Allah Exists without a Place

• Allah, said in Sooratush Shooraa, verse 11:

‫البصير‬
ُ ‫سمي ُع‬
َّ ‫وهو ال‬ َ ‫لَي‬
َ ‫ْس كمثل ِه شى ٌء‬
The verse means: there is absolutely nothing like Allah
whatsoever, and He has the attributes of Hearing and Sight.

This verse absolutely clears Allah of resembling the creations.

• The verse comprises that Allah, the Exalted, is absolutely

different from the creations in the Reality, Attributes, and
Actions.

• It shows that Allah, the Exalted, exists without a place,

because whatever exists in a place is a body, i.e, a creation.

• Hence, Allah, the Exalted, is clear of occupying spaces.

• The Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam, said:

َ ‫كان هللا ولم َي ُك ْن شَى ٌء‬

ُ‫غي ُْره‬

The hadith means: Allah existed eternally and nothing else

existed. (Imamul Bukhariyy, Imamul Bayhaqiyy and Imam
Ibnul Jaarood)

• The hadith proves that only Allah existed without a beginning,

i.e., before creating any of the creation.
• There was nothing with Allah: no place, no space, no direction,
no sky, no earth, no light, and no darkness.

• It is determined in the rules of the Islam and the judgments of

the sound mind that Allah, the Exalted, does not change.

• Hence, it is impossible that after having been existing without

a place, Allah will change and dwell in a place, because this is a
development. The development is a sign of needing others, and
the one who needs others is not God.

• The Prophet, blessing and peace be upon him, said:

‫اللهم أنت الظاهر ليس فوقك شىء وأنت الباطن ليس دونك شىء‬

The hadith says: You (Allah) is adhDhaahir and there is nothing

above You, and You are alBaatin and there is nothing
underneath You. (Imam Haafidh alBayhaqiyy narrated in his
book, AlAsmaa’u wasSifaat)

• Imamul Bayhaqiyy said:

Some of our companions of scholars used this hadith as a proof

to refute someone attributing the place to Allah. If there is
nothing above Allah and nothing underneath Allah, Allah is not
in a place.

What was mentioned towards the end of the hadith is an

evidence for negating that Allah has a place and negating that
the servant is alike to Allah.
Allah, the Exalted, is adhDhaahir, hence it is valid to know
about Him by proofs.

Allah is alBaatin, hence it is impossible that He dwells in a

place. (Imamul Bayhaqiyy, pg 400).

• Allah, the Exalted, is adhDhaahir, hence every creation shows

the proof that Allah exists and Allah is alBaatin, hence no one
knows Allah’s Reality except Allah.

• Imam `Aliyy, the fourth Caliph, may Allah reward his deeds,
said:

‫كان هللا وال مكان وهو اآلن على ما عليه كان‬

The saying means: Allah existed eternally and there was no

place, and He is now as He was [i.e., without a place]. (Imam
Abu Mansoorul Baghdaadiyy related it in his book AlFarqu
Baynal Firaq)

• Imam Zaynul `Aabideen said about Allah:

‫أنت هللا الذى ال يحويك مكان‬

َ ‫سبحانك‬

The saying means: O Allah, You are clear of all imperfection.

You are Allah the One Who no place contains You.
(Documented in his treatise asSaheefah asSajjaadiyyah)

• Imam Zaynul `Aabideen `Aliyy Ibnul Imamul Husayn Ibn

`Aliyy Ibn Abi Taalib, who is the grandson of the Prophet,
sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam, is among the best of the Salaf. He
earned the title of asSajjaad, i.e., the one who prays a lot because
he used to pray 1,000 rak`ah each day.

• The linguist and scholar of Hadith, Imam Muhammad

Murtadaaz Zabeediyy, narrated asSaheefah asSajjaadiyyah by a
continuous chain from himself back to Imam Zaynul `Aabideen.

• Imam Zaynul `Aabideen also said about Allah:

‫لست بمحدود‬
َ ‫أنت هللا الذى‬
َ ‫سبحانك‬

The saying means: O Allah, You are clear of all imperfection.

You are Allah, the One Who is clear of quantity and volume.

• Imam Ja`farus Saadiq said:

The one who claims that Allah is in something, or on something,

or from something commits shirk (blasphemy).

Because, if Allah was in something, He would be contained, and

if He was on something, He would be carried, and if He was
from something, He would be a creature.

• Imam Abu Hanifah, one of the authorities of the Salaf, said:

Allah existed eternally and there was no place. He existed before

creating the creation. He existed, and there was no place,
creation, or a thing. He is the Creator of everything. (AlFiqhul
Absat)

..and He is the Preserver of the `Arsh and everything else,

without needing them, for had He been in need, He would not
have the power to create, manage, and preserve the world.
Moreover, had He been in a place needing to sit and rest, then
before creating the `Arsh, where was Allah? [That is, Allah
existed without a place when the place did not exist. One cannot
then ask the question where is Allah to imply that Allah has a
place.] (alWasiyyah)

Allah existed eternally and there was no place; He existed before

creating the creation. He existed and there was not a place,
creation, or thing; and He is the Creator of everything. He who
says ‘I do not know if my Lord is in the heavens or on Earth’, is
a blasphemer. Also is a blasphemer whoever says that `He is on
the `Arsh, and I do not know whether the `Arsh is in the heaven
or on Earth. (AlFiqhul Absat)