Prophetic Hadiths and Sayings of Scholars in Clearing Allah from the Attributes of the Creations – (3)
The Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, said:
[اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ الظَّاهِرُ، فَلَيْسَ فَوْقَكَ شَيْءٌ، وَأَنْتَ الْبَاطِنُ، فَلَيْسَ دُونَكَ شَيْءٌ]
which means: “O Allah, you are ADh-Dhahir and there is nothing above You, and you are Al-BaTin and there is nothing below You.”
In reference to this hadith, Al-Bayhaqiyy said in his book Al-Asma’u was-Sifat:
[اسْتَدَلَّ بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِنَا بِهَذَا الْحَدِيِثِ عَلى نَفْيِ الْمَكَانِ عَنِ اللهِ تَعَالى فَإِنَّهُ إِذا لَمْ يَكُنْ فَوْقَهُ شَىْءٌ ولا دُونَهُ شَىْءٌ لَمْ يَكُنْ في مَكَانٍ]
which means: “Some of our companions took this Hadith as proof that Allah exists without a place. This is because if there is nothing above Him, and nothing beneath Him, then He is not in a place (i.e. He exists without a place).”
Al-Imam Az-Zarkashiyy narrated in his book Tashnif Al-Masami^ that the great Imam, Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, may Allah raise his rank, said:
[العَجْزُ عن دَرَكِ الإِدْرَاكِ إِدْرَاكُ والبَحْثُ عن ذَاتِهِ كُفْرٌ وإِشْرَاكُ]
which means: “The inability to realize the Reality of Allah is the correct realization. However, to try and search for the Reality of Allah is blasphemy and shirk (polytheism).”