the Throne’s association with Him.’

The reply is: ‘If you mean that places are devoid of His governance and His knowledge of them, then no. But if you mean that He has not risen over them as He did over the Throne, we do not hesitate to say, “Allah rose—and did so over the Throne”; yet we hesitate to say, “He rose over the earth, over the wall, and in the front of the house.”’”

Abū Muhammad Abd Allāh ibn Saʿīd ibn Kullāb also said:

“They are asked, ‘Is He above what He created?’ If they say, ‘Yes,’ they are asked, ‘What do you mean when you say that He is above what He created?’ If they say, ‘In power and might,’ they are told, ‘That is not what I asked you about.’ If they say, ‘The question is mistaken,’ they are told, ‘Then He is not above.’ If they say, ‘Yes, He is not above,’ they are told, ‘Nor is He below.’ If they say, ‘Nor below,’ they have rendered Him nonexistent, for whatever is neither below nor above is nonexistent. If they say, ‘He is above and below,’ they are told, ‘Above is below, and below is above.’”

He also said:

“They are asked, ‘If we say that a human being is neither in contact with nor separate from a place, is this impossible?’ They must answer, ‘Yes.’ They are then asked, ‘So He is neither in contact nor separate?’ If they say, ‘Yes,’ they are asked, ‘Then does He have the description of something impossible among created beings—something that cannot exist or be established even in the imagination?’ If they say, ‘Yes,’ they are told, ‘Then, in this respect, He must have the description of something impossible.’

“They are also asked, ‘Is it not true that what has no actual existence in a human being is not described as either in contact or separate?’ If they say, ‘Yes,’ they are told, ‘Then tell us about the One you worship: is He in contact or separate?’ If they say, ‘He is not described by either,’ they are told: