Thus He stated that the heavens and the earth—and, elsewhere, “whatever is between them”—are created and glorify Him. He, glory be to Him, also declared that He knows everything. As for His words, “He is with you,” the word “with” does not, in Arabic, imply that one of two things is intermingled with the other. For example, the Most High says:

“Fear Allah and be with the truthful.”

And the Most High says:

“Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those with him are firm against the disbelievers.”

And the Most High says:

“And those who believed afterwards, emigrated, and strove alongside you—they are of you.”

The word “with” occurs in the Quran in both a general and a specific sense. The general sense appears in this verse and in the verse of Sūrat al-Mujādilah:

“Do you not see that Allah knows whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth? No three converse in secret without Him being their fourth, nor five without Him being their sixth, nor fewer than that nor more without Him being with them wherever they may be. Then, on the Day of Resurrection, He will inform them of what they did. Indeed, Allah has knowledge of all things.”

He began the passage with knowledge and ended it with knowledge. Hence Ibn ʿAbbās, al-Dahhāk, Sufyān al-Thawrī, and Ahmad ibn Hanbal said: He is with them through His knowledge.

As for His being with particular people in a specific sense, this appears in the words of the Most High:

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

And in His words to Moses:

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

And the Most High says:

“When he said to his companion, ‘Do not grieve; indeed, Allah is with us.’”

This refers to the Prophet