And among what has been negated regarding Allah, the Exalted, because it is absent and the perfection of its opposite is established: death, sleep, drowsiness, weakness, fatigue, and injustice
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The reader: And peace be upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and his Companions, and whoever follows him
The author, may the Master preserve him, said: "And among what has been negated regarding Allah, the Exalted, because it is absent and the perfection of its opposite is established: death, sleep, drowsiness, weakness, fatigue, injustice, heedlessness regarding the deeds of the servants, and that He has a like or an equal, and the like of that. And among what has not been affirmed or negated is the term 'direction.' If a questioner asks, 'Do we affirm a direction for Allah, the Exalted?' We say to him: The term 'direction' has not been affirmed or negated in the Book and the Sunnah, and what is established in them that Allah, the Exalted, is in the sky suffices for it. As for its meaning, it is either intended to mean a lower direction, or an upper direction that encompasses Allah, or an upper direction that does not encompass Him.
The first is false because it contradicts the elevation of Allah, the Exalted, which is established by the Book, the Sunnah, reason, fitrah (the innate natural disposition), and scholarly consensus. The second is also false because Allah, the Exalted, is too great to be encompassed by any of His creations. The third is true because Allah, the Exalted, the Most High, is above His creation and nothing of His creations encompasses Him" .
The Shaykh : We have previously mentioned this beneficial rule: whatever is established in the Book and the Sunnah regarding the names of Allah, we affirm it; whatever is established as negated, we negate it; and whatever has not been negated or affirmed among the matters in which people dispute, we suspend judgment regarding its term. The meaning of suspending judgment is that we neither affirm it nor negate it, and we ask about its meaning. If it is true, it must be accepted; if it is false, it must be rejected. Among this is the term 'direction.' Do we say that Allah has a direction, or that Allah is in a direction, or the like of that? The answer says: The term 'direction' has not come in the Book and the Sunnah, so it is not upon us to affirm it, nor is it upon us to negate it. Why? Because it has not come in the Book and the Sunnah such that we are obligated to affirm or negate it. Do we have the right to affirm or negate it? No. So it is not upon us, and we do not have the right to affirm its term or negate it. But know that the people of ta'til (denial of the divine attributes) bring this up to the people of affirmation in order to force them into what they consider false, so that they say, 'This is false, so why did you go to it?' We say: As for direction, we neither affirm it nor negate it. And what suffices for the word that Allah is in a direction is for us to say that Allah is in the height, that Allah is in the sky, that Allah is above His servants, and the like of that. Because all of this has come in the Book and the Sunnah, so what came in the Book and the Sunnah affirming the elevation of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, suffices for this direction or this term.
As for its meaning, we ask this person who directed this question to us: What do you mean by direction? Do you mean by it a lower direction, or do you mean an upper direction that encompasses Him, or an upper direction that does not encompass Him?
The categories are three: a lower direction, an upper direction that encompasses Him, and an upper direction that does not encompass Him. The evidence for these categories is that they are exhaustive, so a fourth thing cannot exist. The answer is that the first is false. What is it? The lower direction. This is false because Allah, the Exalted, has been established as having elevation by the indication of the Book, the Sunnah, scholarly consensus, reason, and fitrah (the innate natural disposition), and this was mentioned previously in
The author, may the Master preserve him, said: "And among what has been negated regarding Allah, the Exalted, because it is absent and the perfection of its opposite is established: death, sleep, drowsiness, weakness, fatigue, injustice, heedlessness regarding the deeds of the servants, and that He has a like or an equal, and the like of that. And among what has not been affirmed or negated is the term 'direction.' If a questioner asks, 'Do we affirm a direction for Allah, the Exalted?' We say to him: The term 'direction' has not been affirmed or negated in the Book and the Sunnah, and what is established in them that Allah, the Exalted, is in the sky suffices for it. As for its meaning, it is either intended to mean a lower direction, or an upper direction that encompasses Allah, or an upper direction that does not encompass Him.
The first is false because it contradicts the elevation of Allah, the Exalted, which is established by the Book, the Sunnah, reason, fitrah (the innate natural disposition), and scholarly consensus. The second is also false because Allah, the Exalted, is too great to be encompassed by any of His creations. The third is true because Allah, the Exalted, the Most High, is above His creation and nothing of His creations encompasses Him" .
The Shaykh : We have previously mentioned this beneficial rule: whatever is established in the Book and the Sunnah regarding the names of Allah, we affirm it; whatever is established as negated, we negate it; and whatever has not been negated or affirmed among the matters in which people dispute, we suspend judgment regarding its term. The meaning of suspending judgment is that we neither affirm it nor negate it, and we ask about its meaning. If it is true, it must be accepted; if it is false, it must be rejected. Among this is the term 'direction.' Do we say that Allah has a direction, or that Allah is in a direction, or the like of that? The answer says: The term 'direction' has not come in the Book and the Sunnah, so it is not upon us to affirm it, nor is it upon us to negate it. Why? Because it has not come in the Book and the Sunnah such that we are obligated to affirm or negate it. Do we have the right to affirm or negate it? No. So it is not upon us, and we do not have the right to affirm its term or negate it. But know that the people of ta'til (denial of the divine attributes) bring this up to the people of affirmation in order to force them into what they consider false, so that they say, 'This is false, so why did you go to it?' We say: As for direction, we neither affirm it nor negate it. And what suffices for the word that Allah is in a direction is for us to say that Allah is in the height, that Allah is in the sky, that Allah is above His servants, and the like of that. Because all of this has come in the Book and the Sunnah, so what came in the Book and the Sunnah affirming the elevation of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, suffices for this direction or this term.
As for its meaning, we ask this person who directed this question to us: What do you mean by direction? Do you mean by it a lower direction, or do you mean an upper direction that encompasses Him, or an upper direction that does not encompass Him?
The categories are three: a lower direction, an upper direction that encompasses Him, and an upper direction that does not encompass Him. The evidence for these categories is that they are exhaustive, so a fourth thing cannot exist. The answer is that the first is false. What is it? The lower direction. This is false because Allah, the Exalted, has been established as having elevation by the indication of the Book, the Sunnah, scholarly consensus, reason, and fitrah (the innate natural disposition), and this was mentioned previously in