The Meaning of the Term "Non-Existent Place" in the Interpretation of Exaltation
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The questioner : If you could explain to us, O Shaykh, regarding the term "non-existent place," what is meant by it?
The Shaykh : The universe is limited because it is created, and Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is not limited. Many people, when they hear those texts that are decisive in their indication that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) possesses the attribute of absolute exaltation, assume that believing in this exaltation means believing that Allah is in a place. I have explained previously that a place is an existent, created thing. Therefore, Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is not in a place in this sense. So, when they hear the affirmation of exaltation for Allah (Mighty and Majestic), they infer the affirmation of a place. We deny this attribute for Allah, and they agree with us in the denial. However, they differ from us in that they deny what we affirm based on those decisive evidences on which there is consensus to affirm the exaltation of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). I recall that I once entered into a discussion with one of the Azhar scholars regarding a story whose details I do not need to mention now; the discussion was about the following point:
He had heard a lecture like the previous one, the gist of which was that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is above all created things, so he attributed to us the charge of likening Allah to creation. To refute this suspicion, I asked him the following: I said to him, "Is a place an existent thing or a non-existent thing?" He said, "No, it is an existent thing." I said, "Did it come into existence after it was non-existent?" He said, "Yes." We said to him, "Are we now in a place on the earth?" He said, "Yes." I said, "And what is above us?" He said, "The sky." I said, "Is it a place?" He said, "Yes." And what is above the sky? He said, "The second sky, and the seventh." Is all of this a place? He said, "Yes." I said, "And what is above the seventh sky?" He said, "The Throne." I said, "Is it a place?" He said, "Yes" — meaning: it is created. We said, "Okay, and what is above the Throne?" I was surprised by a strange answer; he said, "The Cherubim angels." I said, "Where are these Cherubim angels? And do you have a hadith, let alone a verse, that there are angels above the Throne called the Cherubim?" He said, "By Allah, this is how we received it in the Noble Azhar." I said, "Amazing! We know from the scholars of the Azhar that they state that an authentic hadith is not permissible to be taken in matters of creed. An authentic hadith is not permissible to be taken in matters of creed unless it is authentic, mass-transmitted, decisive in its establishment, and decisive in its meaning. So how did you believe that above the Throne, which is the greatest of created things, there are angels, and not just any angels, but specifically called the Cherubim? Thus, according to your methodology, it is not possible to affirm this belief — that above the Throne are angels who are the Cherubim — unless there is a text in the Book or in the Sunnah that is decisive in its establishment. So how is that when there is no authentic hadith there? Then I said to him, "Let us reach the conclusion. Suppose there are Cherubim angels above the Throne; so what is above the Throne? What is above the Throne?" He said, "Nothing." I said, "No place?" He said, "No place." So I said to him, "How do you attribute to us, when we affirm what Allah (Mighty and Majestic) affirmed for Himself of the attribute of exaltation, that we placed Him in a place? You just said now that above the Throne, or above your Cherubim angels, there is no place! So Allah is not in a place."
Therefore — may Allah bless you — the sound, correct intellect always follows the correct transmission. This is the creed upon which the scholars of the Muslims, from the Companions, the Tabi'un, and the mujtahid imams, all agreed: that Allah is above the Throne.
"And the Lord of the Throne is above the Throne, but *** without the description of settling and connection"
The questioner : Bring it, what do you have besides that?
The Shaykh : The universe is limited because it is created, and Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is not limited. Many people, when they hear those texts that are decisive in their indication that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) possesses the attribute of absolute exaltation, assume that believing in this exaltation means believing that Allah is in a place. I have explained previously that a place is an existent, created thing. Therefore, Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is not in a place in this sense. So, when they hear the affirmation of exaltation for Allah (Mighty and Majestic), they infer the affirmation of a place. We deny this attribute for Allah, and they agree with us in the denial. However, they differ from us in that they deny what we affirm based on those decisive evidences on which there is consensus to affirm the exaltation of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). I recall that I once entered into a discussion with one of the Azhar scholars regarding a story whose details I do not need to mention now; the discussion was about the following point:
He had heard a lecture like the previous one, the gist of which was that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is above all created things, so he attributed to us the charge of likening Allah to creation. To refute this suspicion, I asked him the following: I said to him, "Is a place an existent thing or a non-existent thing?" He said, "No, it is an existent thing." I said, "Did it come into existence after it was non-existent?" He said, "Yes." We said to him, "Are we now in a place on the earth?" He said, "Yes." I said, "And what is above us?" He said, "The sky." I said, "Is it a place?" He said, "Yes." And what is above the sky? He said, "The second sky, and the seventh." Is all of this a place? He said, "Yes." I said, "And what is above the seventh sky?" He said, "The Throne." I said, "Is it a place?" He said, "Yes" — meaning: it is created. We said, "Okay, and what is above the Throne?" I was surprised by a strange answer; he said, "The Cherubim angels." I said, "Where are these Cherubim angels? And do you have a hadith, let alone a verse, that there are angels above the Throne called the Cherubim?" He said, "By Allah, this is how we received it in the Noble Azhar." I said, "Amazing! We know from the scholars of the Azhar that they state that an authentic hadith is not permissible to be taken in matters of creed. An authentic hadith is not permissible to be taken in matters of creed unless it is authentic, mass-transmitted, decisive in its establishment, and decisive in its meaning. So how did you believe that above the Throne, which is the greatest of created things, there are angels, and not just any angels, but specifically called the Cherubim? Thus, according to your methodology, it is not possible to affirm this belief — that above the Throne are angels who are the Cherubim — unless there is a text in the Book or in the Sunnah that is decisive in its establishment. So how is that when there is no authentic hadith there? Then I said to him, "Let us reach the conclusion. Suppose there are Cherubim angels above the Throne; so what is above the Throne? What is above the Throne?" He said, "Nothing." I said, "No place?" He said, "No place." So I said to him, "How do you attribute to us, when we affirm what Allah (Mighty and Majestic) affirmed for Himself of the attribute of exaltation, that we placed Him in a place? You just said now that above the Throne, or above your Cherubim angels, there is no place! So Allah is not in a place."
Therefore — may Allah bless you — the sound, correct intellect always follows the correct transmission. This is the creed upon which the scholars of the Muslims, from the Companions, the Tabi'un, and the mujtahid imams, all agreed: that Allah is above the Throne.
"And the Lord of the Throne is above the Throne, but *** without the description of settling and connection"
The questioner : Bring it, what do you have besides that?
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.