It is through this, not through distance. Allah is exalted above such a thing. The servant draws near to the Real (al-Ḥaqq) only by distancing himself from created beings. Nearness (qurb) pertains to the attributes of hearts (qalb), not to bodies. The approach to Allah through knowledge and power (qudra) is common to everyone. Nearness through grace and assistance is specific to the believers (muʾmin), while nearness through intimacy (uns) is reserved for the friends of God (awliyāʾ). (Jāmiʿ, 221)
Some have said regarding this: The servant first draws near through iman (faith) and affirmation, then through ihsan (spiritual excellence) and realization. The approach of the Exalted Real to the servant in this world is through the gnosis (maʿrifa) He bestows upon him; in the hereafter, it is through the witnessing (shuhūd) and manifestation (ayān) He grants him. Among these, it is also by the presence of grace and blessing.
What I mean by (the occurrence of nearness between the Real and the servant) ...not as a voice, but as an address... is this: This is not merely a matter of nearness. Rather, they are addressed inwardly by an address that arises within them, which they comprehend without hearing a voice. Sometimes, they also hear a hidden voice coming from the air that calls out to them. Thus, the six states we have mentioned are completed. (Nabhānī, I, 237)
The Exalted Allah is exalted above nearness in essence (dhāt). He is beyond limits, dimensions, finitude, (measure and) quantity. No created being is joined to Him, nor is anything originated and brought into existence separated from Him. Samadiyya (absolute self-sufficiency) is free from accepting separation and union. The nearness described as impossible (muḥāl) is the joining of essences (i.e., the union of the being of Allah and the servant is impossible). The nearness described as necessary (wājib) is nearness through knowledge and vision (ruʾya). The nearness described as permissible (jāʾiz) is what Allah grants to His chosen servants. This is the nearness of action through (divine) grace. (Nabhānī, I, 376; II, 216)