Mishkat al-Masabih

Mishkat al-Masabih 995

Arabic hadith text

وَعَنْ أَبِي ذَرٍّ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: " لَا يَزَالُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مُقْبِلًا عَلَى الْعَبْدِ وَهُوَ فِي صَلَاتِهِ مَا لَمْ يَلْتَفِتْ فَإِذَا الْتَفَتَ انْصَرَفَ عَنْهُ. رَوَاهُ أَحْمَدُ وَأَبُو دَاوُدَ وَالنَّسَائِيُّ وَالدَّارِمِيُّ

Translation

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Abu Dharr reported that the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) said: ‘God, Mighty and Majestic, continues to attend favorably to a servant while he is praying, so long as he does not look aside. When he does, He turns away from him.’ Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Nasa’i, and al-Darimi transmitted it.

Notes and open questions — unreviewed
  • وَعَنْ أَبِي ذَرٍّ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: " لَا يَزَالُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مُقْبِلًا عَلَى الْعَبْدِ وَهُوَ فِي صَلَاتِهِ مَا لَمْ يَلْتَفِتْ فَإِذَا الْتَفَتَ انْصَرَفَ عَنْهُ. رَوَاهُ أَحْمَدُ وَأَبُو دَاوُدَ وَالنَّسَائِيُّ وَالدَّارِمِيُّ

    The Arabic مُقْبِلًا عَلَى الْعَبْدِ literally describes God as turning toward or attending to the servant; renderings differ in how to express this theological idiom.

    Would a reviewed edition prefer ‘turns toward’ or ‘attends favorably to’ here?