Section: Concluding the Discussion of Nearness

The Lord, glorified be He, is not distracted by hearing one thing from hearing another, nor do requests confuse Him. Rather, He, glorified be He, will speak to His servants on the Day of Resurrection and call them to account, without His dealings with one distracting Him from another.

Ibn Abbās was asked, “How will He speak to them all on the Day of Resurrection at the same time?” He replied, “Just as He provides for them at the same time.” The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“There is not one of you with whom his Lord will not be alone, just as one of you is alone with the moon on the night of the full moon.”

In this world, Allah, glorified be He, hears the supplications of those who call upon Him and answers those who ask, despite their different languages and varied needs. One of us may have sufficiently keen hearing to hear many people speaking, just as some teachers of Quran recitation can listen to several people reciting. Yet these can only be a small number close by.

One of us also finds within himself a sense of closeness, nearness, and inclination towards some people rather than others, whether they are present or absent, and finds that this nearness and closeness vary in degree. The Lord, exalted be He, is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing: His hearing encompasses all voices, and His bounty encompasses all needs.