His saying, “Did you not know that if you had visited him, you would have found Me with him?” Is the phrase “I found my reward” an instance of ta'wil (figurative interpretation)?
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The questioner:
May Allah reward you. Your Eminence, father, the questioner says: It is mentioned in the hadith:Sahih Muslim 2569 Is the statement in explaining this hadith, "I found my reward and my honor," a matter of ta'wil (figurative interpretation)?
The Shaykh:
No, it is not an instance of ta'wil (figurative interpretation). This is the explanation of the hadith. The hadith came with its explanation included in it: “I found Me with him” means “I found that I am aware of this deed and I reward it.”
The presenter:
May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon you.
The Shaykh:
(Exalted and Majestic is He) is with everything, meaning that He is near. (Glorified and Exalted is He). This nearness is not a nearness of place. It is a nearness, so He is above His Throne, and He is with the sick person, and He is with us. (Glorified and Exalted is He) with His knowledge and encompassing, yes, and His nearness to us, yes.
May Allah reward you. Your Eminence, father, the questioner says: It is mentioned in the hadith:
O son of Adam, I was sick but you did not visit Me. He would say: O my Lord; how could I visit Thee whereas Thou art the Lord of the worlds? Thereupon He would say: Didn't you know that such and such servant of Mine was sick but you did not visit him and were you not aware of this that if you had visited him, you would have found Me by him?
القدسي ابن آدم مرضت فلم تعدني إلى قوله أما علمت أنك لو عدته لوجدتني عندهThe Shaykh:
No, it is not an instance of ta'wil (figurative interpretation). This is the explanation of the hadith. The hadith came with its explanation included in it: “I found Me with him” means “I found that I am aware of this deed and I reward it.”
The presenter:
May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon you.
The Shaykh:
(Exalted and Majestic is He) is with everything, meaning that He is near. (Glorified and Exalted is He). This nearness is not a nearness of place. It is a nearness, so He is above His Throne, and He is with the sick person, and He is with us. (Glorified and Exalted is He) with His knowledge and encompassing, yes, and His nearness to us, yes.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، قوله «أما علمت أنك لو عدته لوجدتني عنده» هل القول وجدت ثوابي يكون من باب التأويل؟ للشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.