By: Sheikh Salman al 'Audah
Allah says: “Ask forgiveness of Him, and turn to Him (in repentance): for my Lord is Near, the Answerer (of prayers).”
[Sūrah Hūd: 61]
He also says: “Say (O Muhammad): If I err, I err only to my own loss,
and if I am rightly guided it is because of that which my Lord has
revealed unto me. Lo! He is All-Hearing, Near.”
[Sūrah Saba’: 50]
There are many ways we can understand Allah’s nearness to us, and all of
these increase our God-consciousness and strengthen our faith. One of
these is that He is near to those who beseech Him and beg of Him.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was once asked: “Is Your Lord close
by, so people are to commune with Him, or remote so people should call
out to Him?”
In response to this question, Allah revealed the verse: “And when My
servants ask you concerning Me, then surely I am Near. I answer the
prayer of the suppliant when he calls on Me, so they should heed My call
and believe in Me that they may walk in the right way.”
[Sūrah al-Baqarah: 186]
Allah is near to those who beseech Him. He relents to them in kindness
and relieves them of their distresses. When `Alī b. Abī Tālib was asked:
“How great is the distance between heaven and Earth?” he simply
replied: “An answered prayer.”
Those who are eager to attain Allah’s promise to answer their prayers
and relieve them of their difficulties should heed Allah’s call, believe
in Him with all of their hearts, and guard themselves from sin. They
should strive to be rightly guided. This is why the verse concludes
with: “so they should heed My call and believe in Me that they may walk
in the right way.”
Abū Mūsa al-Ash`ārī relates:
We were with Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) on a
journey. It was our habit when we descended into a valley to raise our
voices in the praise and glorification of Allah’s name. The Prophet
(peace be upon him) said: “Keep your voices to a reasonable volume. You
do not call upon one who is deaf or absent. He is with you. He hears you
and He is near.” [Sahīh al-Bukḥārī (6610) and Sahīh Muslim (2704)]
These words of the Prophet (peace be upon him) attest to the fact that
Allah is near to His servants and answers their prayers. We also learn
from this that a believer should address the Lord in a reverent, humble
tone, and avoid shouting.
Allah is also near to those who turn to Him in repentance. Allah says:
“
Ask forgiveness of Him, and turn to Him (in repentance): for my Lord is
Near, the Answerer (of prayers).”
[Sūrah Hūd: 61]
When we seek Allah’s forgiveness sincerely and with penitent hearts, we
not only get absolution for our sins, but we also earn Allah’s
blessings, since our asking forgiveness is a form of worship. Allah’s
forgiveness is near at hand.
Allah addresses Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) with the command:
“Say (O Muhammad): If I err, I err only to my own loss, and if I am
rightly guided it is because of that which my Lord has revealed unto me.
Lo! He is All-Hearing, Near.”
[Sūrah Saba’: 50]
Allah informs us that the Prophet (peace be upon him) is guided because
of the revelation that he receives from Allah who is All-Hearing and
near to His servants. This means that the guidance that humanity
receives is a result of Allah’s nearness to them. Allah grants guidance
and everything else in the world to whomever He pleases. He gives the
good of this world to those he loves as well as those He is displeased
with. However, he grants the good of the Hereafter only to those whom He
loves. These are the people He blesses with the quality of
righteousness. It is from Allah’s nearness to His servants that He gives
them guidance and keeps them on the right path.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) related to us that Allah says: “If
someone draws near to me a handspan, I draw near to that person a
forearm’s length. If he draws near to Me a forearms length, I draw near
to Him the span of two outstretched arms. If he comes to Me walking, I
come to him at speed.” [Sahīh al-Bukhārī (7405) and Sahīh Muslim (2675)]
See how Allah responds to our least effort to draw near to Him by coming
ever nearer to us by blessing us with guidance, stronger faith,
contentment, and certitude. How far away this is from Deism, the belief
that Allah set creation into motion and then left us to our own affairs.
We see how near Allah is to us and to our concerns, guiding us and
nurturing us if we but show the inclination to turn to Him.
Allah is near to us in His attentiveness to our affairs. Allah says: “He
is with you wherever you are; and Allah is the Seer of all that you
do.”
[Sūrah al-Hadīd: 4]
He also says: “Do you not see that Allah knows all that is in the
heavens and on Earth? There is not a secret consultation between three,
but He makes the fourth among them, - nor between five but He makes the
sixth, nor between fewer nor more, but He is with them, wherever they
be.”
[Sūrah al-Mujādilah: 7]
He is near to us with His knowledge. He is near to us though He is
transcendent. Though He is the Most High, He is close to our lives in
every way. Allah says: “Verily, we created the human being and We know
what his soul whispers to him, and We are nearer to him than his jugular
vein.”
[Sūrah Qāf: 16]
Allah says, speaking about the time of death: “Then why do you not
intervene when (the soul of the dying man) reaches the throat, but you
the while (sit) looking on? We are nearer to him than you, and yet you
see it not.”
[Sūrah al-Wāqi`ah: 85]
Yes, Allah is near to us with His knowledge and through His angels.
However, His nearness should be understood to be more than metaphorical.
However, we should understand His literal nearness to be such that
corresponds with His divinity, not like the nearness of physical beings
to one another. Allah is literally near to us is a manner that no way
implies physical contact or a material presence.
Allah is also near to us in His kindness and His care for all His
creatures, and in the special assistance that He gives to the believers.
Allah is with the believers in a special way, particularly His prophets
and messengers, as well as those who are righteous and God-fearing. He
is with those who engage in good deeds, caring for them, protecting
them, and blessing them with success.
Allah is near to us in that to Him we must ultimately return. This is
why Allah says about a person at the verge of death: “We are nearer to
him than you, and yet you see it not.”
[Sūrah al-Wāqi`ah: 85]
The person at this time is closer to the Hereafter and therefore closer to returning to Allah.
Allah is near to us in our love and longing for Him. He is near to those
who worship Him in the way their hearts long for Him, in the way they
uphold His remembrance, and in their gratitude for Him. Their hearts
enjoy a contentment and peace that comes only from their nearness to
Him. So many people who live only for the world never have the
experience of such comfort and joy. They know only the physical
pleasures of food, drink, and indulging their lusts. Yet, the most
complete pleasure is that of nearness to Allah, which comes only through
keeping His remembrance alive in our hearts and minds.
We should teach our hearts to be more attached to Allah than to anything
in creation. We should certainly feel close to our loved ones and
friends. This is something natural and right. However, we should always
remain aware of our relationship with Allah, which is beyond all of our
worldly attachments. This is what brings true peace and happiness to
every other aspect of our lives.
Allah is with us when we remember Him, praise Him, and glorify His name.
He is with us in His care and in the blessings that he showers upon us.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) informed us that Allah says: “I am
with someone when he remembers Me.” [Sahīh al-Bukhārī (7405) and Sahīh Muslim (2675)]
When we are conscious of Allah’s nearness to us, we become acutely aware
of His divinity, which in turn enhances our worship. We begin to
worship Allah as though we see Him, and though we do not see Him. We see
Him not with our eyes, nor do we hear Him with our ears, but we do so
with our hearts and minds through the intensity of our awareness of Him.
At the same time, our worship of Allah inculcates in us the awareness of
the difference between the glory of our Creator the weakness of
ourselves. We feel our need for Him and how dependent we are upon Him.
Allah says: “All those who are in the heavens and the earth ask of Him;
every moment He is in a state (of glory).”
[Sūrah al-Rahmān: 29]
