Surah Al-Hadid (57) — Ayah 4

(Ayah 4) ➊ {هُوَ الَّذِيْ خَلَقَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الْاَرْضَ فِيْ سِتَّةِ اَيَّامٍ :} For its details, see the commentary of Surah Al-A'raf (54).
➋ { ثُمَّ اسْتَوٰى عَلَى الْعَرْشِ:} For its commentary, see the commentary of Surah Al-A'raf (54) and Surah Ta-Ha (5). The purpose of mentioning all the sentences in this verse is also that when all this has been done by Allah alone, then why do you not believe in Him and why do you associate partners with Him, as this matter is coming ahead explicitly in verse (7) {’’ اٰمِنُوْا بِاللّٰهِ ‘‘}.
➌ { يَعْلَمُ مَا يَلِجُ فِي الْاَرْضِ وَ مَا يَخْرُجُ مِنْهَا …:} Among the things related to Allah’s knowledge, Allah mentioned those things which enter the earth or come out of it, instead of those things which are present on the earth. Similarly, instead of mentioning the things present in the sky, He mentioned those which descend from it or ascend to it. Because the One who knows the things entering and coming out of the earth, He knows even more so the things present on it, and the One who knows the things descending from and ascending to the sky, He knows even more so the things visible and invisible in the atmosphere and space, and the movement and system of the stars.
Among the things entering the earth are rainwater which penetrates deep into the earth, seeds of plants, and bodies buried in the earth, etc., and among the things coming out of it are plants, minerals, gases, and those animals which come out of their caves and shelters. Among the things descending from the sky are rain, snow, winds, Allah’s commands, His angels, and His mercy, etc., and among the things ascending to it are those which rise into the layers of the atmosphere, such as water vapors rising from the seas, storms of dust and sand, birds flying in the air, souls separated from bodies ascending upwards, devils ascending to steal information from the higher realm, the deeds of the servants, and the angels who descend and ascend. [ التحریر والتنویر في سورۃ سبا ]
➍ { وَ هُوَ مَعَكُمْ اَيْنَ مَا كُنْتُمْ:} “And He is with you wherever you are”—before this sentence in the same verse, this sentence has already passed: « هُوَ الَّذِيْ خَلَقَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الْاَرْضَ فِيْ سِتَّةِ اَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسْتَوٰى عَلَى الْعَرْشِ » “He is the One who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then He rose over the Throne.” So this verse is evidence that Allah’s pure essence is above the Throne and He is also with us. The question is, how can both these things be correct at the same time? In this matter, some people denied both and said that Allah is neither on the Throne nor anywhere else, rather He is without place, and whoever even asks where Allah is, becomes a disbeliever, because accepting a place for Him would necessitate His need for that place. These ignorant ones did not even consider on whom their verdict is being applied, nor did they consider that Allah Himself says: « ثُمَّ اسْتَوٰى عَلَى الْعَرْشِ» that then He rose over the Throne. Then, the mention of eight angels carrying the Throne of Allah on the Day of Resurrection is present in Surah Al-Haqqah, He said: «وَ يَحْمِلُ عَرْشَ رَبِّكَ فَوْقَهُمْ يَوْمَىِٕذٍ ثَمٰنِيَةٌ » [ الحاقۃ : ۱۷] “And the Throne of your Lord will be carried above them by eight angels that Day.” And the mention of angels encircling the Throne on the Day of Resurrection is present in Surah Az-Zumar, He said: «وَ تَرَى الْمَلٰٓىِٕكَةَ حَآفِّيْنَ مِنْ حَوْلِ الْعَرْشِ » [ الزمر : ۷۵ ] “And you will see the angels surrounding the Throne.” And asking where Allah is, is itself established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Thus, Muawiyah bin Al-Hakam As-Sulami (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: “I had a slave-girl who used to tend my sheep towards Uhud and Jawaniyah. One day I saw that a wolf had taken one of her sheep. I am also from the children of Adam, I get angry as they get angry, so I slapped her. Then I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he considered it a great (sin) upon me. I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! Should I not free her?’ He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ اِئْتِنِيْ بِهَا ]: ‘Bring her to me.’ I brought her to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he said to her: [ أَيْنَ اللّٰهُ ؟ ] ‘Where is Allah?’ She said: [ فِي السَّمَاءِ ] ‘In the sky.’ He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ مَنْ أَنَا؟ ] ‘Who am I?’ She said: [ أَنْتَ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ ] ‘You are the Messenger of Allah.’ So he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ أَعْتِقْهَا فَإِنَّهَا مُؤْمِنَةٌ ] ‘Free her, for she is a believer.’ [ مسلم، المساجد ومواضع الصلاۃ، باب تحریم الکلام في الصلاۃ…: ۵۳۷ ]
In summary, to say that Allah is without place is a clear denial of the Qur’an and Hadith, and it is necessary for every Muslim to believe that Allah’s pure essence is above the Throne and He is also with us, but in a manner that only He knows and as befits His majesty. One extreme in denying Allah’s being above the Throne was to say that He is nowhere, which in reality is a denial of Allah’s very existence. The other extreme was adopted by those who said that Allah’s essence is present everywhere and that He is with us wherever we are, just as we are with each other, but this is also incorrect, because in the same verse, before {’’ وَ هُوَ مَعَكُمْ اَيْنَ مَا كُنْتُمْ ‘‘} (He is with you wherever you are), in {’’ ثُمَّ اسْتَوٰى عَلَى الْعَرْشِ ‘‘} the mention of Allah being above the Throne is also present. Now, if the meaning of {’’ وَ هُوَ مَعَكُمْ اَيْنَ مَا كُنْتُمْ ‘‘} is taken that Allah’s essence is everywhere with us just as we are with each other, then two sentences of the same verse would contradict and oppose each other, therefore, the correct meaning of {’’ وَ هُوَ مَعَكُمْ اَيْنَ مَا كُنْتُمْ ‘‘} will be the one which does not contradict {’’ اَلرَّحْمٰنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوٰى ‘‘} and is not against the Arabic language, because just as it is obligatory to believe in {’’ اَلرَّحْمٰنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوٰى ‘‘}, it is also obligatory to believe in {’’ وَ هُوَ مَعَكُمْ ‘‘}.
The reality is that in the Arabic language, the meaning of ma‘iyyah (being with) is, although, being together as we are with each other, but this word is also used for other meanings according to different contexts. Thus, one meaning of ma‘iyyah is that which is in Surah Al-Baqarah, verse (153): « اِنَّ اللّٰهَ مَعَ الصّٰبِرِيْنَ» (Indeed, Allah is with the patient) and in Surah At-Tawbah, verse (40): « لَا تَحْزَنْ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ مَعَنَا » (Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us). Obviously, according to these verses, Allah is with the patient, not with the impatient, similarly, during the migration, in the cave of Thawr and throughout the journey, Allah was with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), not with the polytheists. In {’’ وَ هُوَ مَعَكُمْ اَيْنَ مَا كُنْتُمْ ‘‘} this meaning is also not intended, because in this meaning, ma‘iyyah is only for Allah’s sincere servants.
Another meaning of ma‘iyyah is that a thing, despite being distant, is also with those things from which it is distant. Thus, in {’’ وَ هُوَ مَعَكُمْ ‘‘} the intended meaning of ma‘iyyah is that Allah’s essence is above the Throne, yet Allah is also with us. As for how it is, its reality and full nature only He knows. Even if this is not possible for the creation, Allah cannot be compared to the creation, because He Himself said: «لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهٖ شَيْءٌ» [ الشورٰی : ۱۱ ] “There is nothing like unto Him.” But even among the creation, there are examples that a thing, while being in one place, is also with people present elsewhere. A simple example is the sun and the moon, that despite being high above, wherever we go, they are with us, although they are not present within us on earth, yet everyone says, “I traveled at night and the moon was with me throughout the journey.” This meaning of ma‘iyyah is well-known and, in its place, is the real meaning. When this is the case with the sun and the moon, then Allah’s attribute is far superior to theirs, so He is with us wherever we may be, even though due to His attribute {’’ الْبَاطِنُ ‘‘} and being behind a veil, we do not see Him. On the Day of Resurrection, when He will intend to bestow the blessing of His vision to the people of Paradise and will remove His veil, then all the people of Paradise, sitting in their own homes, without any difficulty and without any crowd or throng, will see Him, and this example is itself established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the people said: [ يَا رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِ ! هَلْ نَرٰی رَبَّنَا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ؟ فَقَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ هَلْ تُضَارُّوْنَ فِي الْقَمَرِ لَيْلَةَ الْبَدْرِ؟ قَالُوْا لاَ يَا رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِ ! قَالَ فَهَلْ تُضَارُّوْنَ فِي الشَّمْسِ لَيْسَ دُوْنَهَا سَحَابٌ ؟ قَالُوْا لاَ يَا رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِ ! قَالَ فَإِنَّكُمْ تَرَوْنَهُ كَذٰلِكَ ] [بخاري، التوحید، باب قول اللہ تعالٰی : « وجوہ یومئذ…» : ۷۴۳۷ ] “O Messenger of Allah! Will we see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection?” He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Do you feel any difficulty in seeing the moon on the night of the full moon?” They said: “No, O Messenger of Allah!” He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Do you feel any difficulty in seeing the sun when there are no clouds before it?” The people said: “No, O Messenger of Allah!” He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “So you will see Him just like that.”
Here, a translation of a writing from Shaykh Muhammad bin Salih Al-Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) from his compilation {’’القواعد المثلٰي في صفات اللّٰه وأسماء ه الحسنٰي‘‘} «اَلْمِثَالُ الْخَامِسُ وَالسَّادِسُ» is presented, he writes: “The second reason is that the reality of the meaning of ‘ma‘iyyah’ is not contrary or opposed to ‘uluww’ (highness), because the combination of both is possible for the creation (that a thing is high and also with), because it is said: ‘We kept walking and the moon was with us,’ and this is not considered a contradiction, nor does anyone understand from this that the moon has descended to the earth. So when this is possible for the creation, then for the Creator it is even more possible, who, with His highness, encompasses everything, because for the reality of ma‘iyyah, it is not necessary that both be together in one place. And Shaykh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah has indicated this reason in ‘{الفتوي الحموية } (p. 103)’ (see the fifth volume of ‘Majmu‘ Al-Fatawa’ compiled by Ibn Al-Qasim), thus he wrote: ‘This is because in the language, when the word {’’مَعَ‘‘} is used without any restriction, its meaning in the language is nothing but absolute togetherness, then when it is restricted with a specific meaning, it indicates togetherness in that meaning. Thus, it is said: We kept walking and the moon or the star was with us, and it is said: Such and such luggage is with me, because it is with you, even if it is above your head. So Allah is truly with His creation and truly above His Throne.’”
➎ Many of the righteous predecessors among the scholars have explained the meaning of {’’ وَ هُوَ مَعَكُمْ ‘‘} that Allah’s essence is above the Throne and He is with us with His knowledge, sight, and power, and their evidence is that in the verse under commentary, before {’’ وَ هُوَ مَعَكُمْ ‘‘} the mention of knowledge of everything is there and after it, the mention of seeing everything. There is no doubt that Allah’s essence is above the Throne and He is also with us wherever we may be, but He is not with His creation on earth in the way we are with each other, and there is also no doubt that Allah is All-Knowing of everything, seeing it, and has full power and control over it. All these beautiful attributes are established for Him, but the meaning of ma‘iyyah is not knowledge or power, rather it is itself an attribute whose real nature only Allah knows best. Therefore, it is necessary to believe that Allah’s essence is above the Throne and He is with us wherever we may be. As for how it is, its real nature only He knows; the examples of the moon or the sun are only for understanding, that despite Allah’s essence being above the Throne, He can be and is with the creation. In the present age, another simple example of this is electricity, that while being at its original source, it is present thousands of miles away and everyone feels its presence. Even this example is a very lowly example for Allah’s ma‘iyyah and effect on the creation, whereas Allah’s attributes are very exalted, as He said: «وَ لِلّٰهِ الْمَثَلُ الْاَعْلٰى » [ النحل : ۶۰ ] “And for Allah is the highest attribute.” For Him, being on the Throne and with everyone is an absolutely trivial matter.

4-1. The verses of this meaning have already been mentioned in (اِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ اللّٰهُ الَّذِيْ خَلَقَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالْاَرْضَ فِيْ سِتَّةِ اَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسْتَوٰى عَلَي الْعَرْشِ يُغْشِي الَّيْلَ النَّهَارَ يَطْلُبُهٗ حَثِيْثًا ۙ وَّالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ وَالنُّجُوْمَ مُسَخَّرٰتٍۢ بِاَمْرِهٖ ۭاَلَا لَهُ الْخَلْقُ وَالْاَمْرُ ۭ تَبٰرَكَ اللّٰهُ رَبُّ الْعٰلَمِيْنَ 54؀) 7. Al-A'raf:54), (اِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ اللّٰهُ الَّذِيْ خَلَقَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالْاَرْضَ فِيْ سِتَّةِ اَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسْتَوٰى عَلَي الْعَرْشِ يُدَبِّرُ الْاَمْرَ ۭمَا مِنْ شَفِيْعٍ اِلَّا مِنْۢ بَعْدِ اِذْنِهٖ ۭ ذٰلِكُمُ اللّٰهُ رَبُّكُمْ فَاعْبُدُوْهُ ۭ اَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُوْنَ ۝) 10. Yunus:3), (اَللّٰهُ الَّذِيْ خَلَقَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالْاَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا فِيْ سِـتَّةِ اَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسْتَوٰي عَلَي الْعَرْشِ ۭ مَا لَكُمْ مِّنْ دُوْنِهٖ مِنْ وَّلِيٍّ وَّلَا شَفِيْعٍ ۭ اَفَلَا تَتَذَكَّرُوْنَ ۝) 32. As-Sajda:4) and other verses; please refer to their footnotes.

4-2. That is, He knows the condition of the drops of rain and the seeds of grains and fruits that enter the earth.

4-3. Whatever trees, whether they are fruit-bearing or grain-bearing or for adornment and decoration, and fragrant flowers—however many and of whatever kind come out—all are within Allah's knowledge. As stated elsewhere: "And with Allah are the treasures of all hidden things; none knows them except Allah. And He knows whatever is in the land and in the sea. Not a leaf falls but He knows it, nor a grain in the darkness of the earth, nor anything fresh or dry but it is in a clear Book."

4-4. Rain, hail, snow, destiny, and those commands which the angels bring down.

4-5. The angels ascend with the deeds of humans, just as it is mentioned in the hadith that the deeds of the night ascend to Allah before the day, and the deeds of the day before the night.

4-6. That is, whether you are on land or at sea, night or day, in houses or in deserts, everywhere and at all times, He is with you in terms of His knowledge and sight—that is, He sees each of your actions, knows and hears each of your words. This same subject is also mentioned in (وَّاَنِ اسْتَغْفِرُوْا رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوْبُوْٓا اِلَيْهِ يُمَتِّعْكُمْ مَّتَاعًا حَسَنًا اِلٰٓى اَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى وَّيُؤْتِ كُلَّ ذِيْ فَضْلٍ فَضْلَهٗ ۭ وَاِنْ تَوَلَّوْا فَاِنِّىْٓ اَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ كَبِيْرٍ ۝) 11. Hud:3), (سَوَاۗءٌ مِّنْكُمْ مَّنْ اَسَرَّ الْقَوْلَ وَمَنْ جَهَرَ بِهٖ وَمَنْ هُوَ مُسْتَخْفٍۢ بِالَّيْلِ وَسَارِبٌۢ بِالنَّهَارِ 10۝) 13. Ar-Ra'd:10) and other verses.

4. He is the One Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then established Himself upon the Throne [5]. He knows what enters into the earth and what comes out of it, and what descends from the sky and what ascends therein [6]. And He is with you wherever you are. And Allah is Seeing of whatever you do [7].

[5] For the explanation of ﴿اسْتَوٰي عَلَي الْعَرْشِ﴾, see the footnote number 54 of verse 54 of Surah Al-A'raf, and for the creation of the earth and the heavens in six days, see the footnote number 11 of verse 7 of Surah Hud.

[6] Among the things that enter the earth, the most important are rainwater and the seeds of all kinds of plants, grains, and trees. Allah is aware of every single grain and every single seed—where it has been placed and after how long it is to be brought out from the earth. In addition, He knows about those dead bodies that are buried in the earth. Among the things that come out from the earth, the most important are grains and fruit-bearing trees, upon which the survival of all living creatures depends. He knows how many creatures that consume sustenance are currently living on the face of the earth and what kinds and how much sustenance are required for them. Furthermore, among the things that come out from the earth are various minerals, buried treasures, springs of oil and petrol, water springs, and flowing gases—all these things are included. Among the things that descend upon the earth are rain, angels, and divine revelation, as well as devils who descend upon their companions. Among the things that ascend are water vapors, angels, the souls of the dead, and the deeds of people. The meaning is that whatever kinds of events occur on the face of the earth, Allah is aware of even their minutest details.

[7]
How is Allah’s Companionship?

That is, this all-encompassing supervision of Allah is not only related to the face of the earth, but He is present with every individual among you at all times, and all your movements and stillness, and your words and deeds, are within His knowledge. You can neither hide yourself from Allah nor hide your actions and movements from Him. And this companionship of Allah is not in terms of His essence, but in terms of His power and His knowledge.