Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
The basic principle regarding Allah’s Names and Attributes is to affirm for Allah تعالى whatever He affirmed for Himself or whatever His Messenger ﷺ affirmed for Him, without asking how, likening Him to His creation, distorting the meanings, or denying them. The attribute of descent (nuzul) is established for Allah تعالى through authentic hadiths. As for the terms “coming down” (hubut) and “drawing near” (tadalli), the matter depends on whether these expressions are established in the texts, while the meaning of tadalli is close to that of descent. Likewise, Allah’s nearness and approach are established in the texts. However, a distinction should be made between expressions explicitly established in the revelation and potentially ambiguous expressions that require qualification and explanation.
It is authentically reported in the two Sahihs from Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Our Lord, Blessed and Exalted, descends every night to the lowest heaven when the last third of the night remains, and says: ‘Who is calling upon Me so that I may answer him? Who is asking Me so that I may give him? Who is seeking My forgiveness so that I may forgive him?’”
Narrated by al-Bukhari (1145) and Muslim (758).
It is therefore obligatory to affirm descent for Allah تعالى in a manner befitting Him, without comparing His descent to the descent of created beings and without attempting to determine how it occurs.
Belief in Allah’s descent does not conflict with affirming His exaltedness and His rising over His Throne. Allah سبحانه وتعالى does whatever He wills, and His actions cannot be measured by the actions of created beings.
The word “yabṭu” (يهبط, comes down) occurs in some narrations of the hadith of descent, and the term “tadalli” (التدلي, drawing near/descending closer) occurs in some narrations as well.
As for tadalli, its linguistic meaning is close to descent. Abu al-Sa‘adat said that tadalli means descending from a high place, while Ibn Hajar said that the basic meaning of tadalli is descending toward something until one comes close to it.
However, a distinction must be made between the correctness of a meaning and the establishment of an expression as one of the attributes by which Allah تعالى is described.
Whoever considers the term tadalli to have been authentically reported from the Prophet ﷺ in an authentic hadith may use it in a manner befitting Allah. Whoever does not consider it established should adhere to the authentic wording that is unquestionably established, namely descent (nuzul).
As for the hadith of the Mi‘raj in which it is reported:
“And the Almighty drew near and then drew closer,”
scholars have discussed this additional wording. A group of scholars considered that attributing approach and tadalli to Allah تعالى in this particular context comes through the narration of Sharik, in which he differed from other narrators, and that what is intended in the verses of Surat al-Najm is the approach of Jibril عليه السلام.
Therefore, it is more cautious in this particular matter not to establish an independent divine attribute on the basis of this disputed wording, while the basic attribute of descent remains firmly established by authentic hadiths.
Allah’s nearness to His servants is established in the Qur’an and Sunnah.
Allah سبحانه وتعالى says:
﴿And when My servants ask you concerning Me, indeed I am near. I respond to the supplication of the supplicant when he calls upon Me.﴾ [Al-Baqarah: 186]
And He تعالى says:
﴿So seek His forgiveness and then repent to Him. Indeed, my Lord is Near and Responsive.﴾ [Hud: 61]
It is also authentically reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“O people, be gentle with yourselves, for you are not calling upon One who is deaf or absent. Rather, you are calling upon One who is All-Hearing and Near.”
Narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
Thus, Allah’s nearness is established. It does not mean that Allah تعالى is contained within His creation or mixed with them. Rather, He سبحانه وتعالى is above His Throne, while He draws near to some of His creation as He wills, in a manner befitting His majesty.
As for the servant’s drawing near to Allah, this is also established, and it occurs through acts of obedience, faith, and worship.
The Prophet ﷺ said in the hadith qudsi:
“If he draws near to Me by a handspan, I draw near to him by a cubit; and if he draws near to Me by a cubit, I draw near to him by a fathom...”
Narrated by Muslim.
Scholars have differed concerning the interpretation of Allah’s drawing near mentioned in this hadith. Some said that it is to be understood according to its real meaning in a manner befitting Allah, while others said that it refers to a special form of divine nearness resulting from the servant’s drawing near through obedience, meaning that Allah rewards him, honors him, and brings him near in a manner whose exact nature is unknown to us.
The soundest approach when dealing with such texts is not to force upon the wording a meaning that it cannot bear. Rather, one should affirm what the text establishes while declaring Allah free from resemblance to His creation.
It is also authentically established that Allah تعالى brings some of His servants near. In the hadith of Ibn Umar رضي الله عنهما, the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Indeed, Allah brings the believer near, places His protection over him, and conceals him...”
Narrated by al-Bukhari (2441) and Muslim.
Thus, Allah’s bringing His believing servant near is established by revelation, and it must not be imagined in the same manner as the nearness of one created being to another.
There is no contradiction between affirming Allah’s exaltedness and affirming His descent, nearness, and approach.
Allah سبحانه وتعالى is above His Throne, He is near to His servants as He has informed us about Himself, and He descends to the lowest heaven as established from the Prophet ﷺ. It is not permissible to compare Allah’s actions to the movements of created beings or to attempt to imagine their manner according to our human reasoning.
The comprehensive principle is Allah’s saying:
﴿There is nothing whatsoever like Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.﴾ [Ash-Shura: 11]
Thus, we affirm what is established, deny any resemblance to created beings, and do not burden ourselves with investigating the manner in which these attributes occur.
The attribute of descent is established for Allah تعالى through authentic hadiths. As for “coming down” (hubut) and “tadalli,” their use depends on whether the expressions are established in the revealed texts, and the meaning of tadalli is close to that of descent. When an expression is not established, it is safer for the Muslim to restrict himself to wording that is authentically established.
As for nearness, approach, and bringing near, these are established in authentic texts. They must be affirmed in a manner befitting Allah تعالى, without comparison or asking how, and without this implying the denial of Allah’s exaltedness above His creation.
When studying this subject, it is recommended to refer to works of Islamic creed that are based upon the Qur’an, Sunnah, and the statements of the early scholars, while being cautious with works based on theological interpretations or that confuse affirming Allah’s Attributes with denying resemblance between Allah and His creation.
And Allah knows best.