Allah’s Transcendence in His Essence: Complete ʿAqīdah in Light of Qur’an, Sunnah, Salaf, Reason, and Human Nature, Along With Refutation of False Beliefs
Reference: Fatāwā Arkān al-Islām
The creed of the Salaf al-Ṣāliḥīn (رحمهم الله) is that Allah is exalted in His Essence above all of His creation. This belief is firmly established in the Qur’an and Sunnah.
Allah ﷻ commanded:
﴿فَإِن تَنـزَعتُم فى شَىءٍ فَرُدّوهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَالرَّسولِ إِن كُنتُم تُؤمِنونَ بِاللَّهِ وَاليَومِ الءاخِرِ ذلِكَ خَيرٌ وَأَحسَنُ تَأويلًا ﴿٥٩﴾ … سورة النساء
﴿وَمَا اختَلَفتُم فيهِ مِن شَىءٍ فَحُكمُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ﴾ … سورة الشورى: ١٠
﴿فَلا وَرَبِّكَ لا يُؤمِنونَ حَتّى يُحَكِّموكَ فيما شَجَرَ بَينَهُم…﴾ … سورة النساء: ٦٥
These verses establish that in matters of difference, the believer must submit to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ without hesitation, which includes affirming Allah’s attributes exactly as revealed.
﴿ءَأَمِنتُم مَن فِى السَّماءِ أَن يَخسِفَ بِكُمُ الأَرضَ…﴾ … الملك: ١٧
The Prophet ﷺ would supplicate:
«رَبُّنَا اللّٰهُ الَّذِیْ فِی السَّمَاَءِ»
“Our Lord is Allah, the One in the heaven.”
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd, 3892)
He ﷺ also said:
«وَالَّذِی نَفْسِی بِيَدِهِ… الَّذِی فِی السَّمَاءِ سَاخِطًا عَلَيْهَا…»
“By the One in whose Hand is my soul… the One who is in the heaven remains displeased with her…”
(Bukhārī 3237, Muslim 1436)
﴿وَهُوَ القاهِرُ فَوقَ عِبادِهِ﴾ … الأنعام: ١٨
﴿يَخافونَ رَبَّهُم مِن فَوقِهِم﴾ … النحل: ٥٠
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Allah wrote in His Book, which is with Him above the Throne: ‘Indeed, My Mercy overcomes My Wrath.’”
(Bukhārī 3194, Muslim 2751)
﴿إِلَيهِ يَصعَدُ الكَلِمُ الطَّيِّبُ وَالعَمَلُ الصّـلِحُ يَرفَعُهُ﴾ … فاطر: ١٠
﴿تَعرُجُ المَلـئِكَةُ وَالرّوحُ إِلَيهِ﴾ … المعارج: ٤
﴿ثُمَّ يَعرُجُ إِلَيهِ﴾ … السجدة: ٥
The Qur’an itself is described as:
﴿تَنزيلٌ مِن حَكيمٍ حَميدٍ﴾ … فصلت: ٤٢
﴿سَبِّحِ اسمَ رَبِّكَ الأَعلَى﴾ … الأعلى: ١
﴿وَهُوَ العَلِىُّ العَظيمُ﴾ … البقرة: ٢٥٥
In prostration, the Prophet ﷺ would say:
«سُبْحَانَ رَبِّیَ الْأَعْلَى»
“Glory be to my Lord, the Most High.”
(Abū Dāwūd 871, Tirmidhī 262, Nasāʾī 1009)
At ʿArafah, after declaring, “Have I conveyed (the message)?” and hearing the people reply, “Yes,” he ﷺ raised his finger to the sky and said:
«اللَّهُمَّ اشْهَدْ»
“O Allah, bear witness.”
(Bukhārī 1741, Muslim 1218)
✔ Consensus of the Salaf:
It is the consensus of the Salaf that Allah is exalted in His Essence above all creation.
✔ Rational Proof:
Elevation is a quality of perfection. To deny it implies attributing deficiency to Allah, which is false.
✔ Fitrah (Natural Disposition):
Human instinct testifies: when supplicating, a person raises his hands and heart upwards toward the heavens.
Even in prayer, the believer says:
«سُبْحَانَ رَبِّیَ الْأَعْلَى»
because he recognizes that His Lord is the Highest.
This phrase can mean two things:
① Hulūl (incarnation) – False:
If it implies Allah’s Essence resides in the heart, this is false and against Islam.
② Dhikr of Allah – Correct:
If it means the remembrance of Allah is present in the believer’s heart, this is correct. But it should be expressed clearly as:
“The remembrance of Allah is in the believer’s heart.”
The believer must affirm Allah’s ʿUlū in light of Qur’an, Sunnah, consensus of the Salaf, reason, and fitrah, while avoiding ambiguous and misleading phrases.
﴿وَالسّـبِقونَ الأَوَّلونَ مِنَ المُهـجِرينَ وَالأَنصارِ وَالَّذينَ اتَّبَعوهُم بِإِحسـنٍ…﴾ … التوبة: ١٠٠
The ʿUlū of Allah — His exaltation in Essence above all creation — is established by Qur’an, Sunnah, consensus, intellect, and human nature. The path of the Salaf is to affirm this attribute without distortion, denial, or resemblance.
May Allah guide us upon the way of the Salaf al-Ṣāliḥīn, grant us steadfastness in correct creed, and envelop us in His mercy and forgiveness. Āmīn.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
Reference: Fatāwā Arkān al-Islām
❖ Belief of the Salaf Regarding Allah’s Transcendence (
The creed of the Salaf al-Ṣāliḥīn (رحمهم الله) is that Allah is exalted in His Essence above all of His creation. This belief is firmly established in the Qur’an and Sunnah.
Allah ﷻ commanded:
﴿فَإِن تَنـزَعتُم فى شَىءٍ فَرُدّوهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَالرَّسولِ إِن كُنتُم تُؤمِنونَ بِاللَّهِ وَاليَومِ الءاخِرِ ذلِكَ خَيرٌ وَأَحسَنُ تَأويلًا ﴿٥٩﴾ … سورة النساء
﴿وَمَا اختَلَفتُم فيهِ مِن شَىءٍ فَحُكمُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ﴾ … سورة الشورى: ١٠
﴿فَلا وَرَبِّكَ لا يُؤمِنونَ حَتّى يُحَكِّموكَ فيما شَجَرَ بَينَهُم…﴾ … سورة النساء: ٦٥
These verses establish that in matters of difference, the believer must submit to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ without hesitation, which includes affirming Allah’s attributes exactly as revealed.
❖ Evidences from Qur’an and Sunnah for Allah’s Transcendence
① Allah is Above the Heavens
﴿ءَأَمِنتُم مَن فِى السَّماءِ أَن يَخسِفَ بِكُمُ الأَرضَ…﴾ … الملك: ١٧
The Prophet ﷺ would supplicate:
«رَبُّنَا اللّٰهُ الَّذِیْ فِی السَّمَاَءِ»
“Our Lord is Allah, the One in the heaven.”
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd, 3892)
He ﷺ also said:
«وَالَّذِی نَفْسِی بِيَدِهِ… الَّذِی فِی السَّمَاءِ سَاخِطًا عَلَيْهَا…»
“By the One in whose Hand is my soul… the One who is in the heaven remains displeased with her…”
(Bukhārī 3237, Muslim 1436)
② Allah’s Supremacy Over His Servants
﴿وَهُوَ القاهِرُ فَوقَ عِبادِهِ﴾ … الأنعام: ١٨
﴿يَخافونَ رَبَّهُم مِن فَوقِهِم﴾ … النحل: ٥٠
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Allah wrote in His Book, which is with Him above the Throne: ‘Indeed, My Mercy overcomes My Wrath.’”
(Bukhārī 3194, Muslim 2751)
③ Ascension of Deeds and Revelation
﴿إِلَيهِ يَصعَدُ الكَلِمُ الطَّيِّبُ وَالعَمَلُ الصّـلِحُ يَرفَعُهُ﴾ … فاطر: ١٠
﴿تَعرُجُ المَلـئِكَةُ وَالرّوحُ إِلَيهِ﴾ … المعارج: ٤
﴿ثُمَّ يَعرُجُ إِلَيهِ﴾ … السجدة: ٥
The Qur’an itself is described as:
﴿تَنزيلٌ مِن حَكيمٍ حَميدٍ﴾ … فصلت: ٤٢
④ Allah’s Loftiness and Greatness
﴿سَبِّحِ اسمَ رَبِّكَ الأَعلَى﴾ … الأعلى: ١
﴿وَهُوَ العَلِىُّ العَظيمُ﴾ … البقرة: ٢٥٥
In prostration, the Prophet ﷺ would say:
«سُبْحَانَ رَبِّیَ الْأَعْلَى»
“Glory be to my Lord, the Most High.”
(Abū Dāwūd 871, Tirmidhī 262, Nasāʾī 1009)
⑤ Prophet’s ﷺ Gesture Toward the Sky
At ʿArafah, after declaring, “Have I conveyed (the message)?” and hearing the people reply, “Yes,” he ﷺ raised his finger to the sky and said:
«اللَّهُمَّ اشْهَدْ»
“O Allah, bear witness.”
(Bukhārī 1741, Muslim 1218)
❖ Consensus, Reason, and Fitrah Affirm Allah’s Transcendence
✔ Consensus of the Salaf:
It is the consensus of the Salaf that Allah is exalted in His Essence above all creation.
✔ Rational Proof:
Elevation is a quality of perfection. To deny it implies attributing deficiency to Allah, which is false.
✔ Fitrah (Natural Disposition):
Human instinct testifies: when supplicating, a person raises his hands and heart upwards toward the heavens.
Even in prayer, the believer says:
«سُبْحَانَ رَبِّیَ الْأَعْلَى»
because he recognizes that His Lord is the Highest.
❖ Refutation of False Belief: “Allah is in the Heart”
This phrase can mean two things:
① Hulūl (incarnation) – False:
If it implies Allah’s Essence resides in the heart, this is false and against Islam.
② Dhikr of Allah – Correct:
If it means the remembrance of Allah is present in the believer’s heart, this is correct. But it should be expressed clearly as:
“The remembrance of Allah is in the believer’s heart.”
❖ The Way of the Salaf Must Be Followed
The believer must affirm Allah’s ʿUlū in light of Qur’an, Sunnah, consensus of the Salaf, reason, and fitrah, while avoiding ambiguous and misleading phrases.
﴿وَالسّـبِقونَ الأَوَّلونَ مِنَ المُهـجِرينَ وَالأَنصارِ وَالَّذينَ اتَّبَعوهُم بِإِحسـنٍ…﴾ … التوبة: ١٠٠
❖ Conclusion and Supplication
The ʿUlū of Allah — His exaltation in Essence above all creation — is established by Qur’an, Sunnah, consensus, intellect, and human nature. The path of the Salaf is to affirm this attribute without distortion, denial, or resemblance.
May Allah guide us upon the way of the Salaf al-Ṣāliḥīn, grant us steadfastness in correct creed, and envelop us in His mercy and forgiveness. Āmīn.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
