Answered by Mufti Muhammad ibn Adam
How should a Muslim respond to where Allah is as this is great Aqi'dah
confusion between the ummah?
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In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
The issue of ‘Where is Allah?’ is something
that was not debated or disputed by Muslims throughout the ages and
eras. Unfortunately, due to immense ignorance about our deen, certain
Muslims spend and waist their precious time arguing about petty and
trivial issues, and forget about their real duties and responsibilities.
The belief (aqidah) one must have regarding his Lord
and Creator is that Allah Almighty is one, there is nothing like Him,
there is nothing that can overwhelm Him, there is no god besides Him
and He is 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 whatever unto like Him”
(Surah al-Shura, 11).
And He says in Surah al-Ikhlas:
“And there is none like unto Him” (112:
4).
Due to the above and other texts of the Qur’an
and Sunnah, one of the major beliefs a Muslim must have regarding Allah
is that there is no creation that is similar to Him. If Allah is regarded
to be similar or resemble or have any qualities of His creation, then
that would constitute disbelief (Kufr).
Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (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 is nothing similar to Allah
in any way, then his Aqidah is correct 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
and arguments must be avoided. Yes, if one does believe that Allah has
hands, feet, face, etc… that is similar to the creation, then
without a 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 of people
really learning about the basics of Islam, rather than engaging themselves
in these matters. Those that argue and cause destruction with such issue
are normally ignorant about even the basics of Salat, Zakat, Hajj, etc…
We need to wake up and smell the coffee!
Secondly, this question in itself is wrong. We ask regarding
the whereabouts of 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 and Majestic, is the creator
of time and space. If we limit Him to any time or space, then this would
imply that we are resembling Him to the creation by giving Him a body,
as space is limited. If one was to say that Allah is everywhere, 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 wrong, as all these things are limited and
to limit Allah to any 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 by quality (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).
In conclusion, one must have the Aqidah that Allah is
pure from space and time. It is wrong to say that He is everywhere and
it is also wrong to believe that He is on something, as all these are
limited whereas Allah is limitless. However, we must believe that His
knowledge encompasses everything.
And Allah knows best
Muhammad ibn Adam
Darul Iftaa, Leicester, UK
