“Whoever dishonours a devoted servant of Mine”—it is also narrated, “Whoever shows enmity to a devoted servant of Mine”—“has openly declared war against Me. I do not hesitate over anything I am to do as I hesitate to take the soul of My believing servant: he dislikes death, and I dislike causing him distress, yet he must inevitably die. My believing servant draws near to Me by nothing like renouncing the world, and worships Me by nothing like fulfilling what I have made obligatory upon him.”
I say: This is a grave error in several respects. First, al-Bukhārī did not narrate it from Anas at all. Second, none of the chains of this hadith that I have examined mentions renouncing the world. Third, neither the hadith of Abū Hurayrah nor that of Anas contains the words, “yet he must inevitably die.” Fourth, it contradicts al-Bukhārī’s wording and context, as is apparent.
Similarly, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah cited this hadith in several places in Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā (5/511, 10/58, 11/75–76, and 17/133–134), reporting it from al-Bukhārī with the addition: “Through Me he hears, through Me he sees, through Me he strikes, and through Me he walks.” Yet I have not found this addition in al-Bukhārī, nor in any of the other compilers whom we mentioned. Al-Ḥāfiẓ mentioned it while explaining the hadith, quoting al-Ṭūfī, but did not attribute it to anyone.
Shaykh al-Islam also gave a valuable answer to a question concerning the hesitation mentioned in this hadith. I reproduce it here in somewhat abridged form because of its rarity and importance. He said—may Allah Most High have mercy on him—in al-Majmūʿ (18/129–131): “This is a noble hadith, and it is the most eminent hadith narrated concerning the description of Allah’s devoted servants. A group rejected these words, saying: ‘Allah is not to be described as hesitating, for only one who does not know the outcomes of matters hesitates, whereas Allah knows the outcomes.’ Some of them may even say: ‘Allah acts as one who hesitates!’
“The correct position is that the words of His Messenger are true. No one knows Allah better than His Messenger, nor is anyone more sincere in counsel to the community, more eloquent, or better in expression than he. If this is so, then the pedant and the one who objects to him are among