How do we respond to those who ask how Allah descends in the last third of the night, given that time varies between the East and the West?
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The questioner : May Allah reward you, O honorable Shaykh. How do we respond to one who asks and says: How does Allah, Glorified and Exalted, descend in the last third of the night, when time varies between the East and the West of the earth? For example, if it is mid-morning in the East, is it night in the West?
The Shaykh : Yes, we respond to them with a very useful rule: regarding all matters of the unseen, do not ask "how?" because your intellect is too low to encompass how they are. Do not ask "how?" about matters of the unseen, whether they pertain to Allah or to the conditions of the Day of Resurrection. It is not possible for a human being to comprehend this; it is not possible for a human being to comprehend it.
Now, have you heard, or have some of you heard, that on the Day of Resurrection the sun will approach the creatures by how much? By the distance of a mile. Either the mile of the eyeliner or the distance. Let us take the furthest of the two possibilities, which is the distance. If this sun were to descend upon us now by the length of a hair from its current position, it would burn the earth. Yet it descends above the heads by the distance of a mile, and the people do not burn. The people do not burn. The sweat of the people reaches some to their ankles, some to their knees, some to their waists, and some are held back by the sweat. And they are in one place. Do we say: How?
The Lord, Mighty and Majestic, is above His Throne, and He descends to the lowest heaven when the last third of the night remains. He says:Sahih al-Bukhari 1145 Do we say: How does He descend? Do we say: When He descends, does the Throne become empty or does it not become empty? Do we say: How does He descend at night, while the last third of the night is still circling around the earth?
We say: You are in your place. As long as you are in the last third of the night, that is the time of descent for you. When the dawn breaks, the time of descent ends for you, and the time of descent becomes for the one who is to your west, and so on.
And I say to you, O brothers, regarding matters of the unseen, do not say: How? Because our intellects do not comprehend this thing, and our senses do not comprehend this thing. So as long as the intellect and the sense do not comprehend it, how do we say: How? When a man came to Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him), he said: "O Abu 'Abdullah,[Taha 20:5] how did He rise above the Throne?" What did Malik say to him? Malik lowered his head in awe of this question. He lowered his head like this until sweat covered him. He began to pour with sweat. Then he said: "O this one, the rising above the Throne is not unknown, and the how is not comprehensible, and belief in it is obligatory, and asking about it is an innovation." Look, (may Allah have mercy on him), his question was: How does He descend? The question was: How did He rise above the Throne? It is an innovation. If you say: How does He descend to the lowest heaven when the last third of the night remains, and the last third of the night is circling around the earth? We say: This is an innovation. Do you understand? Take this rule with you, O my brother: "Regarding everything from the matters of the unseen, do not say: How, because the matter is broader than your intellect or your senses can comprehend." Did you understand, O brother? What did I say?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : So he is not asked about it.
The Shaykh : Yes, we respond to them with a very useful rule: regarding all matters of the unseen, do not ask "how?" because your intellect is too low to encompass how they are. Do not ask "how?" about matters of the unseen, whether they pertain to Allah or to the conditions of the Day of Resurrection. It is not possible for a human being to comprehend this; it is not possible for a human being to comprehend it.
Now, have you heard, or have some of you heard, that on the Day of Resurrection the sun will approach the creatures by how much? By the distance of a mile. Either the mile of the eyeliner or the distance. Let us take the furthest of the two possibilities, which is the distance. If this sun were to descend upon us now by the length of a hair from its current position, it would burn the earth. Yet it descends above the heads by the distance of a mile, and the people do not burn. The people do not burn. The sweat of the people reaches some to their ankles, some to their knees, some to their waists, and some are held back by the sweat. And they are in one place. Do we say: How?
The Lord, Mighty and Majestic, is above His Throne, and He descends to the lowest heaven when the last third of the night remains. He says:
Is there anyone to invoke Me, so that I may respond to invocation? Is there anyone to ask Me, so that I may grant him his request? Is there anyone seeking My forgiveness, so that I may forgive him?
من يدعوني فأستجيب له من يسألني فأعطيه من يستغفرني فأغفر لهWe say: You are in your place. As long as you are in the last third of the night, that is the time of descent for you. When the dawn breaks, the time of descent ends for you, and the time of descent becomes for the one who is to your west, and so on.
And I say to you, O brothers, regarding matters of the unseen, do not say: How? Because our intellects do not comprehend this thing, and our senses do not comprehend this thing. So as long as the intellect and the sense do not comprehend it, how do we say: How? When a man came to Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him), he said: "O Abu 'Abdullah,
The Most Merciful [who is] above the Throne established.
الرَّحْمَنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوَىThe questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : So he is not asked about it.