The same applies to His words:

“There is no private conversation among three but He is their fourth,”

through to His words:

“He is with them wherever they may be,”

and the rest of the verse.

When the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to his companion in the cave:

“Do not grieve; indeed, Allah is with us,”

this too was true according to its apparent meaning. The circumstances indicated that this being with them entailed awareness, help, and support. The same applies to His words, exalted be He:

“Indeed, Allah is with those who fear Him and those who do good,”

and likewise to His words to Moses and Aaron:

“Indeed, I am with you both; I hear and see.”

Here, being with them retains its apparent meaning, and in these instances it entails help and support.

Someone who frightens a child may enter, causing him to cry. His father then looks down upon him from the roof and says, “Do not be afraid; I am with you,” or “I am here,” or “I am present,” and similar expressions. He draws the child’s attention to his being with him, which, in those circumstances, entails warding off harm. There is thus a distinction between the meaning of being with someone and what it entails. What it entails may sometimes become part of its meaning, and thus vary according to the context.

The expression “being with” is used in the Quran and Sunnah in contexts where it entails things that it does not entail elsewhere. Either its meaning varies according to the context, or it conveys a meaning common to all its occurrences—even though each context has its own distinctive feature. On either understanding, it does not entail that the essence of the Lord, mighty and majestic, is intermixed with creation, such that one could claim that the expression has been interpreted away from its apparent meaning.