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The answer to those who say that Allah is immanent within His creation
Original (Arabic): https://binbaz.org.sa/fatwas/18/الجواب-عمن-يقول-بان-الله-حال-بين-خلقه
Question: Praise be to Allah alone, and salah and salam be upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions. To proceed:
Questions have repeatedly been raised about one who says that Allah, Glorified is He, is present within His creation and intermingled with them, and that this is the meaning of the general "withness" (ma'iyyah), and they also drew an analogy with His saying, the Most High: The verse, and his saying: and the meaning of that is that the Messenger ﷺ There was nothing with them; rather, Allah, Exalted is He, was with them in His very Self, since He is in every place, according to their saying.
Questions have repeatedly been raised about one who says that Allah, Glorified is He, is present within His creation and intermingled with them, and that this is the meaning of the general "withness" (ma'iyyah), and they also drew an analogy with His saying, the Most High:
وَمَا كُنتَ بِجَانِبِ ٱلۡغَرۡبِيِّ إِذۡ قَضَيۡنَآ إِلَىٰ مُوسَى ٱلۡأَمۡرَ وَمَا كُنتَ مِنَ ٱلشَّٰهِدِينَ
And you (O Muhammad) were not on the western side (of the Mount), when We made clear to Musa (Moses) the commandment, and you were not among those present.
Qur'an 28:44 — trans. Hilali & Khan
ذَٰلِكَ مِنۡ أَنۢبَآءِ ٱلۡغَيۡبِ نُوحِيهِ إِلَيۡكَۚ وَمَا كُنتَ لَدَيۡهِمۡ إِذۡ يُلۡقُونَ أَقۡلَٰمَهُمۡ أَيُّهُمۡ يَكۡفُلُ مَرۡيَمَ وَمَا كُنتَ لَدَيۡهِمۡ إِذۡ يَخۡتَصِمُونَ
This is a part of the news of the Ghaib (unseen, i.e. the news of the past nations of which you have no knowledge) which We inspire you with (O Muhammad). 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.
Qur'an 3:44 — trans. Hilali & Khan
Answer: Since the one who made this statement has misunderstood and committed a gross error, contrary to the correct aqidah brought by the Qur'an and the sunnah, and believed by the salaf of this ummah, I saw fit to clarify the truth and explain what was hidden from this speaker regarding this great matter, which concerns the names and attributes of Allah. Allah, glorified and exalted is He, is described by what He described Himself with, and by what His Messenger Muhammad ﷺ described Him with. ﷺ in a manner befitting His majesty, without asking how, without likening Him to His creation, and without distortion or negation, as He, the Most High, said: And among the things established in the Qur'an and the sunnah, and upon which the salaf of this ummah are agreed, is that Allah, glorified is He, is above His creation, separate from them, established upon His Throne, an establishment befitting His majesty, not resembling His creation in their being established. And He, glorified is He, is with them by His knowledge; nothing of their affairs is hidden from Him. This is what the Qur'an indicates in the most eloquent and clearest of expressions, and what the sunnah indicates through authentic and explicit hadiths.
And among the Qur'anic evidences that Allah, glorified is He, is above the heavens, above His creation, established over His Throne, is His saying, glorified is He: And his saying:، ، ، and his saying:، The verses.
As for the evidence from the sunnah, there have come in authentic and hasan hadiths what cannot be counted except with difficulty, such as the story of the Prophet's night ascension ﷺ to his Lord. And in the hadith of the ruqyah, which was narrated by Abu Dawud and others: the hadith, and his saying in the hadith of the mountain goats and the Throne is above that, and Allah is above His Throne, and He knows what state you are in narrated by Ahmad and Abu Dawud and others, and his saying in the authentic hadith to the slave-girl: Where is Allah? She said: In the heaven. He said: Who am I? She said: You are the Messenger of Allah. He said: Free her, for she is a believer. narrated by Muslim in his Sahih, along with similar hadiths authentically reported from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ، and which provide certain knowledge that the Messenger ﷺ It has been established that Allah, glory be to Him, is upon His Throne, and that He is above the heaven, as Allah has instilled by natural disposition in all nations, their Arabs and their non-Arabs, in the Age of Ignorance and in Islam, except for those whom the devils have led astray from their natural disposition.
then from the predecessors there are sayings on this matter which, if gathered, would amount to hundreds or thousands, yet there is nothing in the Book of Allah nor in the sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ None of the predecessors of this nation, neither the Companions nor those who followed them in excellence, nor the imams who lived through the age of desires and disputes, said even a single word contrary to that—neither explicitly nor by implication. Not one of them ever said that Allah is not in the heaven, nor that He is not above the Throne, nor that He is with His Essence in every place, nor that all places are equal with respect to Him, nor that He is neither inside the world nor outside it, nor that it is not permissible to point to Him physically with the fingers or the like. Rather, it has been established in the authentic hadith on the authority of Jabir ibn Abdillah that the Prophet ﷺ When he delivered his great sermon on the Day of Arafat, at the greatest gathering the Messenger ﷺ attended ﷺ He kept saying: Have I not conveyed the message? And they would say: Yes. So he would raise his finger to the sky, then point it down towards them, and say:and the like of this occurs frequently.
As Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and other scholars have clarified. See al-Fatawa, vol. 5, p. 14.
The point is that this corrupt belief held by the Jahmiyyah, the deniers of the divine attributes, and those from among the people of innovation who followed their path, is among the most corrupt and vile of beliefs, and among the gravest of afflictions and diminishments of the Creator, glorified and exalted is He. We seek refuge in Allah from the deviation of hearts.
And the proofs of the falsity of this misguided madhhab are many, for sound reason and sound innate nature both reject this, let alone the established textual proofs. As for the argument of some of them from the verses mentioned earlier, it is among the most invalid of falsehoods, in that they claimed it may be derived from the verses that Allah exists in His Essence on the earth beside the Mount — exalted is Allah far above that.
It has been hidden from this speaker that "withness" (al-ma'iyyah) is of two types: general and specific. The specific is like His saying, the Most High: And His saying, Exalted is He: And his saying: and their like among the verses. For He, Glorious is He, is with His prophets and His believing, God-fearing servants with support and backing, aid, success, guidance and sufficiency, care and guidance. As He said (subhanahu wa ta'ala) in what his Prophet narrated from him ﷺ ﷺ as He says: And My servant continues to draw near to Me with voluntary acts of worship until I love him, and when I love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, his sight with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his foot with which he walks.This does not mean that Allah, glorified is He, becomes limbs for the servant — Allah is exalted far above that, greatly exalted — rather what is meant is His guiding and granting success, in all the limbs of the servant, as the other narration explains it, where He, glorified is He, said: By Me he hears, and by Me he sees, and by Me he strikes, and by Me he walks. And with this He, subhanahu, clarified that what is meant by His saying, "I become his hearing," etc., is His granting him success, guiding him aright, and preserving him from falling into that which angers Him.
As for the general "with-ness" (ma'iyyah), its meaning is: complete encompassing and knowledge, and this ma'iyyah is that mentioned in many verses, such as His saying: And his saying: And his saying: And his saying: and other verses to that effect. So He, Glorious and Exalted is He, is established above His Throne, in a manner befitting His perfection and majesty, while He encompasses His creation with His knowledge, and is witness over them wherever they are and wherever they may be—on land or sea, by night or day, in houses or in the wilderness—all of them being alike within His knowledge, and under His sight and hearing. He hears their speech, sees their place, and knows their secrets and their private conversations, as He, Exalted is He, said: And His saying, the Most High: said: There is no god other than Him and no lord besides Him.
Allah, glorified is He, began the verses of the general "withness" (ma'iyyah) with knowledge, and concluded them with knowledge, so that His servants would know that what is meant thereby is His knowledge, glorified is He, of their conditions and all their affairs — not that He, glorified is He, is intermingled with them in their houses, their bathrooms, and other such places of theirs. Exalted is Allah far above that, a great exaltation.
The statement that the meaning of ma'iyyah (being with) is that He mingles with creation in His Essence is what the people of hulul (indwelling) say, those who claim that their object of worship is in every place with His Essence, while they exempt Him from His rising over His Throne and His highness above His creation, yet they do not exempt Him from the most repugnant and filthiest of places — may Allah disgrace them and debase them. The imams of the righteous predecessors undertook to refute them, such as Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak, Ishaq ibn Rahawayh, Abu Hanifah al-Nu'man, and others, and after them the imams of guidance, such as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, the eminent scholar Ibn al-Qayyim, the hafiz Ibn Kathir, and others.
And if this becomes clear, then nothing is to be taken from his saying: And what has come in its meaning among the verses, does not mean that He is mixed and intermingled with the created beings, neither apparently nor in reality, and the word "with" (مع) does not indicate this in any way whatsoever. The utmost that it indicates is companionship, concordance, and conjunction in some matter, and this conjunction, in every place, is according to what befits it. Abu Umar al-Talamanki, may Allah have mercy on him, said: the Muslims of the people of the sunnah are agreed that the meaning of His saying, the Most High: and the like of that in the Qur'an: that He knows it, and that Allah, Exalted is He, is above the heavens with His Essence, established upon His Throne, as His Book has spoken and as the scholars of the ummah and the leading imams among the Salaf have affirmed, they did not differ that Allah is upon His Throne above His heavens. Abu Nasr al-Sijzi said: Our imams, such as Sufyan al-Thawri, Malik, Hammad ibn Salamah, Hammad ibn Zayd, Sufyan ibn Uyaynah, al-Fudayl, Ibn al-Mubarak, Ahmad, and Ishaq, are agreed that Allah, Glorified is He, with His Essence is above the Throne, and that His knowledge is in every place. Abu Umar Ibn Abd al-Barr said: the scholars among the Companions and the Followers, from whom interpretation has been transmitted, are unanimously agreed in interpreting the saying of Allah, Exalted is He: the verse, while He is above the Throne, and His knowledge is in every place, and no one whose statement carries weight has opposed them in that.
And al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, said concerning His saying, the Most High: meaning: a Watcher, a Witness over your deeds, wherever you are and wherever you may be, on land or sea, by night or day, in houses or in deserts—all of it is equally within His knowledge and under His sight and hearing. He hears your speech, sees your place, and knows your secret and your private counsel, as the Almighty said: And the Most High said: There is no god other than Him and no lord besides Him.
And he said regarding the tafsir of the verse of Surah Al-Mujadilah: any secret of three [people] Meaning He is aware of them, hearing their speech, their secrets, and their private conversations, and His messengers likewise record what they converse about, along with God's knowledge of it and His hearing of it, as He, Most High, said: And He, the Most High, said: And for this reason, more than one scholar has related the ijma that what is meant by this verse is the ma'iyyah of His knowledge, exalted is He, and there is no doubt that this is intended; but His hearing, along with His knowledge, encompasses them, and His sight penetrates them, for He, glorified and exalted, is watching over His creation, and nothing of their affairs is hidden from Him.
And the statements of the salaf on this matter are too numerous to enumerate. The purpose here is to make clear that this belief—namely, the assertion that Allah is with His Essence in every place, and that the meaning of His saying that He is with them in His Essence and that it is not permissible to point to Him - is a saying of the utmost falsity and invalidity, as is clear from the many explicit proofs, some of which have already been mentioned, and its falsity is clear from the ijma of the people of knowledge, which was transmitted from them by those of the imams already mentioned.
Thus it becomes clear that those who hold the view of hulul — meaning that Allah, glorified is He, dwells among His creation with His Self — and those who follow their view, have departed from what is correct and gone far astray, and have said about Allah that which contradicts the truth, and have interpreted the verses concerning al-ma'iyyah (Allah's being with His creation) in a manner other than the interpretation given by the people of knowledge. We seek refuge in Allah from being forsaken, and from speaking about Allah without knowledge, and we ask Him for steadfastness upon the truth and guidance to the path of right conduct. He is indeed the Guardian of that and the One capable of it. And may Allah's peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and upon his family and companions.[1].
فَاطِرُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِۚ جَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنۡ أَنفُسِكُمۡ أَزۡوَٰجٗا وَمِنَ ٱلۡأَنۡعَٰمِ أَزۡوَٰجٗا يَذۡرَؤُكُمۡ فِيهِۚ لَيۡسَ كَمِثۡلِهِۦ شَيۡءٞۖ وَهُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلۡبَصِيرُ
The Creator of the heavens and the earth. He has made for you mates from yourselves, and for the cattle (also) mates. By this means He creates you (in the wombs). There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer.
Qur'an 42:11 — trans. Hilali & Khan
And among the Qur'anic evidences that Allah, glorified is He, is above the heavens, above His creation, established over His Throne, is His saying, glorified is He:
مَن كَانَ يُرِيدُ ٱلۡعِزَّةَ فَلِلَّهِ ٱلۡعِزَّةُ جَمِيعًاۚ إِلَيۡهِ يَصۡعَدُ ٱلۡكَلِمُ ٱلطَّيِّبُ وَٱلۡعَمَلُ ٱلصَّٰلِحُ يَرۡفَعُهُۥۚ وَٱلَّذِينَ يَمۡكُرُونَ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ لَهُمۡ عَذَابٞ شَدِيدٞۖ وَمَكۡرُ أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ هُوَ يَبُورُ
Whosoever desires honour, power and glory then to Allah belong all honour, power and glory [and one can get honour, power and glory only by obeying and worshipping Allah (Alone)]. To Him ascend (all) the goodly words, and the righteous deeds exalt it (the goodly words i.e. the goodly words are not accepted by Allah unless and until they are followed by good deeds), but those who plot evils, theirs will be severe torment. And the plotting of such will perish.
Qur'an 35:10 — trans. Hilali & Khan
إِذۡ قَالَ ٱللَّهُ يَٰعِيسَىٰٓ إِنِّي مُتَوَفِّيكَ وَرَافِعُكَ إِلَيَّ وَمُطَهِّرُكَ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَجَاعِلُ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّبَعُوكَ فَوۡقَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓاْ إِلَىٰ يَوۡمِ ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِۖ ثُمَّ إِلَيَّ مَرۡجِعُكُمۡ فَأَحۡكُمُ بَيۡنَكُمۡ فِيمَا كُنتُمۡ فِيهِ تَخۡتَلِفُونَ
And (remember) when Allah said: "O 'Iesa (Jesus)! I will take you and raise you to Myself and clear you [of the forged statement that 'Iesa (Jesus) is Allah's son] of those who disbelieve, and I will make those who follow you (Monotheists, who worship none but Allah) superior to those who disbelieve [in the Oneness of Allah, or disbelieve in some of His Messengers, e.g. Muhammad, 'Iesa (Jesus), Musa (Moses), etc., or in His Holy Books, e.g. the Taurat (Torah), the Injeel (Gospel), the Quran] till the Day of Resurrection. Then you will return to Me and I will judge between you in the matters in which you used to dispute."
Qur'an 3:55 — trans. Hilali & Khan
تَعۡرُجُ ٱلۡمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ وَٱلرُّوحُ إِلَيۡهِ فِي يَوۡمٖ كَانَ مِقۡدَارُهُۥ خَمۡسِينَ أَلۡفَ سَنَةٖ
The angels and the Ruh [Jibrael (Gabriel)] ascend to Him in a Day the measure whereof is fifty thousand years,
Qur'an 70:4 — trans. Hilali & Khan
ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ وَمَا بَيۡنَهُمَا فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٖ ثُمَّ ٱسۡتَوَىٰ عَلَى ٱلۡعَرۡشِۖ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنُ فَسۡـَٔلۡ بِهِۦ خَبِيرٗا
Who created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them in six Days. Then He Istawa (rose over) the Throne (in a manner that suits His Majesty). The Most Beneficent (Allah)! Ask Him (O Prophet Muhammad), (concerning His Qualities, His rising over His Throne, His creations, etc.), as He is Al-Khabir (The All-Knower of everything i.e. Allah).
Qur'an 25:59 — trans. Hilali & Khan
(16) ءَأَمِنتُم مَّن فِي ٱلسَّمَآءِ أَن يَخۡسِفَ بِكُمُ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ فَإِذَا هِيَ تَمُورُ (17) أَمۡ أَمِنتُم مَّن فِي ٱلسَّمَآءِ أَن يُرۡسِلَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ حَاصِبٗاۖ فَسَتَعۡلَمُونَ كَيۡفَ نَذِيرِ
(16) Do you feel secure that He, Who is over the heaven (Allah), will not cause the earth to sink with you, then behold it shakes (as in an earthquake)? (17) Or do you feel secure that He, Who is over the heaven (Allah), will not send against you a violent whirlwind? Then you shall know how (terrible) has been My Warning?
Qur'an 67:16-17 — trans. Hilali & Khan
ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنُ عَلَى ٱلۡعَرۡشِ ٱسۡتَوَىٰ
The Most Beneficent (Allah) Istawa (rose over) the (Mighty) Throne (in a manner that suits His Majesty).
Qur'an 20:5 — trans. Hilali & Khan
(36) وَقَالَ فِرۡعَوۡنُ يَٰهَٰمَٰنُ ٱبۡنِ لِي صَرۡحٗا لَّعَلِّيٓ أَبۡلُغُ ٱلۡأَسۡبَٰبَ (37) أَسۡبَٰبَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ فَأَطَّلِعَ إِلَىٰٓ إِلَٰهِ مُوسَىٰ وَإِنِّي لَأَظُنُّهُۥ كَٰذِبٗاۚ وَكَذَٰلِكَ زُيِّنَ لِفِرۡعَوۡنَ سُوٓءُ عَمَلِهِۦ وَصُدَّ عَنِ ٱلسَّبِيلِۚ وَمَا كَيۡدُ فِرۡعَوۡنَ إِلَّا فِي تَبَابٖ
(36) And Fir'aun (Pharaoh) said: "O Haman! Build me a tower that I may arrive at the ways, (37) "The ways of the heavens, and I may look upon the Ilah (God) of Musa (Moses) but verily, I think him to be a liar." Thus it was made fair-seeming, in Fir'aun's (Pharaoh) eyes, the evil of his deeds, and he was hindered from the (Right) Path, and the plot of Fir'aun (Pharaoh) led to nothing but loss and destruction (for him).
Qur'an 40:36-37 — trans. Hilali & Khan
As for the evidence from the sunnah, there have come in authentic and hasan hadiths what cannot be counted except with difficulty, such as the story of the Prophet's night ascension ﷺ to his Lord. And in the hadith of the ruqyah, which was narrated by Abu Dawud and others:
ربنا الله الذي في السماء تقدس اسمك أمرك في السماء والأرض
Rabbuna Allah alladhi fi al-sama tuqaddasa ismuka amruka fi al-sama wa al-ard
Our Lord is Allah, who is in the heaven, blessed is Your name; Your command is in the heaven and the earth.
then from the predecessors there are sayings on this matter which, if gathered, would amount to hundreds or thousands, yet there is nothing in the Book of Allah nor in the sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ None of the predecessors of this nation, neither the Companions nor those who followed them in excellence, nor the imams who lived through the age of desires and disputes, said even a single word contrary to that—neither explicitly nor by implication. Not one of them ever said that Allah is not in the heaven, nor that He is not above the Throne, nor that He is with His Essence in every place, nor that all places are equal with respect to Him, nor that He is neither inside the world nor outside it, nor that it is not permissible to point to Him physically with the fingers or the like. Rather, it has been established in the authentic hadith on the authority of Jabir ibn Abdillah that the Prophet ﷺ When he delivered his great sermon on the Day of Arafat, at the greatest gathering the Messenger ﷺ attended ﷺ He kept saying: Have I not conveyed the message? And they would say: Yes. So he would raise his finger to the sky, then point it down towards them, and say:
اللهم اشهد
Allahumma ishhad
O Allah, bear witness
As Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and other scholars have clarified. See al-Fatawa, vol. 5, p. 14.
The point is that this corrupt belief held by the Jahmiyyah, the deniers of the divine attributes, and those from among the people of innovation who followed their path, is among the most corrupt and vile of beliefs, and among the gravest of afflictions and diminishments of the Creator, glorified and exalted is He. We seek refuge in Allah from the deviation of hearts.
And the proofs of the falsity of this misguided madhhab are many, for sound reason and sound innate nature both reject this, let alone the established textual proofs. As for the argument of some of them from the verses mentioned earlier, it is among the most invalid of falsehoods, in that they claimed it may be derived from the verses that Allah exists in His Essence on the earth beside the Mount — exalted is Allah far above that.
It has been hidden from this speaker that "withness" (al-ma'iyyah) is of two types: general and specific. The specific is like His saying, the Most High:
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّقَواْ وَّٱلَّذِينَ هُم مُّحۡسِنُونَ
Truly, Allah is with those who fear Him (keep their duty unto Him), and those who are Muhsinun (good-doers, - see the footnote of V. 9:120).
Qur'an 16:128 — trans. Hilali & Khan
إِلَّا تَنصُرُوهُ فَقَدۡ نَصَرَهُ ٱللَّهُ إِذۡ أَخۡرَجَهُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ ثَانِيَ ٱثۡنَيۡنِ إِذۡ هُمَا فِي ٱلۡغَارِ إِذۡ يَقُولُ لِصَٰحِبِهِۦ لَا تَحۡزَنۡ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَنَاۖ فَأَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ سَكِينَتَهُۥ عَلَيۡهِ وَأَيَّدَهُۥ بِجُنُودٖ لَّمۡ تَرَوۡهَا وَجَعَلَ كَلِمَةَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ ٱلسُّفۡلَىٰۗ وَكَلِمَةُ ٱللَّهِ هِيَ ٱلۡعُلۡيَاۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ
If you help him (Muhammad) not (it does not matter), for Allah did indeed help him when the disbelievers drove him out, the second of two, when they (Muhammad and Abu Bakr) were in the cave, and he () said to his companion (Abu Bakr): "Be not sad (or afraid), surely Allah is with us." Then Allah sent down His Sakinah (calmness, tranquillity, peace, etc.) upon him, and strengthened him with forces (angels) which you saw not, and made the word of those who disbelieved the lowermost, while it was the Word of Allah that became the uppermost, and Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise.
Qur'an 9:40 — trans. Hilali & Khan
قَالَ لَا تَخَافَآۖ إِنَّنِي مَعَكُمَآ أَسۡمَعُ وَأَرَىٰ
He (Allah) said: "Fear not, verily! I am with you both, hearing and seeing.
Qur'an 20:46 — trans. Hilali & Khan
As for the general "with-ness" (ma'iyyah), its meaning is: complete encompassing and knowledge, and this ma'iyyah is that mentioned in many verses, such as His saying:
أَلَمۡ تَرَ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَعۡلَمُ مَا فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِۖ مَا يَكُونُ مِن نَّجۡوَىٰ ثَلَٰثَةٍ إِلَّا هُوَ رَابِعُهُمۡ وَلَا خَمۡسَةٍ إِلَّا هُوَ سَادِسُهُمۡ وَلَآ أَدۡنَىٰ مِن ذَٰلِكَ وَلَآ أَكۡثَرَ إِلَّا هُوَ مَعَهُمۡ أَيۡنَ مَا كَانُواْۖ ثُمَّ يُنَبِّئُهُم بِمَا عَمِلُواْ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَيۡءٍ عَلِيمٌ
Have you not seen that Allah knows whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth? There is no Najwa (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), not of less than that or more, but He is with them (with His Knowledge) wheresoever they may be; and afterwards on the Day of Resurrection, He will inform them of what they did. Verily, Allah is the All-Knower of everything.
Qur'an 58:7 — trans. Hilali & Khan
هُوَ ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٖ ثُمَّ ٱسۡتَوَىٰ عَلَى ٱلۡعَرۡشِۖ يَعۡلَمُ مَا يَلِجُ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَمَا يَخۡرُجُ مِنۡهَا وَمَا يَنزِلُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَمَا يَعۡرُجُ فِيهَاۖ وَهُوَ مَعَكُمۡ أَيۡنَ مَا كُنتُمۡۚ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ بَصِيرٞ
He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days and then Istawa (rose over) the Throne (in a manner that suits His Majesty). He knows what goes into the earth and what comes forth from it, what descends from the heaven and what ascends thereto. And He is with you (by His Knowledge) wheresoever you may be. And Allah is the All-Seer of what you do.
Qur'an 57:4 — trans. Hilali & Khan
فَلَنَقُصَّنَّ عَلَيۡهِم بِعِلۡمٖۖ وَمَا كُنَّا غَآئِبِينَ
Then surely, We shall narrate unto them (their whole story) with knowledge, and indeed We were not absent.
Qur'an 7:7 — trans. Hilali & Khan
وَمَا تَكُونُ فِي شَأۡنٖ وَمَا تَتۡلُواْ مِنۡهُ مِن قُرۡءَانٖ وَلَا تَعۡمَلُونَ مِنۡ عَمَلٍ إِلَّا كُنَّا عَلَيۡكُمۡ شُهُودًا إِذۡ تُفِيضُونَ فِيهِۚ وَمَا يَعۡزُبُ عَن رَّبِّكَ مِن مِّثۡقَالِ ذَرَّةٖ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَلَا فِي ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَلَآ أَصۡغَرَ مِن ذَٰلِكَ وَلَآ أَكۡبَرَ إِلَّا فِي كِتَٰبٖ مُّبِينٍ
Whatever you (O Muhammad) may be doing, and whatever portion you may be reciting from the Quran, - and whatever deed you (mankind) may be doing (good or evil), We are Witness thereof, when you are doing it. And nothing is hidden from your Lord (so much as) the weight of an atom (or small ant) on the earth or in the heaven. Not what is less than that or what is greater than that but is (written) in a Clear Record. (Tafsir At-Tabari. Vol. 11, Page 129).
Qur'an 10:61 — trans. Hilali & Khan
أَلَآ إِنَّهُمۡ يَثۡنُونَ صُدُورَهُمۡ لِيَسۡتَخۡفُواْ مِنۡهُۚ أَلَا حِينَ يَسۡتَغۡشُونَ ثِيَابَهُمۡ يَعۡلَمُ مَا يُسِرُّونَ وَمَا يُعۡلِنُونَۚ إِنَّهُۥ عَلِيمُۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ
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.
Qur'an 11:5 — trans. Hilali & Khan
سَوَآءٞ مِّنكُم مَّنۡ أَسَرَّ ٱلۡقَوۡلَ وَمَن جَهَرَ بِهِۦ وَمَنۡ هُوَ مُسۡتَخۡفِۭ بِٱلَّيۡلِ وَسَارِبُۢ بِٱلنَّهَارِ
It is the same (to Him) whether any of you conceal his speech or declare it openly, whether he be hid by night or go forth freely by day.
Qur'an 13:10 — trans. Hilali & Khan
ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَ سَبۡعَ سَمَٰوَٰتٖ وَمِنَ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ مِثۡلَهُنَّۖ يَتَنَزَّلُ ٱلۡأَمۡرُ بَيۡنَهُنَّ لِتَعۡلَمُوٓاْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيۡءٖ قَدِيرٞ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ قَدۡ أَحَاطَ بِكُلِّ شَيۡءٍ عِلۡمَۢا
It is Allah Who has created seven heavens and of the earth the like thereof (i.e. seven). His Command descends between them (heavens and earth), that you may know that Allah has power over all things, and that Allah surrounds (comprehends) all things in (His) Knowledge.
Qur'an 65:12 — trans. Hilali & Khan
Allah, glorified is He, began the verses of the general "withness" (ma'iyyah) with knowledge, and concluded them with knowledge, so that His servants would know that what is meant thereby is His knowledge, glorified is He, of their conditions and all their affairs — not that He, glorified is He, is intermingled with them in their houses, their bathrooms, and other such places of theirs. Exalted is Allah far above that, a great exaltation.
The statement that the meaning of ma'iyyah (being with) is that He mingles with creation in His Essence is what the people of hulul (indwelling) say, those who claim that their object of worship is in every place with His Essence, while they exempt Him from His rising over His Throne and His highness above His creation, yet they do not exempt Him from the most repugnant and filthiest of places — may Allah disgrace them and debase them. The imams of the righteous predecessors undertook to refute them, such as Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak, Ishaq ibn Rahawayh, Abu Hanifah al-Nu'man, and others, and after them the imams of guidance, such as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, the eminent scholar Ibn al-Qayyim, the hafiz Ibn Kathir, and others.
And if this becomes clear, then nothing is to be taken from his saying:
هُوَ ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٖ ثُمَّ ٱسۡتَوَىٰ عَلَى ٱلۡعَرۡشِۖ يَعۡلَمُ مَا يَلِجُ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَمَا يَخۡرُجُ مِنۡهَا وَمَا يَنزِلُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَمَا يَعۡرُجُ فِيهَاۖ وَهُوَ مَعَكُمۡ أَيۡنَ مَا كُنتُمۡۚ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ بَصِيرٞ
He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days and then Istawa (rose over) the Throne (in a manner that suits His Majesty). He knows what goes into the earth and what comes forth from it, what descends from the heaven and what ascends thereto. And He is with you (by His Knowledge) wheresoever you may be. And Allah is the All-Seer of what you do.
Qur'an 57:4 — trans. Hilali & Khan
هُوَ ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٖ ثُمَّ ٱسۡتَوَىٰ عَلَى ٱلۡعَرۡشِۖ يَعۡلَمُ مَا يَلِجُ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَمَا يَخۡرُجُ مِنۡهَا وَمَا يَنزِلُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَمَا يَعۡرُجُ فِيهَاۖ وَهُوَ مَعَكُمۡ أَيۡنَ مَا كُنتُمۡۚ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ بَصِيرٞ
He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days and then Istawa (rose over) the Throne (in a manner that suits His Majesty). He knows what goes into the earth and what comes forth from it, what descends from the heaven and what ascends thereto. And He is with you (by His Knowledge) wheresoever you may be. And Allah is the All-Seer of what you do.
Qur'an 57:4 — trans. Hilali & Khan
أَلَمۡ تَرَ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَعۡلَمُ مَا فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِۖ مَا يَكُونُ مِن نَّجۡوَىٰ ثَلَٰثَةٍ إِلَّا هُوَ رَابِعُهُمۡ وَلَا خَمۡسَةٍ إِلَّا هُوَ سَادِسُهُمۡ وَلَآ أَدۡنَىٰ مِن ذَٰلِكَ وَلَآ أَكۡثَرَ إِلَّا هُوَ مَعَهُمۡ أَيۡنَ مَا كَانُواْۖ ثُمَّ يُنَبِّئُهُم بِمَا عَمِلُواْ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَيۡءٍ عَلِيمٌ
Have you not seen that Allah knows whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth? There is no Najwa (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), not of less than that or more, but He is with them (with His Knowledge) wheresoever they may be; and afterwards on the Day of Resurrection, He will inform them of what they did. Verily, Allah is the All-Knower of everything.
Qur'an 58:7 — trans. Hilali & Khan
And al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, said concerning His saying, the Most High:
هُوَ ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٖ ثُمَّ ٱسۡتَوَىٰ عَلَى ٱلۡعَرۡشِۖ يَعۡلَمُ مَا يَلِجُ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَمَا يَخۡرُجُ مِنۡهَا وَمَا يَنزِلُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَمَا يَعۡرُجُ فِيهَاۖ وَهُوَ مَعَكُمۡ أَيۡنَ مَا كُنتُمۡۚ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ بَصِيرٞ
He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days and then Istawa (rose over) the Throne (in a manner that suits His Majesty). He knows what goes into the earth and what comes forth from it, what descends from the heaven and what ascends thereto. And He is with you (by His Knowledge) wheresoever you may be. And Allah is the All-Seer of what you do.
Qur'an 57:4 — trans. Hilali & Khan
أَلَآ إِنَّهُمۡ يَثۡنُونَ صُدُورَهُمۡ لِيَسۡتَخۡفُواْ مِنۡهُۚ أَلَا حِينَ يَسۡتَغۡشُونَ ثِيَابَهُمۡ يَعۡلَمُ مَا يُسِرُّونَ وَمَا يُعۡلِنُونَۚ إِنَّهُۥ عَلِيمُۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ
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.
Qur'an 11:5 — trans. Hilali & Khan
سَوَآءٞ مِّنكُم مَّنۡ أَسَرَّ ٱلۡقَوۡلَ وَمَن جَهَرَ بِهِۦ وَمَنۡ هُوَ مُسۡتَخۡفِۭ بِٱلَّيۡلِ وَسَارِبُۢ بِٱلنَّهَارِ
It is the same (to Him) whether any of you conceal his speech or declare it openly, whether he be hid by night or go forth freely by day.
Qur'an 13:10 — trans. Hilali & Khan
And he said regarding the tafsir of the verse of Surah Al-Mujadilah:
أَلَمۡ تَرَ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَعۡلَمُ مَا فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِۖ مَا يَكُونُ مِن نَّجۡوَىٰ ثَلَٰثَةٍ إِلَّا هُوَ رَابِعُهُمۡ وَلَا خَمۡسَةٍ إِلَّا هُوَ سَادِسُهُمۡ وَلَآ أَدۡنَىٰ مِن ذَٰلِكَ وَلَآ أَكۡثَرَ إِلَّا هُوَ مَعَهُمۡ أَيۡنَ مَا كَانُواْۖ ثُمَّ يُنَبِّئُهُم بِمَا عَمِلُواْ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَيۡءٍ عَلِيمٌ
Have you not seen that Allah knows whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth? There is no Najwa (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), not of less than that or more, but He is with them (with His Knowledge) wheresoever they may be; and afterwards on the Day of Resurrection, He will inform them of what they did. Verily, Allah is the All-Knower of everything.
Qur'an 58:7 — trans. Hilali & Khan
أَلَمۡ تَرَ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَعۡلَمُ مَا فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِۖ مَا يَكُونُ مِن نَّجۡوَىٰ ثَلَٰثَةٍ إِلَّا هُوَ رَابِعُهُمۡ وَلَا خَمۡسَةٍ إِلَّا هُوَ سَادِسُهُمۡ وَلَآ أَدۡنَىٰ مِن ذَٰلِكَ وَلَآ أَكۡثَرَ إِلَّا هُوَ مَعَهُمۡ أَيۡنَ مَا كَانُواْۖ ثُمَّ يُنَبِّئُهُم بِمَا عَمِلُواْ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَيۡءٍ عَلِيمٌ
Have you not seen that Allah knows whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth? There is no Najwa (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), not of less than that or more, but He is with them (with His Knowledge) wheresoever they may be; and afterwards on the Day of Resurrection, He will inform them of what they did. Verily, Allah is the All-Knower of everything.
Qur'an 58:7 — trans. Hilali & Khan
أَلَمۡ يَعۡلَمُوٓاْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَعۡلَمُ سِرَّهُمۡ وَنَجۡوَىٰهُمۡ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَّٰمُ ٱلۡغُيُوبِ
Know they not that Allah knows their secret ideas, and their Najwa (secret counsels), and that Allah is the All-Knower of the unseen.
Qur'an 9:78 — trans. Hilali & Khan
أَمۡ يَحۡسَبُونَ أَنَّا لَا نَسۡمَعُ سِرَّهُمۡ وَنَجۡوَىٰهُمۚ بَلَىٰ وَرُسُلُنَا لَدَيۡهِمۡ يَكۡتُبُونَ
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.
Qur'an 43:80 — trans. Hilali & Khan
And the statements of the salaf on this matter are too numerous to enumerate. The purpose here is to make clear that this belief—namely, the assertion that Allah is with His Essence in every place, and that the meaning of His saying
هُوَ ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٖ ثُمَّ ٱسۡتَوَىٰ عَلَى ٱلۡعَرۡشِۖ يَعۡلَمُ مَا يَلِجُ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَمَا يَخۡرُجُ مِنۡهَا وَمَا يَنزِلُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَمَا يَعۡرُجُ فِيهَاۖ وَهُوَ مَعَكُمۡ أَيۡنَ مَا كُنتُمۡۚ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ بَصِيرٞ
He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days and then Istawa (rose over) the Throne (in a manner that suits His Majesty). He knows what goes into the earth and what comes forth from it, what descends from the heaven and what ascends thereto. And He is with you (by His Knowledge) wheresoever you may be. And Allah is the All-Seer of what you do.
Qur'an 57:4 — trans. Hilali & Khan
Thus it becomes clear that those who hold the view of hulul — meaning that Allah, glorified is He, dwells among His creation with His Self — and those who follow their view, have departed from what is correct and gone far astray, and have said about Allah that which contradicts the truth, and have interpreted the verses concerning al-ma'iyyah (Allah's being with His creation) in a manner other than the interpretation given by the people of knowledge. We seek refuge in Allah from being forsaken, and from speaking about Allah without knowledge, and we ask Him for steadfastness upon the truth and guidance to the path of right conduct. He is indeed the Guardian of that and the One capable of it. And may Allah's peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and upon his family and companions.[1].
- Majmu' Fatawa wa Maqalat Mutanawwi'ah li al-Shaykh Ibn Baz (1/139).