Where Is Allah?
A Qur’anic and Prophetic Response to the Reflections of Safi Kaskas
By Authentic Ilm Mission (AIM)
A recent article entitled “Where Is God? A Qur’anic Perspective for the 21st Century” argues that asking, “Where is God?” is itself a mistaken question because it assumes that Allah occupies space. While the article correctly rejects anthropomorphism (tashbīh) and affirms Allah’s transcendence, its conclusions depart from the methodology of the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and the understanding of the early generations of Islam (al-Salaf al-Ṣāliḥ).
The issue is not whether Allah resembles His creation—every orthodox Muslim rejects such a notion. Rather, the issue is whether we are permitted to affirm what Allah affirmed for Himself and what His Messenger ﷺ affirmed for Him without altering, denying, or reinterpreting those texts according to philosophical assumptions.
The Prophet ﷺ Himself Asked: “Where is Allah?”
Perhaps the clearest evidence that the question itself is legitimate is that it was asked by none other than the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Muʿāwiyah ibn al-Ḥakam reported that he brought a slave woman to the Prophet ﷺ. The Prophet asked her:
«أَيْنَ اللَّهُ؟»
“Where is Allah?”
She replied:
«فِي السَّمَاءِ»
“Above the heaven.”
He then asked:
«مَنْ أَنَا؟»
“Who am I?”
She answered:
“You are the Messenger of Allah.”
The Prophet ﷺ then said:
«أَعْتِقْهَا، فَإِنَّهَا مُؤْمِنَةٌ»
“Free her, for she is a believer.” (Saḥīḥ Muslim)
This authentic narration alone is sufficient to demonstrate two important principles.
First, the Prophet ﷺ himself asked the question, “Where is Allah?” Therefore, it cannot be dismissed as an illegitimate or philosophically defective question.
Second, he accepted her answer without correction or reinterpretation and even used it as evidence of her sound faith.
Had her answer contained theological error, the Prophet ﷺ would have corrected her immediately.
The Qur’an Repeatedly Affirms Allah’s Highness
The article correctly cites Allah’s statement:
(لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ)
“There is nothing whatsoever like Him.” (42:11)
This verse establishes absolute incomparability.
Yet the Qur’an also repeatedly affirms Allah’s exaltedness above His creation.
Allah says:
(الرَّحْمَٰنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوَى)
“The Most Merciful rose over the Throne.” (20:5)
Likewise:
(يَخَافُونَ رَبَّهُمْ مِنْ فَوْقِهِمْ)
“They fear their Lord above them.” (16:50)
And:
(أَأَمِنتُمْ مَّن فِي السَّمَاءِ)
“Do you feel secure from He who is above the heaven…? (67:16)
Furthermore:
(إِلَيْهِ يَصْعَدُ الْكَلِمُ الطَّيِّبُ)
“To Him ascend the good words.” (35:10)
And:
(بَل رَّفَعَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ)
“Rather, Allah raised him unto Himself.” (4:158)
These and many other verses consistently establish Allah’s exaltedness (ʿulū).
The Throne Is Not Ambiguous
The article claims that the Qur’an leaves the nature of the Throne open and therefore allows it to be understood merely as a metaphor for sovereignty.
This is not the approach of the Salaf.
The Qur’an repeatedly describes the Throne as a created reality.
Allah says:
(وَكَانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَى الْمَاءِ)
“His Throne was upon the water.” (11:7)
Allah also informs us that angels bear the Throne:
(وَيَحْمِلُ عَرْشَ رَبِّكَ فَوْقَهُمْ)
“The angels shall bear the Throne of your Lord.” (69:17)
Something carried by angels cannot merely be a metaphor for authority.
The Throne is a real creation whose exact nature is known only to Allah.
The Methodology of Imam Mālik and Imam Aḥmad
When Imam Mālik was asked about Allah’s statement:
(الرَّحْمَٰنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوَى)
he famously replied:
الاستواء معلوم، والكيف مجهول، والإيمان به واجب، والسؤال عنه بدعة
“The rising (istiwā’) is known, its modality is unknown, belief in it is obligatory, and asking how is an innovation.”
Likewise, Imam Aḥmad repeatedly instructed concerning the Divine Attributes:
أَمِرُّوهَا كَمَا جَاءَتْ
“Pass them on exactly as they have come.”
Meaning:
Affirm them.
Do not distort them.
Do not deny them.
Do not ask how.
Do not liken them to creation.
This balanced methodology avoids both anthropomorphism (tashbīh) and negation (taʿṭīl).
Allah’s Nearness Does Not Negate His Highness
The article presents verses concerning Allah’s nearness as though they exclude His being above the Throne.
The Salaf never understood these verses as contradictory.
Allah says:
(وَهُوَ مَعَكُمْ أَيْنَ مَا كُنتُمْ)
“He is with you wherever you are.” (57:4)
The same verse concludes:
(وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ)
“…and Allah is Seeing of all that you do.”
The context itself explains the meaning of His maʿiyyah (being “with” creation): His complete knowledge, hearing, seeing, and encompassing awareness—not physical indwelling.
Likewise:
(وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ حَبْلِ الْوَرِيدِ)
“We are nearer to him than his jugular vein.” (50:16)
The classical exegetes explained this nearness in connection with Allah’s knowledge and, in the immediate context, the angels who record deeds. None understood it to negate Allah’s transcendence above His Throne.
Thus, the Salaf affirmed both truths without contradiction:
- Allah is above His Throne in a manner befitting His Majesty.
- Allah is with His servants by His knowledge, hearing, seeing, power, and aid.
There is no contradiction because Allah is unlike His creation.
Philosophy Must Not Override Revelation
The article’s principal argument is philosophical:
“If Allah created space, He cannot be described as above.”
Yet neither the Qur’an nor the Sunnah presents this philosophical premise.
Instead, revelation simply informs us that Allah is:
- Above the Throne.
- Separate from creation.
- Near to His servants.
- With them by His knowledge.
- Unlike anything in creation.
The duty of the believer is not to reconcile revelation to speculative philosophy but to submit to revelation even where the full reality transcends human comprehension.
Conclusion
The question is not whether Allah occupies physical space as created beings do. Every Muslim rejects such a notion. The real question is whether we affirm what Allah affirmed for Himself and what His Messenger ﷺ affirmed for Him.
The methodology of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamāʿah is clear:
- We affirm that Allah is above His Throne, as He repeatedly states in the Qur’an.
- We affirm that He is near to His servants in the manner that He has affirmed.
- We affirm His maʿiyyah without interpreting it as physical indwelling.
- We affirm His Attributes without likening them to creation (tashbīh), without denying them (taʿṭīl), without distorting their meanings (taḥrīf), and without inquiring into their modality (takyīf).
As Imam Aḥmad succinctly stated:
أَمِرُّوهَا كَمَا جَاءَتْ
“Pass the texts exactly as they have come.”
This remains the safest, most faithful, and most intellectually coherent methodology, preserving both Allah’s absolute transcendence and everything that He and His Messenger ﷺ have affirmed about Him.
Authentic Ilm Mission
