uses the term ‘rising over’ on the basis of the transmitted report, and says that He is above to deny that He is between two layers—not in the sense of subjugation and power, contrary to the claim of some opponents that He is above solely in the sense of subjugation, dominance, power, might, and greatness.”

I say: As for rising over, he stated that it is an attribute established through transmitted revelation. As for saying that He is above, he did not give this a negative meaning; rather, he made the negation evidence of His being above. He said:

“But we say that He—Mighty and Majestic—is above everything, so that He is not between two layers.”

He thus explained that he affirmed His being above so that it would not follow that He is within the world or outside it. He therefore affirmed that He is outside it so that it would not follow that He is within it. Or, if it were possible for Him not to be between two layers and yet not to be above the world, negating one would not be evidence for affirming the other, as those who deny His attributes maintain. He explicitly stated this in several places.

Ibn Fūrak said: “A section from his statements further clarifying this position. In the chapter on the question of the Jahmiyyah concerning place, in the Book of Divine Oneness, he said:

‘They are asked: “If we say that a human being is neither in contact with nor separate from a place, this is impossible.” They must answer yes. They are then asked: “Is He, then, neither in contact with nor separate from a place?” If they say yes, they are told: “Then He has the characteristics of what is impossible among created things, which neither exists nor has any reality [except] in the imagination.” If they say yes, they are told: “Then He must have the characteristics of what is impossible in