What is meant by the elevation of his essence is that his Self is above his seventh heaven, upon his Throne. As for the elevation of his attributes, it is the belief that Allah has all perfect attributes in the absolute sense, just as He described himself with them in his Book and his Messenger described him with them.
The evidences for Allah’s elevation above his heavens are of many different kinds, numbering nearly twenty or more. Under each of these types fall many examples, and every one of these examples counts as a proof on its own. So the evidences for Allah’s elevation are extremely many. Ibn al-Qayyim said in his poem al-Nuniyyah that the evidences for Allah’s elevation above the heavens reach two thousand. He said, may Allah have mercy on him:
يا قومِ واللهِ العظيمِ لقولِنا
ألفٌ تدلُّ عليه، بل ألفانِ
عقلاً ونقلاً مع صريحِ فِطْرَةٍ
والذوقِ والإيمانِ والقرآنِ
كلٌّ يدلُّ بأنه سبحانه
فوقَ السماواتِ العُلا بَيِّنِ
مباينٌ للخلقِ في أفعالهِ
وصفاتِه وذاتهِ مِنْ أزَلِ
“O people, by Allah the Great, our statement
is supported by a thousand evidences,
rather, two thousand, both by reason and revelation,
along with the clarity of the natural disposition
and the sweetness of faith – all of these show
that He, exalted is He, is above the heavens,
separate from the created universe.”
This is a summary of the permissibility of using this phrase, and that the early scholars said it without disapproval.
Most or all of these evidences were listed by Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, in Iʿlam al-Muwaqqiʿin (2/267–272), in the section on the prohibition of praising Allah with what contradicts the revealed texts. He also mentioned them in his poem al-Kafiyyah al-Shafiyyah fi al-Intisar li al-Firqat al-Najiyah, commonly known as al-Nuniyyah.
Allah made it easy to collect these twenty types in this research, all praise to him. As for the individual examples of each type, they are too many to be counted. They are beyond enumeration and, as Ibn al-Qayyim and others from among the scholars have said, they reach two thousand.
The meaning of the word “mubayin” has already been explained in the introductory section. It means separation and non-intermixing.
Now is the time to begin listing those types and whatever examples can be mentioned from them. My Lord, make it easy, O Helper.
The first type of evidence for the elevation of the Lord is his Names
These Names indicate Allah’s complete elevation – in essence, status, and power – such as his Name “al-Aʿlaa” (the Most High), as in his saying: “Glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most High” (al-Aʿlaa 87:1). Also “al-ʿAliyy” (the Most High), as in his saying: “And their preservation does not tire him, and He is the Most High, the Great” (al-Baqara 2:255). Also “al-Mutaʿal” (the Supremely High), as in his saying: “Knower of the unseen and the seen, the Great, the Supremely High” (al-Raʿd 13:9).
Among the Names of Allah that indicate the attribute of elevation is also “al-Kabir” (the Great). Allah is greater than everything, and this necessarily means that He is above all things in status and location.
The indication of Allah’s elevated attributes
Allah described himself as the Possessor of the Ways of Ascent, meaning that things ascend to him. Ascending implies elevation. He said: “From Allah, Possessor of the Ways of Ascent” (al-Maʿarij 70:3). This shows his elevation, for things only ascend to one who is above.
Explicit verses and hadiths stating that Allah is above his creation and above his heavens
Among them is his saying: “And He is the Subjugator above his servants” (al-Anʿam 6:18), and his saying: “To Allah prostrates whatever is in the heavens and the earth, of creatures, and the angels, and they are not arrogant. They fear their Lord above them and do what they are commanded” (al-Nahl 16:49–50).
Ibn Khuzaymah, may Allah have mercy on him, said: The Majestic, Exalted One has informed us in this verse that our Lord is above his angels and above every creature in the heavens and on the earth. He told us that his angels fear their Lord who is above them. Yet the deniers claim that their god is beneath the angels. (Kitab al-Tawhid p. 197)
Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, said: Zaynab used to boast to the other wives of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, saying: “Your families gave you in marriage, but I was married by Allah from above the seven heavens.” (The full story is in al-Bukhari 7420 click here)
And Saʿd ibn Muʿadh, may Allah be pleased with him, when he judged that the men of the Jewish tribe should be executed and the women and children spared, the Prophet said: “You have judged among them with the judgement of Allah from above seven heavens.” (al-Lalikaʾi, Sharh Usul Iʿtiqad Ahl al-Sunnah, no. 661. Also narrated by al-Harith as mentioned in al-Matalib al-ʿAliyah, 17/401, verified by Khalid al-Bakr)
It was reported from Ibn Abbas regarding the verse “Then I will come to them from before them and from behind them and from their right and from their left” (al-Aʿraf 7:17) that he said: “Iblis could not say ‘from above them’ because he knew that Allah is above them.”
It was reported from ʿUmar, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said about Khawlah bint Thaʿlabah, may Allah be pleased with her: “This is the woman whose complaint was heard by Allah from above the seven heavens. This is Khawlah bint Thaʿlabah.”
(See al-Bukhari 7420 and al-Tirmidhi 3213)
The indication of some verses that Allah is fi samaa/in the sky (meaning above the heavens)
As in his saying: “Do you feel secure that He who is in the sky will not cause the earth to swallow you when it quakes? Or do you feel secure that He who is in the sky will not send against you a storm of stones?” (al-Mulk 67:16–17)
Suyuti, said: al-Firyabi, ʿAbd ibn Humayd, and Ibn al-Mundhir narrated from Mujahid regarding the verse “Do you feel secure that He who is in the sky…?” – he said: Allah, Exalted is He. (al-Durr al-Manthur, tafsir of al-Mulk:17)
The major mufassir Imam At-Tabari, may Allah have mercy on him, said in explaining the verse “Do you feel secure that He who is in the sky…?” – he said: It is Allah. (Tafsir al-Tabari, tafsir of al-Mulk:17)
It is important to point out that the meaning of “in the sky” is “above the sky,” because in the Arabic language, prepositions can take the meaning of one another. The word “fi” (in) can be used with the meaning of “ala” (on or above). An example is Allah’s saying about Pharaoh: “I will surely crucify you on the trunks of palm trees” (Ta Ha 20:71), which means “upon” the trunks. Also, Allah says: “Travel in the land” (al-Anʿam 6:11), meaning “upon” the land.
This interpretation was narrated by al-Bayhaqi in al-Asma wa al-Sifat (2/322), Ibn Abi Hatim at the start of his tafsir of Surah al-Mulk, and al-Darimi in his refutation of the Jahmiyyah (p. 53). Al-Dhahabi mentioned it in al-ʿUluw (pp. 77–78), and said that its chain is weak due to a gap between Abu Yazid and ʿUmar, as also noted by al-Hashidi in his commentary on al-Asma wa al-Sifat.
The grammarian Ibn hisham also mentioned this in Mughni al-Labib ʿan Kutub al-Aʿarib, pp. 614–615, published by Dar al-Fikr, Beirut.
Al-Bayhaqi said: The meaning of the phrase in these reports, “who is in the sky,” is that He is above the sky, upon the Throne, just as the Book and the Sunnah clearly state.
Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Muhibb al-Maliki said in his commentary on the Risalah of Ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani, may Allah have mercy on them both, regarding the verse “Do you feel secure from the One who is in the sky?” – he said: The scholars of interpretation, those knowledgeable of the Arabic language, said that it means “above it.”
This is also the view of Malik, based on what he understood from a group of the Tabi‘in, who in turn understood it from the Companions, who understood it from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, that Allah being “in the sky” means above it and over it.
This was also said by al-Bayhaqi in his book on the Names and Attributes, and by Naftawayh, the Imam of Arabic language, as reported from him by Abu al-Hasan al-Tabari in his book The Problematic Verses.
The scholar Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Muhibb al-Maliki wrote a commentary on the Risalah of his teacher Ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani. his words are cited in the book al-‘Uluw on page 264. He died in the year 406 AH. See his biography in Tarikh al-Islam (9/114).
(This was cited by al-Dhahabi in al-‘Uluw, page 264. Also mentioned in al-Asma wa al-Sifat (2/324), and quoted from al-‘Ard of al-Dhahabi, page 132. Also see Sharh Aqidah Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama‘ah, page 98, published by Dar al-Mustaqbal, Cairo.)
The hadith “Have mercy on those on the earth” means those upon the earth. If someone says: The word “in” is only used to mean containment, the answer is: If we were to interpret the hadith that way, the meaning would become: “Have mercy on worms and insects inside the earth,” and the people walking on top of the earth would not be included, since the Prophet said “on the earth,” and these people are above it.
The correct and clear meaning for anyone who reflects is that the Prophet’s saying “Have mercy on those on the earth” means “upon the earth,” and the phrase “He who is in the sky” means “who is above the sky.” When you connect the beginning and end of the hadith, the meaning becomes clear.
I say: It is also possible that the word “sky” here refers to elevation in general, as in the verse “He is the One who sent down water from the sky,” meaning from above. The water is known to come from clouds, which are beneath the sky, so the intended meaning of “sky” is the direction of elevation (ulww).
Al-Bayhaqi said: Everything that is elevated is a sky, and the Throne is the highest of the heavens. So the meaning of the verse is: “Do you feel secure from the One upon the Throne,” as clearly stated in other verses.
There is a subtle point in this verse. Allah referred to himself by saying “in the sky” because the context was one of showing his greatness, dominance, control, and power over those beneath him. The one who is above has authority over those beneath. (This was stated in Tadhkirah al-Mu’assisi, the commentary on the creed of al-Hafiz Abdul Ghani al-Maqdisi, pages 4–85, published by Dar Gharas, Kuwait, with slight editing. Shaykh Abdul Razzaq mentioned in the footnote that he heard this benefit directly from Shaykh al-Albani.)
From Abu Sa‘id, may Allah be pleased with him, the Messenger of Allah said: “Will you not trust me, while I am the trustee of the One who is in the sky, and revelation comes to me from the sky morning and evening?” (Narrated in Sahih Muslim)
From Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-‘As, the Messenger of Allah said: “The merciful are shown mercy by the Most Merciful. Show mercy to those on the earth, and the One who is in the sky will show you mercy.” (Click both names of hadith compilations to see the hadith,Narrated in Sunan Abu Dawud 4941 and Jami’ At-Tirmidhi )
From Abu Hurayrah, the Prophet said: “By the One in whose hand is my soul, if a man calls his wife to his bed and she refuses, then the One who is in the sky will be angry with her until he is pleased with her.” (Click here to see the hadith, Narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim)
From Abu Hurayrah, the Prophet said: “When a righteous person is near death, the angels come to him. If he is good, they say: ‘Come out, O good being, from a good body…’ Then it is taken up to the sky and the gates are opened for it. It is asked: ‘Who is this?’ It is said: ‘So-and-so.’ It is said: ‘Welcome, O good being from a good body. Enter praiseworthy and receive the spirit, rest, and a Lord who is not angry.’ These words continue to be said to it until it reaches the sky where Allah is.” (Click here to see the hadith, Narrated by Ahmad, and the wording is his. Ahmad Shakir said the chain is authentic. It was also narrated by Ibn Majah and authenticated by al-Albani)
The meaning here is that a gate is sought to be opened for the being to enter the sky through it.
The Prophet said: “When Allah decrees a matter in the sky, the angels strike their wings in humility to his word, like a chain striking a smooth rock…” (Narrated by al-Bukhari)
Ibn Uthaymin explained this hadith in his commentary on al-Wasitiyyah (1/396). The hadith likens the sound of the angel receiving revelation to the sound of an iron chain being dragged over a smooth stone. The pronoun “his word” may refer to Allah, meaning the sound of Allah’s word to the angel resembles this sound, as Allah wills. Allah knows best. (See I‘anat al-Mustafid bi-Sharh Kitab al-Tawhid (1/222) by Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan.)
The hadith was narrated by al-Bukhari, al-Tirmidhi, and Ibn Majah.
Al-Bukhari also narrated in his book The Creation of the Actions of the Servants (Khalq Af’aal Al Ibaad) that when Allah spoke to Musa, the call was from the sky, and Allah was in the sky. The source is in the last line in the link for the book. Click Here To See It
وقال ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما: “لما كلم الله موسى كان النداء في السماء، وكان الله في السماء”.
Ibn Abbas, may God be pleased with him, said: “When Allah spoke to Musa, the call was in heaven, and Allah was in heaven (f samaa).”
From Mu‘awiyah ibn al-Hakam al-Sulami, may Allah be pleased with him: He said, “I had a slave girl who used to tend sheep near Uhud and al-Hawaniyyah. One day, I saw that a wolf had taken a sheep from her. I am a man from the children of Adam, I get angry like they do, so I struck her. Then I came to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and told him, and it weighed heavily on me. I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, shall I not free her?’ He said, ‘Bring her to me.’ So I brought her to him. He said to her, ‘Where is Allah?’ She said, ‘In the sky.’ He said, ‘Who am I?’ She said, ‘You are the Messenger of Allah.’ He said, ‘Free her, for she is a believer.’”
The Prophet wanted to test her faith to determine whether she was truly a believer, since freeing someone in expiation must be a believing person. He was satisfied with just two questions to test her faith.
When she gave the correct answers, he accepted her response and declared her a believer. If she had not affirmed that Allah is above the heavens and that he is the Messenger of Allah, he would not have declared her a believer. Had she been mistaken, he would not have approved it, for it is not permitted for the Prophet to confirm a false statement about Allah.
Just to quickly refute the cope made the Asha’irah, they say that the slave girl said this because Allah is unique from the idols, but this is not something that she had to affirm to become a muslim since the mushrikeen already believed this, this is evident from the Qur’an in Surah al-Mu’minun (23:84–89):
٨٤ قُل لِّمَنِ ٱلْأَرْضُ وَمَن فِيهَآ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
٨٥ سَيَقُولُونَ لِلَّهِ ۚ قُلْ أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ
٨٦ قُلْ مَن رَّبُّ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ ٱلسَّبْعِ وَرَبُّ ٱلْعَرْشِ ٱلْعَظِيمِ
٨٧ سَيَقُولُونَ لِلَّهِ ۚ قُلْ أَفَلَا تَتَّقُونَ
٨٨ قُلْ مَنۢ بِيَدِهِۦ مَلَكُوتُ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ وَهُوَ يُجِيرُ وَلَا يُجَارُ عَلَيْهِ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
٨٩ سَيَقُولُونَ لِلَّهِ ۚ قُلْ فَأَنَّىٰ تُسْحَرُونَ
84. Say, “To whom belongs the earth and whoever is in it, if you should know?”
85. They (the mushrikeen) will say, “To Allah.” Say, “Then will you not remember?”
86. Say, “Who is Lord of the seven heavens and Lord of the Great Throne?”
87. They will say, “To Allah.” Say, “Then will you not fear Him?”
88. Say, “In whose hand is the realm of all things – and He protects while none can protect against Him – if you should know?”
89. They will say, “To Allah.” Say, “Then how are you deluded?”
So this interpretation makes no sense at all.
Ibn Taymiyyah said: The Prophet is far above asking a corrupt question, or accepting a corrupt answer. He sometimes asked about this and sometimes answered it himself.
Imam Uthman ibn Sa‘id al-Darimi, may Allah have mercy on him, said: In this hadith is evidence that if a man does not know that Allah is above the sky and not below it, then he is not a believer. If such a person were a slave and freed, the emancipation would not count. (Narrated by Muslim, Abu Dawud, al-Nasa’i, Malik, Ahmad, al-Shafi‘i, al-Bayhaqi in al-Asma wa al-Sifat, al-Tabarani, al-Darimi, al-Tahawi, Ibn Hibban, al-Tayalisi, Ibn Abi Shaybah, and ‘Abd al-Razzaq)
This refers to outward faith. It is not to be understood that the Prophet’s declaration of her faith means that whoever affirms Allah’s elevation is a perfect believer who will never be touched by the Fire. (See Majmu‘ al-Fatawa 7/446)
Translation: When the invalidity of such a question is known by natural instinct and by necessity, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, commanded that people refrain from it, just as people are commanded to refrain from every question whose falsehood is known, such as if someone were to say: “When did Allah come into being?” or “When will He die?” and similar things.
This makes it clear that the question of the one who said “Where was our Lord?” in the hadith of Abu Razin was not a corrupt question in the view of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, like the question “Who created Allah?”
For the Prophet did not forbid this question, nor did he command the one who asked it to seek refuge with Allah, but rather the Prophet himself asked the same question to more than one person, saying to them: “Where is Allah?” and he is far above asking a corrupt question. And he heard the answer to it, and he is far above approving of a corrupt answer.
And when he was asked that, he answered it, so at times he asked the question himself, and at other times he answered it.
If the purpose had been merely to distinguish between the Lord and an idol, while the Messenger knew that the question and its answer were invalid, then there were sound and valid questions that could have achieved that without resorting to corrupt ones.
How could that be acceptable for anyone other than the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, let alone for the Messenger himself?
He could have said: “Who is your Lord?” or “Whom do you worship?” just as he said to Husayn al-Khuzai: “O Husayn, how many gods do you worship today?” He said: “I worship seven gods, six on earth and one in the sky.” The Prophet said: “Which one do you turn to for your hopes and fears?” He said: “The one in the sky.”
The Prophet said: “Submit in Islam and I will teach you a supplication by which Allah will benefit you.” So when he became Muslim, the Prophet asked him about the supplication and said: “Say: O Allah, inspire me with guidance and protect me from the evil of myself.” This was narrated by Ahmad in his Musnad and others.
Dar’ Ta‘arud al-‘Aql wa al-Naql By Ibn Taymiyyah (3/315-316)
Ibn Abd al-Barr, may Allah have mercy on him, said: As for his saying in this hadith to the slave girl, “Where is Allah?”, this is the view of the group known as Ahl al-Sunnah, the people of hadith, those who transmit it and understand it, and all the narrators who preserve it.
They all say what Allah the Exalted said in His Book: “The Most Merciful rose above the Throne” (Taha: 5), and that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is above the heaven, while His knowledge is in every place.
This is the apparent meaning of the Quran, such as His saying: “Are you secure that He who is in the heaven will not cause the earth to swallow you and suddenly it shakes?” (al Mulk: 16), and His saying: “To Him ascends the good word, and the righteous deed He raises it” (Fatir: 10), and His saying: “The angels and the Spirit ascend to Him” (al Ma’arij: 4).
There are many verses like this in the Quran, and we have already clarified this meaning in the Book of Salah, when discussing the hadith of descent, in a way that makes repeating it here unnecessary. We have added more explanation of it in this chapter in al-Tamhid as well.
There is no meaning in this hadith that causes confusion beyond what we have already described.
And Muslims have always, whenever an urgent matter afflicts them or they are struck with something troubling, turned to their Lord, raising their hands and their faces towards the sky in supplication.
Those who oppose us accuse us in this of making resemblance, but Allah is the one whose help is sought. And whoever says what the Quran says, then there is no blame upon him in the eyes of those with sound understanding.
(That is, her saying “Allah is in the sky.” This is from al-Istidhkar 7/337,, and al-Radd ‘ala al-Jahmiyyah pp. 46–47.)
When Imam Ash-Shafi‘i used this hadith as evidence that both testimonies – that Allah is in the sky and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah – make up faith, Shaykh al-Islam As-Sabuni, may Allah have mercy on him, commented: Al-Shafi‘i only used this hadith to refute those who claimed it was valid to free a disbelieving slave in expiation. He did so because he believed that Allah is above his creation, above the seven heavens, on his Throne, just as this is the belief of the Muslims, the people of the Sunnah and the community, both the early and later generations. He, may Allah have mercy on him, would never relate a sound hadith and then not affirm what it says.
Some people have condemned the question “Where is Allah?” saying it is not appropriate to ask such a question. The answer is that this rejection is itself blameworthy, for the one who asked the question was the Prophet himself, and the hadith was narrated by a group of hadith transmitters, including the Imams of the four madhhabs: Ahmad, Malik, al-Shafi‘i. If the wording of the hadith was not to be taken as it is, they would have explained this after narrating it.
Al-Hafidh Abdul Ghani al-Maqdisi said: “Who is more ignorant, feebleminded, and misguided than the one who says that it is not allowed to say, ‘Where is Allah?’ when the Prophet, the one who brought the law, explicitly said, ‘Where is Allah?’”
Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, narrated from Abu Muhammad Abdullah ibn Sa‘id ibn Kullab – who was one of the early Ash‘aris – that the Messenger of Allah, who is the chosen one of Allah, the best of his creation, and the most knowledgeable of them all, approved the use of the question “Where?” He used it, and approved the statement of the girl that Allah is in the sky, and declared her to be a believer based on that. But Jahm ibn Safwan and his followers do not approve the question “Where?” and forbid saying it.
He said: If it were a mistake, the Messenger of Allah would have been the first to disapprove of it. He would have said to her: “Do not say that, for it suggests that He is limited and in one place to the exclusion of others. Rather, say He is everywhere, for that is correct and what you said is not.” But no, the Prophet approved of what she said, knowing its meaning, and deemed it the correct faith. In fact, he made her faith dependent on it, and for that reason testified to her belief based on what she said. How can the truth be anything other than what the Book speaks of and what the Prophet affirmed?
Al-Dhahabi, may Allah have mercy on him, commented on the hadith of the slave girl: “There are two legal points in this hadith. One of them is the permissibility of the Muslim asking, ‘Where is Allah?’”
Ibn Kullab was the leading theologian in Basrah, one of the early ones who entered into dialectical theology in creed, in the time of the caliph al-Ma’mun. A group was named after him: the Kullabiyyah. Al-Dhahabi said in his biography: He introduced the claim that the Quran is an attribute established in the essence of the Lord, without power or will.
This was not even imaginable for any sane person, nor did it occur to the general Muslim population before Ibn Kullab introduced it. He wrote many books on monotheism and attributes, and in them, he gave rational arguments showing the invalidity of the Jahmiyyah’s views. He showed that Allah’s elevation above the Throne and separation from creation is known by natural instinct and reason, just as it is confirmed by the Book and Sunnah. (See Tarikh al-Islam 5/981)
Ibn Taymiyyah said in al-Istiqamah (1/212) about Ibn Kullab and Abu al-Hasan al-Ash‘ari: They opposed the Mu‘tazilah and agreed with the people of the Sunnah on most of the basic principles of creed. However, due to their shortcomings in the knowledge of hadith and their acceptance of corrupt Mu‘tazili principles, they ended up holding certain views which, although not fully aligned with the Mu‘tazilah, still contradicted the Sunnah.
Ibn Kullab lived between 231 and 240 AH. See his biography in Tarikh al-Islam and Siyar A‘lam al-Nubala’ (11/174).
(Meaning the question “Where is Allah?” and her answer “in the sky”)
(See Dar’ Ta‘arud al-‘Aql wa al-Naql 6/193–194)
Translation: Ibn Kullab also said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him—who is Allah’s chosen one from among His creation, His selected one from His creatures, and the most knowledgeable of them all—approved of the question “Where?”, and he himself asked it. He affirmed the statement of the one who said: “He is in the heaven,” and he testified to her faith because of that. But Jahm ibn Safwan and his followers do not approve of the question “Where?” and forbid people from saying it. (Neither do his later followers the Ashaa’irah and the Maturidiyyah)
Ibn Kullab said: If it had truly been an error, then the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, would have been the most deserving of rejecting it. He would have said to her: “Do not say that,” lest you assume that Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, is limited, or that He is in one place and not another.
Rather, say: “He is in every place,” because that would be the correct answer instead of what you said. But no, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, affirmed it while fully knowing what it entailed. He affirmed it as the soundest statement of faith.
In fact, it was the very thing that made faith obligatory for the one who said it, and because of it, he testified to her faith when she said it. So how could the truth be the opposite of that, when the Book itself confirms it and testifies to it?
He said: If nothing else had come to establish the truth of the doctrine of the mainstream group in this matter except what we have mentioned here, it would be enough. This is something planted in the natural disposition and knowledge of human beings in a way that nothing is clearer or more certain.
For you will not ask anyone about this—whether Arab or non-Arab, believer or disbeliever—and say to him: “Where is your Lord?” except that he will say: “In the heaven.” If he can speak, he will say it outright. If not, he will gesture with his hand or point with his eyes—if he cannot speak. And he will never point to anything else, not the earth, nor the lowlands, nor the mountains.
We have never seen anyone, when calling upon Allah, except that he raises his hands to the sky. We have never come across anyone other than the Jahmiyyah who, when asked about their Lord, says: “He is in every place,” as they do. And yet they claim that they are the most virtuous of all people. Minds have become lost, the reports have been discarded, and Jahm and two other men with him have supposedly been guided. We seek refuge in Allah from the misleading trials.
This and similar statements are from Ibn Kullab, Abu al Hasan al Ashari, and their followers. From them, al Harith al Muhasibi took these views. Al Harith mentioned this in his book Fahm al Quran, along with other similar things, and all of this is mentioned in other places as well. The words of the Salaf and the imams on this matter are many. Allah knows best.
Majmu Fatawa By Ibn Taymiyyah (5/319-320)
