Ibn Hajar's FetihulBari Fi Sharhi Sahihil Bukhari, part 3 page 23:
Adopters of trend of God's having a locality cited the Prophet's saying, "Our Lord descends to the lowest heavens," as their evidence. Majority of scholars denied so, since it leads to the Lord's demarcation. Allah be exalted against so. Various opinions were cited in respect of meaning of the Lord's descending. Anthropomorphists rested upon its extrinsic material meaning. Allah be exalted against their misallegation. Kharijites and Mutazilites denied the whole matter; authenticity of such hadiths. This is indeed an exaggeration. While they have been finding suitable interpretation for Quranic texts respecting such a subject, they, either ignorantly or inflexibly, denied hadiths involving the topic. The worthy ancestors passed such texts as they are, believing in them generally and promoting Allah, the Exalted, against conditions and anthropomorphism. Like many others, AlBeihaqi relate this viewpoint to the four masters, the two Sufians, the two Hemmads, AlAwzai, AlLeith and others. Others interpreted meaning of the hadith into a proper form common in Arabic. Others opted for an interpretation too exaggerative to evade distortion. Others discerned what is interpreted in a form near to Arabic, from what is rarely used. Hence, some was interpreted and the rest was commended. This is Malik's trend. Ibn Daqiq AlAbd followed this trend lately.
AlBeihaqi: The most secure trend is that of believing without seeking conditions, and suspending the intended meanings saving those communicated by authentic narrators. They agreed upon nonobligation of resting upon the identified interpretation. Only then, commendation to Allah becomes safer…
IbnulArabi: It is said that the heretics refute such texts while the worthy ancestors passed them as they are. A third group ruled of finding interpretation
for them. The latter, however, is the most suitable for me. God's sayings are referred to His deeds, not Essence. It is also an indication to the angel who descends with His orders and instructions. Like corporealities, descending can be through mental meanings. Providing the material meaning is adopted, it will be alluded to the angel conveyed. Supposing the mental is adopted, that is called a descending to a lower rank. It is also an accurate style of Arabic.
IbnulArabi intends to say that there are two sorts of interpretation. First, the extrinsic meaning that is descending of God's affair or angels. Second, metaphoric meaning that is the Lord's kindness to His supplicators and responding them.
Abu Bakr Bin Fawrak records some scholars utter the text in a way inciting that the angels, not the Lord, are concerned. As an evidence on the forecited reciting, is AnNisai's narrative ascribed to AlAghar, Abu Hureira and Abu Sa'eed. The hadith, then, should be in this form, "Allah respites till midnight. After that, He orders a declarant to announce if there is a supplicator so that he will be responded…" Othman Bin AbilAas relates it in the following form, "Is there a supplicator so that he will be responded?"
AlQurtubi: Only in this way, this problem should be solved. It is also not defeated by Refa'a AlJuheni's narrative, "Allah descends to the lowest heavens and declares that His servants should not ask but Him.", since this does not deny that interpretation.
AlBeidhawi: As long as it is certified, by decisive proofs, that Allah is promoted against having corporeity or being restricted in a definite space, it is impracticable for Him to descend which hints at moveableness to a lower point. Illumination of His mercy is intended. In other words, He shifts from attribute of glorification, which requires ire and reprisal, into attribute of benevolence, which requires lenience and compassion.
