any of His creations—neither the Throne nor anything else. Rather, it is He who, by His power, bears the Throne and its bearers. For He who is distinct from created things and high above them cannot be inside any of them.

When it is said, “He is in heaven,” this means that He is high above. Yet He is above everything, not within the heavens, for samā’ (heaven or sky) denotes what is high, and everything that is above is called samā’. One says samā, yasmū, sumuwwan, meaning “rose, rises, rising,” just as ‘alā, ya‘lū, ‘uluwwan do. This term encompasses everything that is above, without contextual restriction to a particular kind.

Thus, when it is said, “Let him stretch a rope up to the sky,” the ceiling may be intended. When it is said, “Rain descended from the sky,” it descended from the clouds. When it is said, “The Throne is in heaven,” what is intended is that which is above the celestial spheres.

When it is said, “Allah is in heaven,” heaven means that which is above all created things. Alternatively, the intended meaning is that He is above heaven, over it. As for His being within the heavens, this is not the position of those who affirm the divine attributes—the people of knowledge and the Sunnah. Whoever says this is ignorant, like someone who says, “Allah descends while the Throne remains above Him,” or says that something He has created confines Him. Such people are astray, just as those who deny the divine attributes are astray.

If, however, by the terms “direction,” “space,” and “place,” someone means something non-existent, then what does not exist is not a thing. Thus, if someone calls that which is above all created things a space, a direction, or a place, the meaning is that Allah alone is there; nothing else existent is there: neither