equal, the same must hold true of them all. This precludes saying that Allah Most High is necessarily situated in one particular spatial region.

If they say, ‘Why could His being situated in the upward direction not be beginningless?’ we reply: This is false for several reasons.

First: Before the creation of the world, there was nothing but sheer void and absolute nonexistence. There was neither above nor below, so your claim is invalid.

Second: If above were intrinsically distinct from below, they would be existent things capable of division. This would entail the beginninglessness of bodies, since this is precisely what is meant by a body.

Third: If the essence of Allah Most High could necessarily be situated in certain directions, even though all spatial regions are equal in