Imām Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī on “Indeed, I am near” [Q 2:186]: a proof that Allah’s nearness is not spatial.
"The third point is that this verse is among the strongest proofs that the nearness mentioned here is not nearness in terms of direction or spatial location. For if He Most High were in a place, He would not be near to all; rather, He would be near to the bearers of the Throne and far from others. And if He were near to Zayd, who is in the east, He would necessarily be far from ʿAmr, who is in the west.
So when the verse indicates that He is near to all, we know that the nearness mentioned in this verse is not nearness with respect to direction. Once it is ruled out that this nearness refers to direction, it becomes clear that what is meant is that He Most High hears their supplication and sees their humble entreaty—or that this nearness signifies His knowledge and preservation.
On this basis, the Exalted said: “And He is with you wherever you are” [al-Ḥadīd 57:4]; and He said: “And We are nearer to him than his jugular vein” [Qāf 50:16]; and He said: “There is no secret counsel between three except that He is their fourth” [al-Mujādilah 58:7]. Muslims also say that He Most High is in every place, by which they mean His governance, preservation, and guarding care.
Once you understand this introduction, we say: it is not far-fetched that among those present were some who held anthropomorphic beliefs, for among the Arab idolaters, the Jews, and others, there were indeed people of this tendency. So if they asked him—peace and blessings be upon him—saying, “Where is our Lord?”, then it would be fitting for the reply to be: “Indeed, I am near.”
Likewise, if they asked him—peace and blessings be upon him—saying, “Does our Lord hear our supplication?”, it would be fitting for him to say in reply: “Indeed, I am near,” for one who is near to the speaker hears his speech.
And if they asked, “How should we call upon Him: with a raised voice or in quietness?”, it would be fitting for him to answer by saying: “Indeed, I am near.”
And if they asked, “Will He grant us what we seek through supplication?”, this reply would also be appropriate.
And if they asked, “When we sin and then repent, will Allah accept our repentance?”, it would likewise be fitting for him to answer: “Indeed, I am near,” meaning: I am near to them in watching over them, overlooking their faults, and accepting their repentance. Thus it is established that this answer corresponds to the question in all of these possible senses."
[Imām Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī, Mafātīḥ al-Ghayb]
In Qawāʿid al-Aḥkām, Sulṭān al-‘Ulamā al-ʿIzz b. ʿAbd al-Salām sketches the spiritual station of the awliyāʾ, and the reality of kashf and ilhām.
He says there are forms of knowledge Allah grants to Prophets and saints—created within them—without necessity and without discursive reasoning (نظر). And they are two kinds:
1) The highest knowledge: that which pertains to the Divine Essence and Attributes.
Its rank is so elevated that it carries no “reward” in itself—not because it is insignificant, but because it is better than reward. He gives the principle in a line that should rewire how we think about “ajr”:
Some gifts are too noble to be “paid for.”
Thus the vision of Allah is not “compensation” for deeds—it is an additional bestowal beyond recompense, for it is too great to be matched by any action or spiritual state. Likewise Riḍwān Allāh—Allah’s good-pleasure—is among the greatest gifts, and it is not treated as a “reward.”
2) Inspirational knowledges (ʿulūm ilhāmiyya): a kind of kashf by which what lies within hearts is unveiled—so one may see from the unseen what normal experience never yields by sight, hear what it never yields by hearing, and even perceive by smell and touch.
Then he lists what is granted to some of the awliyāʾ:
“Ibrāhīm was shown the malakūt (the unseen dominion) of the heavens and the earth.
Among them are those who see the angels, the devils, and far-off lands—indeed, one even looks beneath the earth itself.
Among them are those who see the heavens with their celestial spheres, their stars, their sun, and their moon—exactly as they truly are.
Among them are those who behold the Preserved Tablet and read what is in it.
Likewise, one of them hears the creaking of the Pens and the voices of the angels and the jinn;
and one of them understands the speech of the birds.”
And he ends with a sober reminder:
“Glory be to the One who ennobled some of them—while abasing others and casting them far off. And whomsoever Allah humiliates, none can honor; truly Allah does whatever He wills.”
[al-ʿIzz b. ʿAbd al-Salām, Qawāʿid al-Aḥkām, vol. 1, pp. 195-196.]
نستقبل ليلة غد بكل تلهف وآمال كبيرةذكرى نصر الله تعالى للمسلمين في غزوة بدر العظيمة سائلين المولى تعالى ان يحقق لنا والمسلمين النصر على اعدائنا المخفيين من النفوس والهوى والشياطين والظاهرين من الاشقياء المحاربين بجاه النبي صلى الله عليه وآله وصحبه وسلم.
⚠️To Whom It May Concern,
The occupation is now openly threatening a full-scale invasion of Gaza.
For 22 months, the city has been bleeding under relentless bombardment from land, sea, and air.
Tens of thousands have been killed, and hundreds of thousands wounded.
If this madness does not end, Gaza will be reduced to ruins, its people’s voices silenced, their faces erased — and history will remember you as silent witnesses to a genocide you chose not to stop.
Please share this message and tag everyone who has the power to help end this massacre. Silence is complicity.
هذه وصيّتي، ورسالتي الأخيرة.
إن وصلَتكم كلماتي هذه، فاعلموا أن إسرائيل قد نجحت في قتلي وإسكات صوتي.
بداية السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
يعلم الله أنني بذلت كل ما أملك من جهدٍ وقوة، لأكون سندًا وصوتًا لأبناء شعبي، مذ فتحت عيني على الحياة في أزقّة وحارات مخيّم جباليا للاجئين، وكان أملي أن يمدّ الله في عمري حتى أعود مع أهلي وأحبّتي إلى بلدتنا الأصلية عسقلان المحتلة "المجدل" لكن مشيئة الله كانت أسبق، وحكمه نافذ.
عشتُ الألم بكل تفاصيله، وذُقت الوجع والفقد مرارًا، ورغم ذلك لم أتوانَ يومًا عن نقل الحقيقة كما هي، بلا تزوير أو تحريف، عسى أن يكون الله شاهدًا على من سكتوا ومن قبلوا بقتلنا، ومن حاصروا أنفاسنا ولم تُحرّك أشلاء أطفالنا ونسائنا في قلوبهم ساكنًا ولم يُوقِفوا المذبحة التي يتعرّض لها شعبنا منذ أكثر من عام ونصف.
أوصيكم بفلسطين، درةَ تاجِ المسلمين، ونبضَ قلبِ كلِّ حرٍّ في هذا العالم.
أوصيكم بأهلها، وبأطفالها المظلومين الصغار، الذين لم يُمهلهم العُمرُ ليحلموا ويعيشوا في أمانٍ وسلام،
فقد سُحِقَت أجسادهم الطاهرة بآلاف الأطنان من القنابل والصواريخ الإسرائيلية، فتمزّقت، وتبعثرت أشلاؤهم على الجدران.
أوصيكم ألّا تُسكتكم القيود، ولا تُقعِدكم الحدود، وكونوا جسورًا نحو تحرير البلاد والعباد، حتى تشرق شمسُ الكرامة والحرية على بلادنا السليبة.
أُوصيكم بأهلي خيرًا،
أوصيكم بقُرّة عيني، ابنتي الحبيبة شام، التي لم تسعفني الأيّام لأراها تكبر كما كنتُ أحلم.
وأوصيكم بابني الغالي صلاح، الذي تمنيت أن أكون له عونًا ورفيق دربٍ حتى يشتدّ عوده، فيحمل عني الهمّ، ويُكمل الرسالة.
أوصيكم بوالدتي الحبيبة، التي ببركة دعائها وصلتُ لما وصلت إليه، وكانت دعواتها حصني، ونورها طريقي.
أدعو الله أن يُربط على قلبها، ويجزيها عنّي خير الجزاء.
وأوصيكم كذلك برفيقة العمر، زوجتي الحبيبة أم صلاح بيان، التي فرّقتنا الحرب لأيامٍ وشهورٍ طويلة، لكنها بقيت على العهد، ثابتة كجذع زيتونة لا ينحني، صابرة محتسبة، حملت الأمانة في غيابي بكلّ قوّة وإيمان.
أوصيكم أن تلتفوا حولهم، وأن تكونوا لهم سندًا بعد الله عز وجل.
إن متُّ، فإنني أموت ثابتًا على المبدأ، وأُشهد الله أني راضٍ بقضائه، مؤمنٌ بلقائه، ومتيقّن أن ما عند الله خيرٌ وأبقى.
اللهم تقبّلني في الشهداء، واغفر لي ما تقدّم من ذنبي وما تأخّر، واجعل دمي نورًا يُضيء درب الحرية لشعبي وأهلي.
سامحوني إن قصّرت، وادعوا لي بالرحمة، فإني مضيتُ على العهد، ولم أُغيّر ولم أُبدّل.
لا تنسوا غزة…
ولا تنسوني من صالح دعائكم بالمغفرة والقبول.
أنس جمال الشريف
06.04.2025
هذا ما أوصى بنشره الحبيب الغالي أنس عند استشهاده.
إدارة الصفحة