Is Allah the Exalted Present and Watching Everywhere?

Question

Zayd says that Allah the Exalted is present (mawjud) everywhere, and holds this belief too; and he pointed to the meaning of the verse of the Holy Qur’an that Allah the Exalted is nearer to the servant even than his jugular vein. In reply Bakr says: this belief that is current among the common people — that Allah is present, existent, everywhere — is the belief of the Mu‘tazila; the belief of Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jama‘a is that Allah is All-Knowing and All-Aware (‘Alim wa Khabir).

Answer

Being hadir wa nazir (present and watching) everywhere does not mean that He is some body that exists in every place — as, for example, a man moves about the different rooms of a house: if he is in one room, he is not in another.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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