Al-An'am (The Cattle): (18) And He is the All-Conquering above His servants...

There are several issues (Masā'il) here:

The First Issue: Attributes of Perfection

Know that the attributes of perfection are confined to Power (al-Qudra) and Knowledge (al-'Ilm).

If they ask: "How did you omit the necessity of existence (Wujūb al-Wujūd)?",

We reply: That is identical to the Essence (Dhat) itself, not an attribute subsisting in the Essence. This is because an attribute subsisting in the Essence is dependent on the Essence. Anything dependent on the Essence is dependent on something else, making it contingent in itself (mumkin bi-dhātihi). It would then be necessary by something else (wājib bi-ghayrihi). This necessitates the existence of a necessity (wujūb) prior to the necessity itself, which is impossible.

Thus, it is established that [Necessary Existence] is the Essence itself. It is also established that the attributes which are perfections are, in reality, Power and Knowledge.

Therefore, His saying: {And He is the All-Conquering above His servants} points to the perfection of Power. And His saying: {And He is the Wise, the All-Aware} points to the perfection of Knowledge.

His statement {And He is the All-Conquering (al-Qāhir)} implies exclusivity (ḥaṣr). Its meaning is that no one is described with the perfection of Power and the perfection of Knowledge except the Truth, the Exalted. At this point, it becomes clear that there is no perfect being except Him, and everyone besides Him is deficient.

Having understood this, we say:

As for the indication of His being All-Conquering (Qāhir) regarding Power: We have already explained that anything other than the Truth, the Exalted, is contingent in its existence by its very nature (mumkin bi-l-wujūd li-dhātihi). A contingent being cannot have its existence preferred over its non-existence, nor its non-existence over its existence, except through a preponderating factor (tarjīḥ) that causes its actualization, creation, and origination. In reality, He is the one who conquers the contingent beings—sometimes by preferring existence over non-existence, and sometimes by preferring non-existence over existence.

Included in this category is His conquering them through death, poverty, and humiliation. Also included is everything mentioned by Allah Almighty in His saying: {Say: O Allah, Owner of all sovereignty...} (Al 'Imran: 26) until the end of the verse.

As for His being Wise (Ḥakīm): It cannot be interpreted here as Knowledge, because al-Khabīr (The All-Aware) already points to Knowledge, and interpreting Ḥakīm as Knowledge would lead to redundancy, which is impermissible. Therefore, it must be interpreted as meaning He is perfect in His actions (muḥkam fī af'ālihi), meaning His actions are sound, precise, and safe from any defect or corruption.

As for al-Khabīr (The All-Aware): It means the Knower of a thing. Al-Wāḥidī said: Its interpretation is that He is the Knower of what is proper to be reported. He said: al-Khabar (report/news) is your knowledge of a thing; you say: I have khabar concerning it, meaning knowledge. Its root comes from al-Khabar because it is one of the means of knowledge.

The Second Issue: Refuting Anthropomorphism (Tashbīh)

The Anthropomorphists (al-Mushabbihah) used this verse as evidence that Allah is existent in the direction (jihah) above the universe. This is rejected based on several arguments:

The First Argument: If He were existent above the universe, He would either be so small that no side of Him could be distinguished from another, or He would be extended across the regions, spreading through the directions.

1. The first case implies He is small and insignificant, like an indivisible atom (jawhar fard). If this were permissible, why would it not be permissible for the God of the universe to be some particles mixed with the dust particles found in the Ka'bah? No rational person would say this.
2. The second case implies He is composed of parts (muta'abbiḍ), which is impossible for Allah.

The Second Argument: He is either infinitely extended in all directions, in which case increase and decrease could apply to Him—and anything like that requires a specific determiner (mukhassiṣ) to assign Him a specific measure, making Him created (muḥdath). Or, He is finite in some directions but not others, meaning the side described as finite is different from the side described as infinite, which necessitates division and partition.

The Third Argument: If "place" (makān) is interpreted as either the containing surface (saṭḥ al-ḥāwī) or as distance/empty space (al-bu'd or al-khalā'):

1. If it is the containing surface: We say the bodies of the universe are finite, so outside the universe there is neither emptiness nor fullness, neither place nor direction (ḥaythu or jihah). Thus, the Essence of Allah cannot exist there.
2. If it is empty space: We say empty space is uniform in its essence. If Allah’s presence were valid in one part of that space, it would be valid in all parts. If so, His presence there would require a specific determiner (mukhassiṣ). Everything that occurs by the choice of an agent (fā'il mukhtār) is created (muḥdath). Thus, His presence in that part would be created. His Essence is inseparable from that presence, and whatever is inseparable from the created is itself created. This necessitates that the Essence of Allah is created and dependent on an originator, meaning the originator of His Essence existed before the existence of empty space, direction, and location.

If this is established, then after the removal of location, direction, and empty space, the Essence of Allah must remain as it was; otherwise, a change would have occurred in the Essence of Allah, which is impossible.

If this is established, we must affirm that He is transcendent (munazzah) from locations and directions at all times.

The Fifth Argument: It has been established that the universe is a sphere. If this is established, what is above the heads of one group of people will be beneath the feet of another group. If this is established, we must either say:

1. He is above certain people specifically. This is false, because being above some necessitates being below others, which is false.
2. He is above everything (fawqa al-kull). This necessitates that Allah encompasses the sphere of the heavens, leading to the conclusion that the God of the universe is a sphere encompassing all spheres—which no Muslim would claim.

The Sixth Argument: The word "above" (fawqa) in this verse is preceded and followed by other words.

1. It is preceded by {the All-Conquering (al-Qāhir)}, which suggests the perfection of Power and complete ability.
2. It is followed by {His servants (ʿibādih)}, a term suggesting ownership and subjugation (mamlūkiyyah and maqdūriyyah). Therefore, this "above-ness" must be interpreted as the superiority of Power, not the superiority of physical direction (jihah).

If it is argued: "What you mentioned contradicts your claim that {And He is the All-Conquering above His servants} indicates the perfection of Power. If we interpret 'above' as superiority of Power, repetition results, so it must be interpreted as superiority of place and direction."

We reply: That is not the case. It is possible for the Essence to be described as conquering some but not others, while the phrase {above His servants} indicates that this conquering and power is general over all of them.

The Seventh Argument: When Allah mentioned this verse, it was in response to those who take other than Allah as a protector (walī). The implication is: It is as if He said, "Allah is above all His servants," and when this is the case, taking anyone other than Allah as a protector is impossible. This conclusion is best structured if the intended "above-ness" is superiority of Power and Might. If it meant superiority of physical direction, this would not serve the purpose, because merely being located in an upper direction does not necessitate that reliance upon Him in all matters is beneficial or that recourse to Him in all needs is obligatory. However, when we interpret it as superiority of Power, this conclusion is well-structured.

Thus, based on all that we have mentioned, it is clear that the intended meaning is what we have stated, not what the Anthropomorphists claim. And Allah knows best.

Verse 17: {Say: What thing is greatest in testimony? Say: Allah is a witness between me and you. And this Qur'an has been revealed to me that I may warn you thereby and whomever it reaches. Do you indeed testify that there are other gods along with Allah? Say: I do not testify. Say: Indeed, He is but one God, and indeed, I am innocent of what you associate with Him.}