The innate and rational evidence for affirming the exaltation of Allah the Exalted.

The Shaykh : The fourth piece of evidence is the fitrah (the innate natural disposition). The fourth piece of evidence is the fitrah. If you were to approach an old woman who has never attended any of the lessons and has not read anything from the Qur'an or the Sunnah, and if you came and asked, "Where is Allah?" she would laugh at you and say, "Do you think He is in the mosque where I am, in the prayer hall? No, Allah is in the sky. Allah is in the sky." She is an old woman. Any person on the fitrah, whom the devils have not led astray to the right and left, must believe in the exaltation of Allah Himself above everything. This is an innate piece of evidence. And when Abu al-Ma'ali al-Juwayni (may Allah have mercy on him) stated that Allah the Exalted existed and there was nothing before Him, is that correct? He said, "Allah existed and there was nothing before Him." Is that correct or not?

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: He said: "Indeed, Allah existed and there was nothing before Him", and then he said: "And He is now upon what He was upon". What does he want? He wants to present the denial of istiwaa' (rising above the Throne) upon the Throne and the denial of exaltation. He says, "He was before He created the heavens and the earth, before everything, and He is now upon what He was upon," meaning that there is no high place and nothing is above Him. So Abu 'Ala' al-Hamdani said to him, "O teacher, O teacher"—and the great scholar among them was called a teacher—"O teacher, leave us the Throne. What do you say about this fitrah? Has anyone ever said, 'O Allah,' without finding in his heart a necessity to seek exaltation?" Glory be to Allah. Any person who calls upon Allah finds in his heart a necessity. What is he seeking? Exaltation. To where? To Allah Mighty and Majestic, to the One he is calling. Has anyone ever said, "O Allah," without finding in his heart, or did he say: Do you know what Abu al-Ma'ali said? He hit his head and said, "Al-Hamdani has confused me. He has confused me." Why? Because he stumped him with the fitrah. The fitrah indicates the exaltation of Allah, so it confused him. He said, "It has confused me; I cannot answer, because no one can answer with what contradicts the fitrah. All sound fitrahs deny it to him." If the Qur'an, the Sunnah, the consensus of the Companions and the scholars after them, yes, the sound fitrahs that the devils have not led astray.
Now, there is one remaining: the intellect. The intellect. If you were asked, is exaltation an attribute of perfection or an attribute of deficiency?

The questioner : An attribute of perfection.

The Shaykh : Exaltation is an attribute of perfection. So, which is more perfect: the One who is high or the One who is low?

The questioner : The One who is high.

The Shaykh : The One who is high. Now, exaltation is an attribute of perfection. And if Allah says: , which is the most perfect and highest description, it follows that the exaltation of Allah Himself is, what? Established by the sound intellect. So the evidences have converged, what? The five types, not the individual instances. The individual instances cannot be counted, but by type, regarding the exaltation of Allah. Who can count them for us in general? In general, please?

The questioner : The first is the Book, the second is the Sunnah, and the consensus of the Companions.

The Shaykh : The Book, the Sunnah, the consensus of the Companions, and the Imams.

The questioner : The Imams.

The Shaykh : The Imams after them.

The questioner : And the intellect.

The Shaykh : And the intellect and the fitrah. And the intellect. May Allah reward you. Rest. I think there is nothing left for questions now. Yes, fine. In any case, I thank Allah Mighty and Majestic for inspiring us with the truth, and I ask Allah the Exalted to guide peoples through it so that they do not go astray, so that they do not hold false beliefs.