The Nature of the "Throne" (ʿArsh) and its Position as Divine Providence, Management, and Lordship in Shiite Sources

This study aimed to explain the truth of the throne and its logical and narrative devices. In this regard, the truth of the Throne was studied using the Quranic verses and the narrations of the Shiite Imams in library research and theoretical analysis method. The "truth of the Throne" is one of the most controversial issues for Islamic scholars. Some theologians such as Moshabbahe and Mojassame consider the Throne purely material and physical, like sitting on the throne, and others consider it transcendental, abstract, equivalent to knowledge, or the center of divine providence. The materialistic and superficial interpretation of the truth of the Throne, in addition to being contrary to the rational and philosophical understanding, conflicts with some narrations of the Shiite Imams, just as the virtual and metaphorical interpretation of the Throne is incompatible with the texts of verses and hadiths. In conclusion, the Divine Throne is an independent truth and is of the kind of unseen truths and in the rank of abstract worlds. The Throne refers to the place of divine providence and lordship, and all divine commands lead to it, and accordingly, the "Throne" is also the place of God Almighty’s knowledge of the creatures.