Refuting those who say that Allah dwells among His creatures
There are repeated questions about the claim that Allah (Glorified be He) dwells among His creatures and mingles with them. They claim that this is the meaning of the general Ma’iyyah (accompaniment). They take as evidence the Ayah (Qur’anic verse), saying: “And you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) were not on the western side (of the Mount)…” [Al-Qasas: 44] And: “You were not with them, when they cast lots with their pens as to which of them should be charged with the care of Maryam (Mary); nor were you with them when they disputed.” [Aal Imran: 44] They claim that these two Ayahs denote that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was not with them, but Allah was present in person with them, because He is present everywhere.
Since those people misunderstood the whole point and made a big mistake, opposing the true ‘Aqidah (creed) preached in the Noble Qur’an and the Prophetic Sunnah and adopted by the Salaf (righteous predecessors) of the Muslim nation, I think I must clarify the right opinion on such a false belief and what seems to be confusing about this point pertaining to Allah’s Names and Attributes. Allah (Exalted and Glorified be He) can be described only with the Names and Attributes with which He has described Himself and the Names and Attributes with which His Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) described Him, which befit His Majesty and Glory without Takyif (descriptive designation of Allah’s Attributes), Tamthil (likening Allah’s Attributes to those of His Creation), Tahrif (distortion of the meaning), or Ta’til (denial of Allah’s Attributes). This is because Allah (Exalted be He) says: “There is nothing like Him; and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer.” [Al-Shura: 11]
As stated in the Noble Qur’an and the Prophetic Sunnah and unanimously agreed upon by the Salaf of the Muslim nation, Allah (Glorified be He) is highly above His creatures, separate in His Being and Essence from them, over His Throne, which He rose over in a manner that befits His Majesty, unlike the rising of His creation. Allah (Exalted be He) is with His creatures with His knowledge and nothing is hidden from Allah about them. This is what has been indicated by the Noble Qur’an through clear Ayahs and by the Prophetic Sunnah through its direct authentic Hadiths.
There are many Qur’anic proofs that Allah is in the heavens, highly above His creatures, and is over His Throne. Allah (Exalted be He) says: “To Him ascend (all) the goodly words, and the righteous deeds exalt them (i.e. the goodly words are not accepted by Allâh unless and until they are followed by good deeds)” [Fatir: 10]
And: “I will take you and raise you to Myself” [Aal Imran: 55]
And: “The angels and the Rûh [Jibrîl (Gabriel)] ascend to Him” [Al-Ma’arij: 4]
And: “Then He (Istawâ) rose over the Throne (in a manner that suits His Majesty). The Most Gracious (Allâh)!” [Al-Furqan: 59]
And: “Do you feel secure that He, Who is over the heaven (Allâh), will not cause the earth to sink with you Or do you feel secure that He, Who is over the heaven (Allâh), will not send against you a violent whirlwind?” [Al-Mulk: 16-17]
And: “The Most Gracious (Allâh) rose over (Istawâ) the (Mighty) Throne (in a manner that suits His Majesty).” [TaHa:5]
And: “O Hâmân! Build me a tower that I may arrive at the ways The ways of the heavens, and I may look upon the Ilâh (God) of Mûsâ (Moses); but verily, I think him to be a liar.” [Ghafir: 36-37]
As for the proofs from the Prophetic Sunnah, there are countless numbers of Sahih (authentic) and Hasan (good) Hadiths, such as the Hadith about the Prophet’s Mi’raj (Ascension to the heavens) to his Lord and the Hadith about the Ruqyah (reciting Qur’an and saying supplications over the sick seeking healing) that was reported by Abu Dawud and other scholars: “Our Lord is Allah Who is in the heaven; Holy is Your Name, Your Command reigns supreme in the heaven and the earth.” 1
In the Hadith about the angels in the form of mountain goats, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “…and the Throne is above this; and Allah is above the Throne. Verily, He knows your states.” (Related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud and other scholars) 2
In an authentic Hadith, he (peace be upon him) asked a slave girl: “‘Where is Allah?’ She replied, ‘In the heaven.’ He (peace be upon him) asked her, ‘Who am I?’ She replied, ‘You are the Messenger of Allah.’ Then he (peace be upon him) said to her master, ‘Set her free, for she is a believer.’” (Related by Muslim in his Sahih) 3
There are other Hadiths that were authentically reported from the Prophet (peace be upon him) stating that he (peace be upon him) said that Allah is over His Throne and that He is above the heavens. This is a natural inborn belief within all people, Arabs and non-Arabs, both in the pre-Islamic period and under Islam, except those whom Satan has allured. Also, there are hundreds or thousands of statements by the Salaf on the same topic. There is nothing in the Glorious Qur’an, the Prophetic Sunnah or the statements of the Salaf, neither from among the Prophet’s Sahabah (Companions) nor those who followed their guidance, or even the Imams who lived in the ages of differences and personal inclinations, that opposes what has been mentioned above whether explicitly or implicitly. None of them ever said that Allah is not in the heavens, or is not over the Throne, or that He is present everywhere in person, or that all places are the same to Him, or that He exists neither inside nor outside the universe, or that it is not permissible to use your finger, and so on, to point at Him.
Contrarily, it was authentically reported in the Sahih book of Hadith on the authority of Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah that on the occasion of concluding the great sermon that the Prophet (peace be upon him) delivered on the Day of ‘Arafah, in the biggest gathering he (peace be upon him) witnessed, he (peace be upon him) kept saying: “‘Have I conveyed (Allah’s) the Message to you? Have I conveyed (Allah’s) the Message to you.’ They said, ‘Yes.’ Then He (peace be upon him) raised his finger towards the sky and pointed at the people and said, ‘O Allah! Bear witness to this.’” 4 There are many similar Hadiths on this point.
This was also discussed by the Shaykh of Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and other scholars who were well-versed in such matters (see Al-Fatawa, v., p. 14). Generally, the corrupt belief adopted by the denying Jahmiyyah (a deviant Islamic sect denying some Attributes of Allah, claiming they are ascribed to people and cannot be ascribed to Allah) and their followers from among the Mubtadi’s (those who introduce innovations in religion) is one of the most wicked and harmful beliefs. It detracts from Allah’s Majesty - we seek refuge in Allah from the deviation of the heart from the right path. There are many pieces of evidence of such misleading and corrupt beliefs. There can be no doubt that a sound mind and upright Fitrah (innate pure nature) deny such corrupt beliefs. Moreover, there is established Shar’i (Islamic legal) evidence that denies such corrupt beliefs. Using the above-mentioned Ayahs as evidence to support their corrupt belief is a wicked practice, as they claim that Allah was incarnate in the earth beside Mount Sinai, taking as evidence the Ayahs on such an event. Glorified and Exalted is He! High above the great falsehood that they say.
Those making such a claim do not know that Ma’iyyah is of two types: general and private. Examples of the private Ma’iyyah are the Ayahs: “Truly, Allâh is with those who fear Him (keep their duty unto Him), and those who are Muhsinûn (good-doers).” [Al-nahl: 128]
And: “Be not sad (or afraid), surely Allâh is with us.” [Al-Tawbah: 40]
And: “I am with you both, hearing and seeing.” [TaHa: 46]
There are similar Ayahs on the private Ma’iyyah that Allah (Exalted be He) extends to His prophets and pious believing servants through support, help, guidance, and care. This is confirmed by Allah (Glorified be He) in a Hadith Qudsy (Revelation from Allah in the Prophet’s words) related by His Prophet (peace be upon him), in which Allah says: “My slave keeps on drawing closer to Me through performing Nawafil (praying or doing extra good deeds beyond what is obligatory) until I love him. When I love him, I become his hearing with which he hears, his sight with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his leg with which he walks.” 5
However, this does not mean that Allah becomes incarnate in the senses and organs of a servant. Exalted is He and High above this by great sublimity. Conversely, it denotes that Allah becomes close to His servant through support and guidance, as explained in another narration of the Hadith Qudsi mentioned above: “Through Me he hears, through Me he sees, through Me he strikes, and through Me he walks.” In the second narration, Allah explains the meaning of His Words: “I become his hearing…” which implies Allah’s Guidance to and Support of His servants and His Protection to them against committing what displeases Him.
As for the general Ma’iyyah, it means perfect and comprehensive knowledge. Such a type of Ma’iyyah is mentioned in many Ayahs, such as: “There is no Najwâ (secret counsel) of three but He is their fourth (with His Knowledge, while He Himself is over the Throne, over the seventh heaven), nor of five but He is their sixth (with His Knowledge), nor of less than that or more but He is with them (with His Knowledge) wheresoever they may be.” [Al-Mujadilah: 7]
And: “And He is with you (by His Knowledge) wheresoever you may be.” [Al-Hadid: 4]
And: “Then surely, We shall narrate unto them (their whole story) with knowledge, and indeed We have not been absent.” [Al-A’raf: 7]
And: “Neither you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) do any deed nor recite any portion of the Qur’ân, - nor you (mankind) do any deed (good or evil) but We are Witness thereof, when you are doing it.” [Yunus: 61]
There are many similar Ayahs on such a type of Ma’iyyah. Allah (Glorified be He) rose over His Throne in a manner that befits His Perfection and Majesty. He is All-Knowing of His creation and a Witness over them wherever they are, on land or in the sea, by night or day, at their homes or in the open desert. All are equal with regard to Allah’s Knowledge, as He encompasses them in His Knowledge.
They are all under His Sight and Hearing. He hears their speech, sees them wherever they are, and knows their secrets and private conversations. Allah (Glorified be He) says: “No doubt! They did fold up their breasts, that they may hide from Him. Surely, even when they cover themselves with their garments, He knows what they conceal and what they reveal. Verily, He is the All-Knower of the (innermost secrets) of the breasts.” [Hud: 5]
Allah (Exalted be He) also says: “It is the same (to Him) whether any of you conceals his speech or declares it openly, whether he be hid by night or goes forth freely by day.” [Al-Ra’ad: 10]
And: “…that you may know that Allâh has power over all things, and that Allâh surrounds all things in (His) Knowledge.” [Al-Talaq: 12]
There is no god or lord except Allah. Allah (Glorified be He) begins the Ayahs on general Ma’iyyah with knowledge and ends them with knowledge so that His servants may know that Allah is All-Knowing of their conditions; not that He dwells among them in their homes, bathrooms, and other places. Allah is Highly Exalted above such falsehood. The false belief that general Ma’iyyah means that Allah dwells among His creatures is adopted by those who believe in Hulul (a Sufi term meaning indwelling). They claim that their Lord personally exists everywhere and that He is far above rising over His Throne and being in the heavens over His creation. But they never exalt Him above being present in the dirtiest of all places! May Allah disgrace them. Great scholars from among the Salaf refuted such falsehoods, such as Ahmad ibn Hanbal, ‘Abdullah ibn Al-Mubarak, Is-haq ibn Rahawayh Abu Hanifah Al-Nu’man and others. Similarly, succeeding scholars from among the Imams of guidance did the same, such as the Shaykh of Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, the great scholar Ibn Al-Qayyim, Al-Hafidh ibn Kathir and others.
After having clarified this point, the Ayah: “And He is with you (by His Knowledge)” [Al-Hadid: 4] and similar Ayahs do not denote, neither explicitly nor implicitly, that Allah dwells among His creatures and mingles with them. The preposition “with” in these Ayahs does not mean this at all, but it only denotes accompaniment and connection regarding a certain matter, which differ according to the situation. Abu ‘Umar Al-Talamanky (may Allah be merciful to him) said: “Muslims from among Ahl-ul-Sunnah (adherents to the Sunnah) unanimously agree that the meaning of the Ayah: “And He is with you (by His Knowledge) wheresoever you may be.” [Al-Hadid: 4] and similar Ayahs is that Allah is with His creation by His knowledge and that He (Exalted be He) is above the heavens over His Throne.” This is as His Glorious Book says. Also, the eminent scholars and Imams of the Salaf unanimously agreed that Allah is over His Throne above His Heavens. Abu Nasr Al-Sijzy said: “Our great Imams, such as Sufyan Al-Thawri, Malik, Hammad ibn Salamah, Hammad ibn Zayd, Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah, Al-Fudayl, Ibn Al-Mubarak, Ahmad, and Is-haq unanimously agreed that Allah (Glorified be He), Himself, is over His Throne, and is Knowledgeable of everywhere.”
Abu ‘Umar ibn Abdul-Bar said: “Great scholars from among the Sahabah and Tabi’un (Followers, the generation after the Companions of the Prophet) known for interpretation of the Qur’an were of the opinion that the interpretation of the Ayah: There is no Najwâ (secret counsel) of three but He is their fourth (with His Knowledge, while He Himself is over the Throne, over the seventh heaven) is that Allah is over His Throne and is present everywhere by His Knowledge. It is worth mentioning that no notable scholar opposed their opinion. Al-Hafizh ibn Kathir (may Allah be merciful to him) commented on the Ayah: “And He is with you (by His Knowledge) wheresoever you may be. And Allâh is the All-Seer of what you do.” He said that it means that Allah is Witness of our deeds wherever and whenever we are, on land or in the sea, by night or day, in our homes or in the open desert, as we are all equal with regard to Allah’s Knowledge. We are all under His Sight and Hearing. He hears our talk and sees us wherever we are, and knows our secrets and private conversations. Allah (Glorified be He) says: “No doubt! They did fold up their breasts, that they may hide from Him. Surely, even when they cover themselves with their garments, He knows what they conceal and what they reveal. Verily, He is the All-Knower of the (innermost secrets) of the breasts.”
Allah (Exalted be He) also says: “It is the same (to Him) whether any of you conceals his speech or declares it openly, whether he be hid by night or goes forth freely by day. There is no god or lord except Him. Regarding the Tafsir (explanation) of the Ayah of Surah Al-Mujadalah in which Allah says: There is no Najwâ (secret counsel) of three He said that there is no private conversation between three persons …but He is their fourth (with His Knowledge, while He Himself is over the Throne, over the seventh heaven), nor of five but He is their sixth (with His Knowledge), nor of less than that or more but He is with them (with His Knowledge) wheresoever they may be. This means that Allah is watching and hearing all their talk, secrets and private counsels.
Also, the scribe angels assigned by Allah record people’s private talk, even though Allah is All-Knowing of every word they utter in private. Allah (Glorified be He) says: Know they not that Allâh knows their secret ideas, and their Najwa (secret counsels), and that Allâh is the All-Knower of things unseen. And: Or do they think that We hear not their secrets and their private counsel? (Yes We do) and Our messengers (appointed angels in charge of mankind) are by them, to record. Therefore, many scholars reported a consensus that the meaning intended by this Ayah is that Allah is present with His creatures by His Knowledge. There can be no doubt about this meaning. His Hearing as well as His Knowledge encompasses them. They are under His Sight, and nothing of their affairs is hidden from Him.
There can be no doubt that the Salaf have countless statements on such an issue. Therefore, the belief that Allah dwells among His creatures, or that He is present in person everywhere as an interpretation of the Ayah: And He is with you (by His Knowledge) or that it is not permissible to point at Him are totally wrong and false, as shown from the many explicit proofs mentioned here and the consensus of Muslim scholars.
Consequently, it becomes clear that those who say that Allah dwells among His creatures, and those who follow them in their opinion, are totally wrong. They have invented falsehood about Allah. They give the Ayahs on Ma’iyyah wrong interpretations that oppose the statements of eminent scholars. May Allah protect us from disgrace and from ascribing to Allah that which does not befit His Glory, out of ignorance. We ask Allah (Glorified be He) to make us adhere to the right path. Indeed, He is the Patron, Capable of all things. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.