and falsehood, then it is not accepted without qualification, nor is everything it implies rejected outright. Rather, one suspends judgment on the wording and explains the intended sense—just as scholars have disputed over terms such as “direction,” “spatial delimitation,” and the like.

Concerning the term “direction” (jihah): it may sometimes mean an existent reality other than Allah, in which case it is a created thing—for instance, when “direction” is taken to signify the Throne itself or the very heavens. At other times it may mean something that is not an entity distinct from Allah, such as when “direction” refers to what lies above the universe.

It is plain that the revealed texts neither affirm nor negate the word “direction,” whereas they do affirm loftiness (ʿulū), establishment over the Throne (istiwaʾ), aboveness, “the ascent unto Him,” and the like.

It is also known that nothing exists except the Creator and the created. The Creator—exalted is He—is wholly distinct from the creation: none of His essence is contained within His creatures, and none of the creatures’ essence is contained within Him.

Accordingly, one who denies “direction” is asked: Do you mean by it a created, existent thing? If so, Allah is certainly not inside created entities. Or do you mean by “direction” what is beyond the universe? In that case, there is no doubt that Allah is above the world, separate from His creatures.