What is the ruling on saying: "It is as if Allah places His hand on the chest of the one who supplicates at the time of the predawn to tell him: 'Be at ease, I am with you'"?
The names and attributes of Allah are Tawqifiyyah (restricted to what is revealed), meaning that nothing can be affirmed from them except what has been established by a text. It is forbidden to speak about Allah without knowledge, as He says: (And that you say about Allah what you do not know). Therefore, the statement that Allah places His hand on the chest of one who supplicates during the pre-dawn hours is a clear reprehensible statement that has no textual basis. It is speaking about Allah without knowledge and imagining something that has not been proven. What is obligatory is to adhere to the reported text, which is the hadith of the Divine Descent in the last third of the night. Imam Ahmad said: "So we say as He said, and we describe Him as He described Himself, we do not go beyond that." Qawwam as-Sunnah al-Isfahani said: "So He is not named except by what He named Himself in His Book, or what His Messenger, peace be upon him, named Him, or what the Ummah has agreed upon... And He is not described except by what He described Himself, or what His Messenger, peace be upon him, described Him, or what the Muslims have agreed upon. Whoever describes Him with anything other than that is misguided." Although the speaker may intend to express the state of answered supplication, what is obligatory is to adhere to what has been reported and not to transgress. Allah says: (So do not present similitudes for Allah. Indeed, Allah knows, and you do not know).
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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