Ithbat Uluw Allah wa Mubayanatihi li Khalqihi wa al-Radd ala man zaama anna maiyyat Allah li al-Khalq dhatiyya
- Author died
- 1413 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat al-Ma‘ārif
Ithbat Uluw Allah wa Mubayanatihi li Khalqihi wa al-Radd ala man zaama anna maiyyat Allah li al-Khalq dhatiyya (Affirming God's Transcendence and Distinction from His Creation, and Refuting Whosoever Claims that God's Accompaniment of Creation Is in Essence) is a theological treatise by the Saudi Hanbali scholar Hammud ibn Abdullah al-Tuwayjiri (d. 1413 AH / 1992 CE) . The work is dedicated to affirming God's transcendence above creation and His establishment over the Throne, while refuting the notion of an essential divine co-presence with creation .
Background and Purpose
Al-Tuwayjiri composed the treatise as a polemical response to an article whose author asserted that God's accompaniment (ma'iyyah) of His creation is in His essence (dhatiyyah) while simultaneously affirming that God is above His Throne . Al-Tuwayjiri argued that claiming an essential ma'iyyah is an inherent contradiction that combines mutually exclusive concepts—affirming divine transcendence (uluw) alongside spatial immanence or lowness (sufl) . He maintained that this stance logically entails divine intermixture with creation and indwelling (hulul), placing it in agreement with doctrines attributed by Ibn Taymiyyah to certain scholastic theologians and Sufis who held that God is both essentially above the world and essentially in every place .
Theological Arguments and Structure
The book is structured into thematic sections establishing the creed of early Muslim scholars (al-salaf) regarding divine attributes through textual evidence (naql) and rational argument (aql) . Its central arguments include:
- Affirmation of Transcendence and Istiwa': The author cites the seven Quranic verses explicitly mentioning God's ascension over the Throne (al-istiwa ala al-arsh)—in surahs al-A'raf, Yunus, al-Ra'd, Ta-Ha, al-Furqan, al-Sajdah, and al-Hadid—as definitive proof that God is above the Throne and distinct (ba'in) from all creation . He supplements these with passages describing God as being above the angels and above His servants, such as يَخَافُونَ رَبَّهُم مِّن فَوْقِهِمْ ("They fear their Lord above them") .
- Interpretation of Divine Accompaniment (Ma'iyyah): Al-Tuwayjiri demonstrates that scriptural verses mentioning God being "with" His creation—such as وَهُوَ مَعَكُمْ أَيْنَ مَا كُنتُمْ ("And He is with you wherever you are")—denote His all-encompassing knowledge (ilm), sight, and preservation if general, and His support, protection, and victory if specific .
- Transmission of Scholarly Consensus: The work compiles numerous transmitted statements (athar) from the Companions, Successors, and prominent traditionalist authorities—including Ibn Abbas, Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, Sufyan al-Thawri, Al-Awza'i, Ishaq ibn Rahawayh, Qutaybah ibn Sa'id, Ibn Abd al-Barr, and Abu Umar al-Talamanki—affirming consensus that God is above the Throne while His knowledge is in every place .
Reception and Editions
The book was reviewed and endorsed by leading contemporary Saudi scholars. Abd al-Aziz ibn Abdullah ibn Baz heard the text read in full by the author and wrote a preface dated 27 Rajab 1404 AH praising it as an effective refutation of proponents of hulul, pantheism (ittihad), and essential ma'iyyah . Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen likewise composed an introduction summarizing and endorsing the five core tenets established in the work .
The treatise was published as an independent book by Maktabat al-Ma'arif in Riyadh (1st edition, 1405 AH / 1984–1985 CE) . It was also printed as a comprehensive research paper in the journal Majallat al-Buhuth al-Islamiyyah (Issue 12, Rabi' al-Awwal–Jumada al-Thaniyyah 1405 AH, pp. 129–208) under the title Bayan fi Ithbat Uluw Allah Ta'ala wa Mubayanatihi li Khalqihi wa anna Maiyyatahu li Ibadihi bi Ilmihi wa Ittila'ihi wa Hifzihi .
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