The Belief That Allah Is Present Everywhere: A Qur’anic and Sunnah-Based ClarificationSource: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah, Vol. 1, Kitāb al-ʿAqā’id, Page 29
❖ Question:
In light of verse 4 from Surah al-Ḥadīd, is it correct to say that Allah is present everywhere? If not, what is the evidence against this belief?
❖ Answer:
All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
Allah the Exalted states:
﴿هُوَ الَّذى خَلَقَ السَّمـٰوٰتِ وَالأَرضَ فى سِتَّةِ أَيّامٍ ثُمَّ استَوىٰ عَلَى العَرشِ يَعلَمُ ما يَلِجُ فِى الأَرضِ وَما يَخرُجُ مِنها وَما يَنزِلُ مِنَ السَّماءِ وَما يَعرُجُ فيها وَهُوَ مَعَكُم أَينَ ما كُنتُم وَاللَّهُ بِما تَعمَلونَ بَصيرٌ﴾
(Surah al-Ḥadīd: 4)
Translation:
"He is the One Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then rose above the Throne. He knows what enters the earth and what emerges from it, and what descends from the sky and what ascends therein. And He is with you wherever you are, and Allah sees all that you do."
(Reference: Al-Kitāb by Dr. Muhammad ʿUthmān, p. 324)
❖ Explanation of the Verse and Scholarly Interpretations:
① Tafsīr of Imām al-Ṭabarī (رحمه الله):
The classical Qur’anic exegete, Imām Muḥammad ibn Jarīr al-Ṭabarī (d. 310 AH), states:
"وهو شاهد لكم أيها الناس أينما كنتم يعلمكم، ويعلم أعمالكم، ومتقلبكم ومثواكم، وهو على عرشه فوق سمواته السبع"
(Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī, Vol. 27, p. 125)
Translation:
"O people! He (Allah) is a witness over you wherever you may be. He knows you, your actions, your movements, and your dwellings—and He is above His Throne, over the seven heavens."
② Tafsīr of al-Ḍaḥḥāk (رحمه الله):
The exegete al-Ḍaḥḥāk ibn Muzāḥim al-Hilālī al-Khurāsānī (d. 106 AH) explains:
"هُوَ فَوْق الْعَرْش وَعِلْمه مَعَهُمْ أَيْنَمَا كَانُوا"
(Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī, Vol. 28, p. 10, chain ḥasan)
Translation:
"He is above the Throne, and His knowledge is with them wherever they may be."
③ Consensus of Ahl al-Sunnah:
Imām Abū ʿUmar Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Andalusī (d. 429 AH) said:
"أهل السنة المسلمين أجمعوا على أن: ﴿وَهُوَ مَعَكُم أَينَ ما كُنتُم…﴾ وغيرها من الآيات تعني: أنه علمه، وأن الله تعالى فوق السموات بذاته مستو على عرشه كيف شاء"
(Sharḥ Ḥadīth al-Nuzūl by Ibn Taymiyyah, pp. 144–145)
Translation:
"The Muslims from Ahl al-Sunnah have unanimously agreed that the verse ‘And He is with you wherever you are…’ and similar verses refer to Allah's knowledge. As for Allah in His essence, He is above the heavens, having risen over His Throne in a manner befitting His Majesty."
❖ Is Allah Present Everywhere in His Essence?
Claiming that “Allah is present everywhere in His essence” is contrary to the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and the consensus of the Muslim scholars. It is a false and rejected belief.
❖ Supporting Evidences:
◈ The word "يَعلَمُ" (He knows) in the verse indicates that “being with” refers to knowledge and power, not physical presence.
◈ For further detail, refer to Shaykh Badīʿ al-Dīn al-Rāshidī’s book “Tawḥīd Khāliṣ” (p. 277).
❖ Views of Other Esteemed Scholars:
① Imām Ḥārith al-Muḥāsibī (رحمه الله) — d. 243 AH:
"It is impermissible to say that Allah is on the earth."
(Fahm al-Qur’ān wa Maʿānihi, Section 4, Chapter: What Cannot Be Abrogated)
② Ḥāfiẓ Ibn al-Jawzī (رحمه الله) — d. 597 AH:
He wrote:
"The Jahmiyyah sect asserts that Allah is present everywhere (physically)."
(Talbīs Iblīs, p. 30; see also: Rāqim al-Ḥurūf’s book “Ruling on Praying Behind an Innovator”, p. 19)
③ Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī (رحمه الله) — d. 561 AH:
He stated:
"It is not permissible to say that Allah is in every place; rather, it should be said that He is above the heavens on the Throne."
(Ghuniyat al-Ṭālibīn, Vol. 1, p. 100)
❖ Conclusion:
Based on the above tafsīr and scholarly opinions, it is clearly established that:
✔ Allah is not present everywhere in His essence.
✔ He is above the Throne, and His knowledge and power encompass everything.
✔ Those who hold the belief that “Allah is physically present everywhere” have adopted a view that contradicts the Qur’an, Sunnah, and consensus, and their belief is rejected.
وَالله أعلم بالصواب
