Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
According to what this fatwa establishes, Allah Almighty is the Most High, above all His creation, established over His Throne, distinct from His creation, and no created place contains Him, nor does time or anything from His creation encompass Him.
As for the term “limit,” it is not mentioned in the Qur’an or Sunnah as a description of Allah. Therefore, Ahl al-Sunnah differed regarding its use. Those who used it intended by it that Allah is distinct from His creation and is not dwelling within them. Those who refrained from using it did so because it is an ambiguous expression not found in revelation.
It is therefore preferable to use the clear expressions of revelation and to avoid ambiguous expressions unless there is a need to explain what is intended by them.
The texts of the Qur’an indicate Allah’s exaltedness. Allah Almighty says:
“Glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most High.”
[Al-A‘lā: 1]
And He says:
“And He is the Most High, the Most Great.”
[Al-Baqarah: 255]
According to the fatwa, Allah’s exaltedness includes that He is above His creation and above His Throne, distinct from His creatures, neither dwelling within them nor mixed with them.
However, this does not mean that Allah exists inside a created place that contains Him, as a house contains a person or a vessel contains what is inside it. Allah is the Creator of places, and nothing from His creation contains Him.
When we say that Allah is above the world, this does not mean affirming another created place beyond the universe that contains Him.
The fatwa distinguishes between exaltedness and a created place that encloses something.
What lies beyond the created world does not necessarily have to be another material world or a container holding what is within it. Therefore, Allah’s exaltedness should not be imagined in the manner of physical bodies existing in relation to one another.
Allah Almighty does not need a place to support or contain Him. Rather, He is independent of all His creation.
This expression is not mentioned in revelation in this wording, nor is it the well-known wording found in the text of al-‘Aqidah al-Tahawiyyah.
What Imam al-Tahawi said is:
“He is exalted above limits, ends, supports, limbs, and instruments. The six directions do not contain Him as they contain created things.”
The correct meaning that can be expressed is that time and place are created by Allah, and nothing from His creation encompasses Him.
As for ambiguous expressions such as “beyond time and place,” they may carry more than one meaning. Therefore, the clear expressions of revelation are preferable.
According to the interpretation presented in the fatwa, the meaning is that created directions do not surround or contain Allah Almighty.
If someone says, “Allah is not in a direction,” intending that He is not inside a created direction that surrounds and contains Him, then this meaning is correct.
But if he intends by that to deny Allah’s exaltedness and His being above His creation, then this conflicts with what the fatwa establishes concerning His exaltedness.
For this reason, the word “direction” itself is an ambiguous expression whose intended meaning must be understood before affirming or denying it absolutely.
The word “limit” is among the expressions that most require clarification because it is not mentioned in the Qur’an or Sunnah as a name or attribute of Allah.
Some early scholars used it with a particular meaning: Allah’s distinction from His creation and His separateness from them, not the idea that anything created surrounds Allah or imposes boundaries upon Him.
It is reported that ‘Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak was asked:
“How do we know our Lord?”
He replied:
“By the fact that He is above the Throne, distinct from His creation.”
He was asked:
“With a limit?”
He replied:
“With a limit.”
According to Ibn Taymiyyah’s explanation of this usage, the intention was to refute those who denied that the Creator is distinct from created beings.
No.
The fatwa states that the scholars who used this wording did not intend that anything external to Allah surrounds or restricts Him. Nor did they intend that a human being can imagine how Allah’s Essence is or determine some measurable extent for Him.
It is reported from ‘Uthman al-Darimi that he said:
“Allah Almighty has a limit known to no one but Him, and no one may imagine in his mind an endpoint to His limit.”
Thus, according to those who use this expression, the purpose is to affirm Allah’s distinction and separateness from creation while refraining from discussing how.
Because the word itself is not found in the Qur’an or Sunnah, and because it may be understood in incorrect ways.
A person may hear the word “limit” and imagine a created body with dimensions that can be measured or whose endpoint can be conceived. This is not what is intended.
Therefore, some Ahl al-Sunnah refrained from using the term while still affirming that Allah is distinct from His creation, neither dwelling within them nor mixed with them.
In that case, part of the disagreement concerns wording and mode of expression, not the basic principle that the Creator is distinct from the creation.
The best approach is to use the clear expressions that have come in revelation. We say:
Allah is the Most High, established over His Throne, above His creation, unlike anything from His creation, and nothing from His creation encompasses Him.
Allah Almighty says:
“There is nothing like Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.”
[Ash-Shūrā: 11]
As for expressions such as “direction,” “limit,” and “place,” they are ambiguous terms that are not found in revelation in this wording. Therefore, belief should not be built upon them before understanding what is intended by them.
A correct meaning is accepted, while a meaning that implies likening Allah to created beings or that something from His creation encompasses Him is rejected.
Saying that Allah is “above the world” does not mean that He is inside another place beyond the universe that contains Him. Rather, according to the fatwa, it means affirming Allah’s exaltedness above all His creation and His distinction from them, while denying that any created place or direction encompasses Him.
As for the word “limit,” it is not among the expressions found in the Qur’an and Sunnah. Some scholars used it to mean Allah’s distinction and separateness from His creation, while others refrained from using it because it is not found in revelation and may suggest incorrect meanings.
Therefore, it is preferable not to make ambiguous terms such as “limit” and “direction” foundational terms in belief. Rather, one should adhere to what is found in revelation concerning Allah’s exaltedness and His freedom from resemblance to His creation, while refraining from discussing the “how” of His Essence and attributes.
And Allah knows best.