Series 3: Where is Allah?

Where is Allaah?

It is from the established traditions of Final Messenger Muhammad (peace be on him) to test a person’s faith by asking the question ‘Where is Allaah?’, as understood from his authentic saying when the Final Messenger asked a slave girl, 'Where is Allaah?' .

She said, 'Above the heavens'. Then he asked her, 'Who am I?' She said, 'The Messenger of Allaah. Thereupon, the Messenger ordered to free her and declared her to be a believer. Once a person ascertains the fact that Allaah is above His Arsh, above His seven heavens and not everywhere, then he comes to realize that it is futile to worship anything that he can see or visualize as none of it is his object of worship but Allaah.

The evidence for the statement that Allaah is above the heavens are overwhelming from the Quran as for example
 in Chapter 7:54, "And verily, your Lord is Allaah who created the heaven and earth in six days, and then rose over the 'Throne’;
 and also from traditions of Final Messenger when he went "up" during the miraculous night journey
 or that he pointed his finger "towards the sky" when making Allaah the witness over his final sermon.

This question assumes a fundamental importance as any negation of Allaah’s Attribute is a negation of Allaah Himself. I quote the iman of our times in this regard:

Imaam Abu Hanifah said about a person who says, 'I do not know whether my Rubb is, above the heavens or on earth?' Abu Hanifah, said: 'A person who makes such a statement becomes an apostate because Allaah, the Exalted says, 'The Merciful has ascended above the 'Arsh, and the 'Arsh of Allaah is above His heavens'. It was further asked to Abu Hanifah, 'What if such a person admits, Allaah is above His 'Arsh, but exclaims, I do not know whether His 'Arsh is above the heavens or on earth'. Abu Hanifah responded: 'If he denies that the 'Arsh is above the heavens, he is an apostate.(a disbeliever)"