how can it be imagined that anything can veil Him, whilst He is closer to you than everything you can imagine [ibn `ajibah, explaining the aphorism]...sayyiduna `Ali karramAllah wajhah said:'al-Haqq is not from anything, not in anything, not upon anything, not beneath anything; because if He were from something, He would then be created [by something else]; if He were upon something, then He would be the carried [by something]; if He were in something, then He would be bound [by that something]; if He were beneath something then, He would be under the power [of something]. he was asked, 'tell us, O the cousin of RasulAllah :sa: 'where is our Lord, or is there a place for Him?' his face changed [with anger] and stayed silent for a while and then replied: 'you ask, where is Allah seeking to know His Place. [know then that] Allah WAS and there was no 'place'; and then He created 'time' and 'place'; and now, He is like He was without [the constriction of] time and place' al-Haqqu ta'ala laysa min shayyin wa laa fee shayyin wa laa fawqa shayyin wa laa taHta shayy; idh, law kaana min shayyin la kaana makhluuqan; wa law kaana fawqa shayyin la kaana maHmuulan wa law kaana fee shayyin la kaana maHsuuran wa law kaana taHta shayyin la kaana maq'huuran. qawlukum ayna Allaha su'aalun `an makaan: wa kaana Allaha wa laa makaan; thumma khalaqa'z zamaan wa'l makaan wa huwa al-aan kamaa kaan duuna makaanin wa laa zamaan.
