Most High, is Himself present in every place just as He is upon the Throne, with no distinction between the two. Their subsequent denial was incoherent, since their own statements had already allowed the very things they denied to apply to Him. For whoever affirms something in substance and then denies it verbally gains nothing from his verbal denial. They cited these verses as evidence that Allah Most High is Himself present in everything, then denied the implications of what they had affirmed, saying: ‘Not as one thing is within another.’

Abū ‘Abd Allāh said to us: “His words:

‘Until We know,’

‘Then Allah will see,’

and ‘Indeed, We are with you, listening,’

mean only that the thing comes into existence, whereupon He knows it as existent, hears it as something heard, and sees it as something seen—not that any new knowledge, hearing, or sight arises.

As for His words, ‘And when We intend,’ this means when the time comes for what is intended to occur.

His words:

‘He rose over the Throne,’

‘And He is the Subduer, above His servants’—the verse—

‘Do you feel secure from Him who is in heaven?’

and ‘They would surely seek a way to the Lord of the Throne,’

along with other statements such as:

‘The angels and the Spirit ascend to Him,’

and ‘To Him ascends good speech,’

are self-contained statements establishing that He is above the Throne, above all things, and far exalted above entering into His creation. Nothing about them is hidden from Him. In these verses, He made it clear that He meant that He Himself is above His servants, for He said:

‘Do you feel secure from Him who is in heaven, that He will not cause the earth to swallow you?’

This means above the Throne, and the Throne is above heaven. For one who is above everything, over heaven, is spoken of as being ‘in heaven.’ He used a similar expression in His words:

‘Travel freely through the land,’

meaning on the earth; He does not mean entering its interior. Likewise, His words:

‘They will wander through the land,’

mean on the earth; He does not mean entering its interior. Likewise, His words:

‘I will surely crucify you on the trunks of palm trees,’

mean over them, upon them.