The Difference Between Feeling One Sees Allah and Feeling One Is Being Watched by Him, and the Ruling on Taking a Close Friend
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
The difference is between the servant saying, "I feel that I am seeing Allah in my worship," and saying, "I feel that Allah is seeing me." From what you said, you will take two things:
The Shaykh:
The one who worships Allah as if he sees Him is more perfect in certainty than the one who worships Allah because Allah sees him. For Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, is the one who sees him. This is less than the first, even though it is high, but it is less than the first.
The questioner:
I begin with Allah. That it is permissible for a little in this world, like a son, a brother, a wife, or a friend.
The Shaykh:
No, it is the Messenger who prohibited taking a close friend (khalil), because Allah took him as a close friend, and one does not combine two close friends. As for us, we do not say that the close friend is the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "The eyes of the close friend, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), are the one who loves with the lion's love." No, no, no. Do you take close friends from among people? Even among the created beings, some with others, there is no prohibition. Yes. As for what is between the servant and his Lord, no. The term "close friend" was not established for two humans, and it is about taking loved ones from among people. For this reason, when Ibrahim loved his son, whom he had recommended to him in his old age, Allah tested him with a sacrifice, in order to purify his love for Allah, Mighty and Majestic. And he preferred the sacrifice, and he preferred the divination, in obedience to Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Yes.
The difference is between the servant saying, "I feel that I am seeing Allah in my worship," and saying, "I feel that Allah is seeing me." From what you said, you will take two things:
The Shaykh:
The one who worships Allah as if he sees Him is more perfect in certainty than the one who worships Allah because Allah sees him. For Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, is the one who sees him. This is less than the first, even though it is high, but it is less than the first.
The questioner:
I begin with Allah. That it is permissible for a little in this world, like a son, a brother, a wife, or a friend.
The Shaykh:
No, it is the Messenger who prohibited taking a close friend (khalil), because Allah took him as a close friend, and one does not combine two close friends. As for us, we do not say that the close friend is the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "The eyes of the close friend, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), are the one who loves with the lion's love." No, no, no. Do you take close friends from among people? Even among the created beings, some with others, there is no prohibition. Yes. As for what is between the servant and his Lord, no. The term "close friend" was not established for two humans, and it is about taking loved ones from among people. For this reason, when Ibrahim loved his son, whom he had recommended to him in his old age, Allah tested him with a sacrifice, in order to purify his love for Allah, Mighty and Majestic. And he preferred the sacrifice, and he preferred the divination, in obedience to Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Yes.
Source
شرح العقيدة الواسطية [ صالح الفوزان ] [ الشرح القديم ]، بداية من قوله : وقوله : { وأحسنوا إن الله يحب المحسنين } — islamhouse.com (1:06:22)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.