The researcher and traditionist al-Majlisi (M) says...

The researcher and traditionist al-Majlisi (M) says, “It appears that the intention of Hadrat Musa by this question was to inquire about the etiquette of prayer, while he knew that God is nearer to one than his jugular vein, with an encompassing nearness based on knowledge, power and causal efficiency.

He meant to say, ‘Do You like to be prayed to in whispers, like one speaks to someone near, or should I call You like one who calls out to someone far away?’ In other words, ‘When ‘I look at You, I find You nearer than anything that is near, and when I look at myself I find myself .at a far distance.

Thus, I don’t know whether I should take into consideration Your situation in my prayer or my own condition:’ And it is possible that this question was made on behalf of someone else, like the question related to the possibility of Beatific vision” (mentioned in the Qur’an, 7:148). It is possible that Moses intended to express his feeling of loss and wonder in respect of the manner of praying. He meant to say, “O Lord!

You are too immaculate and above everything for nearness and farness to be attributable to You, that I may address You as one who is near or one who is far. Hence I am at a loss in this matter, for I do not consider any manner of prayer to be suitable for Your glorious station. So permit me to pray, and show me its manner.

Teach me that which is appropriate for Your sacred station.” The answer came from the Source of Glory and Majesty that, “I, as the Sustainer, am present in all the manifold levels and realms of existence. All the worlds constitute My presence. Yet, I am the companion of those who remember Me and am by the side of those who call Me.” Of course, proximity and distance cannot be attributed to that Sacred Essence. It possesses the encompassment of sustenance ( ihateh ye qayyumi i.e.

the encompassment that God Almighty possesses over all being as its sustainer) and existential all-inclusiveness ( shumul al-wujudi ) over all the domains of being and all the streams of reality.

However, that which is mentioned in the noble verses of the Glorious Book of God regarding the attribution of nearness and proximity to God Almighty, such as the verses, ﴿وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِي إِذَا دَعَانِي.﴾ And when My servants question thee concerning Me, ( tell them that ) I am near to answer the call of the caller, when he calls to Me.