Riyad as-Salihin, 440

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah says: 'I am just as My slave thinks of Me when he remembers Me.' By Allah! Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His slave than one of you who unexpectedly finds in the desert his lost camel. 'He who comes closer to Me one span, I come closer to him a cubit; and he who comes closer to Me a cubit, I come closer to him a fathom; and if he comes to Me walking, I come to him running". [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

وعن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه ، عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه قال‏:‏ “ قال الله، عز وجل‏:‏ أنا عند ظن عبدي بي وأنا معه حيث يذكرني، والله لله أفرح بتوبة عبده من أحدكم يجد ضالته بالفلاة، ومن تقرب إلي شبراً، تقربت إليه ذراعاً، ومن تقرب إلي ذراعاً، تقربت إليه باعاً، وإذا أقبل إلي يمشي، أقبلت إليه أهرول‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏متفق عليه‏)‏‏)‏ ‏.‏ وهذا لفظ إحدى روايات مسلم‏.‏ وتقدم شرحه في الباب قبله‏.‏ وروي في الصحيحين ‏:‏ ‏"‏وأنا معه حين يذكرني‏"‏ بالنون، وفي هذه الرواية ‏"‏حيث” بالثاء وكلاهما صحيح‏.‏

References1 variant

In-Book Reference: Introduction, Hadith 440

Sharh · explanationclick to expand

Guidance from the Hadith: 1) The Hadith urges people to think well of their Lord, hope for His mercy, and hasten to repent to Him and draw close to Him through pious acts. 2) Positive thinking about Allah Almighty means that we hope for what is with Him even though it belongs to the realm of the Unseen, and that we do not get attached to what we and other people have even though it exists in this world. Benefit: When can a person be regarded as thinking well about Allah Almighty? This is the case when he does what makes him deserving of Allah’s grace and mercy, by performing good deeds and feeling hopeful that Allah will accept them. But positive thinking coupled with lack of action or even commission of sins is only the way of the idle bankrupt incompetent ones.

Related hadiths4