was asked by Abu Ja'far regarding Allah's verse in the Qur'an: And He is Allah in the heavens and in the earth' to which he replied, 'Yes, similarly He is in every place.' I [Abu Ja'far] asked, 'In His essence?' Imam replied, 'Woe betide you! Verily places are subject to limits and boundaries, so by your saying that he is in a place in His essence, you are in fact compelled to say that he is contained in objects which are subject to measurement and size. He is, however, distinct from His creation, entirely encompassing what he creates in knowledge, power, control, authority and dominion.'