Praise be to Allah, and may blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
Saying without qualification that Allah تعالى is “transcendent above place and time” is not an expression reported from the early generations, and it is a general expression that requires clarification of what is intended. If it means that none of Allah’s creation encompasses Allah تعالى, then this is a correct meaning. But if it means denying Allah’s exaltedness above His creation and His establishment above His Throne, then this is a false meaning that contradicts the revealed texts. Likewise, the expression “transcendent above time” must be explained before a ruling can be given regarding it.
This expression has not been transmitted in this unrestricted form in the Qur’an and Sunnah, nor is it among the well-known expressions of the early generations. Therefore, the person who says it should be asked what he means by it.
If by “place” he means that something from Allah’s creation encompasses Him or confines Him, then this is correct, because Allah تعالى is greater than His creation, and none of His created things encompasses Him.
Allah تعالى says:
﴿And the earth, all of it, will be in His grasp on the Day of Resurrection, and the heavens will be folded in His right hand.﴾ [Az-Zumar: 67]
In the two Sahihs, Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه reported that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
“Allah will grasp the earth and fold up the heavens with His right hand, then He will say: ‘I am the King. Where are the kings of the earth?’”
But if by “transcending place” one means denying that Allah تعالى is above His creation and established above His Throne, then this is a different and false meaning, and the statement cannot be used in that sense without qualification.
Numerous texts in the Qur’an and Sunnah establish Allah’s exaltedness and His establishment above His Throne. Among them is His saying:
﴿The Most Merciful established Himself above the Throne.﴾ [Ta-Ha: 5]
It is also reported in the hadith of the slave girl that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم asked her:
“Where is Allah?”
She replied: “Above the heavens.” The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم then said to her owner:
“Free her, for she is a believer.”
Narrated by Muslim (537).
Therefore, believing in Allah’s exaltedness and His establishment above His Throne does not conflict with declaring Him free from being encompassed by anything of His creation.
If what is meant by saying that Allah is transcendent above place is that Allah تعالى exists in every place by His Essence, then this is an incorrect belief.
But saying that Allah تعالى is with His creation through His knowledge, observes them, and nothing concerning them is hidden from Him is correct.
Allah تعالى says:
﴿And He is with you wherever you are, and Allah sees all that you do.﴾ [Al-Hadid: 4]
Allah’s being “with” His creation does not mean that His Essence is indwelling in them or mixed with them. Rather, what is established by the revealed texts is affirmed in a manner befitting His majesty.
Likewise, the expression “Allah is transcendent above time” is a general expression, and it should not be judged before its intended meaning is known.
If it means that Allah تعالى is the First without a beginning and the Last without an end, and that He existed before the existence of time and creation, then this is a correct meaning.
The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
“O Allah, You are the First, so there is nothing before You; You are the Last, so there is nothing after You; You are the Most High, so there is nothing above You; and You are the Hidden, so there is nothing beneath You.”
Narrated by Muslim (2713).
Thus, Allah تعالى is the First, before whom there was nothing, and the Last, after whom there will be nothing.
But if by “transcending time” one means denying what has been established in the Sunnah concerning His actions connected to His will, such as His descent, pleasure, anger, and the like, then this is not correct.
The revealed texts affirm for Allah تعالى actions that He does whenever He wills and in whatever manner He wills, in a way befitting His majesty. It is not permissible to reject them merely because of using a general term that is not found in the revealed texts.
An important principle in matters of creed is that general expressions with multiple possible meanings should not be used concerning Allah تعالى without explaining what is intended, because the same expression may be intended by one person with a correct meaning and by another with an incorrect meaning.
Therefore, it is preferable to say:
These expressions are clearer and further removed from ambiguity.
If a Muslim believes in what has come in the Qur’an and Sunnah, he should not surrender to doubts arising from ambiguous expressions or debates whose terminology he does not understand.
When a statement such as “Allah is not in a place” or “Allah is transcendent above place and time” is encountered, the speaker should be asked what he means by it. Then the meaning should be examined: if it is correct, it is accepted; if it is false, it is rejected, without allowing the Muslim to become trapped by ambiguous terminology.
Likewise, one should turn away from satanic whispers, seek refuge in Allah from them, and occupy oneself with learning creed from the Qur’an and Sunnah and from the statements of recognized scholars.
It is not appropriate to state without qualification that “Allah تعالى is transcendent above place and time,” because this is a general expression that is not transmitted in this unrestricted form in the revealed texts.
If by “place” it is meant that Allah تعالى is not encompassed by anything of His creation, this is correct. But if it means denying His exaltedness and His establishment above His Throne, then this meaning is false.
Likewise, if by “time” it is meant that Allah تعالى is the First, before whom there was nothing, and the Last, after whom there is nothing, then this is correct. But if it means denying the actions established for Him that are connected to His will, then that is incorrect.
It is therefore preferable in this matter to use expressions established in the Qur’an and Sunnah and to avoid general expressions that may carry both correct and incorrect meanings.
And Allah knows best.