Explanation of the author's statement: And his saying: (Our Lord is amazed by the despair of His servants and the nearness of His change. He looks at you, in a state of distress and despair, and He keeps laughing, knowing that your relief is near) is a hadith

The Shaykh : He said:
Amazement is the feeling of wonder at something. Wonder at something occurs for two reasons. The first reason is obscurity, meaning the causes are hidden from the one who is wondering about the thing and the one about whom he is wondering, such that it comes to him suddenly without expectation. The second of the causes of wonder is that the thing departs from its like and from what it should be, without any deficiency on the part of the one who is wondering. Pay attention. We said that wonder has two reasons. The first reason: the obscurity of the causes from the one who is wondering, such that the matter comes to him suddenly without his expecting it. And this happens often. A person, for example, comes from a long journey without informing you, and he is one of the most beloved people to you. You wonder, "What brought you here, so-and-so, or not?"
The student: Yes.

The Shaykh : You find a person, for example, in a state of... what does "in a state of" mean, O Bukhari? What does "in a state of" mean?
The student: ...

The Shaykh : He is unable to walk. You find him, for example, in the farthest lands of Allah. It is wondrous. What brought you here? Because you do not know the causes that brought him. And the second reason for wonder is that the thing departs from its like or from what it should be, such that he does an astonishing act that should not come from his like. Which of the two is the wonder that is established for Allah, the first or the second?
The student: The first one.

The Shaykh : No, the first is impossible, my brothers, for Allah.
The student: The second.

The Shaykh : The first is impossible that the cause of wonder be the obscurity of the thing, the obscurity of the thing from the person, from the one who is wondering. And the second, is it possible or not possible?
The student: It is possible

The Shaykh : It is possible, because this wonder is not due to a deficiency in the one who is wondering, but rather by looking at the state of the one about whom he is wondering. So let us apply this hadith. He said: Despair is the most severe hopelessness. The Lord, Exalted is He, is amazed by the entry of severe hopelessness into our hearts. He said: The waw means "with," meaning with the nearness of His change. And "ghayr" is a collective noun, a collective noun for "ghayrah." "Ghayr" is a collective noun for "ghayrah," just as "tayr" is a collective noun.
The student: Tayr.

The Shaykh : Tayr, and it is a noun meaning change, a noun meaning change. And thus the meaning is "and the nearness of His change" and the nearness of His change. So the Lord, Exalted is He, is amazed: how do we despair while He, Exalted and Glorified is He, is near in changing? He changes the state to another state with a single word, "Be, and it is." He says: Despairing. Allah, Exalted is He, looks at us with His eye. Despairing. "Azil" is the one who is in distress. "Qanitin" is the one who is despairing. "Qanitin" is the plural of "qanit," which is the one who is despairing of relief and the removal of distress. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned the state of the person and the state of his heart. What is his state?
The student: He is in distress.

The Shaykh : That he is in distress. His heart is despairing, hopeless, and he considers relief unlikely. Allah is the Greatest. He keeps laughing at this strange, wondrous state. How do you despair of the mercy of the Most Merciful of the merciful, the One who says to a thing, "Be, and it is," who is near in changing? How do you despair? And when He wills a thing, He only says to it, "Be, and it is." From where is your relief?
The student: From the distress.

The Shaykh : Yes, from the distress. From the distress, He knows that the relief is near. In this hadith, there are several attributes. First, wonder, the wonder of Allah, by His saying: And the Noble Qur'an has indicated this attribute. Allah the Exalted said: And in it is also the clarification of the power of Allah, Exalted is He, by His saying: And that He, Exalted is He, is complete in power. If He wills to change a state from one state to its opposite, He does so in an instant. And of the attributes established in this hadith is looking, by His saying:
The student: He looks.

The Shaykh : Yes. Yes. And among them is also laughing. Yes.
The student: He laughs.

The Shaykh : And knowledge. And mercy. Because the relief from Allah is evidence of His mercy, Exalted is He, toward His servants. All these attributes indicated by the hadith, which we have not spoken about, we must affirm for Allah, Exalted is He, truly according to their reality, and we must not interpret them figuratively. Then he said: And his saying. He said: "A good hadith"
The student: ...

The Shaykh :"And his saying, peace and blessings be upon him"
The student: The practical implications.

The Shaykh : Yes. The practical implications in this are that when a person knows this from Allah, Exalted is He, he should beware of this matter, and the matter is despairing of the mercy of Allah. And for this reason, despairing of the mercy of Allah is among the major sins. He said: So despairing of the mercy of Allah and considering mercy unlikely is among the major sins. And it is obligatory for a person to have good opinion of his Lord. If he calls upon Him, he should have a good opinion of Him that He will answer him. If he worships Him in accordance with His Shari'ah, let him have a good opinion that Allah will accept from him. If distress befalls him, let him have a good opinion that Allah will remove it, by the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Indeed, Allah the Exalted said:
The student: Indeed, with hardship.

The Shaykh : The first. No hardship will overcome two easinesses, as is narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both).