above it. There is nothing else that could constitute a direction for Allah Most High: neither the world’s right nor its left nor what lies beneath it. These people’s argument is framed in terms of their relative, shifting directions, not the inherent, real direction.

The sixth response is to say: Suppose that beyond the world there are six directions, and that they say He must be above rather than in any other direction, just as He must be above us. Such particular determination in matters of relation may be due to something pertaining both to Him and to the world, to Him but not to the world, or to the world but not to Him—not to some existing entity other than the two.

As for his statement, “It is impossible for Him to be in any of the other directions and spatial regions,” the reason lies in Him, glorified be He: He is the Most High, the Highest, and the Manifest, above whom there is nothing. In short, His necessarily being above is due to an attribute of His, glorified be He, by virtue of which He deserves to be the Highest, the Manifest, above whom there is nothing. He therefore cannot be in a direction incompatible with His being above and manifest. This does not entail that the direction is an existing entity, for being above and being manifest express a relation between Him and creation. Thus, if it is said that He must be above them and that He must be exalted