from it—not by being isolated from it and occupying another place, but with a distinctness that does not entail isolation. Distinctness is an attribute of His essence.

He said: The Muʿtazilah differed concerning place. Some said that Allah is everywhere. Others said that the Creator is not in any place, but remains as He has always been. Still others said that the Creator is everywhere, meaning that He preserves all places, while His essence is nevertheless present everywhere.

I say: What Abū al-Hasan stated in his book al-Ibānah (The Elucidation) is what those who give a general account of his doctrine report, thereby refuting his detractors. This was mentioned by the hadith master Abū Bakr al-Bayhaqī and by Abū al-Qāsim ibn Asākir in his book Exposing the Slanderer’s Lies Concerning What Is Attributed to