Is it permissible to ask about the place of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and if it is permissible, what is the correct answer?
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The questioner: Regarding the place of Allah's existence (Mighty and Majestic), and if it is permissible, what would the answer be?
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner: And if it is permissible to ask about the place of Allah's existence (Mighty and Majestic), what would the answer be, and what is the ruling in the Shari'ah for one who says: "Allah exists only," being content with the word that Allah exists and meaning by it, in the sense of the word, that Allah exists and being content with that.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner: And He is not defined by a place or a time.
The Shaykh: Indeed, all praise is for Allah; we praise Him, seek His help, and seek His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evils of our own souls and from the bad of our deeds. Whom Allah guides, there is no one who can misguide him, and whom He leaves to misguide, there is no one who can guide him. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger. As for what follows: The best of speech is the speech of Allah, the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and the worst of matters are their innovations, every innovation is a religious innovation, every religious innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire. First: The question about the place has no basis in the Shari'ah as a narration, and it has no place in Islamic jurisprudence as a matter of knowledge; this is because "place" is a name derived from "was" and "is," and this is derived from His saying (Blessed and Exalted is He):[Ya-Sin 36:82]. And it is established with certainty among the Muslims, and perhaps even among the People of the Book, that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) was, and there was nothing with Him, meaning: Allah was, and there was no time and no place. So when the will and wisdom of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) required that He create the creation, then by His bringing His creation into existence, time and place came into existence. So Allah (Mighty and Majestic), as is explicitly stated in the Qur'an, is the One who is free of need from all the worlds, and this world includes the place. Allah was, and there was no time and no place, and from this perspective, meaning from the fact that He was and there was no time and no place, He is now as He was, meaning: He is not in a place, because we understood from this statement that the place is an existent, created thing, created by Allah (Mighty and Majestic); therefore, it is not correct in any way to say: "Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is in a place."
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner: And if it is permissible to ask about the place of Allah's existence (Mighty and Majestic), what would the answer be, and what is the ruling in the Shari'ah for one who says: "Allah exists only," being content with the word that Allah exists and meaning by it, in the sense of the word, that Allah exists and being content with that.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner: And He is not defined by a place or a time.
The Shaykh: Indeed, all praise is for Allah; we praise Him, seek His help, and seek His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evils of our own souls and from the bad of our deeds. Whom Allah guides, there is no one who can misguide him, and whom He leaves to misguide, there is no one who can guide him. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger. As for what follows: The best of speech is the speech of Allah, the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and the worst of matters are their innovations, every innovation is a religious innovation, every religious innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire. First: The question about the place has no basis in the Shari'ah as a narration, and it has no place in Islamic jurisprudence as a matter of knowledge; this is because "place" is a name derived from "was" and "is," and this is derived from His saying (Blessed and Exalted is He):
His command is only when He intends a thing that He says to it, "Be," and it is.
إِنَّمَا أَمْرُهُ إِذَا أَرَادَ شَيْئًا أَنْ يَقُولَ لَهُ كُنْ فَيَكُونُ
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.