above them and that no alternative is possible, this would not imply that an actually existing locus for Him must first be established. Thus, even if we supposed that there were six directions beyond the world, and that the world were like a human being with six directions, saying that Allah must be above it, rather than to its right or left, would merely affirm a particular relation between Him and the world. This would not entail the existence of any entities there, let alone entities differing in their essential realities.

The seventh response is that His being above the world is conditional upon the world’s existence. Before the world was created, it could not be said that He was above it or that He was not above it, since exaltedness and being above involve relation. People have, however, disagreed as to whether His exaltedness, His being above, and His rising over the Throne are attributes intrinsic to His Essence, necessarily belonging to Him by virtue of His very Essence, even if