The Seventh Topic: Affirming Place (al-makan) for Allah, the Exalted
Among the matters related to the Lord’s transcendence (al-‘uluww) over His creation and His rising (al-istiwa’) over His Throne is the affirmation of place (al-makan) for Allah, the Exalted, as indicated by the explicit, authentic texts and the reports of the Pious Predecessors (al-Salaf al-Salih) during the first three centuries, followed by the People of the Sunnah in every time and place.
Most of those who explicitly negate place for Allah, the Exalted, are those who negate the Lord’s transcendence over His creation and His rising over His Throne, such as the Jahmiyyah and others who say: “Allah was when there was no place, and He is now as He ever was”—intending by this to negate His transcendence (al-‘uluww).
1—Abu Hamid al-Ghazali stated in al-Maqsad al-Asma: “The Most High (al-‘Ali) is He who is high over His creation by His dominance and power; it is impossible to describe Him with spatial elevation because He, the Exalted, is transcendent above place.” [End quote].
He also said (p. 108), while disparaging the People of the Sunnah and mocking them for their affirmation of Allah’s transcendence over His creation and His rising over His Throne, and for passing the attributes along as they came: “They did not understand the greatness of Allah except through dimensions, nor transcendence except through place, nor ‘aboveness’ except through it.” He further stated: “The wonder is at the Hashwi who understands nothing from ‘above’ except
