The Meaning of Nearness and Distance

Allah’s nearness to, and remoteness from, His servants is not to be understood in terms of physical length or shortness of distance. Rather, it is a matter of honor and humiliation: the obedient servant is near to Him without kayfiyyah (inquiring into how), while the disobedient one is far from Him without kayfiyyah. Nearness, distance, and divine turning toward apply to the servant who addresses Him in intimate supplication; the same is true of His granting neighborly closeness in Paradise and of the servant’s standing before Him—all of these occur without specifying any modality.