How do you interpret the concept of *mu'ayyah* (companionship) in the saying of Allah the Exalted: (And He is with you wherever you are)?
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The questioner : How do you interpret the concept of *mu'ayyah* (companionship) in the saying of Allah the Exalted: ?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment.
The companionship of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) with His creation is a real companionship that Allah (Exalted is He) has attributed to Himself in several verses, and it is of different types:
The first type: Companionship that implies victory and support along with encompassing knowledge. An example of this is the saying of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) to Moses and Aaron:[Taha 20:46] And the saying of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) regarding His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him): [At-Tawbah 9:40] And his companion here is Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) by consensus.
And another type of companionship: It implies threat and warning. An example of this is the saying of Allah the Exalted:[An-Nisa 4:108].
And there is a type of companionship that implies: Knowledge and encompassing awareness of creation, as in the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Mujadila 58:7].
This real companionship does not mean that Allah the Exalted is with the creation on the earth. No, by Allah, for Allah (Exalted and Glorified is He) is above everything, as Allah the Exalted said: And the Book, the Sunnah, consensus, reason, and fitrah (innate natural disposition) all indicate the exaltation of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He), and that He is above everything. The evidence from the Book and the Sunnah regarding the exaltation of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) is varied.
Listen, Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Baqarah 2:255] He said this in the greatest verse of the Book of Allah, which is the Verse of the Throne. And *Al-Ali* (The Most High) is from *uluww* (exaltation). And He said the Exalted: [Al-A'la 87:1] And *Al-A'la* (The Most High) is a description of superiority that nothing can equal.
And He said the Exalted:[As-Sajdah 32:5] And He said the Exalted: [Al-Mulk 67:16-17] And the verses on this matter are numerous.
And the Sunnah likewise indicated the exaltation of Allah the Exalted in the words of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), his actions, and his approval. So he used to say (peace and blessings be upon him):Sahih al-Bukhari 4351 And he used to say: .
And when he delivered the sermon on the Day of 'Arafah, which is the greatest gathering of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with his Companions, he said: They said: Yes. He said: He raised his finger to the sky and pointed it toward the people. He was pointing to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) in the sky meaning that the people acknowledged the delivery of the message, i.e., the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) conveying it to them.
And a slave girl was brought to him, and he said to her: She said: In the sky. So he said to her master: And he accepted her statement: That Allah is in the sky.
As for the Companions and those who followed them with excellence, and the Imams of guidance after them, they are all in agreement on the exaltation of Allah the Exalted and that He is above everything. Not a single word has been reported from any one of them that Allah is not in the sky or not above His servants.
Therefore, it is obligatory for the believer to believe in his heart with a belief free from any doubt in the exaltation of Allah the Exalted above everything, and that His Self (Exalted and Majestic is He) is above everything. How can a person of reason, let alone a believer, conceive that Allah the Exalted is with the human being in every place? Is it possible for a person of reason to imagine that if a person is in the bathroom, Allah is with him? If he is in the toilet, Allah is with him? If one person is in a room in his house and another person is in the mosque, is Allah here and there?! Is Allah one or multiple?
Indeed, the person who says that Allah is in every place with His Self must necessarily hold one of two things, not three:
Either he believes that Allah is multiple according to the places, or he believes that He is parts according to the places. And far be it from Him from that, neither this nor that.
I call upon every believer in Allah to believe with firm conviction that Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) is in the sky, and no place contains Him. And I fear that whoever does not believe this will meet Allah the Exalted while believing that Allah is in every place. I fear that he will meet Allah in this state and be far from the truth and the straight path.
O servants of Allah, do not be deceived by the statements of those who erred among the scholars. Read the Qur'an yourselves and believe in what it indicates. Is it possible for a reader to read:[Al-Baqarah 2:255] [Al-An'am 6:18] [Al-A'la 87:1] and then believe that He is in the place where he is, meaning the place where the human being is? It is absolutely impossible.
As for the statement of these people who erred and strayed from the truth and contradicted the straight path, that the intended meaning is exaltation of status, no, by Allah. These very people, when they call upon Allah, raise their hands to the sky toward the One they are calling. Is this anything but the fitrah (innate natural disposition) upon which all creation is created?
The old woman in her chamber believes that Allah the Exalted is above everything. So the fitrah (innate natural disposition) indicates the exaltation of Allah the Exalted Himself above everything.
Reason likewise indicates this, for it is known that exaltation is an attribute of perfection and lowness is an attribute of deficiency. Which is more fitting to describe the Lord of the worlds with: the attribute of perfection or the attribute of deficiency?
Every believer says that He has the absolute attribute of perfection, and He cannot be described with deficiency in any way.
If you know this, it may appear to you that this contradicts the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Hadid 57:4] So I say to you, O Muslim brother, that this does not contradict it, because Allah the Exalted is not like His servants, He is not like the created [Ash-Shuraa 42:11] And He is higher and more noble than what the human being imagines, and the human being cannot encompass Allah in knowledge, as He said about Himself: [Taha 20:110] So even though He is in the sky above everything, He is with the servants, but it does not mean that He is in their places. Rather, He encompasses them with knowledge, power, dominion, and other meanings of His lordship.
So beware, O my Muslim brother, of meeting Allah in misguidance. Read the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-An'am 6:18] Then read: [Al-Hadid 57:4] Then believe in this and that, and know that: [Ash-Shuraa 42:11] It is obligatory for the human being to believe that Allah's Self is above everything, and that He is not a resident in the earth nor dwelling in it. Then let him believe again that He the Exalted has a great Throne upon which He has *istawa* (risen above the Throne), meaning He exalted Himself above it with a specific exaltation other than absolute exaltation, a specific exaltation befitting Him (Exalted and Majestic is He).
And Allah (Mighty and Majestic) mentioned His *istiwa'* (rising above the Throne) in seven places in the Qur'an, all with the phrase: *istawa 'ala* (rose above). The Arabic language in which the Qur'an was revealed indicates that: *istawa 'ala* means He exalted Himself above it, as in the saying of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He):[Az-Zukhruf 43:12-14].
And the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) agreed that the *istiwa'* of Allah upon His Throne is a real *istiwa'*, and it is His exaltation (Exalted and Majestic is He) above His Throne. No interpretation contradicting this meaning has been reported from any one of them, ever.
And here I give you a rule, which is: "That if a word comes in the Book and the Sunnah that indicates a meaning, and no contrary opinion from the Companions has been reported, then this is their consensus that the intended meaning is its apparent meaning, otherwise they would have interpreted it contrary to its apparent meaning and that would have been reported from them". And this is a beneficial rule in establishing consensus in such matters.
As for those who interpreted *istawa 'ala al-'Arsh* (rose above the Throne) as: *istawla 'alayhi* (dominated it), their interpretation is a clear error and an obvious blunder. For Allah has dominated the Throne and everything else. How can we say: He dominated the Throne specifically, meaning He dominated it? Then, the noble verses reject this most strongly. Read the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-A'raf 7:54] If you interpreted *istawa* as *istawla* (dominated), then the Throne before that was not the property of Allah, but was the property of another. Is this reasonable? Is it possible for a person of reason, let alone a believer, to utter that the Throne was owned by other than Allah first, and then became the property of Allah second?
So let these distorters of the word from its place fear Allah, and let them speak about their Lord as their Lord spoke about Himself (Exalted and Majestic is He). For they are, by Allah, not more knowledgeable about Allah than He is, and they are not more knowledgeable about Allah than His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). It has not been reported from him that he interpreted this word as these people interpreted it. And they are not more knowledgeable about Allah and His attributes than the Companions of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). And it has not been reported from them that they interpreted *istiwa'* as domination over the Throne. So let a person fear Allah and not deviate from the path of the believing Muslims after guidance has become clear to him, for he is in great danger.
The scholars who came before and after the Companions and the generation following them, may Allah be pleased with them, who interpreted *istiwa'* as *istiwla'* (dominion), we hope that Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, will forgive their independent legal reasoning and overlook their errors. It is not our duty to follow them, nor is it permissible for us to follow them in what they got wrong. Rather, we ask Allah to forgive them for what they got wrong after they exerted their effort, and we hope that Allah will guide us to the truth, even if we differ from them. Do not be deceived, O my Muslim brother, by what you imagine regarding the large number of people who say this, namely that *istiwa'* means *istiwla'*. They do not represent anything in relation to the prior scholarly consensus. All the Companions agreed that *istawa* upon the Throne means He rose above it. Not a single word has been reported from any one of them that He dominated it. So they are in agreement on this, as are the imams after them, the leaders of the Muslims, such as Imam Ahmad and others.
Between you and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) are times and scholars that only Allah, Mighty and Majestic, can count. So you must follow the methodology of those who came before and leave alone those who came after. All the good is in those who came before, not in those who came after.
O my listening brother, I did not lengthen my explanation to you regarding these two matters—Allah’s, Mighty and Majestic, being above and His rising above His Throne—and the third matter, His being with His creation, except because the matter is serious, and because understandings have gone astray in it and feet have slipped in it. So you must follow the methodology of those who came before and leave alone those who erred among those who came after. I ask Allah to guide us all to the truth, and to let us die upon the sound, pure creed, free from all impurity.
And He is with you wherever you are
وهو معكم أينما كنتمThe Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment.
The companionship of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) with His creation is a real companionship that Allah (Exalted is He) has attributed to Himself in several verses, and it is of different types:
The first type: Companionship that implies victory and support along with encompassing knowledge. An example of this is the saying of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) to Moses and Aaron:
Indeed, I am with you both; I hear and I see.
إنني معكما أسمع وأرىand he said to his companion, "Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us."
إذ يقول لصاحبه لا تحزن إن الله معناAnd another type of companionship: It implies threat and warning. An example of this is the saying of Allah the Exalted:
They conceal [their evil intentions and deeds] from the people, but they cannot conceal [them] from Allah, and He is with them [in His knowledge] when they spend the night in such as He does not accept of speech. And ever is Allah, of what they do, encompassing.
يستخون من الناس ولا يستخفون من الله وهو معهم إذ يبيتون ما لا يرضى من القول وكان الله بما يعملون بحيطاAnd there is a type of companionship that implies: Knowledge and encompassing awareness of creation, as in the saying of Allah the Exalted:
There is in no private conversation three but that He is the fourth of them, nor are there five but that He is the sixth of them - and no less than that and no more except that He is with them [in knowledge] wherever they are
ما يكون من نجوى ثلاثة إلا هو رابعهم ولا خمس إلا هو سادسهم ولا أدنى من ذلك ولا أكثر إلا وهو معهم أينما كانواThis real companionship does not mean that Allah the Exalted is with the creation on the earth. No, by Allah, for Allah (Exalted and Glorified is He) is above everything, as Allah the Exalted said:
And He is the Dominant over His servants
وهو القهر فوق عبادهListen, Allah the Exalted said:
And He is the Most High, the Most Great.
وهو العلي العظيمExalt the name of your Lord, the Most High,
سبح اسم ربك الأعلىAnd He said the Exalted:
He arranges [each] matter from the heaven to the earth; then it will ascend to Him
يدبر الأمر من السماء إلى الأرض ثم يعرج إليه(16) Do you feel secure that He who [holds authority] in the heaven would not cause the earth to swallow you and suddenly it would sway? (17) Or do you feel secure that He who [holds authority] in the heaven would not send against you a storm of stones? Then you would know how [severe] was My warning.
أأمنتم من في السماء أن يخسف بكم الأرض فإذا هي تمور أم أمنتم من في السماء أن يرسل عليكم حاصباً فستعلمون كيف نذيرAnd the Sunnah likewise indicated the exaltation of Allah the Exalted in the words of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), his actions, and his approval. So he used to say (peace and blessings be upon him):
Don't you trust me though I am the truth worthy man of the One in the Heavens
ألا تأمنوني وأنا أمين من في السماءGlory be to my Lord, the Most High
سبحان ربي الأعلىAnd when he delivered the sermon on the Day of 'Arafah, which is the greatest gathering of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with his Companions, he said:
Have I not conveyed it to you?
ألا هل بلغت ؟O Allah, be witness
اللهم اشهدO Allah
اللهمBear witness
اشهدAnd a slave girl was brought to him, and he said to her:
Where is Allah?
أين الله ؟Set her free, for she is a believer
أعتقها فإنها مؤمنةAs for the Companions and those who followed them with excellence, and the Imams of guidance after them, they are all in agreement on the exaltation of Allah the Exalted and that He is above everything. Not a single word has been reported from any one of them that Allah is not in the sky or not above His servants.
Therefore, it is obligatory for the believer to believe in his heart with a belief free from any doubt in the exaltation of Allah the Exalted above everything, and that His Self (Exalted and Majestic is He) is above everything. How can a person of reason, let alone a believer, conceive that Allah the Exalted is with the human being in every place? Is it possible for a person of reason to imagine that if a person is in the bathroom, Allah is with him? If he is in the toilet, Allah is with him? If one person is in a room in his house and another person is in the mosque, is Allah here and there?! Is Allah one or multiple?
Indeed, the person who says that Allah is in every place with His Self must necessarily hold one of two things, not three:
Either he believes that Allah is multiple according to the places, or he believes that He is parts according to the places. And far be it from Him from that, neither this nor that.
I call upon every believer in Allah to believe with firm conviction that Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) is in the sky, and no place contains Him. And I fear that whoever does not believe this will meet Allah the Exalted while believing that Allah is in every place. I fear that he will meet Allah in this state and be far from the truth and the straight path.
O servants of Allah, do not be deceived by the statements of those who erred among the scholars. Read the Qur'an yourselves and believe in what it indicates. Is it possible for a reader to read:
And He is the Most High, the Most Great.
وهو العلي العظيمAnd He is the subjugator over His servants
وهو القاهر فوق عبادهExalt the name of your Lord, the Most High,
سبح اسم ربك الأعلىAs for the statement of these people who erred and strayed from the truth and contradicted the straight path, that the intended meaning is exaltation of status, no, by Allah. These very people, when they call upon Allah, raise their hands to the sky toward the One they are calling. Is this anything but the fitrah (innate natural disposition) upon which all creation is created?
The old woman in her chamber believes that Allah the Exalted is above everything. So the fitrah (innate natural disposition) indicates the exaltation of Allah the Exalted Himself above everything.
Reason likewise indicates this, for it is known that exaltation is an attribute of perfection and lowness is an attribute of deficiency. Which is more fitting to describe the Lord of the worlds with: the attribute of perfection or the attribute of deficiency?
Every believer says that He has the absolute attribute of perfection, and He cannot be described with deficiency in any way.
If you know this, it may appear to you that this contradicts the saying of Allah the Exalted:
and He is with you wherever you are
وهو معكم أينما كنتمThere is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing.
ليس كمثله شيء وهو السميع البصيرAllah knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them, but they do not encompass it in knowledge.
يعلم ما بين أيديهم وما خلفهم ولا يحيطون به علماًSo beware, O my Muslim brother, of meeting Allah in misguidance. Read the saying of Allah the Exalted:
And He is the subjugator over His servants
وهو القاهر فوق عبادهand He is with you wherever you are
وهو معكم أينما كنتمThere is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing.
ليس كمثله شيء وهو السميع البصيرAnd Allah (Mighty and Majestic) mentioned His *istiwa'* (rising above the Throne) in seven places in the Qur'an, all with the phrase: *istawa 'ala* (rose above). The Arabic language in which the Qur'an was revealed indicates that: *istawa 'ala* means He exalted Himself above it, as in the saying of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He):
and has made for you of ships and animals those which you mount. (13) That you may settle yourselves upon their backs and then remember the favor of your Lord when you have settled upon them and say. "Exalted is He who has subjected this to us, and we could not have [otherwise] subdued it. (14) And indeed we, to our Lord, will [surely] return."
وجعل لكم من الفلك والأنعام ما تركبون لتستووا على ظهروه ثم تذكروا نعمة ربكم إذا استويتم عليه وتقولوا سبحان الذي سخر لنا هذا وما كنا له مقرنين وإنا إلى ربنا لمنقلبونAnd the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) agreed that the *istiwa'* of Allah upon His Throne is a real *istiwa'*, and it is His exaltation (Exalted and Majestic is He) above His Throne. No interpretation contradicting this meaning has been reported from any one of them, ever.
And here I give you a rule, which is: "That if a word comes in the Book and the Sunnah that indicates a meaning, and no contrary opinion from the Companions has been reported, then this is their consensus that the intended meaning is its apparent meaning, otherwise they would have interpreted it contrary to its apparent meaning and that would have been reported from them". And this is a beneficial rule in establishing consensus in such matters.
As for those who interpreted *istawa 'ala al-'Arsh* (rose above the Throne) as: *istawla 'alayhi* (dominated it), their interpretation is a clear error and an obvious blunder. For Allah has dominated the Throne and everything else. How can we say: He dominated the Throne specifically, meaning He dominated it? Then, the noble verses reject this most strongly. Read the saying of Allah the Exalted:
Indeed, your Lord is Allah, who created the heavens and earth in six days and then established Himself above the Throne
إن ربكم الله الذي خلق السموات والأرض في ستة أيام ثم استوى على العرشSo let these distorters of the word from its place fear Allah, and let them speak about their Lord as their Lord spoke about Himself (Exalted and Majestic is He). For they are, by Allah, not more knowledgeable about Allah than He is, and they are not more knowledgeable about Allah than His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). It has not been reported from him that he interpreted this word as these people interpreted it. And they are not more knowledgeable about Allah and His attributes than the Companions of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). And it has not been reported from them that they interpreted *istiwa'* as domination over the Throne. So let a person fear Allah and not deviate from the path of the believing Muslims after guidance has become clear to him, for he is in great danger.
The scholars who came before and after the Companions and the generation following them, may Allah be pleased with them, who interpreted *istiwa'* as *istiwla'* (dominion), we hope that Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, will forgive their independent legal reasoning and overlook their errors. It is not our duty to follow them, nor is it permissible for us to follow them in what they got wrong. Rather, we ask Allah to forgive them for what they got wrong after they exerted their effort, and we hope that Allah will guide us to the truth, even if we differ from them. Do not be deceived, O my Muslim brother, by what you imagine regarding the large number of people who say this, namely that *istiwa'* means *istiwla'*. They do not represent anything in relation to the prior scholarly consensus. All the Companions agreed that *istawa* upon the Throne means He rose above it. Not a single word has been reported from any one of them that He dominated it. So they are in agreement on this, as are the imams after them, the leaders of the Muslims, such as Imam Ahmad and others.
Between you and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) are times and scholars that only Allah, Mighty and Majestic, can count. So you must follow the methodology of those who came before and leave alone those who came after. All the good is in those who came before, not in those who came after.
O my listening brother, I did not lengthen my explanation to you regarding these two matters—Allah’s, Mighty and Majestic, being above and His rising above His Throne—and the third matter, His being with His creation, except because the matter is serious, and because understandings have gone astray in it and feet have slipped in it. So you must follow the methodology of those who came before and leave alone those who erred among those who came after. I ask Allah to guide us all to the truth, and to let us die upon the sound, pure creed, free from all impurity.