Q. Is Allah everywhere, or isHe beyond the heavens and the earth?
A.
The issue of "Where is Allah?" is something that was never debated or
made a matter of dispute among the Muslims throughout the ages and
eras. In fact the Qur'an warns against delving into these issues in
Surah Aali Imraan (verse #7). The Sahabah and Tabi'een also dealt very
severely with those who began discussing these issues. Unfortunately,
due to immense ignorance about our deen, certain Muslims forget about
their real duties and responsibilities and waste their precious time
arguing about these issues regarding which we have been ordered not to
delve into.
Kindly see (abridged) answer of Mufti Muhammad ibn Adam Al-Kawthari
below: 'The belief (aqidah) one must have regarding his Lord and
Creator is that Allah Almighty is One, thereis nothing like Him, there
isnothing that can overwhelm Him, there is no god besides Him and Heis
Eternal without a beginning and Enduring without end. He will neither
perish nor come to an end and nothing happens except what He wills. No
imagination can conceive of Him and no understanding can comprehend
Him. He is different from any created being.
Allah Most High says about Himself:
"There is nothing whateverunto like Him." (al-Shura, 42:11).
And He says in Surah al-Ikhlas:
"And there is none like unto Him." (Al-Ikhlas, 112: 4).
Due to the above and othertexts of the Qur'an and Sunnah, one of the
major beliefs a Muslim must have regarding Allah Most High is that
there is no creation that is similar to Him. If Allah is regarded to
be similar or resemble or haveany qualities of His creation, then that
would constitute disbelief (Kufr).
Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (May Allah have mercy on him) states:
"Whoever thinks that Allah has a body made of organs,then he is an
idol-worshipper…Whosoever worships a body is regarded a disbeliever by
the consensus of all the scholars, the early scholars (salaf) and the
late (muta'akhirun)" (Iljam al-Anam an Ilm al-Kalam, 6-8).
If one believes that there isnothing similar to Allah in any way, then
his Aqidah iscorrect and there is no need for disputes and arguments.
I believe that there isn't a Muslim that really believes that Allah is
similar to his creation in any way, thus disputes andarguments must be
avoided. Yes, if one does believe that Allah has hands, feet, face,
etc…that is similar to his creation, then without doubt this person
would come out of the fold of Islam.
Regarding the question, "where is Allah?" firstly, it should be
remembered that this is not something that one will be asked about on
the day of Qiyamah. We are in need ofpeople really learning about the
basics of Islam, rather than engaging themselves in these matters.
Those that argue and cause destruction with such issues are normally
ignorant about even the basics of Salah, Zakah, Hajj, etc…
Secondly, this question in itself is wrong. We ask regarding the
whereaboutsof a person that lives in time and space. For example, I
encompass time, meaning I live in time, and I have a body that needs
to fill some space.
However, Allah, Mighty andMajestic, is the creator of time and space.
If we limit Him to any time or space, then this would imply that we
resemble Him to his creation by giving Him a body, as space is
limited. If one was to say that Allah iseverywhere, then this is
wrong, as 'everywhere' is limited and ends somewhere, whereas Allah is
not limited.
Similarly, to say that Allah is on earth, sky, moon, sun, throne, etc…
is also wrong, as all these things are limited and to limit Allah
toany created thing is Kufr.
Imam al-Tahawi (Allah have mercy on him) states in his famous al-Aqida
al-Tahawiyya:
"He (Allah) is beyond having limits placed on Him, or being
restricted, or having parts or limbs. Nor is He contained by six
directions as all created things are." (P. 9).
Imam al-Nasafi (Allah have mercy on him) states:
"He (Allah) is not a body (jism), nor an atom (jawhar), nor is He
something formed (musawwar), nor a thing limited (mahdud), nor a thing
numbered (ma'dud), nor a thing portioned or divided, nor a thing
compounded (mutarakkab), nor does He come to end in Himself. He is not
described by quiddity (al-ma'hiya), or byquality (al-kayfiyya), nor is
He placed in space (al-makan), and time (al-zaman) does not affect
Him. Nothing resembles Him, that is to say, nothing is like Him."
(See: Sa'd al-Din al-Taftazani & Najm al-Din al-Nasafi, Sharh
al-Aqa'id al- Nasafiyya, 92-97).:->
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