He is the Near, and His nearness is specific to the one who calls upon Him and worships Him in faith (A discussion on the name of Allah, al-Qarib, and the attribute of nearness; here, the specific nearness of the one who calls upon Him)
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The Shaykh : He says: "He is the Near, and His nearness is specific to the *** one who calls upon Him and worships Him in faith"
The Near. But Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said here that nearness is specific, not general. Specific to whom? He says:
"And His nearness is specific to the *** one who calls upon Him and worships Him in faith"
He is near to the one who calls upon Him, near to the one who worships Him. The evidence for this is the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Baqarah 2:186] and the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Sunan Abi Dawud 875Sahih (Al-Albani) So the first is the nearness of the one who calls upon Him, and the second is His nearness to the one who worships Him. So Allah is near to the one who worships Him, and near to the one who calls upon Him, answering his call, and near to the one who worships Him, accepting from Him, (Glorified and Exalted is He). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said when his companions raised their voices in takbir and distressed themselves and made it hard for themselves: The neck of your camel, while you are riding it, is the closest thing to you, but Allah is closer to you than that. But do not think that this nearness mentioned by the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) contradicts the exaltation of Allah. Why? Because Allah, Mighty and Majestic, encompasses everything, and none of His creations is like Him. It is true that if something is far away in the sky, it is not close to you, closer than the neck of the camel. This is in consideration of whom?
The student: The created being.
The Shaykh : In consideration of the created being. But Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is not measured by His creations. Do not think that His being above His Throne contradicts His being closer to the human being than the neck of his camel. Never think that. Rather, say: I believe in Allah, in His exaltation and His nearness. For Allah is not like anything in all His attributes. And you, if you imagine—and you must imagine—that the seven heavens and the seven earths are in His hand, (Mighty and Majestic is He), like a mustard seed in the hand of one of you, then everything is in His grasp, and He is near to the human being when he calls upon Him or when he worships Him.
The Near. But Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said here that nearness is specific, not general. Specific to whom? He says:
"And His nearness is specific to the *** one who calls upon Him and worships Him in faith"
He is near to the one who calls upon Him, near to the one who worships Him. The evidence for this is the saying of Allah the Exalted:
And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me
وإذا سألك عبادي عني فإني قريبٌ أجيب دعوة الداعي إذا دعانيThe nearest a servant come to his Lord is when he is prostrating himself
أقرب ما يكون العبد من ربه وهو ساجدO people, be gentle with yourselves, for you are not calling upon one who is deaf or absent, but you are calling upon One who is Hearing and Near. Indeed, the One you are calling upon is closer to one of you than the neck of his camel.
يا أيها الناس اربعوا على أنفسكم فإنكم لا تدعون أصم ولا غائب إنما تدعون سميعا قريبا إن الذي تدعونه أقرب إلى أحدكم من عنق راحلتهThe student: The created being.
The Shaykh : In consideration of the created being. But Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is not measured by His creations. Do not think that His being above His Throne contradicts His being closer to the human being than the neck of his camel. Never think that. Rather, say: I believe in Allah, in His exaltation and His nearness. For Allah is not like anything in all His attributes. And you, if you imagine—and you must imagine—that the seven heavens and the seven earths are in His hand, (Mighty and Majestic is He), like a mustard seed in the hand of one of you, then everything is in His grasp, and He is near to the human being when he calls upon Him or when he worships Him.