8- And the hadith of Ḥuṣayn (1), the father of ʿImrān [may God be pleased with him], and other hadiths besides that.
Ibn Taymiyya, may Allah have mercy on him, said in Bayān Talbīs al-Jahmiyya (4/497): "Pointing upwards to Allah in supplication and other than supplication with the hand, the finger, the eye, the head, or other sensory gestures has been mass-transmitted (mutawātir) in the Sunan from the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, and Muslims and non-Muslims have agreed upon it." End quote.
Al-Dārimī, may Allah have mercy on him, said in Al-Naqḍ ʿalā Bishr al-Marīsī (p. 230): "As for your statement: He is not described with 'Where?', this is the root of Jahm's speech, and it contradicts what Allah Almighty, His Messenger, peace and blessings of God be upon him, and the believers have said; because Allah Almighty said: {Do you feel secure that He who is in the heaven} [Al-Mulk: 16],
and He said to the angels: {They fear their Lord above them} [An-Nahl: 50],
and He said: {The Most Merciful rose over the Throne} [Ta-Ha: 5].
Thus, Allah has informed the servants where Allah is, and where His place is, and the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of God be upon him, specified His 'where' in more than one hadith, saying: 'Whoever does not show mercy to those on earth will not be shown mercy by the One in the heaven.' ... If He were not described with 'where' as you claimed, O opponent, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of God be upon him, would not have said to the slave girl: 'Where is Allah?', misleading her about something that cannot be assigned a 'where'. And when she said: 'Allah is in the heaven', had she been mistaken in that, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of God be upon him, would have corrected her and taught her.
But he inferred her faith from her knowledge that Allah is in the heaven, and likewise it was narrated to us from Ibn al-Mubārak... So this Qur'an speaks that Allah Almighty is described with 'Where?', and this Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of God be upon him, has described Him [as such], and upon this the people of knowledge among the people of Islam have proceeded. So who informed you, O opponent, other than al-Marīsī, that Allah is not described with 'Where?' Tell us who it is, otherwise you are a fabricator against Allah, ignorant of Him and His place." End quote.
