to Him His creatures through worship, and that they may seek His favour through means of drawing near; the One who is nearer than the jugular vein, far removed in His exaltedness from every distant place, and not to be likened to human beings.”

Later he said:

“‘To Him good words ascend, and righteous deeds He raises up.’

“He is the One who says:

‘Do you feel secure that He who is above the heaven will not cause the earth to swallow you, and suddenly it would quake?’

‘Or do you feel secure that He who is above the heaven will not send against you a storm of stones?’

“Exalted and holy is He, above being on earth as He is above the heaven. Far exalted is He above that.” End of quotation.

Imam Abū ‘Abd Allāh al-Hārith ibn Ismā‘īl ibn Asad al-Muhāsibī said in his book Fahm al-Qur’ān (Understanding the Quran), while discussing the abrogating and the abrogated, and explaining that abrogation cannot apply to statements of fact:

“It is not lawful for anyone to believe that any praise of Allah, or any of His attributes or names, may be abrogated.”

Later he said:

“Likewise, if He has declared that His attributes are good and exalted, He cannot then declare that they are base and lowly, describing Himself as ignorant of some of the unseen after having declared that He knows the unseen; or declaring that He does not see what has occurred, does not hear voices, has no power, does not speak and has never spoken, or that He is beneath the earth rather than above the Throne. Exalted and sublime is He above that.

“Once you understand this and are certain of it, you will know what can and cannot be abrogated. If you recite a verse whose apparent wording leads you to think that it abrogates some of His statements, such as His words concerning Pharaoh:

‘Until, when drowning overtook him, he said, “I believe”’

“and the following verses, and His words:

‘Until We know those among you who strive and those who are patient’