[SECOND]: In His Saying: Neither slumber, nor sleep overtakes Him, Allaah did not say (what means): “He does not sleep,” instead He said: (which means) “does not overtake Him” in order to comprise the sleep which overcomes and that arising by choice. If you say, “Does not sleep,” it would imply that He does not sleep by choice. However, Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, does not sleep neither by ghalabah (overcoming) nor by choice, because sleep is an imperfect attribute which contradicts both the perfection of the Self and the perfection in relation to others.
The person who is given to sleep misses a lot of his work because of His sleeping. Consider, for example, the case of a person who has many people working for him and he sleeps a lot. He is unable to reckon with nor manage the business or other related matters. This is an imperfection with respect to others.
As regard to self-perfection, sleep is a deficiency because it indicates that the person’s body got tired and thus he needed the sleep as a rest from what has passed, as well as a means to renew his activity to engage in what will come ahead. That is the why the people of al-Jannah do not sleep—because of the perfection of their lives and bodies. No illness or the like touches them.
If someone says, “We know that the person who does not sleep is unable to do so because of some kind of sickness or a defect, while you say that the lack of sleep is a perfection. Explain.”
We say, “This applies to the creature, and in this case perfection is a relative matter [with respect to Allaah it is perfection]. There is no doubt that the person who does not sleep because of an illness has a defect, and that is why he stays always in a state of languor and exhaustion. Thus his welfare will not be established. This is evident from the saying of Allaah, the Most High:
And have made your sleep as a thing for rest
[Qur’aan, Soorat An-Naba’ (78:9)],
meaning that sleep is something that will discontinue the hardship and tiredness. If Allaah would sleep, and far is He above such imperfection, then this would necessitate that He needs to rest. In addition, the creation will be ruined because they are in need of Him; even the sleeping person is in need of Allaah. In fact, the Prophet (r) used to invoke Allaah at night when he was about to sleep:
“If You take my soul, bestow mercy on it [and forgive it, as in another narration], and if You release it then protect it as You protect your righteous slaves.”[1][38]
In short, it is impossible that Allaah, the One free of all imperfections and the Most High, sleeps. The Prophet (r) said:
"Verily Allaah does not sleep and it does not befit Him to sleep."[2][39]
The word [does not befit] when used in the Qur’aan and sunnah means “the thing which is absolutely impossible to be,” as Allaah said:
But it is not befitting for (the Majesty of) ar-Rahmaan (Allaah) that He should beget a son (or offspring or children). [Qur’aan, Soorat Maryam (19:92)].
[It should be noted] that Allaah’s saying:
Neither slumber, nor sleep overtakes Him,
signifies as-sifaat as-salbiyyah (attributes of negation: negating any imperfection and implying perfection). The rule with respect to the Names and Attributes of Allaah, the Most High, is that there is no such thing as a pure attribute of negation.[3][40] Indeed, when as-sifaat as-salbiyyah are mentioned, it is because they imply the perfection of the attributes which are in contradiction to those of negation.[4][41] So, because of the Perfection of Allaah’s Life and qayyoumiyyah,[5][42] then neither slumber nor sleep overtake Him.[6][43]
[THIRD]: In the Third statement, Allaah تعالى said:
To Him belongs whatever (maa) is in the heavens[7][44] and whatever is on the earth.
The name “maa” here is a conjunctive noun (gram. ism mawsool) taking a form of generalization. The term is used in this form in order to indicate that it comprises both the beings and their states. The meaning, therefore, is that Allaah is the One Who masters the affairs of everything in existence in the heavens and the earth: creating, sovereignty-kingship, and management;
The sentence, “To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth,” is a declarative clause in which the predicate (gram. khabar) “To Him” has preceded the subject (gram. mubtada’) which is the conjunctive noun: “Whatever”. In this way, there is a grammatical state of hasr (exclusivity, restriction) which signifies that to Him (Allaah) alone belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth. Accordingly, since creating, sovereignty-kingship, and management of affairs belong to Allaah alone, it is incumbent that we should surrender to Him alone because we are His slaves, and a slave must surrender to the One Who Owns and Masters him, Allaah, the One free of all imperfection, the Most High.
In addition, we must stand to persevere Allaah’s pre-decree because we are His possession. and anything which is owned by Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, then it follows that is His right to administer its affairs as He Wills. This right is the same whether His pre-decree applies to the person himself, his family, wealth, friends, country, or the rest of mankind. The important thing is that since the dominion belongs to Allaah, then it is His exclusive right to do whatever He Wills.
In the saying of Allaah (which means), “To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth,” the term “heavens” came in the plural form[8][45] while the word “earth” was stated in the singular though what is meant is the plural. In this regard, the intended usage of the term “earth” refers to the jins (kind).
[1][38]Reported by Al-Bukhaari, Saheeh Al-Bukhaari (Arabic/English), vol. 8, no. 332.
[2][39]Saheeh Muslim (English Translation), vol. 1, no. 343.
[3][40]This is because mere negation does not denote any attribute, and therefore it is not considered a praise. In addition, the attributes of negation are of two kinds:
1. General, and
2. Specific.
The meaning of generality in negation is that Allaah, Most High, negates all imperfections implicitly denoting that all Perfection is His. For example: Allaah, the Exalted, says: { ليس كمثله شيء}, [which means], “There is nothing like unto Him.” So, there is nothing unto Him in His Knowledge, Ability, Hearing, Seeing, Might, Wisdom, Mercy, and so forth. In this general negation, Allaah I did not specify the negation. Accordingly all imperfections are denied and all perfections are denoted, and it is stated that there is nothing like unto Him in all of His Perfection.
On the other hand, the specificity in negation is to negate specific allegations of imperfection. For example to deny that defects and drawbacks like forgetfulness, sleep, ignorance, havin son or partner, etc. are associated with Allaah, the Exalted. Again, the Perfection is implied as against the negation. [See Shaykh ibn ‘Uthaymeen’s Sharhul Waasitiyah], vol. 1, pp. 145-146.
[4][41]For example, the negation of ignorance stands for the affirmation of Allaah’s unlimited knowledge. The negation of death, which is in contradiction of life, implies the perfection of Allaah’s attribute of Life.
[5][42]Qayyoumiyyah: The Attribute denoted by Allaah’s Name al-Qayyoum.
[6][43]The Perfection of His Life negates that Allaah I needs to sleep and the same is also due to the Perfection of His qayyoumiyyah, as sleep is needed by the created living creatures due to their imperfection. Although sleeping and eating may be considered as attributes of perfection with respect to man, as a person who does not sleep or eat is considered ill, they are perfection from one angle and defects from another. They are perfection in the sense that they indicate that the body is sound and healthy, and are defects because the body needs them to function. In reality, therefore, they are defects. Accordingly, not every relative perfection in the creature is a perfection for the Creator, and not every Perfection associated with the Creator is a perfection in the created. Eating, drinking and sleeping are relative “perfection” with respect to the creature and negated defects with respect to Allaah I. That is why Allaah, the Most High, said about Himself:
{ وَهُوَ يُطْعِمُ وَلاَ يُطْعَمُ } [الأنعام، 14]
And it is He (Allaah) Who feeds and is not fed.
[Qur’aan, Soorat Al-An’aam (6:14)].
[7][44]From the angels, jinn, and all that which exists, including which we have no knowledge of.
[8][45]The Qur’aan has stated that there are seven heavens:
{ قُلْ مَنْ رَبُّ السَّماواتِ السَّبعِ وَرَبُّ العَرْشِ العظيم } [المؤمنون،86].
Say: Who is the Rabb of the seven heavens and the Rabb of the great ‘arsh? [Qur’aan, Soorat Al-Mu’minoon (23:86)].
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