Is it permissible to describe Allah the Exalted with the attribute of nearness? And what is the meaning of the attribute of nearness?
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The questioner : His saying, the Exalted: [Al-Baqarah 2:186] The question: Do we affirm from this the attribute of nearness for Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He?
The Shaykh : Of course, this is affirmed.
The questioner : Is the meaning of the hadith:Sunan Abi Dawud 875Sahih (Al-Albani) the same meaning?
The Shaykh : No, this is the nearness of the servant to his Lord.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed.
The questioner : And that is the nearness of Allah to the servant. Now, what is the meaning of this nearness, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : We have returned to the topic. What is the meaning? The meaning is clear, but its modality!
The questioner : I mean, if someone said with this verse and this hadith, the verse differs from the hadith, in the sense that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, is the One who draws near to the servant, and the hadith is that the servant draws near to Allah, but the meaning of this hadith and this verse is that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, responds to His servant when he calls upon Him, so He is thereby near to him. Is this correct for the verse and the hadith?
The Shaykh : If the intended meaning of this interpretation of the verse is interpreting nearness as response,
The questioner : Yes, indeed.
The Shaykh : then I say this is not sufficient. This is part of the interpretation. I mean, that divine nearness necessitates response, but it is not the whole thing.
The questioner : So here, like the other attributes, we affirm the nearness that befits Him.
The Shaykh : That is it.
And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me - indeed I am near.
وإذا سألك عبادي عني فإني قريبThe Shaykh : Of course, this is affirmed.
The questioner : Is the meaning of the hadith:
The nearest a servant come to his Lord is when he is prostrating himself
أقرب ما يكون العبد من ربه وهو ساجدThe Shaykh : No, this is the nearness of the servant to his Lord.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed.
The questioner : And that is the nearness of Allah to the servant. Now, what is the meaning of this nearness, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : We have returned to the topic. What is the meaning? The meaning is clear, but its modality!
The questioner : I mean, if someone said with this verse and this hadith, the verse differs from the hadith, in the sense that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, is the One who draws near to the servant, and the hadith is that the servant draws near to Allah, but the meaning of this hadith and this verse is that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, responds to His servant when he calls upon Him, so He is thereby near to him. Is this correct for the verse and the hadith?
The Shaykh : If the intended meaning of this interpretation of the verse is interpreting nearness as response,
The questioner : Yes, indeed.
The Shaykh : then I say this is not sufficient. This is part of the interpretation. I mean, that divine nearness necessitates response, but it is not the whole thing.
The questioner : So here, like the other attributes, we affirm the nearness that befits Him.
The Shaykh : That is it.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.