The Detail on the Issue of Allah’s Presence with His Creation
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The honorable Shaykh, one of the students stated regarding the issue that was issued and attributed to you concerning the presence of the Creator with the created,He says: that you say: that Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) is established above His Throne and is with His creation by His essence.
Is this statement correct?
Never,We say: Allah is with us and He is established above His Throne,As it came in the Noble Qur'an, as He the Exalted said: [Al-Hadid: 4] So we affirm for Allah what He has affirmed for Himself,But we say: any person who says: that Allah is with us by His essence in our places, he is a disbeliever; because he is denying the evidence of the elevation,And it necessitates from his statement: that Allah the Exalted is in the places of filth and stench,And it necessitates from his statement: that Allah either becomes multiple or becomes divided, but some people understand from the speech something other than what is intended, so they convey it according to their understanding and build upon their wrong understanding.
The questioner: He says: he argues with this verse: [Al-Baqarah: 115] ?The Shaykh: No,We say: [Al-Baqarah: 115] There are two statements from the Salaf regarding it: The first statement: then the Face of Allah is a reality,And this is like his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) to the one praying: (Indeed, Allah is before your face) .
And the second statement regarding the verse: that the intended meaning of the Face is the direction,Meaning: so then the direction of Allah is that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) is greater than everything, encompassing everything,But we argue with the verse you recited first: [Al-Hadid: 4] It is the same, but it does not mean that His essence is in the earth; no one who knows Allah with true knowledge says that.
And the Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) gave an example in al-'Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah when he mentioned that He is with us in reality, to clarify the matter,He said: this moon is in the sky and we say: it is with us in reality,The traveler says: I traveled and the moon was with me or the star was with me while it is in the sky, so if this is the case with the created, what do you say about the Creator,It is correct for us to say: He is with us in reality and He is on His Throne in reality, just as we say: He descends to the lowest heaven in the last third of the night in reality and He is on His Throne in reality.
Is this statement correct?
Never,We say: Allah is with us and He is established above His Throne,As it came in the Noble Qur'an, as He the Exalted said:
It is He who created the heavens and earth in six days and then established Himself above the Throne. He knows what penetrates into the earth and what emerges from it and what descends from the heaven and what ascends therein; and He is with you wherever you are
هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسْتَوَى عَلَى الْعَرْشِ يَعْلَمُ مَا يَلِجُ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَمَا يَخْرُجُ مِنْهَا وَمَا يَنْزِلُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ وَمَا يَعْرُجُ فِيهَا وَهُوَ مَعَكُمْ أَيْنَ مَا كُنْتُمْThe questioner: He says: he argues with this verse:
So wherever you [might] turn, there is the Face of Allah
فَأَيْنَمَا تُوَلُّوا فَثَمَّ وَجْهُ اللَّهِSo wherever you [might] turn, there is the Face of Allah
فَأَيْنَمَا تُوَلُّوا فَثَمَّ وَجْهُ اللَّهِAnd the second statement regarding the verse: that the intended meaning of the Face is the direction,Meaning: so then the direction of Allah is that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) is greater than everything, encompassing everything,But we argue with the verse you recited first:
And He is with you
وَهُوَ مَعَكُمْAnd the Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) gave an example in al-'Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah when he mentioned that He is with us in reality, to clarify the matter,He said: this moon is in the sky and we say: it is with us in reality,The traveler says: I traveled and the moon was with me or the star was with me while it is in the sky, so if this is the case with the created, what do you say about the Creator,It is correct for us to say: He is with us in reality and He is on His Throne in reality, just as we say: He descends to the lowest heaven in the last third of the night in reality and He is on His Throne in reality.