# How can God be timeless and still perceive time?

*Next meetup, tattoos, and how a timeless God relates to time*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/ijwbevcc6o8/s/25/
- Date: 2021-02-02 · Kind: question · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti #200| Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted! 😉 | Mufti Abu Layth (2:48:29–2:50:29)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijwBevcC6o8&t=10109s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/ijwbevcc6o8/

**Topics:** God and the divine attributes; Dress and appearance

**Question as asked:** How can God be timeless and yet perceive time? Wouldn't that introduce time to the timeless state?

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Linear time is our perspective, Mufti Abu Layth says, not necessarily how God sees events; he also says tattoos are not haram for men.

**Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says that perceiving events in linear time is our perspective and does not mean that time is like that.

**Evidence, his words at 2:49:54:** “so what I'm trying to say is it's perspective we perceive events in a linear state of time it does not mean that time is like that” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijwBevcC6o8&t=10194s)

## Longer summary

Mufti Abu Layth says the next meetup may be this week or next, and answers a chat question in one line that tattoos are not haram for men. Asked how God can be timeless yet perceive time, Mufti asks what makes the questioner think God perceives time. Using the analogy of a book whose events are all on the page but which a reader experiences in sequence, he says we perceive events in linear time, which does not mean time is like that or that God perceives it as we do.

## Transcript (machine tier, 2:48:29–2:50:29)

[2:48:05] a name you get intrigued. I don't know if that's just me because I'm [laughter] losing the plot or is that people in general, but I I I I find names very intriguing and appealing and they have this an appeal factor to them, I think. Right now, MUI, when is the next meetup? Soon.

[2:48:29] Soon. Miy are tattoos haram. So, the next meetup I will do either I may even do it this week. If not, then next week I will see. If I don't do the mine trap this week, then I'll do a meetup. Right. So, there's 200 mods, someone said. [laughter] Ah, right. So, what is going on? What is going on?

[2:48:55] Uh, Mariam said, "Yeah, I get intrigued, too." Yeah, tattoos are not haram for men. Now, how can God be timeless and yet perceive time? Wouldn't that introduce time to the timeless state? But what makes you think God perceives time? Isn't the perception of time simply our perspective of affairs?

[2:49:18] Right? So, a bit like like as a poor analogy, let's say I'm reading a book. Now on this book at this stage let's say I don't know Abdullah is has set out on this journey and blah blah blah blah blah and at this stage on this page you know Abdullah has is in the new city now and he's doing this but really there it is it's all flat but it's the reader that is seeing it in

[2:49:54] a linear format not from this perspective just like that this this is not a linear format if I'm just looking at it you see so what I'm trying to say is it's perspective we perceive events in a linear state of time it does not mean that time is like that or that this linear format is being perceived from other dimensions as we are perceiving it to them to God it would just or to even other entities.

[2:50:28] It could just be flat. So, yeah. Mhm. Right. Okay. Let's move on to demonic possessions, people. Demonic possessions.

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment ijwBevcC6o8/s/25. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/ijwbevcc6o8/s/25/

Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.