Summary of the previous discussion.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
We have previously discussed the rising of Allah above the Throne, and we explained that the rising of Allah above His Throne means He is alive.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Very well.
He is alive: ...
The Shaykh : Now, is this elevation the absolute, general elevation, or is it a specific elevation?
The student: A specific elevation.
The Shaykh : A specific elevation. Now, we have previously mentioned that some scholars said He rose above the Throne with His Essence. Do we need to say that?
The student: We need to say that in response to those who deny the reality of the rising.
The Shaykh : Yes, we need to say that in response to those who deny the reality of the rising. Otherwise, the principle is that any action Allah attributes to Himself is established by Him; that is the principle. Regarding the creation of the heavens, we do not need to say "with His Essence." Regarding the rising above the Throne, we do not need to say "with His Essence," because Allah attributed the action to Himself, so it is connected to His Essence, whether you mention it or not. However, when necessary, and in opposition to those who interpret the rising as a conceptual rising, which is dominion and subjugation, we say "with His Essence." Are you with us, 'Abd al-Qadir? Where did you go? Glory be to Allah, your mind and heart drift to a boy who came to his father, you leave the knowledge, and then you say, "By Allah, I did not understand, what does this mean?" Now, we have also previously discussed the presence of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and that it is a real presence which Allah attributed to Himself, so it is like the other things Allah attributed to Himself: it is connected to His Essence. And whoever among the Salaf interpreted it in terms of knowledge, he interpreted it with some of its necessary implications, in response to the statement of whom? In response to the statement of the Jahmiyyah, who said, "He is with us with His Essence," meaning in the earth. And as we mentioned, the principle is that this is either disbelief or misguidance. It is disbelief if a person says it out of stubbornness, and it is misguidance if he says it out of ignorance.
If someone asks, how do you reconcile the elevation and the presence? If you say that Allah is above everything, and then you say that Allah is with us, the reconciliation is that they are combined in three ways.
The first way is that Allah the Exalted described Himself with both: that He is High and that He is with us. It is impossible for Allah to combine two contradictory things for Himself, ever. So the combination of the two indicates the possibility of their coexistence, because contradictory things cannot coexist. And Allah the Exalted described Himself with this and that, saying: and at the end of it: So if Allah combined them for Himself, it indicates the absence of contradiction, because it is impossible to combine two opposites.
Second, the elevation does not contradict the presence. For this reason, the Arabs have a way of speaking where they say, "We have not stopped walking, and the moon is with us," or "We have not stopped walking, and such-and-such a star is with us," as mentioned by the Shaykh al-Islam in *al-'Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah* and as mentioned in *al-Fatwa al-Hamawiyyah* and other of his books. The third way: if it is assumed that there is a contradiction between them in the case of the created being, it does not necessitate the existence of a contradiction in the case of the Creator. Why? Because Allah is not like anything, so He is not measured by His creation. What is impossible in the case of the created being does not necessitate that it is impossible in the case of the Creator, and what is impossible in the case of the Creator does not necessitate that it is impossible in the case of the created being. Do you not know that no drowsiness overtakes Allah, nor sleep, while the created being is overtaken by drowsiness and sleep? And how often drowsiness overtakes you in the place of the lesson? Yes, as for Allah, no.
You know that it is not befitting for a human to be described with arrogance, yet Allah the Exalted is described with it, and it is part of His perfection. So the conclusion is that what is impossible by law or by divine decree in the case of the created being does not necessitate that it is impossible in the case of the Creator, and vice versa.
We also believe, yes, and we have previously mentioned that the presence is general and specific in description, and specific in person, and it is also for the purpose of warning.
We have previously discussed the rising of Allah above the Throne, and we explained that the rising of Allah above His Throne means He is alive.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Very well.
He is alive: ...
The Shaykh : Now, is this elevation the absolute, general elevation, or is it a specific elevation?
The student: A specific elevation.
The Shaykh : A specific elevation. Now, we have previously mentioned that some scholars said He rose above the Throne with His Essence. Do we need to say that?
The student: We need to say that in response to those who deny the reality of the rising.
The Shaykh : Yes, we need to say that in response to those who deny the reality of the rising. Otherwise, the principle is that any action Allah attributes to Himself is established by Him; that is the principle. Regarding the creation of the heavens, we do not need to say "with His Essence." Regarding the rising above the Throne, we do not need to say "with His Essence," because Allah attributed the action to Himself, so it is connected to His Essence, whether you mention it or not. However, when necessary, and in opposition to those who interpret the rising as a conceptual rising, which is dominion and subjugation, we say "with His Essence." Are you with us, 'Abd al-Qadir? Where did you go? Glory be to Allah, your mind and heart drift to a boy who came to his father, you leave the knowledge, and then you say, "By Allah, I did not understand, what does this mean?" Now, we have also previously discussed the presence of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and that it is a real presence which Allah attributed to Himself, so it is like the other things Allah attributed to Himself: it is connected to His Essence. And whoever among the Salaf interpreted it in terms of knowledge, he interpreted it with some of its necessary implications, in response to the statement of whom? In response to the statement of the Jahmiyyah, who said, "He is with us with His Essence," meaning in the earth. And as we mentioned, the principle is that this is either disbelief or misguidance. It is disbelief if a person says it out of stubbornness, and it is misguidance if he says it out of ignorance.
If someone asks, how do you reconcile the elevation and the presence? If you say that Allah is above everything, and then you say that Allah is with us, the reconciliation is that they are combined in three ways.
The first way is that Allah the Exalted described Himself with both: that He is High and that He is with us. It is impossible for Allah to combine two contradictory things for Himself, ever. So the combination of the two indicates the possibility of their coexistence, because contradictory things cannot coexist. And Allah the Exalted described Himself with this and that, saying:
Then He rose above the Throne
ثم استوى على العرشAnd He is with you
وهو معكمSecond, the elevation does not contradict the presence. For this reason, the Arabs have a way of speaking where they say, "We have not stopped walking, and the moon is with us," or "We have not stopped walking, and such-and-such a star is with us," as mentioned by the Shaykh al-Islam in *al-'Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah* and as mentioned in *al-Fatwa al-Hamawiyyah* and other of his books. The third way: if it is assumed that there is a contradiction between them in the case of the created being, it does not necessitate the existence of a contradiction in the case of the Creator. Why? Because Allah is not like anything, so He is not measured by His creation. What is impossible in the case of the created being does not necessitate that it is impossible in the case of the Creator, and what is impossible in the case of the Creator does not necessitate that it is impossible in the case of the created being. Do you not know that no drowsiness overtakes Allah, nor sleep, while the created being is overtaken by drowsiness and sleep? And how often drowsiness overtakes you in the place of the lesson? Yes, as for Allah, no.
You know that it is not befitting for a human to be described with arrogance, yet Allah the Exalted is described with it, and it is part of His perfection. So the conclusion is that what is impossible by law or by divine decree in the case of the created being does not necessitate that it is impossible in the case of the Creator, and vice versa.
We also believe, yes, and we have previously mentioned that the presence is general and specific in description, and specific in person, and it is also for the purpose of warning.