is an action performed by the Lord, as stated by al-Awzā‘ī, Hammād ibn Zayd, al-Fudayl ibn ‘Iyād, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, and others. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, also said:

“Allah listens more attentively to a man with a beautiful voice reciting the Quran than the owner of a singing slave girl listens to her.”

Another authentic hadith states:

“Allah listens to nothing as He listens to a prophet with a beautiful voice reciting the Quran melodiously and aloud.”

The forms adhina, ya’dhanu, and udhunan signify listening—in the past tense, present tense, and verbal noun respectively—as in:

“And it listens to its Lord, as it must.”

He thus tells us that He listens to both. An authentic hadith also states:

“My servant continues to draw near to Me through voluntary acts of worship until I love him. When I love him, I become his hearing with which he hears, his sight with which he sees, his hand with which he grasps, and his foot with which he walks.”

He thus tells us that the servant continues to draw near through voluntary acts of worship after fulfilling the obligatory duties.

In the two Sahīh collections, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, relates from his Lord, Most High:

“Allah said: ‘I am as My servant thinks of Me, and I am with him when he remembers Me. If he remembers Me within himself, I remember him within Myself; and if he remembers Me in a gathering, I remember him in a gathering better than theirs.’”

The particle in (“if”) introduces a condition, and the consequence follows the condition. This makes clear that He remembers the servant if the servant remembers Him within himself; and if the servant remembers Him in a gathering, He remembers him in a gathering better than theirs. The opponent, however, says that He has always remembered him, without beginning or end. He then says that His remembrance of this servant, His remembrance of others, and everything else Allah says are all one single thing, admitting neither division nor plurality. Thus, what his position really amounts to is that Allah has never spoken, does not speak, and does not remember anyone.