Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
Al-Bukhari (43) and Muslim (785) narrated from Aishah رضي الله عنها that she said:
The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم entered upon me while a woman was with me. He asked:
“Who is this?”
I said: “A woman who does not sleep; she prays.”
He صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
“Do whatever deeds you are capable of. By Allah, Allah does not become bored until you become bored. And the most beloved religious practice to Him is that which its companion maintains consistently.”
The hadith demonstrates the importance of moderation in worship and that a person should not burden himself with deeds that he cannot continue performing. The deeds most beloved to Allah تعالى are those that a person maintains consistently, even if they are few.
The apparent wording of the Prophet’s saying صلى الله عليه وسلم:
“By Allah, Allah does not become bored until you become bored”
indicates the affirmation of the attribute of boredom for Allah تعالى, in a manner befitting His majesty and unlike the boredom of created beings.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Al ash-Shaykh رحمه الله stated that this hadith is among the textual proofs concerning the Divine attributes, and that whatever is affirmed for Allah تعالى is affirmed in a manner befitting Him, without implying the deficiency that exists in the attributes of created beings.
The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta' was also asked about this hadith. It answered that the hadith should be accepted as it was transmitted, while believing in the attribute in a manner befitting Allah تعالى, without likening it to creation or asking how it is, just as with the other attributes mentioned in the Qur'an and Sunnah.
Allah تعالى says:
﴿There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing﴾ [Ash-Shura: 11].
Thus, if the attribute of boredom is established for Allah تعالى, it is a boredom befitting His perfection, and it does not resemble the boredom of created beings.
Shaykh Ibn Uthaymin رحمه الله mentioned several interpretations of the Prophet’s saying:
“Allah does not become bored until you become bored.”
Some scholars held that the hadith establishes the attribute of boredom for Allah سبحانه وتعالى.
However, it must be affirmed in a manner befitting Allah تعالى. It cannot be said that Allah’s boredom is like human boredom.
The boredom of a created being indicates weariness, frustration, weakness, or deficiency. As for the attributes affirmed for Allah سبحانه, they are attributes of perfection and do not have to resemble anything found in created beings.
Therefore, if the hadith establishes the attribute of boredom, it is affirmed for Allah تعالى without likening it to creation and without asking how it is.
Some scholars interpreted the hadith differently. They said that its meaning is that Allah تعالى does not cease rewarding His servant because of the servant’s abundant worship. No matter how consistently a person continues worshipping, Allah تعالى continues rewarding him, and His reward does not cease until the servant becomes bored of the worship.
According to this interpretation, the mention of boredom refers to the consequence or implication of boredom, rather than affirming boredom itself as a Divine attribute in its apparent sense.
Other scholars said that the hadith does not establish the attribute of boredom for Allah تعالى at all, because making one matter conditional upon another does not necessarily establish the first matter.
For example, if a person says:
“I will not stand until you stand.”
This does not necessarily mean that he will stand or that his standing has already been established. Rather, he has merely made his standing conditional upon the other person's standing.
Accordingly, the Prophet’s saying:
“Allah does not become bored until you become bored”
does not necessarily establish the attribute of boredom for Allah تعالى.
Regardless of these different interpretations of the hadith, a Muslim must believe that Allah تعالى is far above every attribute of deficiency.
If it is said that the hadith establishes the attribute of boredom, then Allah’s boredom is not like the boredom of created beings; rather, it is a form of boredom befitting His majesty and perfection.
The boredom of a created being arises from weakness, weariness, and inability, and these meanings do not befit Allah سبحانه وتعالى.
The principle concerning the Names and Attributes of Allah is that whatever is established for Allah تعالى is affirmed in a manner befitting Him, without asking how and without likening Him to His creation, while declaring Him free of every deficiency.
The Prophet’s saying صلى الله عليه وسلم:
“By Allah, Allah does not become bored until you become bored”
was said in the context of encouraging moderation in worship and explaining that the deeds most beloved to Allah تعالى are those that a person maintains consistently.
The scholars differed regarding whether it establishes the attribute of boredom for Allah تعالى:
Some held that it establishes the attribute of boredom for Allah تعالى in a manner befitting Him, without likening it to the boredom of created beings.
Some interpreted it as the consequence of boredom, meaning that Allah تعالى continues rewarding His servant until the servant becomes bored of the deed.
Others held that the hadith does not necessarily establish the attribute of boredom at all.
In all cases, Allah سبحانه وتعالى is free from every attribute of deficiency, and His attributes must never be understood as resembling the attributes of His creation.
And Allah knows best.