The Evidence from the Noble Qur'an and the Verbal, Practical, and Consensual Sunnah Regarding the Exaltation of Allah the Exalted

The Shaykh : In the Noble Qur'an, there are many verses that indicate the Exaltation of Allah in various ways. The verse with us is from Surat Taha: The word indicates the Exaltation. Yes, because the Qur'an is the speech of Allah; if it is descending, it necessarily follows that the One speaking it is Exalted, without doubt. This also indicates the Exaltation of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. This indicates the Exaltation of Allah. This indicates the Exaltation of Allah. Meaning it ascends; this indicates the Exaltation of Allah. This indicates the Exaltation of Allah. The verses on this matter are numerous, too many to count, and in various ways. As for the Sunnah, the verbal, practical, and consensual Sunnah all agree on the Exaltation of Allah. It is rare to find a Sunnah on which all three types agree, yet the verbal, practical, and consensual Sunnah agree on the Exaltation of Allah. As for the verbal, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: And he himself used to say, "Glory be to my Lord, the Most High." As for the practical, listen to this, my brother, and judge for yourself after you know that the greatest gathering that took place between the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and his Ummah was his gathering with them at 'Arafah, his gathering at 'Arafah during the Farewell Pilgrimage. He delivered a great and eloquent sermon to them on the Day of 'Arafah, and at the end of it, he said: And what do you say, O Muslim brothers? Yes, by Allah, he has conveyed the clear message, and he did not die except that he left his Ummah on a white, clear path, its night like its day. And we say as Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: May Allah's prayers and peace be upon him. O Allah, reward him well for us. O Allah, send prayers and peace and blessings upon him. O Allah, gather us under his banner, for You are capable of all things. He conveyed. He said to his companions: Then he said: Intercede. O Allah, he pointed to the sky. "Bear witness," he pointed to the earth. Meaning, regarding them, that they acknowledged that I had conveyed the message. He pointed to the sky. "Allah, Mighty and Majestic, bears witness." Is it possible to say that Allah is not in the sky, when he (peace and blessings be upon him) is the most knowledgeable of creation about Him? And he pointed to the sky. It is not possible. "O Allah, bear witness." So this is an affirmation of the Exaltation of Allah by what? By the practical action. A man entered on Friday while the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was delivering the sermon. Listen to a strange story. A man entered while the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was delivering the sermon and said, "O Messenger of Allah." He said, "O Messenger of Allah," while the Messenger was delivering the sermon. Does he speak to the one delivering the sermon or not? For a benefit. He said: The rain is scarce, not much. The wealth and livestock are perishing; they have no pasture. The roads are cut off. The camels have become emaciated, unable to carry loads or reach the lands. What did the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) do? He raised his hands to the sky. He raised his hands to the sky and said: Three times. Anas, the narrator of the hadith, said: A tuft is a small piece of cloud, and the clouds spread in the sky. And what is Sal'i? It is a mountain in Medina from which the clouds come. Anas says: And what is a shield? Yes, do you know sheet metal? You don't know sheet metal? Go to the bakers, you will know it. In any case, this is its size. A warrior shields himself with it from arrows. A cloud came out from behind it like a shield, then it rose in the sky and spread, and it thundered and flashed and rained. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not descend from his sermon (peace and blessings be upon him) until the rain was dripping from his beard. How fast was this cloud? It is known that the Messenger shortens the sermon. He said: How fast was this cloud? High and spreading quickly, because its Creator commanded it to do so. And His command, when He wills something, is to say to it, "Be," and it is. Glorified and Exalted is He. It thundered and flashed and rained before the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) descended from the pulpit. And the rain remained on Medina and its surroundings for a full week. They did not see the sun, and the sky rained night and day. And the son of Adam is weak. If the rain is excessive, he says, "O Allah, reduce it." And if it is lacking, he says, "O Allah, send us rain." In the other Friday, the man or another man came and said, "O Messenger of Allah," while the Messenger was delivering the sermon: From what? From the rain. The wealth is drowning and the buildings are collapsing due to the excessive rain. The wealth is drowning. Is it the livestock or the farms, or both? Both. The livestock may be swept away by the flood and carried off, and they perish. And the farms are flooded by the water. The wealth is drowning and the buildings are collapsing. So call upon Allah. Call upon Allah to hold it back from us. Intercede. The man, in relation to the Messenger's view, is limited. The man said, "Call upon Allah to hold it back from us." But the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not call upon Allah to hold it back; rather, he called upon Allah with a supplication that brings benefit and removes harm. What did he say? He said, "O Allah, around us and not upon us." May Allah's prayers and peace be upon him. He supplicated with what brings benefit and removes harm. The narrator Anas said, "So whenever he pointed to a direction, 'around us,' the clouds would distinguish themselves. The clouds would distinguish themselves, meaning the clouds themselves would do this by the gesture of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). But was it the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) who dispersed them into water, or Allah? Allah, Mighty and Majestic. But the Messenger's supplication was answered. So he would say, "Around us and not upon us," and the clouds would part. And the people of Medina would go out and walk in the sun, while it rained around Medina, until the well-known valley in Medina, called Qanah, began to flow for a full month. Allahu Akbar. Now, what is the point of this hadith? Yes, you have perhaps drifted off. What is the point? Affirming the Exaltation of Allah by speech or by action? By action, because he raised his hands to Allah and supplicated. Now, the consensual aspect. The question of the slave girl: He acknowledged her. He did not say, "I seek refuge in Allah," which would be disbelief. Rather, he said, "This is faith." He said, "Where is Allah?" She said, "In the sky." He said, "Then free her, for she is a believer." So the Qur'an and the Sunnah indicate that, the Exaltation of Allah Himself, Exalted and Majestic is He, above all things.