Second question of the book:
أَيْنَ اللّٰهُ؟
“Where is Allah?”
فِي السَّمَاءِ
The answer to this question: “Allah is above the heavens.”
This is a prophetic question. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) asked it to his female slave, a bondwoman, a young girl, as is reported in an authentic hadith from Mu’awiyah ibn al-Hakam as-Sulami (may Allah be pleased with him). He said:
“I had a slave girl (jariya) who was herding livestock for me. She went with it to the area of Uhud or al-Jawwaniyya (a place in the north of Medina). And one day I went and saw that a wolf had taken one of my sheep. I am just a man from the descendants of Adam, and I get angry like the descendants of Adam get angry. So I hit her and went (regretfully) to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). He pointed out to me that what I had done was a major sin. I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, should I free her?’ He said: ‘Bring her to me.’So I brought her, and he said to her:
«أَيْنَ اللّٰهُ؟» قَالَتْ: فِي السَّمَاءِ
“Where is Allah?”
She replied: “Above the heavens.” Then he said:
قَالَ: «مَنْ أَنَا؟» قَالَتْ: أَنْتَ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ
“And who am I?”
She replied: “You are the Messenger of Allah.”
قَالَ: «أَعْتِقْهَا فَإِنَّهَا مُؤْمِنَةٌ»
Then the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said:
“Set her free, she is a believer.”
(The hadith is narrated by Abu Dawud) (3276). Shaykh al-Albani confirmed the authenticity of the hadith.
Thus, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) testified regarding this girl that she possessed faith (iman). Why? Based on what criterion? Based on the fact that she said: «الله في السماء» (Allah is above the heavens), and because she testified to the prophetic mission of Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), that he is the Messenger of Allah.
So, this question, the question of the exaltedness of Allah (glorified and exalted is He), is a very important issue of aqidah. What shows that this question is very important is the fact that the exaltedness of Allah (uluw Allah الله علو) is confirmed in the Qur’an and the Sunnah by more than a thousand evidences, which proves the importance of this issue. More than a thousand evidences. And these evidences are varied, they are many, meaning that these evidences are of different types.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may the Almighty Allah have mercy on him), when listing the evidences (dalil) of the exaltedness of the Almighty Allah, says: “If we wanted, we could bring a thousand evidences on this issue.” We said that these evidences are varied. So among them are evidences that point to the fact that Allah (glorified and exalted is He) is above (dalil al-fawqiyya).
Then, there are evidences that indicate the exaltedness of Allah (glorified and exalted is He), that He ascended, rose above the Throne. There are evidences of al-uluw, evidences that point to the exaltedness of Allah (glorified and exalted is He). There are evidences that report about the presence of Allah (glorified and exalted is He) above the heavens. There are evidences that indicate that He descends to the nearest heaven. There are evidences that point to the sending down of Revelations from Allah (glorified and exalted is He), and other evidences. That is, all these are evidences, different types of evidences that point from various angles to the exaltedness of Allah (glorified and exalted is He).
So, regarding the types, the first is al-uluw, that is, evidences which indicate the exaltedness of Allah (glorified and exalted is He). An example of this is a verse from Surah “Al-Baqarah”:
وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ
“And He is the Most High, the Greatest” (Quran, surah “Al-Baqarah”, 2:255)
“Aliy” from the word “ulu” – exaltation. He is the Exalted, Al-Azim – the Great.
The second type of evidence, in which the word “fawqiya” is given, that is, being, staying above, on top, in the words of Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) in Surah “An-Nahl”:
يَخَافُونَ رَبَّهُم مِّن فَوْقِهِمْ
“They fear their Lord from above them” (Quran, surah “An-Nahl”, 16:50)
The third type of evidence – this is evidence in which istiwa (Al-Istiwa ‘ala al-`Arsh) is mentioned, that is, the rising, the ascension of Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) above the Throne. And, in particular, in Surah “Ta Ha”:
الرَّحْمَنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوَى
“the Most Compassionate, ˹Who is˺ established on the Throne.” (Quran, surah “Ta Ha”, 20:5)
The fourth type of evidence – evidence in which the descent of Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) to the nearest heaven is mentioned. In the hadith, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) says:
يَنزِلُ رَبُّنَا تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى كُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا
“Our Lord, the Blessed and the Exalted, descends every night to the lowest heaven”
(Hadith reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Fifth type of evidence – the descent of the Scripture (inzalo l-kitab انزال الكتاب) from Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He). That is, what descends from Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) indicates that He is in His exaltedness, right? Evidence that indicates the descent of the Scripture from Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He):
تَنزِيلُ الْكِتَابِ مِنَ اللَّهِ الْعَزِيزِ الْحَكِيمِ
“The revelation of this Book is from Allah—the Almighty, All-Wise.” (Quran, surah “Sandhills”, 46:2)
Sixth type of evidence – evidence indicating that the good word ascends to Him. If these evidences indicate the ascension of the good word to Him, does this not indicate that He (Glorified and Exalted be He) is above, right? Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) says in Surah “Fatir”:
إِلَيْهِ يَصْعَدُ الْكَلِمُ الطَّيِّبُ
“To Him ˹alone˺ good words ascend” (Quran, surah “Fatir”, 35:10)
Seventh type of evidence – Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) decreed and wrote this with Him above the Throne. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) says regarding this evidence:
«إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَمَّا قَضَى الْخَلْقَ كَتَبَ عِنْدَهُ فَوْقَ عَرْشِهِ: إِنَّ رَحْمَتِي سَبَقَتْ غَضَبِي»
“When Allah had finished His creation, He wrote over his Throne: ‘My Mercy preceded My Anger.” (Hadith reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Eighth type of evidence – this is that Isa (peace be upon him) was raised to Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He), ascended above. Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) says:
يَا عِيسَى إِنِّي مُتَوَفِّيكَ وَرَافِعُكَ إِلَيَّ
“Thus said Allah: “O Isa, I will take you and raise you to Myself”,” (Quran, surah “Al-Imran”, 3:55)
Ninth type of evidence – the ascension of angels and the Spirit to Him. If it is said “to whom He ascends” – this indicates that Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) is above, in absolute exaltation. Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) says:
تَعْرُجُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ إِلَيْهِ فِي يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ
“the angels and the ˹holy˺ spirit will ascend to Him on a Day fifty thousand years in length.” (Quran, surah “Al-Ma’arij”, 70:4)
Tenth type of evidence – this is the name of Allah Az-Zahir (Manifest). The indications contained in the name Az-Zahir – this is an indication of the exaltation of Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He), His being above everything. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) gave exactly this interpretation of the name Az-Zahir. So, the tenth type of evidence – this is the meaning of the name Az-Zahir. Az-Zahir, which indicates the exaltation of Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He). The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) gave exactly this interpretation (tafsir) of the name Az-Zahir:
وَأَنتَ الظَّاهِرُ فَلَيْسَ فَوْقَكَ شَيْءٌ
“You are the Most High (Az-Zahir) and there is nothing above You” (Hadith reported by Ibn Majah (3104). Sheikh Al-Albani confirmed its authenticity.)
What does Az-Zuhur (الظهور) mean? It means being above. This being of Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) above comes in three types: Allah’s (Glorified and Exalted be He) being above by His essence, the exaltation of His attributes, and the third type of exaltation – this is Az-Zuhur al-Qahr, that is, being above in terms of power, meaning everything is subservient to Him. This is called fawqiyatul qahr (فوقية القهر).
Eleventh type of evidence – evidence indicating that Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) is above the heavens (fi s-sama) (في السماء), as in Surah “Al-Mulk”:
أَأَمِنتُم مَّن فِي السَّمَاءِ
“Are you secure from Him who is above the heavens?” (Quran, surah “Al-Mulk”, 67:16)
Let’s analyze the expression “fi s-sama” (في السماء). Does this expression also indicate “where”? In the hadith about the slave girl, correctly. “Fi” is a particle, the main meaning of which is zarfiyah, that is, an indication of being inside something. So, fi s-sama. Does the particle “fi” in this meaning mean zarfiyah, that is, being inside? No. Because the particle “fi” has not only the meaning of being inside (zarfiyah), but it also has another meaning – this is the meaning of “ala” (على). So here “fi” in the words fi s-sama does not mean zarfiyah, that is, being inside, that Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) is inside the heavens, and His heavens surround Him. In what meaning here? Otherwise, it is like in the meaning “ala”, that is, “above”. Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) is above the heavens. An example of using the particle “fi” in the meaning of “ala” (على) in Surah “Ta Ha”. Pharaoh says to his servants:
وَلَأُصَلِّبَنَّكُمْ فِي جُذُوعِ النَّخْلِ
“And I will surely crucify you on the trunks of palm trees.” (Quran, surah “Ta Ha”, 20:71)
How to understand this? Crucify inside the trunks of palm trees or “fi” here means “on the trunks of palm trees”? On the trunks of palm trees, right? This is the particle fi, but it is in the meaning “on”, on the palm trunks. Another example:
قُلْ سِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ
“Say: “Travel throughout the land”” (Quran, surah “Al-Ankabut”, 29:20)
Yes, it is said “fi”. Does that mean that Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) commands to walk inside the earth, through underground passages like worms travel inside the earth? No, fi here means ‘ala, on, above, ‘ala-l-ard, on the earth, above the earth. So, this is an explanation of fi s-sama. What does fi mean? In heaven? No, it means above the heavens, that is, above all constructions: seven heavens, Throne, above all created by the Almighty Allah.
But there is another explanation for the expression “fi s-sama”, which was given by the predecessors, another meaning. They say that fi s-sama here does not mean heaven, not the heavens, but sama (سماء) means exaltation (ulu), above, because the word “sama” – this is not just heaven. Sama (سماء) – what is it in general? Up. Therefore, in this case, the particle fi in its basic meaning – being inside, and this will be fi s-sama (—), that is, in exaltedness. Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) is in a high, in a high position. Arabs say “sama” about some high thing. They do not say sama, no, but about a high thing they say “sama”. Therefore, Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) calls the cloud in the Quran “sama” because it is above. Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) says:
وَأَنزَلْنَا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً طَهُورًا
“We send down pure rain from the sky” (Quran, surah “Al-Furqan”, 25:48)
Here it is meant, of course, not the first or the second sky, not the third sky, but it means above in the sense of above, that is, from the clouds. That is, everything that is above is called “sama”.
These are two interpretations (tafsirs) of what “fi s-sama” means. The first interpretation of fi s-sama means what? Fi means above, on, above the heavens. The second interpretation of fi s-sama means above. These are two tafsirs, but they are not disagreements, contradicting each other. These are not two opinions that contradict each other, but these are disagreements that are simply reduced to different variants of presenting the same meaning and are different forms of explaining one and the same essence. What to say “above the heavens” – this does not contradict each other, it is just different forms of explaining one and the same essence.
Thus, the meaning of fi s-sama is either above the heavens (ala sama), and then what is meant by “under the heavens”? And then “under” means mighty celestial structures. Or fi s-sama means fi l-ulu, that is, in exaltation, above. And both explanations are correct.
Ibn Abd al-Barr says, concerning Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He):
أَأَمِنتُم مَّن فِي السَّمَاءِ أَن يَخْسِفَ بِكُمُ الْأَرْضَ
“Are you secure from Him who is above the heavens, that He will cause the earth to swallow you?” (Quran, surah “Al-Mulk”, 67:16)
What is the meaning of this? Are you secure from Him who is above the heavens, above the Throne? He says, perhaps, fi, because what fi means can be in the meaning of ‘ala, right? Because what he says, fi can be in the meaning of ‘ala, that is, above. Don’t you see, what Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) says?
فَسِيحُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ
“Travel through the land for four months” (Quran, surah “At-Tawba”, 9:2)
On the earth, fi l-ard, that is, ala ard, that is, above the earth. Also, Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) says the words of Pharaoh:
وَلَأُصَلِّبَنَّكُمْ فِي جُذُوعِ النَّخْلِ
“And I will surely crucify you on the trunks of palm trees.” (Quran, surah “Ta Ha”, 20:71)
And Sheikh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah says: “The word sama (سماء) in Arabic, and in the Quran – this is a name for everything that is exalted, everything that is above.” That is, it is a generic noun (ism jins) for everything high, exalted. However, specific meaning is determined only by its relation to something. If it is said that rain comes from sama, then what is meant is a cloud. That is, a specific meaning of sama is determined depending on what, in a given context, this word is used for, but in any case, it indicates something exalted. This applies to all words in the Quran.
Evidence from the Sunnah: all three forms of the Sunnah indicate the exaltation of Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He): Sunnah qawliyah, fi’liyah, and taqririyah, that is, Sunnah in the form of the Prophet’s words (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), Sunnah in the form of the Prophet’s deeds (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), and Sunnah in the form of approval, indicating that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) approved of someone’s words or deeds. Thus, all types of Sunnah, that the words of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), and his actions, which confirm his someone’s words and deeds, indicate the exaltation of Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He), confirm it.
First, what type of Sunnah did we mention? This is qawliyah, that is, Sunnah in the form of the Prophet’s words (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). Hadith of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), where he says:
الرَّاحِمُونَ يَرْحَمُهُمُ الرَّحْمَنُ ، ارحَمُوا أَهْلَ الْأَرْضِ ، يَرْحَمْكُمْ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاءِ
“Those who show mercy, the Most Merciful will have mercy on them. Be merciful to those on earth, and the One who is above the heavens or who is above will have mercy on you.” (Hadith reported by At-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, Ahmad. Authentic)
This is evidence from the Sunnah in the form of the Prophet’s words (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).
Next, in the form of actions. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), in the presence of many witnesses on the Day of Arafat, delivered a khutba:
أَلَا هَلْ بَلَّغْتُ؟
“Have I not conveyed?”
Companions answered: “Yes.” And then he said:
اللَّهُمَّ اشْهَدْ ثَلَاثًا
“O Allah, bear witness” – and he pointed to the sky and to the people. – “Allah, bear witness. Allah, bear witness. Allah, bear witness.” That is, by this action the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) confirms the exaltation of Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He).
And the third variant of evidence, indicating the exaltation of Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) – this is taqririyah, that is, the confirmation by the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) of someone’s words. For example, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) confirmed the slave girl’s words when she said that Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) is above the heavens. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) confirmed her and said: “Let her go, free her, for she is a believer.”
As we have told you, besides these more than a thousand pieces of evidence, there are even more diverse types of evidence. There are many different types, where it is said that the word ascends to Him, that He sends down the Scriptures, and so on.
Ibn al-Qayyim says that “the types of evidence for the exaltation of Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) are twenty-one.” We have mentioned how many with you? 11, and 21 types, as indicated by Ibn al-Qayyim.
This is regarding today’s lesson.
