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Allah has expressed taking his wali' s soul in this fashion so that its meaning could be clear to everyone: Although Allah does not wish to harm His wali, the overall good of taking His wali's soul must take precedence. Therefore, He causes His wali to die. (5) lbn Hajr quotes al-Karamaani as stating that this hadith implies that Allah takes the soul of the wali slowly, softly and in stages, as opposed to how the soul of other humans are taken. This is what is meant by the "hesitation" on the part of Allah and the act is referred as "hesitation" in order to stress this aspect of it. (6) lbn al-Salaah .stated that the meaning is not that Allah hesitates at all. Instead, Allah takes the soul of the believer in a way that is similar to one who is hesitating when he is doing something that he dislikes. Because Allah loves the slave, He does not want to do anything to harm him but Allah knows that this matter must be fulfilled. However, this hadith makes it clear that Allah does not take the soul of a wali in order to disgrace the wali. Instead, He takes his soul in order to elevate the person and move him to a life which will be much greater and more pleasing to him.1 (7) lbn Taimiya has offered the following explanation: When the servant becomes beloved to Allah, Allah fulfills his wants and needs, since he loves what Allah loves and hates what Allah hates. Therefore, Allah hates to harm this beloved of His. However, Allah has decreed that all souls must face death. This decree is also what Allah wants and it is something good. So Allah wants him to die, according to what He has decreed, yet He does not want to harm His servant through death. In one sense, then, death is desirable and, in another sense, it is undesirable. This is the reality of this "hesitation". When something is wanted due to one reason and, at the same time, not wanted due to another, it is something about which one would hesitate.2 (8) Al-Shaukaani takes a very different approach in interpreting this portion of the hadith. He begins by stating some important premises. He says that the "hesitation" must be of some benefit to the wali. This is because the 1 Quoted in al-Bugha and Mistu, pp. 326-327. 2 Ibn Taimiya is quoted in Usaamah Hamzah's footnotes to Ahmad ibn Taimiya, Al-Soofiyyah wa al-Fuqaraa (Cairo: Daar al-Fath, 1 984), pp. 35-36. Hamzah stated that this quote came from ibn Taimiya's work, al-Risaalah al-Muduniyyah. However, this author could not find it in the edition of that Risaalah available to him (which is different from the edition referred to by Hamzah). However, the author did find a very similar passage from ibn Taimiya in Muhammad Rashaad Saalim, ed., Jaami al-Rasaail l-ib.n Taimiya (Cairo: Matbaah al-Madani, 1 984), vol. 2, p. 107. 1 1 74 Hadith #38: "Whoever Shows Enmity to . . . " hadith is a type of encouragement for people to reach the status of being a wali of Allah. If the wali's death is no different from any other servant, then there would be nothing special concerning the wali.1 He also states that all scholars recognize that nothing occurs but by the will of Allah. However, he argues, that they neglect the fact that Allah is able to do everything that He wills and there is nothing constraining Him. He may even change what He has decreed from one thing to another-- although all of that was within His knowledge and His preordainment. He knew that certain causes would occur. This is why one's supplications and prayers have some effect. Allah changes the decree because of one's supplications. If there were no effect to prayers, and a person only received what is decreed, this would imply that Allah does not actually respond to the supplication. That conclusion contradicts what is stated in this hadith, "Were he to ask of Me, I would surely give it to him." Indeed, there is a hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) that states, J 0 (P .... J J (P ,.. .... o J. .... . 11 'ii 0 d11 • ஊ .' 'i' ఏ:UI 'ii WI ஋J , 'i -r.: : -: i..1- -!- J : f.. "Nothing repels the Decree except supplications and nothing increases one's lifetime except righteousness."2 The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to seek refuge in Allah from an evil decree. (Recorded by al­ al-Bukhari.) Allah says in the Quran, >.J : J..rJ _, - " .J O , I I / J .... ,,. • J ,,.. J ' .... :. .... I .... ),JJ I I J C / ক ' -࣒- i\ 302J 3._) 45 \...4 A.\l ൗ "Allah blots out what He wills and confirms [what He wills]. And with Him is the preserved tablet" (al-Rad 39).