Tafsir of Al-Hadeed 57:4

"It is He who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then established Himself above the Throne." This is an explanation of some of the rulings pertaining to His dominion over them, and its interpretation has passed by repeatedly.

"He knows what penetrates into the earth and what emerges from it, and what descends from the heaven and what ascends therein." Its explanation has passed by in Surah Saba'.

"And He is with you wherever you are." This is a metaphor for the encompassing nature of His knowledge regarding them, and a depiction of the fact that they cannot escape Him wherever they may be. It is said: The "companionship" (ma’iyyah) is a figurative metaphor (majaz mursal) for knowledge, based on the relationship of causality; the evidence for this is the context preceding and following the verse, given the impossibility of the literal meaning. The Salaf (pious predecessors) interpreted this verse accordingly. Al-Bayhaqi recorded in Al-Asma' wa al-Sifat on the authority of Ibn Abbas that he said regarding this: "He is knowledgeable of you wherever you are." He also recorded from Sufyan al-Thawri that he was asked about it, and he replied: "His knowledge is with you."

In Al-Bahr, it is stated that the Ummah is in consensus regarding this interpretation of the verse, and that it is not to be taken according to its literal meaning of physical accompaniment (ma’iyyah bi-al-dhat). It serves as an argument against allowing metaphorical interpretation in other texts that follow the same pattern where the literal meaning is impossible. Some have interpreted this verse, as well as the Black Stone as "the Right Hand of Allah on earth," and if their intellect were broader, they would have interpreted other things in the same vein.

You should know that the safer path is to refrain from interpretation, for it is speaking about Allah without knowledge. We only interpret what the Salaf interpreted; we follow them in what they adhered to. If they interpreted, we interpret; and if they delegated the meaning (tafwid), we delegate. We do not take their interpretation of one thing as a ladder to interpret another. I have seen some heretics, who have exited the fold of Islam, mocking this verse alongside His saying, "then established Himself above the Throne," and they ridicule the Noble Quran because of it. This is a heinous ignorance and an abominable disbelief—we ask Allah for protection and success.

"And Allah is Seeing of what you do." This is an expression of His encompassing knowledge of their deeds. The attribute of knowledge, which is an attribute of the Essence, is mentioned after the attribute of creation, which is an attribute of Actions—even though attributes of the Essence precede attributes of Actions—because the intention is to point to that upon which recompense revolves: the knowledge that follows the known object. It is also said that creation is evidence of knowledge; for one infers from His creation and His bringing into existence of His perfected handiwork that He, Almighty and Majestic, is Knowing. It is the nature of the signified (madlul) to come after the signifier (dalil), as it is dependent upon it.