Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3109
جامع الترمذي#3109Hasanحَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مَنِيعٍ، حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ هَارُونَ، أَخْبَرَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ يَعْلَى بْنِ عَطَاءٍ، عَنْ وَكِيعِ بْنِ حُدُسٍ، عَنْ عَمِّهِ أَبِي رَزِينٍ، قَالَ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَيْنَ كَانَ رَبُّنَا قَبْلَ أَنْ يَخْلُقَ خَلْقَهُ قَالَ " كَانَ فِي عَمَاءٍ مَا تَحْتَهُ هَوَاءٌ وَمَا فَوْقَهُ هَوَاءٌ وَخَلَقَ عَرْشَهُ عَلَى الْمَاءِ " . قَالَ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مَنِيعٍ قَالَ يَزِيدُ بْنُ هَارُونَ الْعَمَاءُ أَىْ لَيْسَ مَعَهُ شَيْءٌ . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَكَذَا رَوَى حَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ وَكِيعُ بْنُ حُدُسٍ وَيَقُولُ شُعْبَةُ وَأَبُو عَوَانَةَ وَهُشَيْمٌ وَكِيعُ بْنُ عُدُسٍ وَهُوَ أَصَحُّ وَأَبُو رَزِينٍ اسْمُهُ لَقِيطُ بْنُ عَامِرٍ قَالَ وَهَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ .
Narrated Waki' bin Hudus:from his uncle Abu Razin who said: "I said: 'O Messenger of Allah! Where was our Lord before He created His creation?' He said: 'He was (above) the clouds - no air was under him, no air was above him, and He created His Throne upon the water.'" Ahmad [bin Mani'] said: "Yazid bin Harun said (regarding) the air - 'It means there was nothing with him
Scholarly Authentication
The label above is the grade most of these scholars gave — one dissenting opinion no longer speaks for all of them. If any scholar calls a narration fabricated, that verdict is shown instead, whatever the others say. Each scholar's own wording:
In-book reference: 47:161