Question
In your answer to my question concerning the meaning of Surah Al Hadid, verse 3 you gave the following translation:
He is before as well as after everything; and over and under everything and [,therefore,] He is aware of everything.
Does the above imply that God is everywhere? I was of the understanding that the Qur’an does not mention His actual whereabouts. If it says He is everywhere, it does (give His whereabouts), doesn’t it?
I would appreciate if you could clarify this and I thank you for the previous answer as it really clarified the issue.
Jazakallah
Answer
God’s omnipresence does not relate to the His locus; He is not confined to any existence nor is any part of Him distributed in parts around the universe. We are not given a description of God’s physical attributes, if there is such a thing, hence, when one considers the “omnipresence” of God it would not relate to His “whereabouts” or place of His being. In fact it is the very “faculties” of God that make Him omnipresent. He hears the most intimate prayers in the tiniest of hearts. He sees the most hidden actions of all His creatures. He knows the deepest inward thoughts of our minds. His attributes afford Him the knowledge and awareness of all things. It is these qualities that allow God the omnipresence that is spoken of in the Qur’an. It states:
We created man and We [even] know the promptings of his mind. We are closer to him than his life vein.
Close, but obviously not the proximity of His physical being.
I hope I have clarified the issue.
God knows best.
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