all directions, what you have mentioned would follow only if He were of the same kind as one of the celestial spheres. For someone imagining this might suppose that whatever is spherical and encompasses the celestial spheres lies beneath some part of the world from certain directions.

It is known that Allah Most High is not like any celestial sphere. His being above the world and encompassing it does not entail that He resembles a celestial sphere, for He is the Great, greater than whom there is none.

Allah Most High has said:

“They have not appraised Allah with true appraisal, while the earth entirely will be within His grip on the Day of Resurrection, and the heavens will be folded in His right hand.” [al-Zumar: 67]

Reports agreeing with this are established in the Sahīh through more than one transmission from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. One example is the hadith of Abū Hurayra, who reported that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

“Allah will grasp the earth and fold the heaven in His right hand, then shake them and say: ‘I am the King! Where are the kings of the earth?’”

Another version states:

“It will be in His hand like a ball in the hands of children.”

Reports describing it as even smaller than that have also been transmitted.

The point is that, since Allah is too great, too immense, and too majestic for His servants to comprehend His true greatness, for their eyes to encompass Him, or for their knowledge to encompass Him, and since the heavens and the earth can be within His grip, it does not follow—in these circumstances—that He is beneath the world or beneath any part of it. For if a human being grasps a handful of something, a hazelnut, a chickpea, or a mustard seed, and encloses it in some other way, it cannot be said that one of its sides is above him, because his hand, when it encloses the object, has