It is reported in al-Uloow and its mukhtasir by Imaam Shamsu-deen adh-Dhahabee that Imaam of ahlu-sunnah Sufyan ibn Uyaina said regarding the sifaat of Allah

"its meaning is its recitation"

This refutes two matters

1. That it is to be understood by the very words that it states, ala dhahir, or upon its apparent meaning and

2. refutes the idea of tafweedh or entrusting the meaning to Allah when Allah Himself already revaled its meaning by its very words

They refer to the understanding of the companions of Muhammad (salallahu alaihi wa salam) in all matters and there is consensus among the companions that Allah is above His Throne. Imam Al-Awza'ee (d.157H) was a tabi’, he met the companions of Muhammad (saw) and he was known as the second Imam Shafi’I (who died in 192H) though he was from before him, he was from Ahl Al Hadith. He confirmed the consensus of the confirmation of the tabi’een regarding the Ascension of Allah above His Throne, He said,

“We and all the remaining tabi’een say that Allah is Above His Throne, we believe in whatever the sunnah describes about His (swt) attributes.” [Mukhtasar Al ‘Uluw p137 - Imam Dhahabi, & Al Asmaa Wal Sifaat – Baihaqi, & Fath ul Baari Sharh Al Bukhari – ibn Hajar v13 p417]

“Allah will never be described by the attributes of his creation, his anger and happiness are his attributes without how and that is the saying of Ahl Al Sunnah Wal Jama’ah. He becomes angry and happy and we cannot say his anger is his punishment, or that his pleasure is his reward and we describe Him the way he describes himself, he is ahad, samad he has no parents and no children and there is nothing like him, he is hayyu (alive), qadirun, samee’ (hearer), baseer’ (seer), Aalim (knowledgeable), his hands are over their hands and not like the hands of his creation, and his face is not like the face of his creation and we confess that Allah is sitting above his throne without any need for it.” [Fiqh al Absat p10]

Abu Hanifah affirmed all Allah’s attributes that are disputed in this one saying in the same way as the other Imams believed including Imam Maalik. Abdullah ibn Rafi’ narrated that,

“Imam Maalik said, Allah is in the heaven and his knowledge is everywhere.”

Abu Haneefah (rh) said, when asked of his opinion of the one who says, ‘I do not know whether Allah is above the heavens or on the earth.’ - “He has disbelieved, because Allah says, “The Most Merciful rose above the Throne,” and His Throne is above His seven heavens.’ He was then asked , ‘what if he said that Allah is above His Throne but he does not know whether the Throne is in the heavens or on the earth?’ He said, ‘He has disbelieved, because He has denied that He is above the heavens, And whosoever denied that He is above the heavens has disbelieved.” (‘Sharh Usul I'tiqaad Ahlus Sunnah’ of al-Laalikaaee (d.414AH), ‘al-Uluww’ of adh- Dhahabee, also ‘Sharh Aqueedah at-Tahaawiyyah’ of ibn Abee al-Izz al-Hanafee).

5. A woman asked Abu Haneefah, “Where is your Lord whom you worship” So he said, “Verily Allah the Exalted is above the sky (fis-samaa`), not in the earth.” So a man said to him, `Have you seen the statement of Allah the Exalted, “And He is with you.” (57:4) He said, “He is as you are when you write to a man, `Verily I am with you,' whilst you are absent from him” (al-Asmaa was-Sifaat).

Imam Qutaibah bin Sa’eed was a great tabi’ tabi’ (b.150H - d. 240H), he said,

“Allah is above his throne, that is the saying of the Imams in Islam and Ahl Al Sunnah Wal Jama’ah, we believe Allah is above the seven heavens above his throne, the way Allah said, “Al Rahman is above his throne.””

So in the past, they had no problem to believe in Allah’s ascension over his throne without asking ‘how?’ and without to interpret his attribute nor to negate it. We do not need to ask how or rationally attribute meaning that he is needy for the throne,

Allah is above His throne and His ascension is in accordance to His Almighty majesty, it is not like the ascension of man, the way that Allah sees and hears in accordance to his quality and majesty and the seeing and hearing of men is in accordance to his weakness and there is a world of difference between the seeing and hearing of men and that of Allah. Imam Dhahabi said,

“Who is better than Imam Qutaibah in his imamah? … he transmitted the consensus in all topics of Allah’s istiwa, he met Imam Maalik and Laith ibn Sa’d and … and the highest ulema’ and he lived for a long time.” [Bayan al talbees al jahmiyyah v2 p37]

He lived a long time and met a lot of ulemah, he was born in the year of the birth of Imam Shafi’i and died in the year of the death of Imam Ahmed, he was qualified to report this consensus.

Proofs from the followers of the Salaf among the laterday Scholars

Muhammad bin Yusuf said (one of the teachers of Bukhaaree), ‘the one who says that Allah is not over His Throne is a kaafir. And the one who thinks that Allah did not speak to Moses is a kaafir’ (Bukhaaree's, ‘Khalq Af’aal Ebaad’)

Imaam Abu Sa’eed Uthmaan ad-Daarimee – rahimahullaah – says, “Then the Scholars before us and after us all have Ijmaa (consensus), that when we seek help from Allah or when we call him, we raise and spread our hands towards the sky and our sight is also upwards. We do not call upon him by looking below us in the earth, behind or in front, to the right or the left. We concentrate towards the sky, because everyone knows that Allah is above them, and everyone who prays says in prostration, “Praise be to Allah the Most High” (‘Radd Alal Jahmiyyah’)

Imam ibn Khuzaimah said, “Whoever does not acknowledge that Allah is above His 'Arsh, above His seven heavens, and that He is separated from His creatures, is a Kafir, (unbeliever). Such person must be ordered to repent and disavow his belief, or else he must be beheaded and thrown on a garbage dump so that neither Ahlul-Qiblah (the Muslims) nor Ahludth-dthimmah (non-Muslims living in Muslim lands) be annoyed by the foul odor of his carcass.”

"Al-Qurtubee said concerning the saying of Allaah, the Most High, "Then he ascended (istawaa) the Throne",
"We have explained the sayings of the Scholars regarding this issue in the book ‘al-Asnaa fee Sharh al-Asmaa al-Husnaa’ and we mentioned fourteen different sayings therein"
up until he said,
"And the Salaf of the very first times - may Allaah be pleased with them all - never used to negate direction (al-jihah) for Allaah and nor did they used to express this (negation). Rather, they, and all of the others, used to speak with its affirmation for Allaah, the Most High just as His Book has spoken about it and just as His Messengers informed of it. And not a single one of the Salaf denied that his ascending (istawaa) the Throne was real and true (haqeeqah) (as opposed to metaphorical, majaaz). And Allaah specified the Throne with istawaa because that is the greatest of all His creation. However they assumed ignorance only of the exact nature (kaifiyyah) of istiwaa, for the true nature of that is not known. Imaam Maalik said, ‘Istiwaa is known…’, meaning in the language, ‘…its true nature is unknown and asking about it is an innovation." 

Issue:The statement regarding the Philosphers (which the ashaairah gain their understanstading of the sifaat from, about the arguement that direction is negated for Allah because it means (according to heir faulty logic) or entails spatial postion for Allah or confinement

 And al-Qurtubee also said in ‘al-Asnaa’,
"Many of the past and contemporary philosophers said, ‘When it is necessary to purify the Creator (al-Baaree) - whose Magnificence is great - from having direction (jihah) and demarcation (tamayyuz), then from the requirements and necessary consequences of this, in the view of most of the past scholars and their leading contemporaries, is the purify the Creator (al-Baaree) from having direction (jihah). In their view, direction does not have the aspect of ‘above’ to it. This is because to them, when Allaah is designated with direction, this would necessitate that He is restricted to a place (makaan) and a confine (hayyiz). (Subsequently), a place and a confine necessitate (for Him) (such) movement and stillness that is related to distinction (tamayyuz), transformation (taghayyur) and new occurrences (hudooth) . This is the saying of the philosophers.
I (adh-Dhahabee) say, "Yes, this is what the deniers of the ‘uluww (highness) of the Lord, Mighty and Majestic, have depended upon. And they turned away from the requirement of the Book, the Sunnah, the sayings of the Salaf and the innate dispositions of the whole of creation. What they claim to be necessitated (from affirming Allaah’s highness) is only applicable to created bodies. Yet there is nothing like Allaah and the necessities arising from the clear and evident texts (of the Book and the Sunnah) are also true. However, we do not make use of any explanation except one that comes through a narration. In addition to this we say, ‘We do not accept that the Creator’s being upon His Throne and above the heavens, necessitates that He is confined and in spatial direction, since whatever is below the Throne is said to be confined and in spatial direction. However, what is above the Throne is not like that. And Allaah is above the Throne as the very first generation are unanimously agreed upon and as the imaams after them have quoted from them. They said this in refutation of the Jahmiyyah, those who said that He is in every place seeking as a proof His saying, ‘And He is with you…’. So these two sayings were the very two sayings which were present in the time of the Taabi’een and their successors who came after them. And they are the two sayings that can be understood in this statement (i.e. of the philosophers). As for the third saying which came around after this which is that’ Allaah the Most High is not in any place, nor is His Holy Essence (Dhaat) confined, nor is He separate and distinct from His creation, nor is he in any spatial direction, nor is outside of any spatial directions, and nor this and nor that…’ then this is something that cannot be comprehended nor understood , along with the fact that within it is opposition to the verses (of the Book) and the narrations (from the Salaf). Therefore flee with your religion and beware of the opinions of the philosophers. Believe in Allaah and what has come from Him upon the desired intent of Allaah, then submit your affair to Him and there is no power nor movement except by Allaah."
The book is completed and all praise is to Allaah alone…" Mukhtasir al-Uloow

Likwise al-Imaam Abdul-Hayy al-Lucknowee says in his Majmua al-Fatwa that those who say that "Allah is everywhere" or that "Allah is not over His Arsh" actually resemble the jahmiyyah. He says that There concept about Allah is not Islamic and do not resemble ahlu-sunnah wal jama'ah