Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
Al-Bukhari narrated from Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said in what he narrated from his Lord, the Mighty and Majestic:
“Indeed, Allah said: Whoever shows hostility to a close servant of Mine, I have declared war against him. My servant does not draw near to Me with anything more beloved to Me than what I have made obligatory upon him. My servant continues to draw near to Me with voluntary deeds until I love him. When I love him, I become his hearing with which he hears, his sight with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his foot with which he walks. If he asks Me, I will surely give him; and if he seeks My protection, I will surely protect him. I have not hesitated concerning anything I do as I have hesitated concerning the soul of My believing servant: he dislikes death, and I dislike causing him distress.”
Thus, the hadith is authentic. It contains a description of hesitation in the context of taking the soul of the believing servant, out of mercy, compassion, and love for him, because the believer dislikes death and Allah dislikes causing distress to His believing servant whom He loves.
The hesitation mentioned in the hadith is not like the hesitation of a created being, which may arise from doubt about ability, ignorance of consequences, or uncertainty about what is beneficial.
Allah, Glorified and Exalted, is perfect in knowledge and power, and none of the deficiencies that affect created beings apply to Him.
Therefore, the hesitation mentioned in the text should be understood within the context in which it occurs in the hadith: it concerns taking the soul of the believer because of mercy and compassion toward him and dislike of causing him distress.
It is not correct to attribute “hesitation” to Allah in an unrestricted manner if doing so conveys meanings of deficiency or inability.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-‘Uthaymin, may Allah have mercy on him, was asked about this hadith and whether it establishes the attribute of hesitation for Allah. He answered, in summary:
“Affirming hesitation for Allah, Mighty and Majestic, in an unrestricted manner is not permissible. Allah mentioned hesitation specifically in this matter: ‘I have not hesitated concerning anything I do as I have hesitated concerning taking the soul of My believing servant.’ This hesitation is not due to doubt about what is beneficial, nor due to doubt about the ability to do something. Rather, it is due to mercy toward this believing servant.”
He explained that the believer dislikes death, while Allah dislikes causing him distress. This does not mean that Allah has doubt concerning His knowledge or power.
As for a human being’s hesitation when intending to do something, it may result from not knowing the consequences of matters or from doubting his ability to perform the action. Allah is far above all of that.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, was asked about the meaning of the hesitation mentioned in the hadith. He explained that the hadith is authentic, that the words of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, are true, and that it is not permissible to reject them because of assuming a false meaning.
He explained that Allah’s attributes cannot be compared to the attributes of created beings, because Allah says:
“There is nothing whatsoever like Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.” [Ash-Shūrā 42:11]
He then clarified that hesitation in the case of a created being may arise for various reasons and does not necessarily result from ignorance of consequences.
A person may love something from one perspective and dislike it from another, so the same action may be desired from one perspective and disliked from another.
He gave examples, including what a sick person wants from medicine while disliking its taste or difficulty, and righteous deeds that the soul dislikes while the servant nevertheless wants to perform them because of the good they contain.
Allah says:
“Fighting has been prescribed for you, although it is hateful to you.” [Al-Baqarah 2:216]
And the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
“Paradise is surrounded by things that are disliked, and Hellfire is surrounded by desires.”
Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, explained that the believer who draws near to Allah through obligatory and voluntary deeds becomes beloved to Allah.
Allah has decreed death for His servants, and death is unavoidable. Therefore, it is willed by Allah from the perspective of His decree.
At the same time, Allah dislikes causing him distress, because this believer is beloved to Allah and dislikes death.
Thus, two matters come together:
The taking of the believer’s soul is willed in accordance with what Allah has decreed.
Causing him distress is disliked because of the pain of death and separation from this world.
This is the meaning of the hesitation mentioned in the hadith according to Ibn Taymiyyah: one thing may be desired from one perspective and disliked from another, while the aspect of willing it prevails because death is a decreed matter that must occur.
That is why the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said in the hadith:
“He dislikes death, and I dislike causing him distress.”
This hesitation is not like the hesitation of a created being that arises from ignorance or inability. Rather, it is a meaning befitting Allah, while believing that His attributes do not resemble the attributes of His creation.
Allah should not be described as “hesitant” in an unrestricted manner, because when the word is used without qualification, it may convey false meanings that do not befit Allah.
Rather, what has come in the revealed text should be affirmed. For example, one may say:
“The Sacred Hadith mentions hesitation concerning the taking of the believer’s soul.”
This hesitation should be explained according to what the hadith indicates: willing the taking of the soul from one perspective and disliking causing him distress from another, without understanding it as doubt, ignorance, or inability.
The hadith “I have not hesitated in anything I do…” is authentic and established.
The hesitation mentioned in it concerns taking the soul of the believer.
It must not be understood as doubt, ignorance, or inability, for Allah is perfect in knowledge and power.
The meaning is that taking the believer’s soul is willed in accordance with divine decree, while causing him distress is disliked because he is a believing servant beloved to Allah and he dislikes death.
This must not be compared with the hesitation of a created being arising from ignorance of consequences or doubt about ability.
It is preferable not to describe Allah as hesitant without qualification, but rather to restrict the description to the meaning mentioned in the hadith and affirm it in a manner befitting Allah.
And Allah knows best.