Discussion of the chapter on the Names and Attributes, with an explanation of the issue of His Exaltedness.

The Shaykh : The issue of the Names and Attributes has been raised, as you heard just now. It is obligatory for the Muslim to affirm the oneness of Allah in His Names and Attributes. Are there any of the attributes of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) that some people, indeed the general public of Muslims today, and some of the specialists among them, and those who claim affiliation with some of the theological or monotheistic schools, such as the Asha'irah and the Maturidiyyah, let alone the Mu'tazilah—who have no mention in these days except for individuals who have gone astray in their misguidance—revolve around? In the creed of the Asha'irah and the Maturidiyyah, following the Mu'tazilah, it is held that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is in every place. Is this among the attributes of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He)? Is it among the attributes of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) that He has a place? We humans have a place; we are now in one of the houses of Allah, we are in a place. But is Allah (Mighty and Majestic) in a place? The answer is that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is free from being in a place, because Allah (Mighty and Majestic), by the consensus of all Muslims despite their differences on this issue and others, as in the hadith of 'Imran ibn Husayn in Sahih al-Bukhari. So Allah was, and there was nothing with Him, meaning there was no existence with Him, meaning there was no place with Him, let alone that He is in the place He created. Therefore, this creed, namely saying that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is in every place, is shirk (associating partners with Allah) that contradicts the oneness of Allah in His Names and Attributes. Why? Let us now look at how Allah (Mighty and Majestic) described Himself. Did He describe Himself in a verse or in an authentic hadith as being in every place? I do not say that there is no hadith regarding this, but it is a statement for which Allah has not sent down any authority, because it contradicts how Allah (Mighty and Majestic) described Himself. As for the verses in which Allah (Mighty and Majestic) describes Himself as having the attribute of absolute elevation above all His creations, and that He is not in any of His creations, but rather above all of them, the verses on this are too numerous to count, such as the verse that came in the correction, as I think, . Now, let us pause here briefly to remind you of a principle of correct exegesis: if the Muslim holds fast to it, he will be guided by his Lord, and if he deviates from it, he will live in far-off misguidance.
The Qur'an must be interpreted by the Qur'an; this is the first principle. The Qur'an is interpreted by the Qur'an and by the hadith of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), then by the authentic reports from our righteous predecessors. This order must be adhered to in interpreting the Noble Qur'an, especially what concerns the greatest of the unseen, which is Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He), concerning His worship or one of His attributes. The interpretation of these verses must follow this methodology: the Qur'an is interpreted by the Qur'an, then by the Sunnah, then by the reports from the righteous predecessors.
We mentioned to you in some previous sessions that it is not sufficient for the Muslim today to be guided by his Lord and to walk steadily on a straight path by saying, "I take from the Book and the Sunnah." This is necessary, but it alone is not sufficient. One must have the Book and the Sunnah, and a third thing: what the righteous predecessors were upon. I brought you some texts, and I do not want to repeat the topic, but now I only remind you of His saying (Blessed and Exalted is He): . It would have been sufficient to say in the noble verse, "And whoever opposes the Messenger after the guidance has become clear to him, We will turn him to what he has turned to," but Allah (Mighty and Majestic) added to what was mentioned another phrase, saying: . This phrase is very important because it means that understanding the Book and understanding the Sunnah is not accessible to us except through the path of our righteous predecessors.
Now, and as I said, I do not repeat past speech for fear of repetition and boredom. Some of the contemporary people today, following some of the theologians or scholars of theology, say that Allah is in every place. Do we find this word, this phrase, this creed in the words of the righteous predecessors? Far be it from Allah. In the words of the righteous predecessors, there is only what corresponds to the verses and hadiths that establish for Allah (Mighty and Majestic) the attribute of elevation above all creations: . There are many verses and hadiths, in addition to the statements of the righteous predecessors, which all agree in denying this misguidance, namely that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is in every place, and affirming that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has no place, but rather He is as He said: . They interpreted "istawa" (to settle) to mean "istala" (to be elevated). As for those who placed Allah in every place, they gave a figurative interpretation to the verse and denied its meaning, contrary to the methodology of interpreting the Qur'an that I mentioned to you just now, where they said "istawa" means "istawla" (to take control). This is a later interpretation that has no basis in any of the words of the righteous predecessors. In addition, it contradicts the interpretation of the righteous predecessors of this verse: , meaning "to be elevated." This is how the predecessors interpreted it. And the phrase of Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him), the Imam of the City of Emigration, when that man came to him...The questioner : ...he said to him: "O Malik, how did He settle?" He said: "The settling is known—meaning it is elevation and rising—and the 'how'—which is what you are asking about—is unknown, and asking about it is an innovation. Take the man out, for he is an innovator." The summary of the speech in refuting this misguidance, which is their saying that Allah is in every place, is that the research on it is long. We advise, on this occasion, reading the book Al-'Ulu li-l-'Ali al-Ghafar (The Elevation of the Exalted, the Forgiving) or Al-'Ulu li-l-'Ali al-'Azim (The Elevation of the Exalted, the Mighty) by al-Hafiz al-Dhahabi. The better one is Mukhtasar al-'Ulu (The Summary of the Elevation), because it is more accessible, after refining the original, which is by my pen and my composition, Mukhtasar al-'Ulu li-l-'Ali al-Ghafar. In it, he mentioned the verses that establish for Allah (Mighty and Majestic) the attribute that He is above all creations and that He is not in a place, and the many, many good hadiths that correspond to the Qur'anic texts that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is above all creations. Then the reports of the Salaf from the Companions, the Tabi'un, and those after them, up to the time of Imam al-Dhahabi, and to after the seventh century of the Hijrah, dozens, if not hundreds, of scholars who refute this misguidance, which is their saying that Allah is in every place, and affirm that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is above all creations. And the clearest...