Muslims supplicate Allah with their palms upheld because they believe Allah is above the heaven. When confronted with this fact, those who deny the Loftiness of Allah allege that Muslims supplicate in this manner only because heaven is the qiblah of du'aa or supplication.

• The above allegation, to begin with, has no proof in the Qur'an or the Sunnah, and it cannot be related to any of the Companions of the Prophet (sallallaahu `alaihi wasallam) nor to any of the Tabi'een, who succeeded them. There is no mention of this statement in the Book of Allah or the Sunnah of the Messenger (sallallaahu `alaihi wasallam) . The issue of the qiblah is central to the religion of Islam, so every Muslim must be aware of it and especially the scholars of the Muslim ummah should have known it.
• It is an established fact, that the Ka'bah is the qiblah of formal prayer as well as the du'aa or supplication. To declare the heaven or anywhere else to be the qiblah of du'aa is a gross bid'ah (innovation) and a clear breach of the Qur'an, the Sunnah, and the consensus of the ummah, because the Muslims have one single qiblah, the Ka'bah.
• The qiblah is the direction to which Muslims turn or face in prayer, and to face something is to look toward it. If the heavens were the qiblah, the Messenger (sallallaahu `alaihi wasallam) would have commanded his companions, with whom Allah is pleased, to face the heavens in their prayer. On the contrary, the Muslims are forbidden to uphold their eyes while praying, but are to concentrate on the spot upon which their faces rest during prostration. The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu `alaihi wasallam) warned: "Let those who uphold their eyes while praying stop doing so, lest they become blind."[17]

The Qur'anic verses allow no room for such opinions. Allah, the Exalted, specifically commanded His Messenger (sallallaahu `alaihi wasallam) and his ummah to face the direction of the Ka'bah in their prayers, saying: "And from wherever you come forth, turn your face toward the Sacred Mosque."[18]

Then Allah addresses the Muslims: "And wherever you may be, turn your faces toward it."[19]

The Loftiness of Allah is also proven by the following verse:"To Him ascend the good words, and He exalts the righteous deeds."[20]

This verse contains the clear words of Allah, in which the verb "ascend" is used to indicate that Allah is above and separated from His creatures. The ascendance of deeds is also proven by the words of the Prophet (sallallaahu `alaihi wasallam) describing the excellence of the period of time that falls after zawal of zenith. He said, "This is a time when the gates of the heavens are opened, and I hope that a good deed of mine would ascend to Allah." The verb "ascend" in the text signifies that the good deeds are raised up to reach Allah, the Exalted. And Allah says:"The angels and ar-Rooh21 ascend to Allah in a day which is fifth thousand years long."[22]

The Loftiness of the Creator is made clear by the great distance that separates the angels who inhabit the heavens from their Rubb above them. And Allah says:"He manages all affairs from the heaven unto the earth."[23]

It should be borne in mind that this verse is preceded by the words of Allah:"He mounted the Throne."

And Allah also says:"O, Issa (Jesus)! I shall cause you to die, and raise you up to Me."[24]

Since Allah addressed Issa saying: "I will raise you up to Me", what would those who believe that Allah is everywhere answer when they are asked: "Where is Issa now?" They would say either Issa is everywhere, or he is in heaven. If they claim that Issa is everywhere, they would apostatize as a result of their equating Issa with Allah in accordance with their claim that Allah is everywhere. A claim which resembles the Christians' myth of god incarnate. But if they say, "Issa is in the heaven," they would admit that Allah did raise Issa up to the heaven, and that Allah is above the heavens.

Allah says:"Surely, your Rubb is the One who created the heavens and the earth in six days; then He istawa[25] on the Throne."[26]

This is one of the seven Qur'anic verses in which Allah, the Exalted, refers to His istiwa' on His 'Arsh. Ahlus-Sunnah are certain that the great 'Arsh of Allah is above the seven heavens. They also believe that Allah, having created the earth and apportioned its provisions, ascended above His great 'Arsh. Only those who believe otherwise hold these verses to be allegorical. Allah, they say, "is everywhere", denying that He is above the 'Arsh. Exalted is Allah, and far is He removed from their ascription.

Quoting all or even most of the verses signifying Allah's attribute of Loftiness would only enlarge the volume of this issue. There are about 215 verses in the Qur'an containing the verb sent down with reference to either the Qur'an, the previous Scriptures, or the angels.

Proofs from Authentic Prophetic Traditions