that He is everywhere and make similar claims are numerous, but this is not the place to discuss them. Every verse in the Quran stating that whatever is in the heavens and the earth and between them belongs to Allah, or conveying a similar meaning, refutes this position. For if the heavens, the earth, whatever lies between them and whatever they contain all belong to Him, are His possessions and are His creation, none of them can be His essence. What is owned is not the owner; what is under lordship is not the Lord; and the creation is not the Creator.

Thus, the true implication of the position of those who advocate union is that the creation is the Creator and the thing made is its Maker: they make no distinction between them. Their position even makes it impossible for Allah to be the Lord of all worlds, just as it is impossible for Him to be His own Lord, since, in their view, the worlds are nothing outside Himself.

We have already cited some statements of the early generations and the imams refuting these people, such as the well-known report that Ibn al-Mubārak was asked, “How do we know our Lord?” He replied, “By knowing that He is above His heavens, upon His Throne, separate from His creation. We do not say, as the Jahmiyyah do, that He is here on earth.” And the statement of