Has Allah Changed His Place?

 Has Allah changed His place?

And how did the revelation descend over 23 years while Gabriel ascends to Allah in 50,000 years?

This is the summary of a very long atheistic article overflowing with obscenity and insolence, which attacks the Holy Quran and twists the meaning of the noble verses to reach a predetermined conclusion: that the Quran was authored by a human.

I have summarized the article into six primary fabrications, followed by my response to each point:

First: The Claim Regarding Changing the Place of Allah  and His Throne

The Claim:

The article claims that the noble verse: {And He it is who created the heavens and the earth in six days - and His Throne had been upon water - that He might test you as to which of you is best in deed.} [Hud 11:7] indicates that the Throne of Allah was upon water and then moved to heaven. It relies on: {He regulates the affair from the heaven to the earth; then it will ascend to Him in a Day, the extent of which is a thousand years of those which you count.} [As-Sajdah 32:5], and questions which heaven is being spoken of—the first, the second, or the seventh? It adduces: {And He restrains the sky from falling upon the earth, unless by His permission. Indeed Allah, to the people, is Kind and Merciful.} [Al-Hajj 22:65].

The Response:

Allah Almighty is exalted above the attributes of created beings. He is not confined to a place or a time, and the concept of moving or changing does not apply to Him as it applies to creatures. He has neither a body nor a form. Glory and Sanctity be to Him. The Almighty says: {There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing.} [As-Shura 42:11]. Allah Almighty does not resemble His creations, and He does not need a place to settle in or move from.

Reason dictates that the Creator, Glory be to Him, who created space and time cannot be limited by them, because that which is limited by space requires a creator to define it. This contradicts the fact that Allah  Almighty is the Creator of all things. The Almighty says: {And He is the subjugator over His servants} [Al-An'am 6:18], expressing an abstract, qualitative highness (authority and power) rather than a spatial highness.

The noble verse in Surah Hud speaks of a stage among the stages of creation before the creation of the heavens and the earth. The Throne here is a magnificent creation that expresses the dominion and power of Allah . Its being upon water describes an initial cosmic state when the heavens and the earth had not yet been created, and water was the primary matter from which Allah  Almighty created the universe, as in His saying: {Have those who disbelieved not considered that the heavens and the earth were a joined entity, and We separated them and made from water every living thing?} [Al-Anbiya 21:30]. The interpretation of Ibn Kathir clarifies that water was the origin of creation. This aligns with modern scientific discoveries indicating the presence of water in cosmic nebulae as a primary element in the origin of the universe, confirming the precision of the Holy Quran in describing the stages of creation.

The word "upon" ('ala) in Arabic carries multiple meanings, including abstract supremacy, just as in His saying: {So proceed throughout the earth} [Al-An'am 6:11], which does not literally mean walking inside the Earth's crust.

The interpretation of Imam Al-Razi clarifies that "upon the water" is a rhetorical expression describing the state of the Throne as a symbol of divine authority, not a physical place containing Allah.

The claim that Allah moved contradicts the doctrine of transcendence (Tanzih); Allah exists by His very Essence, is not subject to movement or stillness, and does not alter or change.

This article uses the fallacy of anthropomorphism by depicting the Throne as a floating physical body, whereas interpretations confirm that the Throne is an unseen creation expressing divine dominion, not a physical body that moves.

Second: The Claim Regarding the Contradiction Between One Thousand Years and Fifty Thousand Years

The Claim:

The article claims a contradiction exists between: {He regulates the affair from the heaven to the earth; then it will ascend to Him in a Day, the extent of which is a thousand years of those which you count.} [As-Sajdah 32:5], and: {The angels and the Spirit will ascend to Him during a Day the extent of which is fifty thousand years} [Al-Ma'arij 70:4], with a difference of 49,000 years, and that: {And they urge you to hasten the punishment. But Allah will never fail in His promise. And indeed, a day with your Lord is like a thousand years of those which you count.} [Al-Hajj 22:47] contradicts the verse of Surah Al-Ma'arij.

The Response:

The two noble verses speak of two entirely different contexts; therefore, there is no conflict between them.

Surah As-Sajdah speaks of the regulation of the divine affair from heaven to earth, then its ascension to Allah  in a day the extent of which is a thousand years of what we count, which is a description of the speed of managing the universe and executing divine commands. This noble verse expresses the speed of executing the divine command compared to human measures.

As for Surah Al-Ma'arij, it describes the ascension of the angels and the Spirit (Gabriel, peace be upon him) to Allah in a day the extent of which is fifty thousand years, which is an unseen context relating to the Day of Resurrection, where distances and times differ from earthly measures. The interpretation of Ibn Abbas confirms that Surah As-Sajdah speaks of the regulation of daily affairs, while Surah Al-Ma'arij refers to the Day of Resurrection, logically eliminating the contradiction.

Time with Allah is not subject to human measures, for Allah  Almighty is transcendent above space and time. The Holy Quran uses numbers like a thousand years and fifty thousand years to express the grandeur of cosmic events in a manner humans can understand. His saying: {And indeed, a day with your Lord is like a thousand years of those which you count.} confirms that the numbers are approximate to indicate the grandeur of events, not physical measurements.

The phrase "of those which you count," as Al-Zamakhshari clarifies in his interpretation, points to approximating the meaning for human beings, which invalidates the claim of contradiction.

This aligns with Einstein's "Theory of Relativity," which proves that time is relative and changes according to the frame of reference, demonstrating the miraculous nature of the Quran in describing unseen time.

The article's attempt to apply physical calculations (such as the speed of horses) to verses of the unseen is a methodological error, because the noble Quranic verses speak of matters of the unseen that are not subject to the laws of human physics.

The article relies on a flawed literal interpretation, ignoring that the Holy Quran uses a rhetorical language that transcends physical measures. There is no conflict between the two verses due to the difference in their contexts, making the claim of contradiction illogical.

Third: The Descent of Revelation in 23 Years

The Claim:

The article questions how Gabriel, peace be upon him, was able to convey the revelation to the Messenger of Allah , peace and blessings of Allah  be upon him, over the course of 23 years if the time of ascension takes 50,000 years according to: {The angels and the Spirit will ascend to Him during a Day the extent of which is fifty thousand years}.

The Response:

Angels are luminous creations that are not subject to the physical laws governing human beings, as the Holy Quran describes: {And those who arrange [each] matter} [An-Naziat 79:5]. Gabriel, peace be upon him, known as the Holy Spirit, executed the command of Allah  to convey the revelation to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah  be upon him, with speed and precision, as in His saying: {Indeed, it is We who sent down the Quran and indeed, We will be its guardian.} [Al-Hijr 15:9].

The noble verse in Surah Al-Ma'arij does not speak about the descent of revelation, but rather about the ascension of the angels and the Spirit to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, in an unseen context, perhaps relating to the Day of Resurrection or another cosmic event; it has no connection to the descent of revelation.

The Holy Quran confirms that the command of Allah is executed with extreme speed, as in His saying: {And Our command is but one, like a glance of the eye.} [Al-Qamar 54:50]. The descent of the Holy Quran over 23 years in earthly time is documented in the prophetic biography (Sahih Al-Bukhari and Muslim). It is an immediate divine process that does not require a long duration as the article claims. His saying: {[All] praise is [due] to Allah, Originator of the heavens and the earth, who made the angels messengers having wings, two or three or four.} [Fatir 35:1] points to the ability of angels to move with supernatural speed by the command of Allah.

The article here commits the fallacy of false correlation by linking an unseen verse to a historical event, ignoring that the descent of revelation is a transcendent divine process. There is no historical or rational evidence indicating that Gabriel, peace be upon him, took a long duration, which invalidates the claim of conflict.

Fourth: The Claim Regarding Which Heaven the Quran Intends

The Claim:

The article questions which heaven is spoken of in: {He regulates the affair from the heaven to the earth} and concludes it is the first heaven based on: {And He restrains the sky from falling upon the earth, unless by His permission}.

The Response:

The word "heaven" (Al-Sama) in the Quran comes with multiple meanings depending on the context: the physical sky (the atmosphere or cosmic space), the seven heavens, or a symbol of highness and divine authority. In Surah As-Sajdah, the heaven refers to the place from which the divine affair is regulated, which is an unseen place that cannot be defined by physical measures. Tafsir al-Jalalayn clarifies that it encompasses the seven heavens and is not restricted to a specific heaven.

The Holy Quran speaks of the seven heavens in His saying: {[And] who created seven heavens in layers.} [Al-Mulk 67:3], which are part of the unseen divine creation whose nature or location cannot be precisely defined.

The conclusion that the first heaven is intended based on Surah Al-Hajj is inaccurate, because the verse speaks about the power of Allah to preserve the cosmic order, as in His saying: {It is Allah who has created seven heavens and of the earth, the like of them.} [At-Talaq 65:12]. This aligns with modern science, which describes cosmic forces (gravity) that prevent planets from colliding, confirming the precision of the Holy Quran.

Defining the place of Allah Almighty inside one of the heavens contradicts the transcendence of Allah Almighty above space and time, for He is the Creator of everything and does not need His creations. The atheistic writer commits the fallacy of specification by designating the first heaven without evidence, ignoring the comprehensive Quranic context.

Fifth: The Claim Regarding the Units of Measurement in the Quran

The Claim:

The article claims that the units of measurement (such as a glance of the eye or a thousand years) are primitive and contradictory. It calculates the distance to Allah  (29,736,000,000 km or 0.003 light-years) based on Surah Al-Ma'arij and the speed of horses (70 km/hour), relying on: {It is He who made the sun a shining light and the moon a derived light and determined for it phases - that you may know the number of years and account [of time].} [Yunus 10:5], and: {And to Allah belongs the unseen of the heavens and the earth. And the command of the Hour is not but as a glance of the eye or even nearer.} [An-Nahl 16:77], and: {And Our command is but one, like a glance of the eye.} [Al-Qamar 54:50].

The Response:

The Holy Quran uses an eloquent language that suits the minds of human beings in every time and place. Expressions like "a glance of the eye" or "a thousand years" are not physical units of measurement, but rather rhetorical expressions aimed at conveying the concept of speed or a long duration. His saying: {And the command of the Hour is not but as a glance of the eye or even nearer.} [An-Nahl,  77 ] expresses the speed of the occurrence of the Hour, and aligns with modern physics which describes transcendent speeds (such as the speed of light $\approx 300,000\text{ km/s}$). His saying: {or even nearer} opens the horizon for speeds that transcend imagination, reflecting the miraculous nature of the Quran.

The noble verse: {It is He who made the sun a shining light and the moon a derived light and determined for it phases - that you may know the number of years and account [of time].} aligns with the precise lunar calculations used by ancient civilizations, proving the advancement of the Holy Quran in describing the temporal system.

As for units like the parasang (Al-Farsakh: 16 parasangs = 80.54 km), they were for measuring earthly distances and have no connection to the verses of the unseen.

The article's attempt to apply physical units (such as the speed of horses and camels) to verses of the unseen is a methodological error, because the Quran does not aim to provide physical equations, but to guide mankind. Therefore, calculating the distance as 0.003 light-years is illogical, because the verses describe unseen matters that are not subject to physical measures.

Sixth: The Claim Regarding the Closeness of Allah to His Servants

The Claim:

The article cites: {And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided.} [Al-Baqarah 2:186] to conclude that Allah is in the first heaven and questions His exact location.

The Response:

Closeness in the verse means the closeness of Allah to His servants in knowledge, response, and mercy, and is not a spatial closeness. Allah Almighty says: {and We are closer to him than [his] jugular vein} [Qaf 50:16]. This closeness is abstract, not spatial, for Allah  is transcendent above space. The conclusion that He is in the first heaven contradicts the doctrine of transcendence: {There is nothing like unto Him} [As-Shura 42:11].

Modern science proves that the universe is infinite and complex, and a location cannot be defined for the Creator because He is outside the framework of matter.

The article commits the fallacy of reification (Tajsim) by imagining Allah Almighty as a physical being in heaven, while the Holy Quran denies this. The noble verse strengthens faith through the spiritual closeness of Allah by responding to supplication, which aligns with the experiences of believers throughout history, invalidating the physical claim.

The attempt to define the location of Allah with sarcastic expressions demonstrates a misunderstanding of the language of the Holy Quran and its objectives.

The atheistic article relies on a mocking style that attempts to undermine the Holy Quran and the master of creations, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. The misconceptions result from flawed interpretations and literal understandings that ignore Quranic contexts and Arabic eloquence.

The Quran is the word of Allah and understanding it requires contemplation with an open mind and a reverent heart, while referencing authoritative interpretations. Allah Almighty said: {Then do they not reflect upon the Quran, or are there locks upon their hearts?} [Muhammad 47:24].

We invite all atheists to contemplate the Holy Quran to understand its great meanings, and to distance themselves from random interpretations that serve the faltering and unreasonable project of atheism.