"Our Grandsheikh says whoever is never saying ALLAH is a kafir, unbeliever. Anyone saying ALLAH, even in his own language, you must not say to him 'Kafir'. This is clear, our Grandsheikh is leaving this so wide, so open, not making conditions, all Prophets just came to make people, believing in their Lord, not in themselves. Anyone saying 'God' must be considered a believer. Even if a person says, as we do in English 'Oh my God', Allah is catching him."

(Nazim, Mercy Oceans Book 2, pp. 174-175, 1980)

So anyone who says 'Oh my God' is a Believer, there are no other conditions beyond this!

(vii) Kabbani says: "If the Prophet had condemned her for this answer, it would have been established that she was disbelieving in the Maker." Kabbani himself shows that it is unacceptable to condemn anyone who says that Allaah is in (above) the heavens.

(viii) Again, according to Kabbani, to say that Allaah is in the heavens is in fact equivalent to "magnification of the Creator." Why then does he criticise the Salafis for their 'magnification of the Creator' when they say that Allaah is in (above) the heavens? If, according to him, the Prophet understood this reply to mean praise of Allaah, why does Kabbani describe the belief that Allaah is in the heaven as being unnaceptable?

(ix) There are some who where perplexed by this hadeeth and the fact that it represents a decisive blow to the beliefs of the Jahmiyyah and the Ashariyyah. They simply took recourse to declaring it inauthentic or sought to cast doubt on its wording. From them, Zaahid al-Kawtharee and Hasan as-Saqqaaf. The former being described by Kabbani as the renewer of the religion of Islaam and the reading of the latter's books are openly encouraged by Kabbani (see Kabbani, pp. 81-83, 211 as well as Kabbani, The Doctrine of Ahl al-Sunna, pp. 11, 13, 57).

FURTHER PROOF FOR THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE HADEETH: ‘WHERE IS ALLAAH?’

Disregarding for the moment the rigorously authenticated recording of this hadeeth in Saheeh Muslim where the Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam asked: "Where is Allaah?" and the slave-girl replied "In the heavens", presented below are other supporting routes of transmission for this narration taken from Imaam at-Tahaawee's Sharh Mushkil al-Athaar along with the analysis of Shaykh Shu'ayb al-Arna'oot (in which the wording 'Where is Allaah? In the heaven' is likewise preserved):

(a) at-Tahaawee says: ibn Abee Dawood reported to us, saying: 'Eesa ibn Ibraheem al-Birakee reported to us, saying: 'Abdul-'Azeez ibn Muslim al-Qasmalee reported to us, saying: Muhammad ibn 'Amr reported to us on the authority of Aboo Hurairah: (the hadeeth)

Shaykh Shu'ayb al-Arna'oot grades this chain of transmission to be hasan (vol. 12 / no.4991) and adds: "Reported by ibn Khuzaimah in at-Tawheed 1/283-284 (181) via the route of Ziyaad ibn ar-Rabee' on the authority of Muhammad ibn 'Amr ibn 'Alqamah with this (the above) chain of transmission."

(b) at-Tahaawee says: Yoonus reported to us, saying: ibn Wahb narrated to us that Maalik reported to him; and al-Muznee reported to us, saying: ash-Shaafi'ee reported to us, saying: Maalik reported to us on the authority of Hilaal ibn Usaamah, on the authority of 'Ataa ibn Yasaar, on the authority of 'Umar ibn al-Hakam (this should be Mu'aawiyah ibn al-Hakam as Imaam ash-Shaafi'ee points out in ar-Risaala p.242 and as does ibn 'Abdul-Barr in at-Tamheed 22/76): (the hadeeth)

Shaykh Shu'ayb al-Arna'oot grades this chain of transmission as being authentic to the standard of Imaam Muslim (vol. 12 / no.4992).

He adds that it is also recorded with this isnaad by ibn Khuzaimah in at-Tawheed 1/283 (180) on the authority of Yoonus ibn 'Abdul-'Alaa; by al-Bayhaqee 10/57 via Muhammad ibn 'Abdullaah ibn 'Abdul-Hakam on the authority of ibn Wahb with it; by Imaam ash-Shaafi'ee in ar-Risaala p.242; Imaam Maalik in al-Muwatta 2/776-777; an-Nasaa'ee in al-Kubra no.7756, and others.

(c) at-Tahaawee says: Yoonus narrated to us, saying: Bishr ibn Bakr narrated to us on the authority of al-Awzaa'ee, saying: Yahya ibn Abee Katheer reported to us, saying: Hilaal ibn Abee Maymoonah reported to us, saying: 'Ataa ibn Yasaar reported to us, saying: Mu'aawiyah ibn al-Hakam as-Sulamee narrated to me: (the hadeeth)

Shaykh Shu'ayb al-Arna'oot grades this chain of transmission as being saheeh (vol. 12 / no.4993).