The Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said in *al-Fatwa al-Hamawiyyah*, page 103, part 5, of *Majmu' al-Fatawa* by Ibn Qasim:
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The Shaykh :"The Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said in *al-Fatwa al-Hamawiyyah*, page 103, part 5, of *Majmu' al-Fatawa* by Ibn Qasim: 'Then, the rulings of this presence differ according to the contexts. When He said: [Saba 34:2] up to His saying: [Al-Hadid 57:4] the apparent meaning of the address indicates that the ruling of this presence and its implication is that He is watching over you, a witness over you, and a Guardian who knows you'"
The apparent meaning of the address indicates that the ruling of this presence is such, and the ruling is not the meaning; the ruling is the implication and the necessary consequence, and the like. So we passed through the names: "The All-Hearing" has a meaning and it has a ruling. The meaning is the establishment of hearing, and the ruling is that He hears. Similarly, he says: "As for the ruling of this presence, it implies that this presence and its implication is..." He added to it by way of explanation: "He is watching over you, a witness over you, and a Guardian who knows you" "This is the meaning of the statement of the Salaf: 'He is with them by His knowledge'".
I have a comment: This was the meaning of the Salaf: "He is with them by His knowledge" because it is known that Allah the Exalted is with us despite His being above, so it remains that the implication of this presence is that Allah is All-Knowing of us, watching over us, a witness, and a Guardian, not that He is with us by His Essence in the earth.
The Shaykh al-Islam says: "This is the apparent meaning and reality of the address. Likewise, in His saying:[Al-Mujadila 58:7] up to His saying: [Al-Mujadila 58:7] the verse" Where is this? In al-Mujadilah.
"And when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said" This is the statement of Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him): "And when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to his companion in the cave:[At-Tawbah 9:40] This was also true in its apparent sense, and the situation indicated that the ruling of this presence here is presence of oversight" and this is in the general sense, "and victory and support" and this is in the specific sense.
Then he said: "So the term 'presence' has been used in the Book and the Sunnah in places where it implies in each place matters that it does not imply in another place" For example, it is intended to mean victory and support, it is intended to mean encompassing, and it is intended to mean threat, according to what the context requires.
He knows what penetrates into the earth and what emerges from it
يعلم ما يلج في الأرض وما يخرج منهاand He is with you wherever you are
وهو معكم أين ما كنتمThe apparent meaning of the address indicates that the ruling of this presence is such, and the ruling is not the meaning; the ruling is the implication and the necessary consequence, and the like. So we passed through the names: "The All-Hearing" has a meaning and it has a ruling. The meaning is the establishment of hearing, and the ruling is that He hears. Similarly, he says: "As for the ruling of this presence, it implies that this presence and its implication is..." He added to it by way of explanation: "He is watching over you, a witness over you, and a Guardian who knows you" "This is the meaning of the statement of the Salaf: 'He is with them by His knowledge'".
I have a comment: This was the meaning of the Salaf: "He is with them by His knowledge" because it is known that Allah the Exalted is with us despite His being above, so it remains that the implication of this presence is that Allah is All-Knowing of us, watching over us, a witness, and a Guardian, not that He is with us by His Essence in the earth.
The Shaykh al-Islam says: "This is the apparent meaning and reality of the address. Likewise, in His saying:
There is in no private conversation three but that He is the fourth of them
ما يكون من نجوى ثلاثة إلا هو رابعهمexcept that He is with them [in knowledge] wherever they are
وهو معهم أين ما كانوا"And when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said" This is the statement of Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him): "And when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to his companion in the cave:
Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us.
لا تحزن إن الله معناThen he said: "So the term 'presence' has been used in the Book and the Sunnah in places where it implies in each place matters that it does not imply in another place" For example, it is intended to mean victory and support, it is intended to mean encompassing, and it is intended to mean threat, according to what the context requires.