What is the meaning of the statement of Allah the Exalted, "And He is the God in the heavens and the God in the earth"?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Some people say, meaning, that He is in the heavens by His Essence and in the earth by His Attributes. Is this appropriate?
The Shaykh : ... The correct view is that means He is in His hand, and also, He did not say [Az-Zukhruf 43:84]; He only said: God. So it is the divinity that was in the heavens and in the earth.
The questioner : But what is the perspective, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : What is the perspective?
The Shaykh : The perspective ... the verse, then the verse was not applied to all of it; it is "He who is in the heavens" only. He said: "God in the heavens," "God in the heavens." If he had said "He who is in the heavens ... He who is in the heavens," that would mean His Essence, but "God in the heavens" means He is God in the heavens, yes.
The questioner : ... two aspects
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : And He is in the heavens and in the earth
The Shaykh : two aspects
The questioner : meaning, its meaning is not taken to ... all of them ...
The Shaykh : No, because it has two meanings; the second meaning is necessary from the pause and separating the end from the beginning, so it does not allow for two meanings; it does not allow for both meanings, with ...
The questioner : Shaykh, the presence (mu'ayyah) that we mentioned
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : I say the presence (mu'ayyah) that you mentioned, O Shaykh
The Shaykh : what came after we connected it
The questioner : No, O Shaykh ... upon it ... it is not appropriate to apply the verse to it
The Shaykh : ...
The questioner : Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : What would be the obstacle ... that He equates Him with it?
The Shaykh : No.
The questioner : ... this implies that it means ..
The Shaykh : It does not necessitate that He is in a place at all, because ... it does not necessitate that. There is a difference between "necessitates" and "implies," meaning it may accept the effort ... to it ...
The questioner : Yes, Shaykh, a question ... is it ...
The Shaykh : Yes ... yes, he said we do not go out or ...
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : No, no.
The questioner : Shaykh, some scholars ... the elevation (uluww) into three categories ...
The Shaykh : Yes, if we say the Essence and the elevation of the Attribute, ... and here also we do not say, if we say the elevation of rank and the elevation of dominion, how many attributes did we mention?
The student: Two attributes
The Shaykh : Two attributes ... we say the elevation of rank and dominion, and knowledge, and might, and wisdom, all the attributes. Therefore, the detail in saying "elevation of Essence and elevation of Attribute" is broader, broader to include all the meanings.
The questioner : Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : Regarding the condition of i'tikaf (spiritual retreat), if he says that there is no condition except in what is obligatory, or meaning, in what is not permissible for us to break, such as 'Umrah (the lesser pilgrimage) and Hajj (the major pilgrimage), because there is a release of the conscience in them, and i'tikaf is a goal among the recommended acts, in which there is originally no release of the conscience, even if he breaks it, how do you respond to them?
The Shaykh : No, we do not respond to him; we say if the condition is permissible in the obligatory, then it is even more so in the recommended. Then, i'tikaf has a condition, meaning that if you go out, your i'tikaf is invalid, because this, if you go out and we say that this going out invalidates it, it means the second is not built upon the first. For example, a man who performed i'tikaf for the last ten days of Ramadan for five days, and went out in a way that invalidates the i'tikaf, then resumed on the twenty-sixth day, is it said that this man performed i'tikaf in the last ten days?
The student: No.
The Shaykh : No, so if we say that if the going out is conditioned for such a thing, it does not invalidate the i'tikaf, we say that he performed i'tikaf in the last ten days. Now, we will pause the questions, and I am also telling you about two matters for the basket on Monday and the night of Wednesday; there is no question after the prayer.
The student: But this week?
The Shaykh : Every week, no, but may Allah reward you with good; you are eager for knowledge, so the thing is known to you, but it is denied in practical application.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Yes, yes.
The Shaykh : ... The correct view is that
God in the heavens and God in the earth
في السماء إله وفي الأرض إلهand He is Allah
وهو اللهAnd it is Allah who is
وهو الذي في السماءThe questioner : But what is the perspective, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : What is the perspective?
The Shaykh : The perspective ... the verse, then the verse was not applied to all of it; it is "He who is in the heavens" only. He said: "God in the heavens," "God in the heavens." If he had said "He who is in the heavens ... He who is in the heavens," that would mean His Essence, but "God in the heavens" means He is God in the heavens, yes.
The questioner : ... two aspects
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : And He is in the heavens and in the earth
The Shaykh : two aspects
The questioner : meaning, its meaning is not taken to ... all of them ...
The Shaykh : No, because it has two meanings; the second meaning is necessary from the pause and separating the end from the beginning, so it does not allow for two meanings; it does not allow for both meanings, with ...
The questioner : Shaykh, the presence (mu'ayyah) that we mentioned
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : I say the presence (mu'ayyah) that you mentioned, O Shaykh
The Shaykh : what came after we connected it
The questioner : No, O Shaykh ... upon it ... it is not appropriate to apply the verse to it
The Shaykh : ...
The questioner : Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : What would be the obstacle ... that He equates Him with it?
The Shaykh : No.
The questioner : ... this implies that it means ..
The Shaykh : It does not necessitate that He is in a place at all, because ... it does not necessitate that. There is a difference between "necessitates" and "implies," meaning it may accept the effort ... to it ...
The questioner : Yes, Shaykh, a question ... is it ...
The Shaykh : Yes ... yes, he said we do not go out or ...
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : No, no.
The questioner : Shaykh, some scholars ... the elevation (uluww) into three categories ...
The Shaykh : Yes, if we say the Essence and the elevation of the Attribute, ... and here also we do not say, if we say the elevation of rank and the elevation of dominion, how many attributes did we mention?
The student: Two attributes
The Shaykh : Two attributes ... we say the elevation of rank and dominion, and knowledge, and might, and wisdom, all the attributes. Therefore, the detail in saying "elevation of Essence and elevation of Attribute" is broader, broader to include all the meanings.
The questioner : Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : Regarding the condition of i'tikaf (spiritual retreat), if he says that there is no condition except in what is obligatory, or meaning, in what is not permissible for us to break, such as 'Umrah (the lesser pilgrimage) and Hajj (the major pilgrimage), because there is a release of the conscience in them, and i'tikaf is a goal among the recommended acts, in which there is originally no release of the conscience, even if he breaks it, how do you respond to them?
The Shaykh : No, we do not respond to him; we say if the condition is permissible in the obligatory, then it is even more so in the recommended. Then, i'tikaf has a condition, meaning that if you go out, your i'tikaf is invalid, because this, if you go out and we say that this going out invalidates it, it means the second is not built upon the first. For example, a man who performed i'tikaf for the last ten days of Ramadan for five days, and went out in a way that invalidates the i'tikaf, then resumed on the twenty-sixth day, is it said that this man performed i'tikaf in the last ten days?
The student: No.
The Shaykh : No, so if we say that if the going out is conditioned for such a thing, it does not invalidate the i'tikaf, we say that he performed i'tikaf in the last ten days. Now, we will pause the questions, and I am also telling you about two matters for the basket on Monday and the night of Wednesday; there is no question after the prayer.
The student: But this week?
The Shaykh : Every week, no, but may Allah reward you with good; you are eager for knowledge, so the thing is known to you, but it is denied in practical application.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Yes, yes.