is it to the Jahmiyyah to cast doubt about this position of Imaam Maalik when the very same saying is reported authentically from the Companions, Taabi'een and other Imaams of the Salaf, let alone being explicit in the texts of the Book and the Sunnah?