عَنْ أَبِي مُوسَى الْأَشْعَرِيّ رضى الله عنه، قَالَ: قَامَ فِينَا رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ بِخَمْسِ كَلِمَاتٍ، فَقَالَ: «إِنَّ اللهَ - عزَّ وجلَّ - لَا يَنَامُ، « وَلَا يَنْبَغِي لَهُ أَنْ يَنَامَ، يَخْفِضُ الْقِسْطَ وَيَرْفَعُهُ، يُرْفَعُ إِلَيْهِ عَمَلُ اللَّيْلِ قَبْلَ عَمَلِ النَّهَارِ، وَعَمَلُ النَّهَارِ قَبْلَ عَمَلِ اللَّيْلِ، حِجَابُهُ النُّورُ - وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ: النَّارُ - لَوْ كَشَفَهُ لَأَحْرَقَتْ سُبُحَاتُ وَجْهِهِ مَا انْتَهَى إِلَيْهِ بَصَرُهُ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ».
Abu Mūsā al-Ash‘arī narrated, saying: ‘God’s Messenger (peace be upon him) addressed us stating five points. He said: “God, the Mighty and Exalted, does not sleep and it is not for Him to sleep. He puts the balance down and up. The works of the night are presented to Him before the works of the day, and the works of the day before the works of the night. His screen is light”. (In a different narration: the fire.) Were He to remove it, the light and splendour of His face would have burnt all creatures in His sight’.
Related by Muslim, 179.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) tells us some of the attributes of God, Mighty and Exalted. One such attribute is that He does not sleep. Indeed sleep does not apply to Him, because sleep is a quality of weakness and no weakness may attach to God. He accepts good deeds, elevating these to Himself, and rejects those that are not good. The angels present to Him the deeds done during the night before the start of the day, and present the deeds of the day before the start of the night. The Prophet further tells us that God’s screen from His creation is made of light – or from fire. Were He to remove it, the light of His face would burn all creation.
