And He, exalted is He, has said:

“It is He who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then rose over the Throne.”

This is a fundamental matter that has been discussed at length elsewhere. The purpose here is merely to draw attention to the grounds for disagreement among Muslims over “issues such as these.” Once this is understood, we must affirm what the Quran and Sunnah affirm and deny what the Quran and Sunnah deny.

An ambiguous expression that does not occur in the Quran and Sunnah must not be applied affirmatively or negatively until its intended meaning is clarified. Thus, if someone says, “The Lord occupies space,” or “does not occupy space,” or “He is in a direction,” or “is not in a direction,” the response is: These expressions are ambiguous. Neither the Quran nor the Sunnah uses them, whether affirmatively or negatively, nor did any of the Companions or those who followed them in righteousness affirm or deny them.

If by your statement you mean that something created encompasses Him, that it is not He who upholds the Throne and its bearers by His power, and that He is not the Most High, the Most Exalted, the Most Great, the Magnificent—whom no vision can encompass, while He encompasses all vision, and who, glorified is He, is greater than all things—then He does not occupy space in this sense. But if you mean that He is distinct from His creatures, exalted above them, above His heavens and over His Throne, then He, glorified is He, is indeed distinct from His creation. This was stated by the imams of the Sunnah, such as ‘Abd Allāh ibn al-Mubārak, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Ishāq ibn Rāhawayh and other leading figures of Islam. It is also established by authentic transmitted evidence and clear reason, as explained at length elsewhere.

The same applies to the expression “direction”: if by direction one means an existing entity that encompasses the Creator, or