Phrase: Allah is in the sky with His essence and with His creation with His knowledge

Question:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah preserve you, is this phrase permissible: that Allah is in the sky with His essence and with His creation with His knowledge and His power?

Answer:
There is no harm in it, for Allah is above the sky. You do not say “in the sky” unless you mean elevation in the sky, meaning elevation. Yes, that is correct. It is fine to say that Allah is in the sky with His essence, or you can say “above the sky,” which is clearer and further from ambiguity. “Above the sky with His essence” is fine. And He is with the creation with His knowledge, His encompassing, His seeing, and His hearing. This does not mean that He is with them with His essence, mixed with them. No, that is not permissible. So yes, we say He is above the sky with His essence, and with His creation with His knowledge, hearing, and seeing, not with His essence. If we say “with His essence,” that becomes the doctrine of pantheism (hulul), and may Allah protect us from that.