—Exalted is He—to Moses and Aaron:

“Indeed, I am with you both; I hear and I see” (46) [Tā Hā 46].

This being with them is only through knowledge, protection, and mercy. His citing this instance of “being with” in that verse must therefore be because he takes it to mean the same as His nearness. Thus, both the expression “being with” and the expression “nearness” must be discussed.

As for “being with,” it may be discussed from several angles. First, one may say: There are only two possibilities: either the apparent meaning of His saying,

“And He is with you wherever you are” [al-Hadīd 4],

is that His very essence is intermingled with created beings, or this is not the apparent meaning of the wording. If the former, this is the position of groups among his fellow Jahmiyyah who deny that He is above the Throne and say that He is everywhere, or that He is the very existence of places. They hold various views on this, which have already been related. We have explained that he is incapable of debating and refuting them unless he agrees with the adherents of