There is a specific famous hadith that says the prophet asked a slave girl (al-Jaariyah) the question “Where is Allah?” and the slave girl responded that “Allah is in/above the sky في السماء”. A lot of people and some scholars have taken this as an evidence to give response to the question about the where-being of Allah and conclude that Allah is specifically above the sky.
Unfortunately, those who take this hadith as evidence to that question fails to understand the genesis of the hadith; it’s context and other more authentic ahadeeth contradicting this particular hadith.
This hadith of Jaariyah is recorded by Imam Muslim, Abu Daawud, Nasaa’i and some others. Narrated by Mu’aawiyah bn al-Hakam, he said: “….I have a slave girl (Jaariyah) who rears my sheep for me around Uhud and Juwwaaniyyah, I went out one day and a wolf has gotten away with a goat among the animals she rears for me, I became sad. Then I approached the Prophet explaining the case to him saying: “O messenger of Allah, shouldn’t I free this slave girl? The prophet said: call her for me, then I called her and the prophet asked her “where is Allah?” she responded “above the sky”, the prophet asked again “who am I?” She responded “the messenger of Allah”. The Prophet said “free her, she is a believer”.
عن معاوية بن الحكم السلمي قال: كانت لي غنم بين أحد والجَوَّانِيَّة ، فيها جارية لي، فأطلعتها ذات يوم فإذا الذئب قد ذهب منها بشاة، فأسفت فصككتها، فأتيت النبي صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم، فذكرت ذلك له، فعظم ذلك علي، فقلت: يا رسول الله أفلا أعتقها؟ قال ((ادعها)) فدعوتها فقال لها ((أين الله؟)) قالت في السماء، قال ((من أنا؟)) قالت أنت رسول الله، قال ((أعتقها فإنها مؤمنة)) رواه مسلم وأبو داود والنسائي وغيرهم.
This particular hadith was reported by Imam Maalik (1511), Muslim (537), Nasaa’i (1218), Abu Daawud (930). It is also reported from the narration of Shareed bn Suwaid with another wording (من ربك) (who is your lord?). Nasaa’i (3653), Musnad Ahmad (Vol 4 pg 222), Saheeh Ibn Hibban (Vol 1 pg 418) and etc. As well, this same hadith comes with another narrative that says (أتشهدين أن لا إله إلا الله؟) (do you witness that there’s no one to be worshiped except Allah?). Abdur Razaaq in Musonnaf (Vol 9 pg 175), Imam Maalik in his Muwato (1512), Daarimiy (2348), Musnad Ahmad (Vol 3 pg 451), Musonnaf Ibn Abee Shaybah (Vol 6 pg 162).
Kindly note that there is Idtiraab (inconsistency) in this hadith of the slave girl. Just like Imam al-Bayhaqiy as well affirmed it that it has 5 different narrations and the hadith is Mudtarib (inconsistently weak).
Sheikh al-Albaani while commenting on this hadith in the book مختصر العلو للعلي الغفار, he said:
“in this narration there are two issues, one of which is the legislation of a Muslim to ask where is Allah? and the second is the correct answer that Allah is above the sky في السماء. Whoever disapproves these two issues, such person disapproves the Prophet solla Allahu alayhi wa sallam.”
The Arabic version of Sheikh al-Albaani’s statement:
[ ففي الخبر مسالتان :أحدهما: شرعية قول المسلم: أين الله؟ وثانيهما :قول المسؤول :في السماء، فمن أنكر هاتين المسألتين, فإنما ينكر على المصطفى صلى الله عليه وسلم انتهى.]
For the students of Arabic grammar and syntax, kindly note that there are grammatical errors in this statement of Sheikh al-Albaani. His statement وثانيهما is grammatically wrong; it should rather be وثانيتهما. As well, أحدهما is wrong; the correct wording should be إحداهما.
Then coming to the context of the statement of al-Albaani. I assume he is very wrong with such conclusion. It is never a legislation to ask such question because there’s no sound narration to establish such question exists to determine one’s faith. As well, such question denotes on a specific place, and Allah is the creator of the place. The sky is a place and among the creatures of Allah and it is totally wrong to confine Allah to a specific place or regard Him with the attributes of sitting, laying on a chair/throne as His creatures are known to. If such wordings are used to qualify Allah, it is only used to tell the greatness and majesty of Allah.
Also on the statement of al-Albaani, we solemnly believe that the two issues he cited are wrong and we regard them as clear misguidance in Aqeedah. This is because the prophet didn’t ask about where (a specific place) Allah is and the slave girl didn’t say in the sky.
This specific hadith of the slave girl is not authentic because it is a Shaaz (شاذ) and Mudtarib hadith (a hadith which has issues with its wordings and contradicting more authentic ahadeeth). Such hadith can never be used to establish an ideology (Aqeedah) as unanimously agreed upon by classical and modern scholars.
Reasons for the inauthenticity of the hadith:
1: This hadith contracts a more authentic and Mutawaatir (largely reported) hadith from the prophet. Which is that when people do come to the prophet about accepting Islam, the prophet would ask them about the two Shahaadah (belief in Allah and His Messenger). If they agree to the two Shahaadah, the prophet would conclude they are Muslims. So how could a question about the sky and an answer that Allah is in the sky used to determine a faith?!
2: In Muwato of Imam Malik, from Ubaydu Allah bn Abdillah bn Utbah bn Mas’ood: A man from Ansaar came to the prophet with a black slave girl, and he said to the prophet I have a debt of freeing a Muslim slave. If you see her as a believer, I’ll free her, then the prophet asked the black slave girl “do you witness that there’s no god worthy of worship except Allah?” she answered “Yes”. The prophet asked again, “do you believe that Muhammad is a Messenger of Allah?” the slave girl responded “Yes” the prophet asked another question “do you assert that there will be resurrection after death?” she answered Yes. Then the prophet said to the Sahaabiy “Free her”.
Reported by Imam Malik in his Muwato (1512) and others aside him as earlier stated. And this is an authentic hadith no scholar ever questioned.
وفي الموطأ عن عبيد الله بن عبد الله بن عتبة بن مسعود: أن رجلاً من الأنصار، جاء إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم بجارية سوداء، فقال يا رسول الله عليَّ رقبة مؤمنة، فإن كنت تراها مؤمنة أعتقها، فقال لها رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم : (أتشهدين أن لا إله إلا الله؟) قالت: نعم، قال: (أتشهدين أن محمداً رسول الله؟ (قالت: نعم، قال: (أتوقنين بالبعث بعد الموت؟) قالت نعم، قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلّم (أعتقها).
This is what is known about the prophet when anyone approaches him for accepting Islam or whenever he wants to ascertain someone’s Islam.
3: Yes, there’s a narration reported by Abu Ismaa’eel al-Harawee in his book الأربعون في دلائل التوحيد. From Sa’eed bn al-Marzabaan from Ikrimah from Ibn Abbas, he said: a man came to the prophet and he was with a black non-Arab slave, he said: I have a debt to free a slave, is this slave with me qualified to be freed? Then the prophet said “Where is Allah?” she answered by pointing her finger to the sky. And the prophet said “Who am I?” she replied: you are the messenger of Allah. The prophet then said “free her, she’s a believer”.
روى الحافظ أبو إسماعيل الهروي في كتاب (الأربعين في دلائل التوحيد) من طريق سعيد بن المرزبان عن عكرمة عن ابن عباس، قال: جاء رجل إلى النبي صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم ومعه جارية أعجمية سوداء فقال: علي رقبة فهل تجزئ هذه عني؟ فقال: (أين الله؟) فأشارت بيدها إلى السماء فقال: (من أنا؟) قالت: أنت رسول الله، قال: (أعتقها فإنها مؤمنة).
This hadith is as well Shaaz and also very weak because the report comes from Sa’eed bn al-Marzabaan that all scholars of hadith have already regard as an abandoned, weak, dishonest narrator. See his biography in the book تهذيب الكمال في أسماء الرجال Vol 11 pg 52.
4: There are two more authentic ahadeeth that have been reported which tells the shuzuz (inauthenticity) of the earlier cited hadith of Mu’aawiyah.
Imam al-Bayhaqiy reported in his Sunan Kubraa Vol 7 pg 388 and Imam al-Haakim in Mustadrak Vol 3 pg 289. From Awn bn Abdillah bn Utbah, his father told him and reported from his grandfather who said: “a woman came to the prophet with a black slave girl, she told the prophet “I have a debt of freeing a believing slave, is this (black slave girl) permissible from me?” The prophet asked the slave girl: “Who is your Lord?” she answered “my Lord is Allah”, the prophet asked “and what is your religion?” she replied “al-Islam”, the prophet asked again “and who am I?” she said “you are the messenger of Allah”, the prophet said: “do you pray 5 times daily and do you believe in what I brought from Allah (Qur’an)?” she responded “Yes”. The prophet said “Free her”.
من طريق عون بن عبد الله بن عتبة حدثني أبي عن جدي قال: جاءت امرأة إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلّم بأمة سوداء ، فقالت يا رسول الله أن عليَّ رقبة مؤمنة أتجزئ عني هذه؟ فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلّم : (مَنْ ربك؟) قالت الله ربي، قال:( فما دينك؟) قالت :الإسلام، قال: (من أنا؟) قالت: أنت رسول الله، قال:(أفتصلين الخمس وتقرين بما جئت به من عند الله؟) قالت: نعم، فضرب صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم على ظهرها، وقال: (أعتقيها).
5: It was reported as well from Himad bn Salamah from Muhammad bn Amr, from Abu Salamah bn Shareed bn Suwaid, he said: “I said to the prophet that my mother made a bequest that I should free a slave on her behalf, and I have a Nubian maid with me. The prophet said: “call her forth” then the prophet asked her “who is your lord?” she answered Allah, he asked her “and who am I?” she responded “the messenger of Allah”. Then the prophet said: “Free her, she is a believer”.
ورويَ أيضاً من طريق حماد بن سلمة عن محمد بن عمرو عن أبي سلمة عن الشريد بن سويد الثقفي، قال قلت: يا رسول الله إن أمي أوصت إليَّ أن أُعتق عنها رقبة، وأنا عندي جارية نوبية، فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلّم (ادع بها) فقال: (من ربك؟) قالت: الله قال (فمن أنا؟) قالت رسول الله قال: (أعتقها فأنها مؤمنة).
6: There’s also a third hadith. Imam Ahmad said in his Musnad Vol 3 pg 451. From Zuhri, from Ubaydu Allahu bn Abdillah, from a man from Ansaar: he came with a black slave girl and said: “Oh messenger of Allah, I have a debt of freeing a Muslim slave, if you see this slave as a Muslim, I’ll free her” the prophet said to her: “Do you bear witness that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah?” she answered yes. The prophet asked again “do you bear witness that I am the messenger of Allah?” she responded Yes. The prophet said: “do you believe in resurrection after death?” she said “Yes”. The prophet told him “free her”. See also Mujma’ Zawaa-id Vol 1 pg 23.
ثنا عبد الرزاق، ثنا معمر، عن الزهري عن عبيد الله بن عبد الله عن رجل من الأنصار: أنه جاء بأمة سوداء وقال: يا رسول الله أن علي رقبة مؤمنة فإن كنت ترى هذه مؤمنة أعتقها، فقال لها رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلّم:(أتشهدين أن لا إله إلا الله؟) قالت: نعم، قال: (أتشهدين أني رسول الله؟)، قالت: نعم ، قال: (أتؤمنين بالبعث بعد الموت؟) قالت: نعم، قال:(أعتقها)
7: Al-Bazaar said:… From Sa’eed bn Jubayr, from Ibn Abbas, he said: A man came to the prophet and said: My mother has a debt of freeing a slave, and I have a black slave girl, the prophet said: “bring her to me” then he told her: “do you bear witness that there’s no god worthy of worship except Allah and that I’m the messenger of Allah?” she said Yes. The prophet told him “free her”.
حدثنا محمد بن عثمان، ثنا عبيد الله، ثنا ابن أبي ليلى، عن المنهال بن عمرو عن سعيد بن جبير عن ابن عباس قال: أتى رجل النبي صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم فقال:إن على أمي رقبة، وعندي أمة سوداء؟ فقال صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم (ائتني بها) فـقال لها رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم(أتشهدين أن لا إله إلا الله وأني رسول الله؟) قالت: نعـم، قال: (فأعتقها).
This was reported by Ibn Abee Shaybah (the teacher of Imam Bukhari) in his Musonnaf Vol 6 pg 162. And Tabraaniy in his Awsat Vol 5 pg 350.
8: The prophet has explained the articles of faith in the famous hadith of Jibreel, whereby he said: “Eeman means believing in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the day of Judgement, and the destiny – good or bad”. The prophet never mention the aqeedah (belief) of Allah is in the sky as one of the articles of faith or what validates one’s Islam.
9: The said belief that Allah is in sky cannot establish Tawheed and cannot negate Shirk.
لا تثبت توحيدا و لا تنفي شركا.
How then will the prophet regard such person who answers Allah is in the sky as a believer (Muhminah) when such question cannot establish Tawheed?!
Infact, the polytheists do believe Allah is in the sky and yet worship other gods aside Allah on earth. When Husain bn Utbah or Ibn Ubayd the father of Umraan came to the prophet, the prophet asked him “how many gods do you worship?” he said “six on earth and one in the sky”. Reported by Tirmidhi (3483) and said it is Hasan Ghareeb. The hadith has issue though.
10: Even scholars who try to consider the hadith of Mu’aawiyah in Saheeh Muslim as authentic, they never translate “in the sky” to mean Allah is confined to the sky or occupies the sky.
In explaining the hadith, Imam an-Nawawiyy said that the question “ayna Allah?” which cannot be taken literally, is a question about the rank not the location. Allah is not bound by locations.
(NB, ayna in its literal meaning is a query about location. According to the Arabic language it can also mean a query about status).
The question means, “How much do you glorify Allah?” The slave woman’s response “fis-sama’” affirmed her belief in Allah having a high status. It did not imply restricting Allah to a location. It is neither permissible to believe that the Prophet asked her about the location, nor that she meant Allah occupies the sky.
Al-Baaji said: the wording “in the sky” does not mean He is in sky. It qualifies a high status and the Arab would qualify someone with high status by saying (مكان فلان في السماء) his place is in the sky: meaning his status is high and of esteem personality. Imam Subkiy in his poetry line affirmed this as well in Tabaqaat Shaafi’iyyah Vol 1 pg 265.
11: It was reported that Imam Aliyy said, “The question of ‘where’ (i.e. location) does not apply to the One Who created the whereabouts.”
Abu Haneefah stated in his book “Al-Fiqh Al-Absat”, “Allah existed eternally before creating the places. He existed and no place or creation existed. He is the Creator of all things”.
If you say Allah occupies the sky, where was Allah staying before He created the sky? Or He just relocated? SubhaanaAllah!!!
The hadith “Allah existed eternally, and eternally nothing else existed.” (Related by al-Bukhariyy and others.)
The discussion continues…. More interesting revelations in subsequent episodes in shaa Allah.
To be continued……