The Sovereign (16): Do you feel secure from Him Who is in the heaven...

Know that these verses are analogous to His saying, the Exalted: {Say: He is able to send against you a punishment from above you or from beneath your feet} (Al-An'am: 65), and His saying: {So We caused the earth to swallow him and his dwelling} (Al-Qasas: 81).

Know that the Mushabbihah (those who liken God to creation) used His saying, {Do you feel secure from Him Who is in the heaven...} as evidence for establishing a physical location (place) for God, the Exalted.

The response to this is that this verse cannot be taken according to its literal meaning, by the consensus of the Muslims. This is because if He were in the heaven, it would necessitate that heaven encompasses Him from all sides, meaning He would be smaller than heaven, and heaven is much smaller than the Throne. This would imply that God, the Exalted, is something insignificant compared to the Throne, which is unanimously impossible according to the adherents of Islam.

Furthermore, He, the Exalted, said: {Say: To whom belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth? Say: To Allah} (Al-An'am: 12). If God were in heaven, it would necessitate that He owns Himself, which is impossible. Therefore, we know that this verse must be diverted from its literal meaning toward interpretation (Ta'wil).

There are several interpretations for this:

1. The place of punishment: Why is it not possible that the meaning of the verse is: "Do you feel secure from Him Who is in the heaven His punishment?" This is because God's custom is that He only sends affliction upon those who disbelieve in God and disobey Him from the heaven. Thus, heaven is the location of His punishment, just as it is the location of the descent of His mercy and blessings.
2. Addressing prior belief (Abu Muslim's view): Abu Muslim said that the Arabs acknowledged the existence of the Deity, but they believed He was in heaven, consistent with the view of the Mushabbihah. So, it is as if God, the Exalted, said to them: "Do you feel secure from Him whom you have already acknowledged to be in heaven, and you have confessed His power over whatever He wills, that He might cause the earth to swallow you?"
3. Sovereignty and Power: The meaning is: "He Who is in heaven His dominion, His kingship, and His power." The purpose of mentioning heaven is to magnify God's dominion and exalt His power, just as He said: {And He is Allah in the heavens and on the earth} (Al-An'am: 3). Since one thing cannot be in two places simultaneously, it must be that what is meant by "in the heavens and on the earth" is the penetration of His command and power, and the execution of His will in the heavens and on the earth. The same applies here.
4. The Angel in Charge: Why is it not possible that what is meant by {Him Who is in the heaven} is the angel appointed over punishment, which is Gabriel, peace be upon him? The meaning would be that he might cause the earth to swallow them by the command and permission of God.

Regarding His saying: {Then behold, it shakes and trembles}: They said this means that God, the Exalted, moves the earth during the swallowing so that it convulses and moves, rising above them while they are being swallowed into it. Thus, they go down while the earth is above them, shaking, casting them down to the lowest depths. We have previously mentioned the interpretation of tamūr (shaking/trembling).

7 < { Or do you feel secure from Him Who is in the heaven that He will send against you a storm of stones? Then you will know how [severe] was My warning. } > 7 !