for the Garden, and they will act according to the deeds of the people of the Garden. He then wiped Adam’s back with His other hand and said: “I created these for the Fire, and they will act according to the deeds of the people of the Fire.”
I mentioned to him these ḥadiths and others besides them, and then I asked, “Do these ḥadiths admit of figurative interpretation, or are they definitive texts?” These are reports that the whole Ummah has received with acceptance and affirmation, transmitted from an ocean of narration. The man thereupon manifested repentance, and the truth became clear to him.
This, dear brother—may Allah be gracious to you—is what you asked me to set down. The subject is vast:
“Whoever has not been granted a light by Allah shall have no light whatsoever” (al-Nūr 40), and,
“Whoever Allah guides—he alone is rightly guided; and whoever He leads astray, you will never find for him a protecting guide” (al-Kahf 17).
And may the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you, upon the two Muḥammads, Abū Zakariyyā, Abū al-Baqāʾ ʿAbd al-Majīd, the household, all those you know in Madinah, and the rest of the inhabitants of that blessed city. If you are aware of a book on Madinah that records its history the way one has been compiled for Mecca, then kindly inform us of it.
All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send blessings upon Muḥammad, his family, and all his Companions.
• • •
He—may Allah have mercy on him—was asked about the Prophet’s words, peace and blessings be upon him, in which he relates from his Lord, Mighty and Majestic:
“I never hesitate about anything I intend to do as I hesitate about taking the soul of My believing servant: he hates death, and I hate to distress him.”
What is the meaning of Allah’s ‘hesitation’?
He replied:
This is a noble ḥadith, recorded by al-Bukhārī on the authority of Abū Hurayrah, and it is the most illustrious report concerning the attributes of the friends of Allah. A group has rejected this wording, saying that Allah cannot be described as hesitant; only one who is ignorant of the outcomes of matters hesitates, whereas Allah knows all outcomes. Some of them added that Allah merely treats the servant in the manner of one who hesitates.
The correct position is that the words of the Messenger of Allah are true. No one knows Allah better than His Messenger, no one is more sincere in counsel to his community, and no one is more eloquent or clearer in expression. Therefore, the pedant who rejects his wording is among the most misguided, most ignorant, and worst-mannered of people; he must be disciplined and reproved. The speech of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, must be safeguarded from false conjectures.