the Most Compassionate is Firm on the Empyrean.

“He is equal (in distance) to everything. Therefore, He is not closer to one thing than another.”

I asked Abu `Abd Allah al-Sadiq (AS) about the Word of Allah, the Mighty and High: The Most Compassionate is firm on the Empyrean, so he (AS) answered, “He is equal with everything. Nothing is closer to Him than another. What is far is not far from Him, and what is close is not close to Him. He is equal in distance to everything.”

“Inform me about the Lord. Where is He, and where was He?” `Ali (AS) replied, ” The Lord, Exalted be His Glory, is not subject to space. He is how He was, and He was as He is now. He is not in any place, nor has He declined from one place to another. He is not encompassed in one place; rather, He has always been without boundary and without quality.”
The Catholicos said: “You have spoken the truth. Now tell me about the Lord. Is He in this world or is He is the Hereafter?” `Ali (AS) replied, ”Our Lord existed before this world existed, and He will exist forever. He is the Planner of this World, and the All-Knowing of the Hereafter. It is not possible for Him to be encompassed by this world or the Hereafter. However, He knows all that is in this world, and all that is in the Hereafter.” He said: “You have spoken the truth. May Allah have mercy on you!”
He then asked, “Tell me about our Lord. Does He carry or is He carried?” `Ali (AS), thus, replied, “Verily, our Lord, Exalted be His Glory, carries and is not carried.” The Christian asked, “How is that? In the Bible we find that The Empyrean of your Lord is carried about them on the day by eight angels.” `Ali (AS) answered, ”Verily, the angels carry the Empyrean. However, the Empyrean is not shaped like a bed as you image. Rather, it is something bounder, crated, and planned, which is subjected to the Lord. It is not as if He is on it like something being carried by another. He has ordered angels to carry it, and they do so with the power that he has granted them.” The Christian said: “You have spoke the truth, May Allah have mercy on you!.”
The Compiler of this book says: The Tradition is long. We have extracted from it the required passage. I have transmitted all of it in the end of the book Al-Nabuwwat.

“He is equal in distance to everything. Therefore, He is not closer to one thing than another.”

“Whoever claims that Allah, the Mighty and High, is from something or in something or on something, then he has certainly disbelieved.” I said: “Explain that to me.” He (AS) responded, “I refer to a person who claims that He is contained by something, that He is restrained by something, or that He is preceded by something.”

6. And in another tradition it says “Whoever claims that Allah is from something, he implies that He has been created. Whoever claims that He is in something, he implies that He is limited. And whoever claims that He is on something, he implies that He is carried by something.”

I asked Ja`far ibn Muhammad (AS) about the Word of Allah, the Mighty and High: The Most Compassionate is firm on the Empyrean, so he (AS) replied, “He is equal in distance to everything. Therefore, He is not closer to one thing than to another.”

“Whoever claims that Allah, the Mighty and High, is from something, in something, or on something, has surely lied.”

Whoever claims that Allah, the Mighty and High, is from something, in something, or on something, he has surely committed polytheism. “He (AS) added, “Whoever claims that Allah is from something, he implies that He is created. Whoever claims that Allah is from something, he implies that He is created. Whoever claims that He is in something, he implies that He is limited. And whoever claims that He is on something, He has implied that He is carried.” The Compiler of this book says: The anthropomorphist cling to the Word of the Mighty and High: Surely your Lord is Allah, who created heaves and the earth in six days, then established Himself upon the Empyrean; He throws the veil of night over the day, which pursues it incessantly. There is no proof in that for them, because He, the Mighty and High, meant by this: then established Himself upon the Empyrean, i.e. then He transferred the Empyrean above the heavens, while He was in control over it and is its Master. His Word, the Mighty and High: `then’ refers to raising the Empyrean to the place where it is and transferring it to a steady state. Thus, it is not possible for the word `[istawa]’ to mean `taking possession,’ because Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, taking possession over the sovereignty and all things is not an accidental matter. In fact, He has always been the Master of everything, and in possession of everything. Verily, He, the Mighty and High, has mentioned `to establish’ after using the word `then,’ and that means `to raise’ metaphorically. It is similar to His Word: And most certainly We will try you until We have known those among you who exert themselves hard, and the patient. He has mentioned `We have known’ with His word `until,’ while He, the Mighty and High, means `until the ones who exert exert.’ We know this because `until’ is only used with an accidental action, while the knowledge of Allah, the Mighty and High, about the things is not accidental. Similar is the mention of His Word, the Mighty and High: `established Himself upon the Empyrean’ after His Word: `then.’ He means by that `then He raised the Empyrean for His Possession over it. He does not mean by that `the sitting’ or `proportion of body,’ because it is not possible that Allah could be a body or somatic. Exalted is Allah, the Elevated, and the High, from such things.