As for Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jama‘ah, they said: Allah is, in His Essence, above all things.

They cited five evidences for this: the Quran, the sunnah, scholarly consensus, reason, and the innate human disposition.

As for the Quran, every possible category of evidence is found therein affirming Allah’s loftiness. At times it is expressed with the term “Most High,” as in His saying:

“Glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most High.” [al-A‘la]

At times it is expressed in terms of being above, as in His saying:

“He is the Supreme Subduer above His servants.” [al-An‘am: 18]

At times it is expressed by mentioning the ascent and rising of things to Him, such as His saying:

“The angels and the Spirit ascend to Him.” [al-Ma‘arij: 4]

And His saying:

“To Him ascends good speech.” [Fatir: 10]

And at times it is expressed by the descent of things from Him, such as His saying, Most High:

“He directs the affair from the heaven to the earth.” [al-Sajdah: 5]

As for the sunnah, all three categories of sunnah are found in it: sayings, actions, and tacit approval.

As for sayings, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would say in his prostration: “Glory be to my Lord, the Most High.” (1)

As for actions, when he addressed the people on the Day of ‘Arafah, he said: “Have I conveyed the message?” They replied, “Yes.” He said, “O Allah, bear witness,” raising his index finger