Evidence from the Qur'an and the Sunnah that Allah is above the heavens, above His creation
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Question:
May Allah reward you with good and do you good. One of the listening brothers sent a question, saying: Has the phrase "Allah the Exalted is above the sky" been transmitted in the Sunnah or in the words of the Salaf? We know that it has been transmitted as "above the seventh heaven," "above the Throne," "in the sky," and other phrases indicating that He is above the sky. Is it permissible to say "above the sky"? May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
Yes, there is much evidence from the Qur'an and the Sunnah indicating that Allah is above the heavens, above His creation. Allah the Exalted said:[Al-An'am 6:18], and He the Exalted said: [An-Nahl 16:50], and He the Glorious and Exalted said: [Al-Mulk 67:16-17] [Al-Mulk 67:17]?
And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The meaning of "in the sky" is that if "the sky" refers to the constructed heavens, then his saying "in the sky" means above the sky or on the sky. And if "the sky" refers to the height, then "in" is used in its original sense, meaning that Allah, Exalted and Majestic, is in the height. And He, Glorified and Exalted is He, informed that He rose above the Throne in many verses, in seven places in His Book: He rose above the Throne. The Throne is the highest of created things, and Allah, Exalted and Majestic, is above the Throne. He knows the conditions of His servants; nothing is hidden from Him regarding them.
May Allah reward you with good and do you good. One of the listening brothers sent a question, saying: Has the phrase "Allah the Exalted is above the sky" been transmitted in the Sunnah or in the words of the Salaf? We know that it has been transmitted as "above the seventh heaven," "above the Throne," "in the sky," and other phrases indicating that He is above the sky. Is it permissible to say "above the sky"? May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
Yes, there is much evidence from the Qur'an and the Sunnah indicating that Allah is above the heavens, above His creation. Allah the Exalted said:
And He is the subjugator over His servants
وَهُوَ الْقَاهِرُ فَوْقَ عِبَادِهِThey fear their Lord above them, and they do what they are commanded.
يَخَافُونَ رَبَّهُم مِّن فَوْقِهِمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ(16) Do you feel secure that He who [holds authority] in the heaven would not cause the earth to swallow you and suddenly it would sway? (17) Or do you feel secure that He who [holds authority] in the heaven would not send against you a storm of stones? Then you would know how [severe] was My warning.
أَأَمِنتُم مَّن فِي السَّمَاءِ أَن يَخْسِفَ بِكُمُ الْأَرْضَ فَإِذَا هِيَ تَمُورُ أَمْ أَمِنتُم مَّن فِي السَّمَاءِin the heaven would not send against you a storm of stones? Then you would know how [severe] was My warning.
فِي السَّمَاءِ أَن يُرْسِلَ عَلَيْكُمْ حَاصِبًا فَسَتَعْلَمُونَ كَيْفَ نَذِيرِAnd the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
(peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do you not trust me, while I am the trustworthy one of the One in the sky?" And he asked the girl: "Where is Allah?" She said: "In the sky."
صلى الله عليه وسلم ألا تأمنوني وأنا أمين من في السماء وقال للجارية أين الله؟ قالت في السماء
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، 5006- الأدلة من القرآن والسنة على أن الله فوق السماوات فوق مخلوقاته - الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.