The Shaykh’s explanation that denying the elevation of Allah the Exalted is the nature of atheists, both ancient and modern, and his mention of some evidence of His (Glorified and Exalted is He) elevation.

The Shaykh : We find that denying the above-ness is the nature of atheists, both ancient and modern. So listen, for example, to the words of Pharaoh when he said to his minister Haman: He is refuting Moses (peace be upon him) and wants to refute him with a material proof, deceiving his followers who deified him besides Allah the Exalted, by building a towering, high, extended palace like this in the sky. What does this towering, high building mean? He said: What is he saying? What does Moses say? He says Allah is above . I will build this towering, high structure, and then I will not find the deity to whom Moses calls you to worship besides me. Pharaoh said this.
So this verse contains the affirmation of a truth, which is tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and the existence of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and the affirmation of the one who denied this truth. This verse affirms that the prophets and messengers, foremost among them Moses (peace be upon him), affirmed for Allah the attribute of above-ness, the attribute of elevation, and His rising above His Throne. And that Moses called Pharaoh and his soldiers to believe in this deity described with the attribute of above-ness, so Pharaoh refuted him by saying: And in the verse is the affirmation that the one who denies this attribute, the attribute of above-ness, is an atheist just like Pharaoh. This verse is among those verses that affirm this attribute. And we must be mindful of this verse when we recite it, understanding that it contains the affirmation of this attribute and a refutation of Pharaoh, who denied it in his response to Moses and his people: .
Likewise, there is a verse: So Allah has the attribute of elevation, and therefore the righteous deed is raised to Him.
Likewise, and this is among the wonders of matters, Allah the Exalted said: So the angels ascend. Does the meaning of ascending is descending or rising? Rising. They ascend to whom? To Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). They present to Him what they have recorded of the deeds of man on earth. And the most severe of all this is that all Muslims believe that Allah ascended with His Prophet to the highest heavens. To whom did He ascend?
These people who have wasted themselves, who have wasted their Lord, and thus wasted themselves, affirm truths and deny truths. They affirm this truth and celebrate it every year that Allah ascended with His Prophet to Him. Otherwise, if Allah does not have the attribute of elevation, to whom did the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) ascend? If, as they imagine, Allah is present in every place, then the Prophet’s ascension was not an ascension to Allah, because Allah is with us in every place. And the discussion will come, in any case, regarding His saying: .
So when ta'wil (figurative interpretation) enters these truths, these truths are nullified from the minds of people and vanish, and their affair becomes that they deny what Allah (Mighty and Majestic) affirmed in His Book and what His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) explained in his hadith.
So let us mention an example from the hadiths of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). This is also a hadith that people frequently utter and narrate on many occasions, as they mention the Night Journey and the Ascension, yet they never realize that it contains the affirmation of the attribute of above-ness for Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Who among us does not know the words of people today: Here, then, there are two opposing things, or one thing opposite to another, so something is on earth and something is in the sky: Who are those on earth? From what Allah (Mighty and Majestic) created: Who is the one in the sky? Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He).
They also deny this which they utter morning and evening, night and day: Allah is in the sky. And this is not limited to the hadith; in the Noble Qur'an, in the Surah in which it is recommended to read before sleeping, it says: So Allah is in the sky. How can it be said that Allah is in every place?