This excerpt is taken from the book Where Is Allah? by Shaykh Ghulām Muṣṭafā Ẓahīr Amunpūrī.
“The Jahmiyyah do not describe Allah with the attributes of Hearing, Seeing, or being established upon the Throne. Rather, they say that Allah (Allah forbid) is in the earth just as He is in the heavens, and that He is everywhere.”
“The belief of Ahl al-Sunnah is that Allah created the heavens and the earth, and His Throne was upon water, created before the creation of the heavens and the earth. Then after creating the heavens and the earth, He established Himself upon the Throne as stated in the revealed texts. This does not mean physical contact; rather, He is established upon His Throne as He described Himself, without asking how.
These people (the Jahmiyyah) claim that it is not permissible to point upwards with heads or fingers towards Allah, because that would necessitate limitation. Whereas the Muslims are unanimously agreed that Allah is the Most High, and the Qur’an has clearly stated this in His saying:
﴿سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الْأَعْلَى﴾
‘Glorify the Name of your Most High Lord.’
They claim that Allah’s exaltedness refers only to dominance, not to His Essence. However, according to the Muslims, Allah possesses exaltedness of dominance as well as exaltedness in every sense, because exaltedness is a praiseworthy attribute. Thus it is established that Allah has exaltedness of Essence, exaltedness of attributes, and exaltedness of power and dominance.
By forbidding pointing towards Allah in the upward direction, they have opposed all other religions, because the majority of Muslims and all other religions are unanimously agreed on pointing upwards towards Allah during supplication and asking. Their unanimous agreement is a proof. No one has ever deemed it permissible to point towards Allah from below, or from any direction other than above.
Allah the Exalted says:
﴿يَخَافُونَ رَبَّهُمْ مِنْ فَوْقِهِمْ﴾
‘They fear their Lord above them.’
And He says:
﴿إِلَيْهِ يَصْعَدُ الْكَلِمُ الطَّيِّبُ وَالْعَمَلُ الصَّالِحُ يَرْفَعُهُ﴾
‘To Him ascend the good words, and righteous deeds He raises.’
And He says:
﴿تَعْرُجُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ إِلَيْهِ﴾
‘The angels and the Spirit ascend to Him.’
And He informed about Pharaoh that he said:
﴿يَا هَامَانُ ابْنِ لِي صَرْحًا لَعَلِّي أَبْلُغُ الْأَسْبَابَ، أَسْبَابَ السَّمَاوَاتِ فَأَطَّلِعَ إِلَىٰ إِلَٰهِ مُوسَىٰ وَإِنِّي لَأَظُنُّهُ كَاذِبًا﴾
Pharaoh understood from Mūsā that he affirmed a deity above the heavens, so he built a tower hoping to look towards Him, and accused Mūsā of lying in this regard. The Jahmiyyah do not understand that Allah is above by virtue of His Essence; they are more deficient in understanding than Pharaoh.
It is authentically established that the Prophet ﷺ asked the slave girl whose master intended to free her: ‘Where is Allah?’ She replied: ‘In the heavens,’ and she pointed upwards with her head. He asked: ‘Who am I?’ She replied: ‘You are the Messenger of Allah.’ He said: ‘Free her, for she is a believer.’ Thus, the Prophet ﷺ judged her to be a believer when she said that Allah is in the heavens, while the Jahmiyyah declare disbelief upon the one who says this.”
“He is established upon the Throne in the direction of exaltedness, dominant over His Kingdom, and His knowledge encompasses all things.
Allah says:
﴿إِلَيْهِ يَصْعَدُ الْكَلِمُ الطَّيِّبُ وَالْعَمَلُ الصَّالِحُ يَرْفَعُهُ﴾
And He says:
﴿ثُمَّ يَعْرُجُ إِلَيْهِ فِي يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ مِمَّا تَعُدُّونَ﴾
It is not permissible to describe Him as being everywhere. Rather, it should be said that He is above the heavens, upon His Throne, as He said:
﴿الرَّحْمَٰنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوَى﴾
The attribute of istiwāʾ should be affirmed without interpretation, meaning the establishment of His Essence upon the Throne. Allah’s being upon the Throne is mentioned in every Book revealed to every Prophet sent, without asking how.”
“The sect known as al-Multaziqah holds the belief that Allah is everywhere.”
Clear Statements of the Ahl al-Sunnah Imams of the Sixth Century
Qiwām al-Sunnah Imām Abū al-Qāsim Ismāʿīl bin Muḥammad al-Aṣbahānī رحمه الله (d. 535 AH) says:
«الجهمية لا يصفون الله بالسمع والبصر والاستواء على العرش، ويقولون: هو في الأرض كما هو في السماء، وهو بكل مكان.»“The Jahmiyyah do not describe Allah with the attributes of Hearing, Seeing, or being established upon the Throne. Rather, they say that Allah (Allah forbid) is in the earth just as He is in the heavens, and that He is everywhere.”
Reference: al-Ḥujjah fī Bayān al-Maḥajjah wa Sharḥ ʿAqīdat Ahl al-Sunnah: 514
He writes at another place:
«قال أهل السنة: خلق الله السماوات والأرض، وكان عرشه على الماء مخلوقا قبل خلق السماوات والأرض، ثم استوى على العرش بعد خلق السماوات والأرض على ما ورد به النص، وليس معناه المماسة، بل هو مستو على عرشه كما بلا كيف كما أخبر عن نفسه، وزعم هؤلاء أنه لا يجوز الإشارة إلى الله سبحانه بالرؤوس والأصابع إلى فوق، فإن ذلك يوجب التحديد، وقد أجمع المسلمون أن الله هو العلي الأعلى، ونطق بذلك القرآن في قوله: (سبح اسم ربك الأعلى)، وزعموا أن ذلك بمعنى علو الغلبة لا علو الذات، وعند المسلمين أن لله عز وجل علو الغلبة والعلو من سائر وجوه العلو لأن العلو صفة مدح، فثبت أن لله تعالى علو الذات، وعلو الصفات، وعلو القهر والغلبة، وفي منعهم الإشارة إلى الله سبحانه من جهة الفوق خلاف منهم لسائر الملل، لأن جماهير المسلمين وسائر الملل قد وقع منهم الإجماع على الإشارة إلى الله جل ثناؤه من جهة الفوق في الدعاء والسؤال، فاتفاقهم بأجمعهم على ذلك حجة، ولم يستجز أحد الإشارة إليه من جهة الأسفل، ولا من سائر الجهات سوى جهة الفوق، وقال الله تعالى: (يخافون ربهم من فوقهم)، وقال: (إليه يصعد الكلم الطيب والعمل الصالح يرفعه)، وقال: (تعرج الملائكة والروح إليه)، وأخبر عن فرعون أنه قال: (يا هامان ابن لي صرحا لعلي أبلغ الأسباب، أسباب السماوات فأطلع إلى إله موسى وإني لأظنه كاذبا)، فكان فرعون قد فهم عن موسى أنه يثبت إلها فوق السماء حتى رام بصرحه أن يطلع إليه، واتهم موسى بالكذب في ذلك، والجهمية لا تعلم أن الله فوقه بوجود ذاته، فهم أعجر فهما من فرعون، وقد صح عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه سأل الجارية التي أراد مولاها عتقها: أين الله؟ قالت: في السماء، وأشارت برأسها، وقال: من أنا؟ فقالت: أنت رسول الله، فقال: أعتقها فإنها مؤمنة، فحكم النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم بإيمانها حين قالت: إن الله في السماء، وتحكم الجهمية بكفر من يقول ذلك.»“The belief of Ahl al-Sunnah is that Allah created the heavens and the earth, and His Throne was upon water, created before the creation of the heavens and the earth. Then after creating the heavens and the earth, He established Himself upon the Throne as stated in the revealed texts. This does not mean physical contact; rather, He is established upon His Throne as He described Himself, without asking how.
These people (the Jahmiyyah) claim that it is not permissible to point upwards with heads or fingers towards Allah, because that would necessitate limitation. Whereas the Muslims are unanimously agreed that Allah is the Most High, and the Qur’an has clearly stated this in His saying:
﴿سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الْأَعْلَى﴾
‘Glorify the Name of your Most High Lord.’
They claim that Allah’s exaltedness refers only to dominance, not to His Essence. However, according to the Muslims, Allah possesses exaltedness of dominance as well as exaltedness in every sense, because exaltedness is a praiseworthy attribute. Thus it is established that Allah has exaltedness of Essence, exaltedness of attributes, and exaltedness of power and dominance.
By forbidding pointing towards Allah in the upward direction, they have opposed all other religions, because the majority of Muslims and all other religions are unanimously agreed on pointing upwards towards Allah during supplication and asking. Their unanimous agreement is a proof. No one has ever deemed it permissible to point towards Allah from below, or from any direction other than above.
Allah the Exalted says:
﴿يَخَافُونَ رَبَّهُمْ مِنْ فَوْقِهِمْ﴾
‘They fear their Lord above them.’
And He says:
﴿إِلَيْهِ يَصْعَدُ الْكَلِمُ الطَّيِّبُ وَالْعَمَلُ الصَّالِحُ يَرْفَعُهُ﴾
‘To Him ascend the good words, and righteous deeds He raises.’
And He says:
﴿تَعْرُجُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ إِلَيْهِ﴾
‘The angels and the Spirit ascend to Him.’
And He informed about Pharaoh that he said:
﴿يَا هَامَانُ ابْنِ لِي صَرْحًا لَعَلِّي أَبْلُغُ الْأَسْبَابَ، أَسْبَابَ السَّمَاوَاتِ فَأَطَّلِعَ إِلَىٰ إِلَٰهِ مُوسَىٰ وَإِنِّي لَأَظُنُّهُ كَاذِبًا﴾
Pharaoh understood from Mūsā that he affirmed a deity above the heavens, so he built a tower hoping to look towards Him, and accused Mūsā of lying in this regard. The Jahmiyyah do not understand that Allah is above by virtue of His Essence; they are more deficient in understanding than Pharaoh.
It is authentically established that the Prophet ﷺ asked the slave girl whose master intended to free her: ‘Where is Allah?’ She replied: ‘In the heavens,’ and she pointed upwards with her head. He asked: ‘Who am I?’ She replied: ‘You are the Messenger of Allah.’ He said: ‘Free her, for she is a believer.’ Thus, the Prophet ﷺ judged her to be a believer when she said that Allah is in the heavens, while the Jahmiyyah declare disbelief upon the one who says this.”
Reference: al-Ḥujjah fī Bayān al-Maḥajjah: 2/118
Imām Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Qādir bin Abī Ṣāliḥ al-Jīlānī رحمه الله (d. 581 AH) says:
«هو بجهة العلو مستو على العرش، محتو على الملك، محيط علمه بالأشياء… ولا يجوز وصفه بأنه في كل مكان، بل يقال: إنه في السماء على العرش كما قال: (الرحمن على العرش استوى)… وينبغي إطلاق صفة الاستواء من غير تأويل، وأنه استواء الذات على العرش… بلا كيف.»“He is established upon the Throne in the direction of exaltedness, dominant over His Kingdom, and His knowledge encompasses all things.
Allah says:
﴿إِلَيْهِ يَصْعَدُ الْكَلِمُ الطَّيِّبُ وَالْعَمَلُ الصَّالِحُ يَرْفَعُهُ﴾
Reference: Fāṭir: 10
And He says:
﴿ثُمَّ يَعْرُجُ إِلَيْهِ فِي يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ مِمَّا تَعُدُّونَ﴾
Reference: al-Sajdah: 5
It is not permissible to describe Him as being everywhere. Rather, it should be said that He is above the heavens, upon His Throne, as He said:
﴿الرَّحْمَٰنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوَى﴾
Reference: ṬāHā: 5
The attribute of istiwāʾ should be affirmed without interpretation, meaning the establishment of His Essence upon the Throne. Allah’s being upon the Throne is mentioned in every Book revealed to every Prophet sent, without asking how.”
Reference: al-Ghunyah li-Ṭālibī Ṭarīq al-Ḥaqq: 1/54–57
Ḥāfiẓ Ibn al-Jawzī رحمه الله (d. 597 AH) says:
«الملتزقة جعلوا الباري سبحانه في كل مكان.»“The sect known as al-Multaziqah holds the belief that Allah is everywhere.”
Reference: Talbīs Iblīs: 27 (and in another copy: 1/180)
