Explaining the slave girl hadith
Allah transcends place/direction. In dua (supplication), raising hands or facing toward the sky symbolizes exaltation and seeking Allah's lofty mercy (as heaven represents height/honor in Arabic idiom). In salah (prayer), the qiblah is the Kaaba on earth. Gazing at the sky during salah is forbidden (Sahih Bukhari, 750): eyes should focus on sujud spot). If the hadith meant literal location "above," salah's qiblah would be upward—but it's not, proving "fi al-sama'" is not spatial. This aligns with reason: rituals reflect transcendence, not confinement.
She was mute (per narration in Abi Dawud), so she pointed upward (not spoke). In 7th-century Arabia, ground/earth was associated with idols (buried or low). Pointing up affirmed monotheism (tawhid)—Allah is exalted above creation's flaws—distinguishing from polytheists worshiping earthly idols or the Kaaba pre-Islam (then idol-filled). Kaaba is earthly, so upward gesture negates any "ground-ba...