The Meaning of the Hadith: “Indeed, Allah does not get tired until you get tired”
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
He asks: What is the meaning of the hadith of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): “Indeed, Allah does not get tired until you get tired”?
The Shaykh:
He narrated to us. Do not say
The questioner:
until you are able.
The Shaykh:
Flattery, or weariness in the sons of Adam, is weakness, laziness, and inability to complete the task. Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) is free from the attributes of creation; He does not get tired as they do. However, He has a type of weariness that befits Him, of which only He knows its nature. Some have interpreted it as meaning the cessation of reward, but it is better not to interpret it that way. It should be said that it is a weariness that befits Allah, of which only He (Glorified and Exalted is He) knows its nature. However, among its meanings and implications is the cessation of reward, similar to His plotting and deception. The plotting of Allah and the deception of Allah are not like their plotting or their deception.
“Indeed, they plot a plot, and I plot a plot.” These are attributes of Allah that befit Him; they are not like our plotting, nor like our deception, nor like our lingering, nor like our weariness. These are attributes that befit Allah, in which He does not resemble His creation (Exalted and Majestic is He). This is what is obligatory regarding these attributes: to say that they befit Allah and that He does not resemble His creation in them. He said:[Ash-Shuraa 42:11] [Al-Ikhlas 112:4], [An-Nahl 16:74] (Glorified and Exalted is He). Yes.
He asks: What is the meaning of the hadith of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): “Indeed, Allah does not get tired until you get tired”?
The Shaykh:
He narrated to us. Do not say
The questioner:
until you are able.
The Shaykh:
Flattery, or weariness in the sons of Adam, is weakness, laziness, and inability to complete the task. Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) is free from the attributes of creation; He does not get tired as they do. However, He has a type of weariness that befits Him, of which only He knows its nature. Some have interpreted it as meaning the cessation of reward, but it is better not to interpret it that way. It should be said that it is a weariness that befits Allah, of which only He (Glorified and Exalted is He) knows its nature. However, among its meanings and implications is the cessation of reward, similar to His plotting and deception. The plotting of Allah and the deception of Allah are not like their plotting or their deception.
“Indeed, they plot a plot, and I plot a plot.” These are attributes of Allah that befit Him; they are not like our plotting, nor like our deception, nor like our lingering, nor like our weariness. These are attributes that befit Allah, in which He does not resemble His creation (Exalted and Majestic is He). This is what is obligatory regarding these attributes: to say that they befit Allah and that He does not resemble His creation in them. He said:
There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing.
لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُNor is there to Him any equivalent."
وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌSo do not assert similarities to Allah
فَلَا تَضْرِبُوا لِلَّهِ الْأَمْثَالَ
Source
فتاوى الحج ١٤١٠ هـ - ١٥ — archive.org (58:54)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.