The Response to Those Who Deny the Exaltation of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) Above His Creation, Even Though the Texts of the Book and the Sunnah Are Abundant with This

The Shaykh : I said: In the Muslim world today, most of the scholars of the Muslims—and I am adding now that I say: from among the people of the Sunnah and the community, they claim!—they believe and they do not believe, and they do not believe in the faith that is the first condition of faith in Islam. I spoke in some detail just now and gave an example earlier; the majority of the scholars of the people of the Sunnah and the community today do not believe in the Exaltation of Allah above His creation, even though the texts have come in a mass-transmitted manner in the Book and the Sunnah affirming this. And they say, and they all agree, that Allah is not established above the Throne and is not in the sky... As you know, I have a long breath and sit with people who are eager for knowledge, like you, and especially since I am on the verge of traveling for the lesser pilgrimage; so that does not give me such an opportunity; therefore, if I am lengthy, be patient with us, and Allah is with the patient.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.

Another questioner : May Allah reward you.

The Shaykh : May Allah preserve you.
I have reached a point concerning faith in Allah (Mighty and Majestic), which we have repeated more than once is the first pillar of the pillars of faith in the religion of Islam, and that the scholars of the Muslims, in addition to the general public, differ greatly in this faith. I gave an example concerning an attribute of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) for which verses and hadiths have come one after another, supporting each other, in affirming it, and in that is a definition by Allah of Himself to His believing servants truly. Among that is that Allah has the attribute of Exaltation, and therefore the believer says in every prostration: . The majority of Muslims today do not believe in Exaltation; so some of them say, as the common people say: Allah is present in every place, and this means He is not on the Throne, not in the sky; it means among the wonders of things are those explicitly stated in the Qur'an that they deny, and those that have no basis at all in the Qur'an that they believe in. There is no text that Allah is not in a place, there is no text, and yet in the way of affirming what they imagine as spatiality, which is that He has the attribute of Exaltation, they say Allah has no place, but at the same time from another angle, what do they say? Allah is in every place.
People say: He does not have the attribute of Exaltation, and we do not describe Him as being in every place; so what do they say? And this we have read and heard on the pulpit on Friday: "Allah is not above, not below, not to the right, not to the left, not in front, not behind, not inside the world, and not outside it"; this is the creed of the scholars of kalam, while some of the Islamic philosophers like Ibn Sina and his like add—as it is said—a straw to a camel's load; after saying: not inside the world, and not outside it; they said: "not connected to it and not separated from it," this is, as I say, in support of the speech of our brother here, if the most eloquent man in the Arabic language were asked: describe to us the non-existent, what is it? He would not be able to describe it except as these describe their object of worship! = -- And upon you be peace -- = So what is further from true faith in Allah than such creeds, and they are considered among the creeds of tawhid (the oneness of Allah)?
And I am greatly pleased when the discussion took place between one of the scholars of the righteous Salaf and some of the scholars of kalam in the presence of a prince of the past rulers in the citadel of Damascus, and he was a wise and prudent man, he heard the speech of the scholars of kalam = -- And upon you be peace -- = and it was revolving either between absolute negation; not above, not below, not to the right, not to the left, to the end of the list of negations, and some of them say: Allah is present in every place, while the man who is a monotheist who believes in Allah and His Messenger truly, he recites dozens of verses and hadiths that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is above all created things, when he heard from the scholar this true call and heard from those that ignorance and negation, this prudent, wise prince said about them: "These are a people who have lost their Lord!!", they do not know where they are!!