{"_id":"668d9fe80b76658b4c2328b6","title":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"Is Allah everywhere?\"}]}","question":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"On the topic of refraining from describing Allah (SWT) as being in a specific direction in order to not describe any limit to Him; would it then be correct to say that He is everywhere, or that He is no particular direction? And how do we reconcile this with the narration of the slave girl (“I said: Messenger of Allah, I have a slave girl whom I slapped. This grieved the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). I said to him: Should I not emancipate her? He said: Bring her to me. He said: Then I brought her. He asked: Where is Allah? She replied: In Heaven. He said: Who am I? She replied: You are the Messenger of Allah (SAWS). He said: Emancipate her, she is a believer” Sunan Abi Dawud 3282) and with the ayat that describe Allah “the One in the Heaven” (من في السماء )?\"}]}","answer":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"It's crucial to recognize that the question of 'where is Allah?' was not a subject of debate among the Sahaba and early Muslims. In the classical teachings of mainstream Muslim scholars, there is rarely any indication that individuals were engaging in discussions or disputes about the whereabouts of Allah Most High.\\n\\nApart from the ḥadīth in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, where the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ asked a slave-girl, \\\"Where is Allah?\\\", there is no other instance in the Qurʾān and Sunnah where this question is raised.\\n\\nAn essential aspect of the foundational belief (ʿaqīdah) is acknowledging that Allah Most High transcends the constraints of time (zamān) and space (makān), as He is the Creator of both and entirely independent (ghanīyy) from any need for His creations. The Qurʾān emphasizes, \"},{\"attributes\":{\"bold\":true},\"insert\":\"\\\"Surely Allah is independent of all the worlds\\\" (29:6)\"},{\"insert\":\". Describing Allah with a form, body, limits, directions, or a material existence that occupies a specific space is inappropriate, as it would imply likening Him to His creation, attributing physicality to Allah.\\n\\nImām ʿAlī (may Allah be pleased with him) articulates, \\\"Allah existed when there was no place, and He is now where He has always been [i.e., without place]\\\" (al-Farq Bayna al-Firāq, P: 333). Imām al-Ṭaḥāwī (may Allah have mercy on him) asserts, \\\"He (Allah) is beyond having limits placed on Him, or being restricted, or having parts or limbs. Nor is He contained by the six directions like all the created things\\\" (al-ʿAqīda al-Ṭaḥawīyya, Point: 38).\\n\\nImām Abū Ḥanīfa (may Allah be pleased with him) in al-Fiqh al-Akbar states, \\\"Allah is an entity unlike any other entity. The meaning of [Allah being a] entity [unlike any other] is that He is without body (jism), substance (jawhar), or accident (ʿarad). He has no definition/limit, no opposite, no equal, and no peer…\\\" (Minah al-Rawḍ al-Aẓhar fi Sharḥ al-Fiqh al-Akbar, P: 117-120).\\n\\nMulla ʿAlī al-Qārī, commenting on al-Fiqh al-Akbar, affirms, \\\"Allah Most High does not reside in a place from the places and neither in a time from the times, because place and time are from the created things whilst Allah Most High has existed eternally when nothing from the created things were in existence with Him\\\" (Minah al-Rawḍ al-Aẓhar fi Sharḥ al-Fiqh al-Akbar, P: 117). Qāḍī Abū Yaʿla al-Ḥanbalī declares, \\\"Indeed, Allah Most High is not to be described with [residing in a] place\\\" (Dafʿ Shubah al-Tashbīh, P: 43).\\n\\nTherefore, asserting that Allah Most High is 'physically' in the sky or above the heavens on His Throne is incorrect. Similarly, claiming that He is 'physically' everywhere and in everything is erroneous, as these concepts are limited and created. The Throne and heavens are confined entities, and space is delimited within six dimensions. Allah Most High cannot be confined to His creations, such as the heavens and the Throne, as He is the creator of time and space and is exalted beyond both. Moreover, attributing physical characteristics like sitting, standing, rising over, ascending, descending, or climbing to Allah is erroneous, as these are attributes of created bodies. Allah is pure from any attributes associated with created things and does not require a place to exist. Imam al-Ṭaḥāwī succinctly expresses this by stating, \\\"He [Allah] is independent of the Throne and that which is beneath it\\\" (al-ʿAqīda al-Ṭaḥawīyya, Point: 50).\\n\\nAs Ibn ʿAsākir eloquently summarized the matter, \\\"It is neither said, 'When was He?' nor 'Where was He?' nor 'How was He?' He existed when there was no place, and He made everything and arranged time.\\\" Concerning the ḥadīth you mentioned, there are several versions of the same ḥadīth with varying phrasing.\\n\\nIn another narration, the Prophet ﷺ asked, \\\"Who is your Lord?\\\" to which she responded, \\\"Allah.\\\" In yet another narration, he asked her, \\\"Do you testify that there is no god but Allah?\\\" She affirmed, \\\"Yes.\\\" Subsequently, he asked, \\\"Do you testify that I am the messenger of Allah?\\\" Once again, she replied, \\\"Yes.\\\" The wording of the other two narrations are not problematic, so we will not focus on them. As for the third narration, Imām al-Nawawī says, \\\"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ intended to examine whether she worshipped idols present before her or believed in the Oneness of Allah, acknowledging that Allah alone is the creator, disposer, and influencer of all things.\\n\\nIn this context, when a person supplicates to Allah, they turn their attention or hands towards the sky, just as during ṣalāt, one faces the Kaʿbah. The ḥadīth does not imply that Allah is confined to the sky, just as He is not restricted to the direction of the Kaʿbah. Rather, it signifies that the sky serves as the direction for supplication, just as the Kaʿbah serves as the direction for prayer. By stating that 'He is in the sky,' she revealed her belief in the Oneness of Allah and not in idol worship.\\\" (Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim) In his commentary on Mishkāt al-Maṣabiḥ concerning this ḥadīth, Mulla ʿAlī al-Qārī quotes Al-Qadi Iyad al-Maliki, who stated, \\\"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not inquire about Allah's location with this question, for indeed, Allah is transcendent and beyond both space and time. Rather, his purpose in questioning her was to discern whether she adhered to the belief in the Oneness of Allah or engaged in associating partners with Him. This was crucial because the idolatrous practices of the Arab unbelievers involved the worship of specific idols, with each tribe venerating a particular idol. Some individuals, especially those who were simple-minded or ignorant, might only be familiar with the worship of their tribe's idol.\\n\\nThe Messenger of Allah ﷺ sought to ascertain what she worshiped. When she responded, 'In the heavens' – and another narration suggests that she gestured towards the heavens – it became evident that she held a belief in tawḥīd. The primary objective of this line of questioning was to reject the earthly gods, namely the idols, rather than establishing the heavens as a physical location for Allah. Allah is far above the assertions of wrongdoers.\\\" (Mirqāt al-Mafātīḥ) It's also worth noting that the ḥadīth appears in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim and Imam Muslim placed the hadith in the section on Ṭahārah (Ritual Purity) instead of the section on Imān (faith).\\n\\nRegarding the verse that you mentioned from \"},{\"attributes\":{\"bold\":true},\"insert\":\"sūrah al-Mulk verse 16, \\\"Feel you safe from Him with utter might in the sky, lest He make the earth give way and swallow you, while lo, it pitches wildly to and fro?\\\" \"},{\"insert\":\"This verse cannot be taken literally to mean that Allah is physically in the sky for several reason, some of which are:\\n\\n1. It would necessitate attributing a place to Allah, the Exalted, which is deemed impossible and contradictory to sunni beliefs, as noted above.\\n2. If Allah, the Exalted, is in the sky, it would imply that the sky encompasses Allah, while the Throne, being bigger, encompasses the sky. Consequently, it would suggest that Allah is very small in relation to the Throne.\\n3. Allah, the Exalted, says in\"},{\"attributes\":{\"bold\":true},\"insert\":\" verse 6:12, \\\"Say: 'Whose is everything in the heavens and the earth?' Say: Allah's!\\\" If Allah is in the heavens, then it would entail that Allah possesses Himself, a notion that is inherently impossible.\"},{\"insert\":\"\\n4. It would contradict verse\"},{\"attributes\":{\"bold\":true},\"insert\":\" 6:3 in which Allah says, \\\"He is Allah in the heavens and on earth.\\\"\"},{\"insert\":\"\\n5. Allah, the Exalted, says in verse \"},{\"attributes\":{\"bold\":true},\"insert\":\"39.67, \\\"And they have not reckoned Allah His awesome due, while the whole earth together shall be His merest handful on the Day of Resurrection, and the very heavens be folded up by His right hand. Glorious is Allah beyond description and exalted above any they deem partners to Him in worship!\\\" \"},{\"insert\":\"\\n\\nTherefore, adopting the literal meaning that Allah is physically in the sky would introduce a contradiction with this verse. To summarize, adopting a literal interpretation of these verses is not feasible due to the numerous contradictions and rational impossibilities it gives rise to. Our religion is inherently rational and devoid of contradictions. The appropriate approach aligns with that of Sunni scholars, both in the past and present, which entails affirming the absolute transcendence of Allah, the Exalted. This involves either entrusting the meaning of ambiguous verses to Allah (tafwīḍ) or providing acceptable figurative interpretations (taʾwīl) for them.\\n\"}]}","tags":[{"_id":"668d9fe50b76658b4c232859","tag":"Aqeedah: Allah ﷻ‎","count":66},{"_id":"668d9fe70b76658b4c23289d","tag":"Aqeedah: Heaven and Hell","count":23},{"_id":"668d9fe60b76658b4c232887","tag":"Tafwidh","count":4},{"_id":"668d9fe80b76658b4c2328b4","tag":"Hanbali","count":2},{"_id":"668d9fe80b76658b4c2328ab","tag":"Imam Ali","count":1},{"_id":"668d9fe80b76658b4c2328ae","tag":"Imam Al-Tahawi","count":1},{"_id":"668d9fe80b76658b4c2328b1","tag":"Imam Abu Hanifa","count":1}],"createdOn":"2024-07-09T20:39:04.353Z"}