Where is Allah?
abu marthad al ghanawiyy
البينة Al BAIYYINAH البينة
Where is Allah?
This is a question that has caused great division and disunity amongst
Muslims all over the world, some believing that Allah (عز و جل) is
everywhere, some believing that he is over his throne and some
believing that he is no where at all.
However when there is disagreement in matters of the religion it is
obligatory upon us to return to the evidences from the Qur’an and the
Sunnah and in addition we must comprehend these two revelations
according to the understanding of the Companions and those who emulated
them in their creed and methodology. The evidence for returning to the
Qur’an and the Sunnah is Allah’s saying:
فَإِن تَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ
فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ
“And if it is that you disagree upon a matter return to Allah and his
Prophet.”
‘Ata Ibn Rabah (died 114 years after the Hijrah) one of the students
of Ibn ‘Abbas said: “Returning it to Allah means returning it to
his book (Qur’an) and returning it to the Prophet (صلي الله
عليه و سلم) means returning it to his Sunnah.” And the
evidence for returning matters of disagreement to the companions is the
Hadeeth of the Prophet (صلي الله عليه و سلم) where he
said:
“And my nation will divide into 73 different groups all of them are
in the fire except for one.” It was then said: Who are they oh
Prophet? He (صلي الله عليه و سلم) said after being
questioned: “They are upon what I am upon today and my companions.”
Hence in clarifying this matter evidences from the Qur’an, the Sunnah
and the sayings of our illustrious Imams will be used.
Allah (عز و جل) said in Surah Taha verse 5:
الرَّحْمَنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوَى
“The most merciful is above his throne.”
He also said in six areas of the Qur’an:
ثُمَّ اسْتَوَى عَلَى الْعَرْشِ
“Then he ascended (made Istawa) over his throne.”
And the six areas are:
1 Surah A’araf verse 54:
2 Surah Yunus verse 3:
3 Surah Ra’d verse 2:
4 Surah Furqan verse 59:
5 Surah Sajdah verse 4
6 Surah Hadeed verse 4:
He (عز و جل) also said in Surah An’am verse 18
وَهُوَ الْقَاهِرُ فَوْقَ عِبَادِهِ
وَهُوَ الْحَكِيمُ الْخَبِيرُ
“And He is the Qahir (Supreme), above His slaves, and He is the
All-Wise, the Well-Acquainted (with all things).”
In Surah Nahl verse 50 He (عز و جل) said:
يَخَافُونَ رَبَّهُم مِّن فَوْقِهِمْ
وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ
“They fear their Lord who is above them and they do what they are
told.”
In Surah Fatir verse 10 He (عز و جل) said:
إِلَيْهِ يَصْعَدُ الْكَلِمُ
الطَّيِّبُ وَالْعَمَلُ الصَّالِحُ
يَرْفَعُهُ
“To him raises the good words and the good deeds.”
And in Surah Ghafir verses 36 and 37 Allah narrated the story of
Fir’aun the accursed when he said to Haamaan:
وَقَالَ فِرْعَوْنُ يَا هَامَانُ ابْنِ
لِي صَرْحًا لَّعَلِّي أَبْلُغُ
الْأَسْبَابَ
أَسْبَابَ السَّمَاوَاتِ فَأَطَّلِعَ
إِلَى إِلَهِ مُوسَى وَإِنِّي
لَأَظُنُّهُ كَاذِبًا
“Build me a tower so I can attain ways and means of getting to the
heavens so I may look at the Lord of Moses and verily I think that he
is a liar.”
Imam Sabuni said in his book called ‘The way of the Salaf the people
of Hadeeth’ said: “Fir’aun only declared this when he heard Musa
(عليه سلم) say that his Lord is above the heavens…. And the
scholars of this nation and the Imams from the Salaf (the first three
generations of Islam) have no difference regarding the fact that Allah
is over his throne, and that his throne is above the heavens.”
From the Sunnah there is the Hadeeth Narrated in Saheeh Muslim where
the Prophet (صلي الله عليه و سلم) asked the slave girl:
“Where is Allah?” And the slave girl replied: Above the heavens. He
(صلي الله عليه و سلم) then asked: “And who am I?”
She replied: You are the Prophet of Allah. He (صلي الله عليه
و سلم) then declared: “Free her because she is a believer.”
Imam Sabuni said: “The Prophet (صلي الله عليه و سلم)
ruled that she was a Muslim and a believer on the fact that she said
that her Lord was above his throne and that she know her Lord as being
higher and above us all.”
Also the Prophet (صلي الله عليه و سلم) said: “Don’t
you trust me and I am the trustworthy one of the one above the
heavens…” Narrated in Bukhari.
He (صلي الله عليه و سلم) also said: “The throne is
above water and Allah is above his throne and he knows what all of you
are upon.” Narrated in Saheeh Muslim.
But Allah Says in the Quraan that He is Everywhere?
Allah (عز و جل) Says in Surah Mujadilah Ayah 7:
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا
فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ
مَا يَكُونُ مِن نَّجْوَى ثَلَاثَةٍ
إِلَّا هُوَ رَابِعُهُمْ وَلَا
خَمْسَةٍ إِلَّا هُوَ سَادِسُهُمْ
وَلَا أَدْنَى مِن ذَلِكَ وَلَا
أَكْثَرَ إِلَّا هُوَ مَعَهُمْ أَيْنَ
مَا كَانُوا ثُمَّ يُنَبِّئُهُم بِمَا
عَمِلُوا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ إِنَّ
اللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ
"Have you not seen that Allah knows whatsoever is in the heavens and
whatsoever is on the earth? There is no Najwa (secret counsel) of
three, but He is their fourth, nor of five but He is their sixth, not
of less than that or more, but He is with them wherever they may be;
and afterwards on the Day of Resurrection, He will inform them of what
they did. Verily, Allah is the All-Knower of everything."
And in Surah Hadid Ayah 4:
وَهُوَ مَعَكُمْ أَيْنَ مَا كُنتُمْ
“And He is with you wherever you are”
We have just established that Allah says he is above His creation, so
then what do these ayaat mean?
Allah (عز و جل) says:
فَاسْأَلُواْ أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن
كُنتُمْ لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ
“Ask the people of knowledge if you do not know”
The Imams (may Allah have mercy upon them all) of the Salaf and those
who followed them in goodness all believed that Allah is over his
throne and not everywhere. And they declare that whenever Allah speaks
about himself being everywhere it means that he is everywhere by his
knowledge[as is mentioned afterwards in the ayaah].
Abdullah Ibn Mas’uud (رضي الله عنهما) the companion of
the Prophet (صلي الله عليه و سلم) said: “Allah is
above his throne and nothing is hidden from him from your actions.”
Abdullah Ibn Mubarak (died 181 A.H) said: “We know our Lord as being
over his throne over his creation and we do not say that he is here.”
He said this pointing to the ground. Imam Abu Haneefah (died 150 A.H)
said: “Allah is above his throne without being on earth.” A man
then asked him: What about Allah’s saying that he is with you
wherever you are? The noble Imam said after being questioned: “It is
like when a man writes to you that he is with you but he is not present
with you.” Al Asma Wa Sifaat.
Imam Malik (died 179 A.H) said: “Allah is above his throne and his
knowledge is everywhere.” Imam At Tahawi said in his ‘Aqeedah:
“And he is Muheet (full of knowledge) of everything and above it.”
Imam Ibn Abi Zaid Al Qairawani said: “And he is above his throne
himself and is everywhere in his knowledge.” Imam Dahaak said: “He
is above his throne and he knows of everything wherever they are.”
Abu Nasr As Sajzi said: “Our Imams like Sufyan Ath Thauri (died 161
A.H), Malik, Hammad Ibn Salamah (died 167 A.H), Hammad Ibn Zaid (died
179 A.H), Sufyan Ibn ‘Uyainah (died 198 A.H), Fudail Ibn Iyyad, Ibn
Mubarak, Ahmad (Ibn Hanbal)(died 251 A.H) and Ishaaq (Ibn Rahawai)(died
238 A.H) agree that Allah is over his throne and that his knowledge is
everywhere.”
Abu ‘Umar Ibn Abdul Barr said: “The scholars of the companions and
those who after them say about verse 7 in Surah Mujadilah that Allah is
above his throne and that his knowledge is everywhere.” Ibn Katheer
said about the same verse “Meaning that he is aware of them.” Imam
Sufyan Ath Thauri said about verse 4 in Surah Hadeed (He is with you
wherever you are) he said: “Meaning by his knowledge.” Ibn Katheer
said about the same verse: “Meaning witness over you and your
deeds.” Ibn Katheer also said: “And because of this there is
consensus that the meaning of his being with us means by his
knowledge.”
Shaikh Abdul Aziz Ibn Baz said: “Allah is over his throne according
to his majesty and he is all aware of his creation by his knowledge…
and the saying that Allah being with us means that he mixes with his
creation is that which the people of Huluul (those who believe that
Allah can become incarnated in a person) say and they believe that
Allah is everywhere and they raise him from rising above his throne yet
they do not raise him from being in the most dirtiest and disgusting
places.”
In speaking about the way of the Salaf Shaikh Muhammad Ibn Salih Al
Uthaimeen said: “They say that Allah being with us means by his
knowledge when speaking in a general sense. However in a specific sense
(to the believers) he is with them by aiding them.”
Conclusion
Hence it is clear from this small effort that Allah himself is above
his throne and everywhere by his knowledge. And this is what our
illustrious Imams of Ahlus Sunnah were upon in the past and what they
are upon today. As one of the scholars wrote, “One of the signs of
Ahlus Sunnah is that in whatever time or whatever place they may be
they say the same exact thing. As for the people of innovation you find
what they say changes according to time and place.” Hence it is upon
us to take knowledge from the Scholars of this time who are upon what
the Imams of Ahlus Sunnah in the past have always been upon. And Allah
knows best. ۩