objectionable. We therefore accept this implication that necessarily follows from everything described as being above. This is better than His being described neither as being above nor in any other way, for that entails His nonexistence. Whatever is not above anything at all, is not in any of its six directions, is neither within the world nor outside it, and cannot be pointed to can only be nonexistent. Thus, affirming the meaning you have mentioned—even conceding that it involves a kind of being below that coexists with genuinely being above—is better than denying His being above, along with all the other negations that entail His nonexistence.

You have declared Him free of what you claim is being below in order thereby to deny the being above that rightfully belongs to Him. Yet this entails His complete nonexistence. The imperfection and defect in your position, from which Allah Most High must be declared free, are therefore greater than what you allege against your opponent’s position.

If you say to him, “This argument establishes that your position entails describing Him as being below, which we both agree must be denied,” he will reply, “I, too, have stronger arguments than this, establishing that your position entails describing Him as nonexistent, which is worse than being below and is ruled out both self-evidently and by agreement.” Allah Most High says:

“They never bring you an argument but We bring you the truth and the best explanation.” {33} [al-Furqān 33]

Thus, those who oppose the messengers—including those who oppose what the Book and the Sunnah have brought—never advance an analogy to reject some of what the messengers brought, thereby making it