the heavens; rather, that is to twist the words from their proper places.

To twist the words from their proper places is exactly what the Jews—may Allah protect us—did to the Torah, altering it from what Allah intended. Indeed, Allah’s dominion extends over the heavens and the earth, as He, Most High, says, “To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth” (Qur’an 3:189); He also says, “Say, ‘In whose hand is the dominion of all things, who grants refuge while none can grant refuge against Him?’” (23:88); and He says, “With Him are the keys of the heavens and the earth” (42:12).

All the heavens and the earth are in Allah’s Hand; they are entirely His kingdom. Yet what is meant is that He Himself, exalted is He, is above His heavens, established over the Throne. That is why this truth is innate; a person needs neither study nor exertion to affirm that Allah is above the heavens. By sheer instinct he raises his hands to his Lord when he supplicates, his heart turns upward, and his very hands are lifted toward the sky.

Even livestock raise their heads toward the sky. One of the professors at our university told me about a man who phoned him from Cairo during the earthquake that struck Egypt. He said that a few minutes before the tremor the animals in what they call the “Zoo” became wildly agitated and then began to lift their heads toward the sky. Glory be to Allah—beasts know that Allah is above the heavens, while some human beings of Adam’s offspring deny that Allah is above the heavens. We seek Allah’s refuge from such denial. The beasts sense and recognise this reality.

We even observe certain insects: if you chase them off or harm them, they will pause and then lift