How do we respond to someone who says that the direction of the sky changes due to the Earth's rotation, rendering pointing to it in supplication imprecise? And what is the difference between interpreting Al-Istiwa' (God's 'settling' or 'establishing Himself') as Al-Istila' (seizing or dominating), bearing in mind that both Al-Istila' and Al-Qahr (overpowering) share the meaning of overcoming, as in His, Exalted be He, saying: "And He is the All-Subduer over His servants"?

Previous explanations have clarified Allah's transcendence and that He is above His Throne, and His istiwa (establishment) upon it. When we supplicate, we raise our hands to the sky, intending the direction of highness, not a specific direction. Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah held that it is not permissible to turn to Allah except towards highness, for He is above His Throne, distinct from His creation yet encompassing them. The confusion arises from two mistaken beliefs: The first is to imagine that if Allah is above the spherical Throne, then He Himself is spherical in shape, which is an error. The second is that anything celestial can be approached from the six directions, which is also an error.

As for interpreting "istawa" (He established Himself) as "istawla" (He seized mastery), this is false, because seizure implies the existence of a rival, and Allah has no opponent. As for qahr (subduing), it does not necessitate a rival, for all creation is subdued by Allah.