Ponder upon Allâhu Taâlâ's statement in Sûrat'ul Hadîd,﴿هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسْتَوَى عَلَى الْعَرْشِ يَعْلَمُ مَا يَلِجُ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَمَا يَخْرُجُ مِنْهَا وَمَا يَنْزِلُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ وَمَا يَعْرُجُ فِيهَا وَهُوَ مَعَكُمْ أَيْنَ مَا كُنْتُمْ﴾
"He is the One who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then He established Himself above the Throne. He knows whatever goes into the earth and whatever comes out from it, and whatever descends from the sky, and whatever ascends thereto. He is with you wheresoever you may be." (al-Hadîd, 57/4)
So His statement,﴿هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ [ثُمَّ اسْتَوَى عَلَى الْعَرْشِ]﴾
"He is the One who created the heavens and the earth in six days[, then He established Himself above the Throne]." (al-Hadîd, 57/4)
Encompasses the invalidation of the view of the heretics who say, "The universe is eternally pre-existent, it did not seize to exist12, and Allâh did not create it with His Qudrah and His Mashî'ah (will)." Those who confirm the existence of the Rabb have made the universe eternal and everlasting with the Rabb's Essence and uncreated, as this is the opinion of [Ibnu Sab'în,] Ibnu Sînâ (Avicenna), and his heretic followers.
The statement of Allâhu Taâlâ,﴿ثُمَّ اسْتَوَى عَلَى الْعَرْشِ﴾
"Then He established Himself above the Throne." (al-Hadîd, 57/4)
Encompasses the invalidation of the view of the Mu'attilah who say, "There is nothing upon the Arsh except for non-existence, Allâh did not perform Istiwâ over His Arsh. Hands are not raised towards Him. It is impermissible to point upwards towards Him with fingers," just as the Nabî Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam pointed in the greatest gathering place during the Farewell Pilgrimage. Nabî Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam started raising his finger towards the sky and pointed to the people while saying,«اللهم اشهد»
"O Allâh, be a witness!"13
This Hadîth will come with the permission of Allâhu Taâlâ.
So Allâh informed in this noble verse that He is over His Arsh and that,﴿يَعْلَمُ مَا يَلِجُ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَمَا يَخْرُجُ مِنْهَا وَمَا يَنْزِلُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ وَمَا يَعْرُجُ فِيهَا﴾
"He knows whatever goes into the earth and whatever comes out from it, and whatever descends from the sky, and whatever ascends thereto." (al-Hadîd, 57/4)
Then He said,﴿وَهُوَ مَعَكُمْ أَيْنَ مَا كُنْتُمْ﴾
"He is with you wheresoever you may be." (al-Hadîd, 57/4)
Therefore, Allâh Subhânahu wa Taâlâ informed that He, with His Ilm, is with His creation wherever they may be alongside being above them, being elevated, and separate from them.
Imam Mâlik Rahimahullâh said, "Allâh is in the skies, and His Ilm is in every place; nothing is hidden from His Ilm."14
Nu'aym bin Hammâd Rahimahullâh said the following when he was asked about the meaning of this verse,﴿وَهُوَ مَعَكُمْ أَيْنَ مَا كُنْتُمْ﴾
"He is with you wheresoever you may be." (al-Hadîd, 57/4)
"Its' meaning is: No secret is hidden because of His Ilm."15
This will be mentioned with what is similar to it from the statements of Imâm Ahmad, Abû Zur'ah, and others.
The meaning of the statement of Allâhu Taâlâ,﴿وَهُوَ مَعَكُمْ أَيْنَ مَا كُنْتُمْ﴾
"He is with you wheresoever you may be." (al-Hadîd, 57/4)
Is not that He is mixed with the creation. This is because the language does not necessitate this. This is also contrary to what the Salaf of the Ummah and its scholars made consensus upon. It also contradicts the Fitrah (the innate nature) Allâh created His creation upon. Rather, the moon is a sign among the signs of Allâh, from amongst His smallest creation. It is placed in the sky and it is with the traveller or the non-traveller wherever they may be. Allâh Subhânahu is above the Arsh watching His creation; dominant over them, aware of them, and is with them through various meanings of His Rubûbiyyah (Lordship).
Allâhu Taâlâ has informed that He is the Lord of the ways of ascent,16 that the angels and the Spirit ascend to Him,17 that He is al-Qâhir (Dominant) over His servants,18 and that His angels fear their Rabb above them.19 So all of these statements mentioned by Allâhu Taâlâ regarding Him being above His slaves over His Arsh and Him being with us are true and upon their reality. There is no need for distortion. However, they should be safeguarded from the deceptive presumptions.
Allâh Subhânahu informed that He is close to His creation, as in the statement of Allâhu Taâlâ,﴿وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ [أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ]﴾
"When My servants ask you about Me, indeed, I am near! ." (al-Baqarah, 2/186)
Also like His statement,﴿وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ وَنَعْلَمُ مَا تُوَسْوِسُ بِهِ نَفْسُهُ وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ حَبْلِ الْوَرِيدِ﴾
"Indeed, We have created man and know what his soul whispers to him. And We are closer to him than his jugular vein." (Qâf, 50/16)
The Nabî Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam said,«إن الذي تدعونه أقرب إلى أحدكم من عنق راحلته»
"Verily, Allâh to whom you invoke is closer to every one of you than the necks of your ride."20
And the statement of Allâhu Taâlâ,﴿مَا يَكُونُ مِنْ نَجْوَى ثَلَاثَةٍ إِلَّا هُوَ رَابِعُهُمْ وَلَا خَمْسَةٍ إِلَّا هُوَ سَادِسُهُمْ وَلَا أَدْنَى مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَلَا أَكْثَرَ إِلَّا هُوَ مَعَهُمْ أَيْنَ مَا كَانُوا﴾
"There are not three in a private conversation but that He is the fourth of them, nor are there five but that He is the sixth of them - and no less than that and no more except that He is with them wherever they are." (al-Mujâdalah, 58/7)
Whatever is in the Book and the Sunnah from the evidences indicative of His closeness and His companionship does not negate what is mentioned regarding His Uluww (highness) and aboveness. Indeed, Allâh Subhânahu is high in His closeness and He is close in His highness.
The Salaf of the Ummah made consensus upon Allâh Subhânahu wa Taâlâ being above the heavens over His Arsh and that He is with His creation with His knowledge wherever they may be, knowing of what they do.
Hanbal bin Ishâq said: It was said to Abû Abdillâh (Imâm Ahmad), "What is the meaning of,﴿وَهُوَ مَعَكُمْ أَيْنَ مَا كُنْتُمْ﴾
"He is with you wheresoever you may be." (al-Hadîd, 57/4)
Abû Abdillâh said, "His knowledge encompasses everything and our Rabb (Lord) is upon the Arsh without boundaries and description."21
This statement will come with additions to it from the speech of Imâm Ahmad and other than him, Inshâllâhu Taâlâ.
12- In the other copy, the phrase, "Allâh did not perform Nuzûl (descend)" is found in place of "it did not seize to exist."
13- Muslim, Hadîth no. 1218.
14- Abdullâh bin Ahmad, as-Sunnah, 1/280, no. 532; Ibnu Mandah, at-Tawhîd, thq. al-Faqîhî, 3/307, no. 893.
15- Ibnu Battah, al-Ibânat'ul Kubrâ, 7/146, no. 106.
16- Al-Ma'ârij, 70/3.
17- Al-Ma'ârij, 70/4.
18- Al-An'âm, 6/18.
19- An-Nahl, 16/50.
20- Ahmad, al-Musnad, Hadîth no. 19599.
21- Al-Lâlakâ'î, Sharhu Usûl'il I'tiqâd, 3/446, no. 675; Adh-Dhahabî, Mukhtasar'ul Uluww, p. 190.