Mentioning the hadith of the girl and the interpretation of the deniers of it, and the refutation of them in that, as well as the verse: “Are you secure from Him who is in the heaven?”

The Shaykh : And when we keep in mind this verse and the verses and hadiths that precede it, it is fitting for us to turn to the hadith of the girl, which Imam Muslim narrated in his Sahih from the hadith of Mu'awiyah ibn al-Hakam al-Sulami. And if we want to know the deviation of Muslims today—except for those whom Allah wills, and they are few—from the Sunnah, then know that this question is not permissible according to the scholars. This question, which the Messenger (peace be upon him) directed to the girl by way of testing and examination, is not permissible for a Muslim to utter, let alone to test people with it as the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did.
And if the question is not permissible, then the answer is not permissible according to them. Just as it is not permissible to direct the question that the Messenger (peace be upon him) directed to the girl: ; so it is not permissible for the answer to be: “Allah is in the heaven!” Even though the girl who gave this answer was attested by the Messenger as having faith. And the strange thing is that you should know that when the scholars are asked: “How do you not permit the question and not validate the answer, when the Messenger asked and approved the answer?” they say: This was the Messenger accommodating the girl; meaning, the girl is like a Bedouin woman, she is not cultured and she is not educated; and therefore he descended to her level—as it is said today—and spoke to her in the logic that she understands. So he said to her: on the assumption that her mind is material, she understands material questions, and she answered with a material answer and said: “In the heaven,” and she means—these are the interpretations of the scholars today—she means that there are idols on earth that are worshipped besides Allah, so Allah is other than these idols. As for that Allah is in the heaven, no, Allah is not described as being in the heaven, despite the fact that the Messenger (peace be upon him) asked this question and the girl said: “In the heaven”; so the answer is wrong.
So when they are asked: “How does the Messenger (peace be upon him) approve of the error?” Here their eyes rolled as if they were bewildered and could not see, and this is the reality of every person who deviates from the light that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) brought; he becomes doubtful about the self-evident truths. So from the self-evident truths is that the Messenger does not approve of error and does not approve of falsehood; so how did they find it acceptable to say that the Messenger approved this error because the girl is an uneducated girl? This is if we grant their interpretation, and even so, their interpretation is one that invalidates the falsehood; because the girl in reality answered with the text of the Noble Qur'an.
And this is regrettable that the girl, the shepherdess of sheep, should know more about what is permissible for Allah (Mighty and Majestic) in terms of attributes than the scholars who specialize in studying the oneness of Allah; because the girl who said: “Allah is in the heaven” is repeating the Qur'an: , so who is in the heaven? Allah; so the girl answered with an answer she received from the Qur'an. And if we, as uneducated, unlearned people who do not study the Qur'an as it should be, might find this verse hidden from us, what about the scholars and the shaykhs who study the Qur'an day and night and study the science of the oneness of Allah? Do they not recite this verse: to its end?
Yes, they recite this verse, but the pickaxe of interpretation, which is a destructive pickaxe, is still in their hands; and therefore they came to this verse as well and interpreted it among the verses that they interpreted. Do you know what they said: ? Meaning: the angels, Allah has no relation to the verse! means the angels. Fine; and Allah? Is it among the attributes of the angels the complete verse: ? So these attributes, which are the attributes of the Lord of the worlds, they also transferred them from Him to some of His creation; namely the angels. What is the reason for this interpretation? It is the same reason for interpreting istawa to mean istawla; even though interpreting istawa to mean istawla is more severe and more dangerous than interpreting: ; why? Because describing the angels with such an attribute is possible on the interpretation that Allah decrees it for them; meaning: means that Allah commands the angels and the earth sinks with those in it, it is possible that this attribute is given to the angels, but the essential attribute is for whom? For Allah (Mighty and Majestic), but you know that interpreting istawa to mean istawla is false from more than one aspect.
So the believer is permitted, first, following the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), to ask: “Where is Allah?” Then it is obligatory for him that the answer be the answer of the girl: “Allah is in the heaven,” why? Because the verses and hadiths are mutually supporting and abundant in establishing the attribute of elevation for Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He).