Issues of Aqeedah are and should only be established with rigorous proofs without any ambiguity. Among the evidences of those who confine Allah to the sky (be it inside the sky or above it in a specific place) that require to be refuted is the famous hadith ascribed to the prophet solla Allahu alayhi wa sallam.
The hadith which says:
“ارحموا من في الأرض يرحمكم من في السماء”
“Be merciful to those on earth, the person in the sky (heaven) will be merciful to you (in return)”. They take this hadith to mean Allah’s occupancy is in heaven or above the sky because He’s the only one who has the authority of mercy.
Upon verification, we found out that this hadith cannot be taken as an evidence because it is undoubtedly WEAK. Such weak narrative cannot be used to establish an aqeedah. These are the reasons:
1: This specific hadith is recorded in Jaami’ at-Tirmidhi Vol 4 pg 324 hadith no 1924, from Abdullah bn Amr bn Aa’s, the prophet said:
“الراحمون يرحمهم الرحمن، ارحموا من في الأرض يرحمكم من في السماء.”
Tirmidhi said: hasan saheeh. (Hasanun saheehun does not mean SAHEEH to Tirmidhi).
2: This hadith is as well reported by Abu Daawud (no 4941), Ahmad (6458) and as well as Haakim. But the hadith is Da’eef (weak) and Munkar (rejected). If you look at the Isnad (chain of transmission) of all those who reported the hadith, you will find a man therein named Abu Qaaboos أبو قابوس. He is unknown (majhool) and no one reported via his route except Amru bn Diinar عمرو بن دينار. Imam adh-Dhahabi said in al-Meezaan: لا يُعْرَف – he is unknown. Ibn Hajar made mention in Tahzeeb Tahzeeb Vol 12 pg 223: “Imam Buhari mentioned him among the weak narrators ذكره البخاري في الضعفاء…”
3: This same narrative contradicts that which is more authentic than it. Imam al-Bukhariyy also reported this hadith but with different wordings.
In Saheeh Buhari, Vol 13 pg 358 no 7376. The wordings in that of Bukhariy is:
[لا يرحم الله من لا يرحم الناس]
Meaning: Allah will not be merciful to he who isn’t merciful to mankind.
And in the same Bukhariy as well, Vol 10 pg 438, hadith no 6013, the wordings of the hadith is:
مَنْ لا يرحم لا يُرْحَم
“He who isn’t merciful will not be shown mercy”.
4: In Saheeh Muslim, Vol 4 pg 1809, hadith no 2319 and other books of hadith, the hadith of Jereer, the wordings of the hadith are:
لا يرحم الله من لا يرحم الناس
“Allah will not be merciful to he who isn’t merciful to mankind.”
Non of these authentic narrations reported من في السماء He who is in heaven.
5: This hadith of Abu Qaaboos was as well reported by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad. Vol 2 pg 160. But the wordings aren’t the same as that of Tirmidhi. It says:
[ارحموا من في الأرض يرحمكم أهـل السماء]
“Be merciful to those on earth, the people of the heaven will be merciful to you”.
Then if they take this as an evidence that Allah is in heaven, certainly they have gotten it wrong because we all know “ahla (the people of” samaai are the angels (Malaa-ik) and not Allah. There are alot of evidence to this effect.
Imam Bukhariy (3209) and Muslim (2367) and others have reported Marfuu’an (with authentic chain connected to the prophet):
[فينادي جبريل في أهل السماء إنَّ الله يحب فلاناً فأحبوه فيحبه أهل السماء …]
Meaning: [And Jibreel will announce among the people (ahla) of heaven that indeed Allah loves so and so, you all should love him too; then the people (ahla – the Malaa-ik) of samaai will then love him.
There are also some ahadeeth and narratives with the wording السماء heaven or that Allah descends down to the next heaven. While some are inauthentic in their entirety, some are weak by such wording, while some are to be interpreted and understood figuratively and not in the literal meanings. As well, you need to understand that some of such narratives do not establish aqeedah, by their meanings, you will understand that they are establishing a certain ruling and/or have a practical point to establish. An example is the hadith in Muslim that “Your Lord Blessed and Exalted descends each night to the sky of this world, when the last third of the night remains…” the hadith is indicating a practical point that we are supposed to do something in the last third of the night, to rise and pray. It never mean Allah’s occupancy is in the sky of this world (samaau dunya) as also explained by an-Nawawi in his Sharh Vol 6 pg 3637. If we are to confine Allah to a certain place, I don’t know how many places we will claim Allah occupies because there are different narratives mentioning varying places.
I will in shaa Allah explain necessary narratives in subsequent episodes.
The series continues…..