God’s messenger stood up among us and made five statements, saying, “God does not sleep, as it is unfitting that He should do so; He lowers the scale and raises it up; the deeds done by night are taken up to Him before the day’s deeds are done; the deeds done by day before the night’s deeds are done; His veil is light, if He were to remove it His majesty would burn up all His creation which was reached by His glance.” Muslim transmitted it.
The Divine Attribute of Vigilance
"God does not sleep, as it is unfitting that He should do so" - This establishes Allah's perfect and eternal wakefulness, distinguishing the Creator from creation. Sleep implies need for rest and limitation, attributes utterly incompatible with Divine Perfection. As Imam al-Qurtubi states: "Allah's watchfulness encompasses all affairs without fatigue or negligence."
Divine Administration of Deeds
"He lowers the scale and raises it up" - This refers to Allah's absolute control over the measure of provision, blessings, and the scales of justice. Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani explains: "The lowering and raising signifies Allah's perfect management of all affairs, increasing and decreasing according to His infinite wisdom."
"The deeds done by night are taken up to Him before the day's deeds are done; the deeds done by day before the night's deeds are done" - This demonstrates the continuous Divine recording of human actions. Imam al-Nawawi comments: "Angels alternate in presenting deeds, showing Allah's constant supervision without interruption."
The Veil of Divine Majesty
"His veil is light, if He were to remove it His majesty would burn up all His creation which was reached by His glance" - This profound statement reveals the merciful protection Allah provides creation from His overwhelming majesty. Al-Ghazali explains: "The light-veil represents the graduated manifestation of Divine attributes that creation can bear. Direct exposure to Divine Essence would annihilate all existence."
Scholarly Significance
This hadith from Mishkat al-Masabih 91 contains essential theological principles: Allah's eternal attributes, His continuous engagement with creation, and the merciful limitation of Divine manifestation. As transmitted by Muslim, it forms a cornerstone in understanding the relationship between Divine transcendence and immanence.