Likewise, the following saying of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and the remainder of the hadith—is true in its apparent meaning:

“When one of you stands to pray, Allah is before his face, so he must not spit before his face.”

He, glorified is He, is above the Throne and before the face of the person praying. Indeed, even created things can be described in this way. If someone were to address the sky, or the sun and moon, the sky, sun and moon would be above him and also before his face.

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, gave an analogy of this kind—to Allah belongs the highest description, but the purpose of the analogy is to demonstrate that this is possible, not to liken the Creator to His creation. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“‘There is not one of you who will not see his Lord, alone with Him.’ Abū Razīn al-‘Uqaylī asked him, ‘How, O Messenger of Allah, when He is One and we are so many?’ The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, replied, ‘I will tell you of something comparable among Allah’s blessings: this moon—each of you sees it on his own, yet it is only one of Allah’s signs. Allah is greater.’”

Or words to that effect, as spoken by the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

He also said:

“You will see your Lord just as you see the sun and moon.”

Thus, he compared the act of seeing with the act of seeing, although what is seen is not like what is seen. When the believers see their Lord on the Day of Resurrection and speak intimately with Him, each will see Him above him and before his face, just as he sees the sun and moon. There is no contradiction whatsoever.

The more a person knows Allah and is firmly grounded in knowledge of Him, the more firmly he affirms the Quran and Sunnah as they stand.