Hadith on Reflection: Think about wonders of creation, not Allah’s essence

Ibn Abbas reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, passed by some people who were thinking about the essence of Allah. The Prophet said, “Reflect upon acts of creation, but do not reflect upon the essence of the Creator. Verily, you cannot possibly comprehend His magnitude.”

Source: al-‘Aẓamah li-Abī al-Shaykh al-Iṣbahānī 5

Grade: Hasan li ghayrihi (fair due to external evidence) according to Al-Albani

عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ مَرَّ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَلَى قَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِي اللَّهِ فَقَالَ تَفَكَّرُوا فِي الْخَلْقِ وَلَا تَفَكَّرُوا فِي الْخَالِقِ فَإِنَّكُمْ لَا تَقْدُرُونَ قَدْرَهُ

1/216 العظمة لأبي الشيخ الأصبهاني باب الأمر بالتفكر في آيات الله عز وجل وقدرته وملكه وسلطانه وعظمته ووحدانيته

4/397 المحدث الألباني خلاصة حكم المحدث حسن بمجموع الطرق في السلسلة الصحيحة

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Abu Amina Elias
Abu Amina Elias (Justin Parrott) is an academic librarian, researcher, and translator specializing in the Quran, Hadith, and their commentaries. He is a former instructor of Islamic Creed for Mishkah University.
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