Among the authentic texts concerning the attributes and actions of Allah is the hadeeth of al-Nuzul, in which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ informed us that our Lord descends to the nearest heaven during the last third of every night. This is an authentic hadeeth transmitted by both al-Bukhari and Muslim, and it is therefore part of the revelation that the believer accepts and affirms as it has been transmitted.
The scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah accepted such texts without denying them, distorting their meanings, or attempting to describe the manner of Allah’s attributes.
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “Every night when it is the last third of the night, our Lord, the Superior, the Blessed, descends to the nearest heaven and says: Is there anyone to invoke Me that I may respond to his invocation? Is there anyone to ask Me so that I may grant him his request? Is there anyone asking My forgiveness so that I may forgive him?” [Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī #7494, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim #758]
Fudhayl bin Iyadh said: If a Jahmi says to you “I disbelieve in a Lord who moves from His place”, then say to him: “I believe in a Lord who acts as He wishes”. (Khalq af’al al-ibaad of al-Bukhari)
The statement of Fudhayl ibn Iyadh illustrates clearly: when confronted with those who rejected the descent because they understood it as an impermissible movement, he responded by affirming that Allah acts according to His will.
The hadeeth of al-Nuzul is therefore a clear example of the methodology of Ahl al-Sunnah regarding the attributes of Allah. We affirm what has been authentically reported from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, while refusing to liken Allah to His creation or to ask how His descent occurs.
As Fudhayl ibn Iyadh stated, the response to the objection is not to deny the attribute, but to affirm that Allah does whatever He wills. Allah is the Creator, and nothing resembles Him. His actions and attributes are befitting His majesty, and the believer submits to the revelation without rejecting what Allah and His Messenger ﷺ have informed us.