Does Allah have a body?Is He everywhere?

Question

What is the Shia belief and Ahlus Sunnahs belief about Allahs form?

Answer 1

brother!! physical appearance is not one of his Safat=> Qualities!!

Answer 2

Shia's Belief====>>>>

A religious and philosophical outlook concerning The Nature of Allah, the purpose of creation and the practical implications of our faith in Allah  

Islam is based on monotheism. Tawhid, the oneness of Allah, is an essential belief for all Muslims. Islam teaches that Allah, the one god, has 99 attributes. Although we can understand some of His attributes, His essence cannot be comprehended by a human's limited mental capacity. Allah has created mankind primarily so that they may know their creator through his creations. Realisation of the supremacy of Allah, although necessary for success in the hereafter, has not been enforced on man - it is a test that is based on the fact that man has been given free will. However, man's free will is limited, although he has the freedom to choose between right and wrong, he cannot change parts of his destiny that Allah has pre-determined. Understanding the nature of Allah is essential as it has a substantial effect on a Muslim's duties to Allah.  

The oneness of Allah is the one most important theological principal in Islam. The first of the five pillars, the declaration of faith, which is the first act that one does to embark on Islam, reiterates the necessity of the belief in the oneness of Allah. It begins with the negation of any god other than Allah:

"I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Mohammed is His messenger."

Beginning with negation rather than affirmation, in this case, serves to emphasise strongly the importance of the oneness of Allah.

The Quran, the words of Allah mediated to Prophet Muhammad by the angel Jibril (Gabriel), is full of references to the essential belief in one god:

Say 'He is Allah the One' 112:1

Surely Allah alone is the creator of all things and he is the One, the Most Supreme 13:17

Say 'I am only a Warner, and there is no god but Allah, the One, the Most Supreme. 23:66

Holy is He! He is Allah the One, the Most Supreme 39:5

As well as proving the oneness of god through the Quran, logic too can help prove this as I shall explain. If you ask a believer in god, whether he believes in one god or ten, you will probably find that somewhere in his definition of the term 'God' he rules out the possibility of god being weak, inferior or compromising. From this, we may say that something that is weak, inferior or compromising cannot be a God. Yet the very fact that there is more than one god suggests two contradictory possibilities; That the Gods are of equal power and therefore are compromising, or that their power is uneven resulting in some Gods being inferior to others. From this ontological argument one can conclude that there can only be one true god.

Zoroastrianism- the mainly Greek belief that refers to the belief that there are two gods- one evil and one good- on account of the reasoning that I have mentioned can clearly be put aside. However one can also add that if there was one good god and one evil god, or even any other form of polytheism, the world would be in chaos and thus the order of the world would break down. Logically, by the use of the common analogy that one can not have more than one captain in a boat you can start to see the reasoning that I am trying to convey. With power in the hands of more than one god there would clearly be argument. However, one effective point that non-Muslims or curious ones such as myself put across is that this theory is contradictory to Islamic teachings, because we are associating god with the human attribute of not being able to share power. The answer to this is clear. It is not an assumption by humans that there would be chaos if there was more than one god, for if it was -putting in mind that Islam teaches that humans with their finite perceptions cannot make any assumptions about God- than it would be very wrong. However it is a fact made known to us by Allah Himself in the Quran:

"If there had been in them (the heaven and the earth) other gods beside Allah, then surely both would have gone to ruin." 21:23

Pantheism is another theory that Muslims believe to be wrong. Although Muslims believe that Allah is everywhere, he is a separate entity and therefore cannot be reincarnated in everything as the pantheists believe - who although are not strictly defined as polytheists, they are certainly not monotheistic in the Islamic sense.

Going against the oneness of Allah, Shirk, is a very major sin:  

"Surely Allah will not forgive that any partner be associated with him" Holy Quran 4:49

Regarding the attributes of Allah, Islam teaches that Allah although He has many attributes, cannot be fully understood by man. Man is restricted in thought into that which is manifest, Allah however is unique and above human manifestation.

Allah, the god of all humanity, is perceived differently in other religions. Since man would be limiting Allah by creating a physical image of Him Muslims do not. Allah is as I said unique and superior to His creations. Thus the biblical statement that was mentioned in Genesis Ch1 v27 that God has created man in his own image is a view that is not shared by Muslims.

Other religions believe that God resembles creation- they believe in describing causes by their effects. An example of this is that we can describe a corpse to be horrifying (the effect) but we may also say that the person responsible for this death, the murderer, (the cause) is also horrifying - cause resembles effect. This theory can easily be put aside, for although it may be true for a limited number of examples, the vast majority can prove it wrong, i.e. a shoe does not resemble a shoe maker, etc.

Thus Islam does not try in anyway to personify Allah. Whilst it may be true that two of His attributes are that He 'Sees' and 'Hears', this does not mean that He has eyes and ears like you and I, His hearing or seeing cannot be comprehended by us as finite beings.

Allah, the Almighty, is ideal. He is the 'Just' and the Judge, as well as the 'Avenger of Evil.' It follows that to test mankind one must judge fairly and punish those who do evil. An example of Allah's justness is that we are only accountable for our own actions, unlike the Christian concept of the original sin, for the Quran says that no bearer can bear a burden of another.

Muslims do not agree with the Judaeo- Christian concept of God having the necessity to rest as they say he did after creating the world. All god needs to say is 'Be and it is.' Tiredness is a human attribute as is making mistakes, this is not applicable to god who is infallible. Allah is also pre-existent to all he has created, he is the first, and as Aristotle put it in his cosmological theory 'the prime mover.'

Allah, the Creator has perfect knowledge. Muslims believe in the omniscience of Allah, He knows all that is tangible and that is manifest, He knows the past and the future. Muslims rebuke the Christian belief that god does not have perfect knowledge, for example in the bible it says that God underestimated the intelligence of His creations- He did not think that man could build the tower of Babel (Genesis Ch11 v5-7, Exodus Ch32 v14). Muslims argue that having created everything, He knows all that there is to know.

To be a Muslim it is essential to believe in the destiny, whether good or bad, that Allah has set for us (known as Qadr in Arabic). The Quran says:  

"Say, Nothing shall befall us save that which Allah has ordained for us"

This however does not mean that man does not have free will, for if he did not Allah's justice would be compromised for you cannot judge a person if he does not have the freedom of choosing what he does. Allah, the 'Just', has given man both destiny and free will, the action of a human is interrelated with destiny and both are mutually necessary, as Imam Ali son of Abi Talib (AS) said:

"The predestined will of Allah and the action of a human are like the spirit and the body, the spirit without the body has no physicality and the body without the soul is a picture without movement. If the two are adjoined they become like Al-Qadr and action, for if there was no Qadr then you would not know the difference between creation and creator, and if there was action without it being willed and predestined by Allah than it would not happen."

Some things such as our deaths and disease are above human will, no matter what a person does, if for instance God has set the hour at which you are to die than it will be so:

"And no soul can die except by Allah's leave- a decree with a fixed term" Holy Quran 3:146

"They say 'If we had any part in the government of affairs, we should not have been killed here.' Say 'If you had remained in your homes, surely those on whom fighting had been enjoyed would have gone forth to their deathbeds." Holy Quran 3:155

Earnings are also an example of things that are pre-destined by Allah, a poor man could work all his life but never become rich whilst others are rich without effort. This generalised example serves to bring us on to a specific comment; Even though things such as our income are predestined by Allah we must strive to improve our conditions, for although they are willed by Allah, if we will it Allah may change his will:

"Surely Allah changes not the condition of a people until they change themselves" Holy Quran

Yet we came back to the age old question: Why did God create man? One always wonders about this question, if God is perfect what use would man be to him? None. Allah did not create man for his own benefit, he created man for the benefit of man: The hadith Qudsi says:  

"O son of Adam, I did not create you for my own benefit, but that you benefit from Me as your God, alo

Answer 3

we can't see Allah so we don't know how he looks like. Yes He is everywhere.

Answer 4

Allah's wisdom and knowledge is present everywhere. Allah is aware as to whats happening in this world at once for ever. Allah is not physically present and saying this is a sin~!

Answer 5

Only Wahhabi god has body-

Oh- They follow Iblees.

Answer 6

The beliefs of Ahlus Sunnah are as Imaam al-Awzaa'ee said:

كنا والتابعون متوافرون نقول: إن الله تعالى فوق عرشه، ونؤمن بما وردت به السنة من صفاته

((We and the Taabi'oon ensured in saying: Indeed Allaah –the Most High- is above His Throne, and we believe in them how the Sunnah has come regarding His Attributes))

Al-Asmaa was-Sifaat of al-Bayhaqee on page 515

Allaah says:

الرحمن على العرش استوى

((The Most Merciful has Risen over the Throne)) Soorah Taa Haa: 5

From the Sunnah we find the well known hadeeth of the slave girl when the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم asked her:

أين الله؟ قالت: في السماء، قال: أعتقها فإنها مؤمنة

((Where is Allaah? She said: Over the Heavens. He said: Free her, for she is a believer.))   Saheeh Muslim (537) and this Hadeeth is authentic, refer to the Takhreej of Shaykh Saleem al-Hilaalee in his book "Ayn Allaah?" "Where is Allaah".

Imaam adh-Dhahabee wrote a book on this matter called "al-'Uluww li 'Alee al-Ghaffaar", and "Ithbaat Sifat al 'Uluww" of Ibn Qudaamah al-Maqdisee and Ibnul Qayyim wrote the book "Ijmaa' al-Juyoosh al-Islaamee" where he speaks a lot about this issue and 'Abdul Haadee Wahbee wrote "al-Kalimaat al-Hassaan fee 'Uluww ar-Rahmaan" and there are many other books which speak about this matter.

EDIT: In reply to the Ash'aree:

1) Aboo Haneefah held the beliefs of Ahlus Sunnah towards the Sifaat of Allaah. We take them as they come without making Ta'weel

2) Abu Mansoor al Maatureedee met Aboo Haneefah? Where's the evidence? Very little is known about him.

3) Abul Hasan al-Ash'aree renounced his Kullaabee 'aqeedah and accepted that of Ahmad bin Hanbal

4) Imaam Maalik did not say as you said, I posted what he said. He said the "Kayf" is majhool and the ma'na is "Ma'qool". Don't distort the sayings of the salaf to promote your Kullaabi Aqeedah.

Answer 7

I think Allah has a Presence, rather than a body in physical form and when I pray to the god I know by another name because I am not Arabian, Allah hears it as there is but one creator and many languages.  This is something I can agree with the Muslims on and frankly if I addressed my prayer to Allah, it would go to the same deity I have been addressing for years as He has more "eMail" accounts than the sum of all of us.

Answer 8

no.

Answer 9

of course not! Allah does not have a body!

In Islam we believe in Allah swt, the "unseen"

Answer 10

Excellent question my brother!  Finally we agree!  Allah has no body and is everywhere!  The Qur'an says that He is nearer to you than your jugular vein, and yet everywhere, near and far.  He has no physical limitations and has no physical "place" where He is.  

This only further proves that it is against Islam to think that Allah "raised Isa (as) to Himself."  If Allah has no body, and is everywhere, then obviously no one can be physically raised to him.  The only logical way of understanding it is that Allah spiritually exalts someone close to him.  This indeed is what the Qur'an says.

EDIT:

@Asker - Then if you beleive heaven is a physical place and Allah is ONLY there, then why do you believe that He is everywhere?  Then you should have no objection to the supposed Shia belief you were quoting.

But there are a few verses you have forgotten that dubunk your theory that Allah is only in heaven on His throne.

Qaf Chapter 50 : Verse 17

And assuredly, We have created man and We know what his mind whispers to him, and We are nearer to him than even his jugular vein.

Allah is closer to man than even mans own jugular vein.  How could that be if Allah is only in heaven and we are on Earth?



Al-Nur Chapter 24 : Verse 36

Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth. His light is as if there were a lustrous niche, wherein is a lamp. The lamp is inside a glass-globe. The globe is, as it were, a glittering star. The lamp is lit from the oil of a blessed tree -an olive - neither of the East nor of the West, whose oil well-nigh would shine forth even though fire touched it not. Light upon light! Allah guides to His light whomsoever He pleases. And Allah sets forth parables for men, and Allah knows all things full well.  

Allah IS the light of Heaven and Earth.  So now we know that Allah is in Heaven and on Earth.  This obviously means everwhere.  

Still think Allah is only on His thronse in Heaven?  So you see, according to the Qur'an, Very Clearly, Allah is indeed everywhere in heaven and on Earth.  Allah is described as light upon light.  And he is the light of both words.

You should understand by now that Allah is not a physical being, and thus why I say it is impossible for a physical being such as Isa (as) to physically go to Allah who is not a physical being at all.  Our souls are spiritual beings and hence our souls will reach Allah, while our physical bodies remain behind.  This is what happens when we sleep, Allah takes our souls, and returns them for those who's time has not come, but for those whos time has come, Allah keeps them, while our physical bodies remain on Earth, always.

EDIT:

@Asker - Allah also says that "When my servant ask thee about me, tell them I am near."

How can Allah be all the way in heaven yet still near?

The Qur'an is so clear that Allah is everywhere, not just on his Arsh.

love for all, hatred for none

Answer 11

Thus whoever attaches attributes to Allah recognises His like, and who recognises His like regards Him two; and who regards Him two recognises parts for Him; and who recognises parts for Him mistook Him; and who mistook Him pointed at Him; and who pointed at Him admitted limitations for Him; and who admitted limitations for Him numbered Him.

Whoever said in what is He, held that He is contained; and whoever said on what is He held He is not on something else. He is a Being but not through phenomenon of coming into being. He exists but not from non-existence. He is with everything but not in physical nearness. He is different from everything but not in physical separation. He acts but without connotation of movements and instruments. He sees even when there is none to be looked at from among His creation. He is only One, such that there is none with whom He may keep company or whom He may miss in his absence.

Answer 12

Imam Abu Hanifa says in his Wasiyya:

"Had He been in a place and needing to sit and rest before creating the Throne, then the question 'Where was Allah?' would have applied to Him, which is impossible... We assert that Allah is established on the throne without His need (haja) nor settlement (istiqrar) upon it, for He it is Who preserves the Throne and other than it without needing any of them."

He said in his al-Fiqh al-akbar:

"Allah has no limits, nor any rivals... He who says: 'I do not know if my Lord is in the heavens or on the earth' is a disbeliever, and he who says: 'He is on the Throne, and I do not know whether the Throne is in the heaven or on the earth,' he is also a disbeliever." Imam Abu Mansur al-Maturidi explained this to mean: "The reason is that by such words he suggests a place for Allah and this is idolatry."

A man asked Imam Malik:

"How did Allah make istiwa' on the throne?" Imam Malik inclined his head and was silent until the sweat of fever covered his brow, then he looked up and said: "Istiwa' is not unknown (ghayru majhul), the modality of it is inconceivable in the mind (al-kayfu minhu ghayru ma`qul); but belief in it is obligatory, and inquiring about it is a heretical innovation. You are an innovator." And he gave orders for him to be taken out.

The Imam of Ahl al-Sunna, Abu al-Hasan al-Ash`ari, says in his Al-ibana fi usul al-diyana:

"Allah is above the heavens, above the Throne, above everything, with a loftiness (fawqiyya) which does not make Him any closer to the Throne or the heavens, just as it does not make Him any further from the earth. He is close to everything in existence, He is closer to the servant than his jugular vein, and He is a witness over all things."

What you say, my brother is a sin, you are limiting Allah, istaghfurallah