WHERE IS GOD?

Artwork and copyright by Nisrina Ahmad

I'm not sure about the rest of the world but in my country Malaysia there are people who currently debating this "Aina Allah" (Where is Allah) question. The debate (especially in social media) can be so heated sometimes leading people to call names and giving nasty remarks. A simple question but a second later friends became foe.

Such a bunch of retards.

Well, forgive me for the french but I do believe that only retards could ever think that his brain cells is sufficiently equipped to calculate or measured whatever thing that is related to the Al-Mighty. I for one have made my mind that no creatures in this universe - or other universe - or even the alternate universe - can figure out the nature or whatever it is about God. It is simply impossible.

Now, it is already accepted by every Muslims on planet earth that Allah is beyond everything. I mean surely no Muslim is stupid enough to object the notion that "Allah Is Beyond Everything", right? Whether you're a Sunni, Syiah, Wahabi, Salafi, Khalaf, Al-Qaeda, ISIS etc etc etc... no one who claim himself/herself as Muslim would dare to suggest that there is something else beyond Allah. To say so is undoubtedly heresy and blasphemy.

"Verily Allah is absolutely free of need of anything in the worlds" (Qur'an 29:6).

That being agreed and understood, then it should goes without saying that the question "where is God" (Aina Allah) will not lead to any answer that can reflect the absolute truth.

How come?

Well, the question "where is..." is actually the type of question which is answerable based on the human's measurement of space and time

For example, if I asked you where a guy named Ali is and you know for sure that Ali is currently residing in Kuala Lumpur then you will adopt either the 'space' measurement or the 'time' measurement as an answer, for example:-

SPACE measurement
(a) Ali is 1000 km from here.
(b) Ali is in Kuala Lumpur (which is 1000 km from here)
(c) Ali is at the coordinate 3.143, 101.678 (which is 1000 km from here)

or..

TIME measurement
(a) Ali is 4 hours flight from here.
(b) Ali is in Kuala Lumpur (which is 7 weeks via boat from here)
(c) Ali is at the coordinate 3.143, 101.678 (which is a year on foot from here)

Meaning that in brief, we humans understands location merely based on what scientists called the 'space time continuum'(of which I am sure you have heard about it a little bit in movies).

Now I definitely have no intention to go on and on and on about what the concept are because frankly speaking I don't understand it much as well (hey, its physics stuffs okay and I failed miserably at maths) but in its simplest form, it can be described as the idea of time being a fourth dimension of our 3D space, so that you can locate events in time and space with a single system of coordinates. I.e. you locate an event in coordinates of length, width, height (3 dimensions space) and time (as the fourth dimension). The Space-Time continuum is the yardstick we use to interpret the Universe and the events (and existence) within it.

It sounded like space-time is a huge thing.. and it is because our universe in space-time continuum is the limit that our brain can processed to interpret our existence in this world. But behold! according to science even space and time is beaten by the black hole. According to the idea of causality, time and space change places inside the event horizon of the black hole up to the point where future and past events can be seen occurring simultaneously. For an instance if you are standing inside the black hole, you see someone's birth and death happens in a blink of an eye. From your perception his entire 90 years existence flew like a bullet from start to end. Imagine that, space and time being beaten by gravity pull of the black hole.

Anyway, the point here is that I believe is that whatever answers that we - as mere mortals - have in our mind when we intend to answer the question "aina Allah" would not be sufficient to cover how things really are in Arasy. This is because unlike the prophet Muhammad, we answer the question based on our understanding of how events is measured in our world ( which is based on the physics of space-time continuum ). Prophet Muhammad however, being the only human that have been biologically 'upgraded' into one of a kind superhuman that can survive the trip to sidratul muntaha, has different understanding about the nature and physics of arasy when he interpreted the issue of "Aina Allah".

I strongly believe that Arasy (and sidratul muntaha for that matter) definitely does not exist within the boundry of our space-time continuum. Therefore if someone asked you "Aina Allah" and your answer caused him/her to assume that Arasy is some sort of 'place' or 'creature' or whatever then all those would be incorrect. In fact, even if you answer that "He is neither above nor below; neither to the right nor to the left. He is everywhere!" would also be incorrect if your interpretation is based on the mechanics of space-time continuum. In short, any answer which lead to someone trying to comprehend the answer based on the physics of our own universe is simply far from the truth.

Let me see if I can put some good example to what I myself understand so far.

(1) Lets imagine that you are a very good software programmer equipped with the latest supercomputer and after many years programming you were able to create an artificial intelligence program called Homer. In your computer screen this is how Homer looks like.

(2) Homer is an advanced A.I that is capable of thinking and processing information. Homer also knows that you created him but for some reason you did not equipped the computer with a gyroscope and a mechanical compass. Therefore Homer in reality is completely living in a 2D realm where there is only UP, DOWN, RIGHT and LEFT.

(3) Supposedly one day you put the screen flat on the ground and use the keyboard to tell Homer the following message "I AM UP HERE ABOVE YOU", where will you think Homer going to point his finger at?

(4)See what I mean? Homer's 'UP' is different from your 'UP'. Can't say Homer is wrong though because Homer is living (well.. sort of) in a 2D realm whereas you live in a 3D realm. It would also be pointless to tell Homer "Homer, I'm in front of you" because Homer will then simply point his finger to the right side or the left side of the screen depending on which direction he is facing. Homer living in a 2 Dimensions world has completely different understanding of direction compared to us who live in a 3 Dimensions world.

From the hadith about Prophet Muhammad's voyage during Isra' and Mi'raj we now knows that there are seven layers of realms or universes (7 tingkat langit). No one knows yet what that really means but if we assume that the vast universe we are in now (which is regulated by length, width, height and time) is just the first layer amongst the seven, then one can also assume that other layer of the other universe must have been created with a totally different physics of which we could never ever comprehend. Imagine what it's look like if the universe after ours has a space-time continuum of 5 dimensions? In fact who knows maybe God out of whim had created the 2nd universe with 100 thousand dimensions and the 7th universe (the arasy) with 100 million trillion dimensions at one go!

That definitely would explain all the paradoxes we have learnt so far about Luh Mahfuz and Al-Qiyamah.

I mean takes for example the journey crossing the siratul mustaqim during the day of judgment (Al Qiyamah). Some people takes hundreds of years to cross it while others can cross it in a blink of an eye.. and the Sun is few inches from some people while to others it is thousands of light years away... or that the Desert of Mahsyar that is extremely wide and flat that it can accommodate all people that have ever existed in history. Is paradoxes like these even possible from physics point of view? Well, not in 3 dimensional space of our universe but definitely yes in a place with... lets say... perhaps one thousand dimensions?

Here is an interesting example of 3D projection of a tesseract undergoing a simple rotation in four dimensional space.

As you can see here, merely by adding just one extra dimension can cause weird things such as short line become long and things that were once inside becoming outside. That's the simplest animation I could find in Wikipedia to demonstrate what a universe with 4 dimensions can do so who could imagine whatever things that is happening in the 7th layer of the skies?

Conclusion, Our realm and the realm in the the arasy is not the same. Our physics doesn't apply and so does our common sense.

If someone ask me 'where is Allah' then I think I might not want to answer that verbally. Also, under the assumption (anyone dare to object?) that Allah is so powerful that He is beyond paradox then that means that any answer that is intended to glorify Him is correct - even if it is paradox.

Therefore if a salafist come to me and say that Allah sits on Arasy then I'll say "You're Correct"

And if a Khalaf said to me that e is everywhere then I have to say "You're correct too".

And under the rule that "Allah is beyond everything (even paradox)" then if a girl come to me pointing her finger to the sky where she believe Allah is dwelling, then if it can be ascertained that she intended to glorify Allah that I will say "You're correct too".

PARADOX

I think the argument between the Khalaf faction and the Salaf faction about "Aina Allah" is totally premature. Like I said if both Khalaf and Salaf are in agreement to the notion that "Allah is beyond everything" and that "Allah has no limitation" then by simple math they will have to accept the fact that Allah is the Al-Mighty Powerful that HE IS BEYOND PARADOX.

If paradox in applied in any equation then ultimately no answers can be used to contradict the other.

For example, One of the most known paradox as believed by Muslims is about fate and destiny (Qada and Qadar). Surah Al-Hadid (The Chapter of Iron) verse 22 states:

“No calamity befalls on the earth or in yourselves but it is inscribed in the Book of Decrees (Al Lawh Al Mahfooz) before We bring it into existence. Verily, that is easy for Allah.”

And Prophet Mohammad (peace and blessings be upon him) has stated in a hadith:

“Allah wrote down the decrees of creation fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth.”

So in its simplest meaning, 50,000 years before He created the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th layers of realms (that contains God only knows how many trillions of universes with God only knows how many trillions of dimensions) your fate has been decreed whether you'll end up in heaven or hell. I mean, long before the dajjal were even born his destiny to end up as the wickest man in human's history Is already known. Similarly long before Adam was created Allah already knows that Lucifer (Iblees) will end up for eternity in Hell.

So according to some people, why did Allah allows Lucifer to waste all those millenia as His most devout servant? I mean Lucifer was once the head of Angel's department was he not? And perhaps he would still be His most loyal servant if Allah did not create Human? But despite  all the goodies that Lucifer had done - and despite knowing that creating Adam would  cause Lucifer to lost his mind - Allah still created Adam.

Kinda cruel if you think about it because from the onset it looks like Allah has caused Lucifer to go to hell despite Lucifer's millions of years of good deeds?

But that's among the paradox that we human are not equipped to comprehend. Allah is loving and yet He destined millions of people to die horribly in the hand of Zionists and Luciferians. We are told to strive hard in this world to get ourselves to heaven and yet He knows that some of us will end up burning in hell anyway. He is fair and yet the non-believers were destined to be borne from the womb of non-believer and grow as non-believer and thus certain to end up in hell regardless of all the good deeds they have performed in life.

The issues of 'Qada & Qadar' (Faith & Detiny) above is one of the paradox being spoken and debated between Muslim scholars and non-believers around the world. The concept of Qada & Qadar is in fact discussed by physicians (albeit with different intention) as a paradox of "Multidimensional Time".

An example of how western physician discussed "Multidimensional Time" is illustrated as follows:-

"Joe builds a time machine in 2006. He goes back to save Abraham Lincoln. His success in preventing John Wilkes Booth from shooting Lincoln creates an apparent contradiction: On April 14, 1865, Lincoln was killed. Indeed, Joe had read about the assassination in history books. With Joe on the spot, however, Booth is stopped, and so Lincoln's life is saved on April 14, 1865. Can that be done? considering the paradox it created (Lincoln's life is saved and therefore Joe no longer had read about Lincoln's assassination)? The physicians believed the answer is Yes, if time is multi-dimensional."

The paradox caused if Time is Multidimensional is the same paradox that Moslems were told to learn, understand and to accept by understanding Qada and Qadar. Therefore, yes we indeed still have to work our assess off despite knowing that our destinies has been fixed. The only thing that differentiate us apart from the non-believers is the fact that we have 'faith' that whatever the outcome, we must believe that Allah has intended that outcome as the best amongst all other possible ending.

Through maths physicians like Goddu and Meiland has indeed demonstrated that it is possible that Time can be multidimension. Such possibilities that are proven legit by math equations on the white board is what inspired so many scientists to come up with a way to travel through time. Can time travel defeats our destiny as already dictated in Lawh Al Mahfooz? Haha definitely not. Even if a scientist travel through time every single day to change the way he died, the way he died in the end is still what had been foretold in Lawh Al Mahfooz 50,000 years before the creation of the entire universe. Even time travel cannot stop people from being dead eventually.

But the point here is that Multiple Dimensions is legit according to scientists and mathematicians and one place such realm could possibly exists is the realm beyond the Black Hole. I mean if the Black Hole's gravitational pull could distort space and time in our 3D universe, then even idiots who failed maths like us could fathom the idea that whatever realm beyond the black hole might had multiple dimensions that is difference from ours.

Let's see if I can illustrate this better:-

• If A said "God is not sitting on His throne in heaven" and B said "Allah is not around us" then their statements is Not Paradox. Their statement could be interpreted as a joint statement that Gosd is somewhere else or worse they might actually be saying that God does not exists. 

• If A said "God is sitting on His throne in heaven" and B said "Allah is not around us" then their statements is Not Paradox. Their statement could be interpreted as a mutual agreement that God is sitting on His throne in heaven and nowhere else. This is ordinary logical statement that is supported by the equation of our time-space continuum.

• If however A said "God is sitting on His throne in heaven" while B said "God is everywhere" then THIS IS PARADOX because it goes against our understanding on our universe.

• Can our brain then fathom the notion of a universe that Allah allows to exists BEYOND PARADOX?.. perhaps something which is weirder and unexplained by trillion folds than paradox itself?  

Okay, back to the main issue of Aina Allah.

Like I said, whether it'sthe salaf or the khalaf - all their answers of where is Allah can either be correct or incorrect depending on intention. A salaf is only wrong if he is saying that a khalaf is wrong (and vice versa for khalaf if he said the salaf is wrong). Seriously if anyone sort of saying that "God couldn't be here because He is there" then by the same token he is saying that God couldn't overcome paradox and that is the definitive wrong. BY analogy, if the Grim Reaper (The Angel of Death - Izrail) could performed paradox every nano-seconds on this earth (there are several people at different places dies at exactly this very same moment) then we could never comprehend the power of Al-Mighty Allah who created Angels and PARADOX itself. In fact, the other universe (or realms) with its thousands or millions of dimensions could have something much weirder than simply being paradox.

"وَ لَوْ أَنَّ ما فِی الْأَرْضِ مِنْ شَجَرَةٍ أَقْلامٌ وَ الْبَحْرُ یَمُدُّهُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ سَبْعَةُ أَبْحُرٍ ما نَفِدَتْ کَلِماتُ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزیزٌ حَکیم‏"
"And if all the trees on earth were pens and the ocean (were ink), with seven oceans behind it to add to its (supply), yet would not the words of Allah be exhausted (in the writing): for Allah is Exalted in Power, full of Wisdom." (Luqman: 27)

"قُلْ لَوْ کانَ الْبَحْرُ مِداداً لِکَلِماتِ رَبِّی لَنَفِدَ الْبَحْرُ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَنْفَدَ کَلِماتُ رَبِّی وَ لَوْ جِئْنا بِمِثْلِهِ مَدَداً "
Say: "If the ocean were ink (wherewith to write out) the words of my Lord, sooner would the ocean be exhausted than would the words of my Lord, even if we added another ocean like it, for its aid. (Al-Kahf: 109)

"الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّی وَ ما أُوتِیتُمْ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِیلًا"
"This Spirit comes by the Command of my Lord, but you have been given only a little of the 'Knowledge'." [Al-Isra: 85]

I guess in the end, the answer of the question "Aina Allah" whether its correct or not is depending on intention and faith. If the answer is given on the sincere intention to glorify Allah then that answer is correct but if the answer is given to belittle Allah then the answer is wrong.

Kinda like the concept of Qada and Qadar anyway.

You must have faith that Allah is the most Loving and Merciful... regardless how your life should end.