The hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), “For indeed, Allah does not become bored until you become bored,” has three explanations among the ulama.
Some say this hadith proves that boredom is an attribute of Allah, but not like that of creation. The boredom of creation is a deficiency, while Allah’s boredom is perfect. Just as we affirm all of Allah’s attributes in a way that befits Him, this too is affirmed in a manner of perfection.
Others say that this hadith does not mean Allah has boredom but rather means that Allah rewards actions continuously, so one should do as much good as possible, for Allah will not stop rewarding unless the person stops doing good. According to this, boredom in the hadith refers to its consequence rather than being a direct attribute. [Best opinion, as it aligns with the context]
Regardless, Allah is free from all deficiencies, including boredom. If boredom is affirmed, it is in a manner of perfection that is not like the boredom of creation.
Translation: Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: “Do we affirm the attribute of boredom (malal) for Allah?”
He replied: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said in a hadith: “For indeed, Allah does not become bored until you become bored.” Some ulama said this proves that boredom is an attribute of Allah, but His boredom is not like that of creation. The boredom of a created being is a deficiency because it means they feel tired or fed up, whereas Allah’s boredom is perfect and does not contain any deficiency. This applies to all the attributes we affirm for Allah in a perfect way, even if they would not be perfect for creation.
Other ulama said this hadith does not mean Allah has boredom but rather that it explains how Allah rewards actions. So, do as much good as you can, for Allah will never stop rewarding you unless you stop doing good. According to this explanation, boredom here refers to the consequence of boredom, not the attribute itself.
Another group of ulama said that this hadith does not prove boredom for Allah at all. It is like when someone says, “I will not stand until you stand,” which does not necessarily mean the second person will stand. Similarly, “Allah does not become bored until you become bored” does not prove boredom for Allah in any way.
In any case, we must believe that Allah is free from all deficiencies, including boredom or anything else. If boredom is affirmed by this hadith, then it is in a manner that befits Allah’s perfection, and not like the boredom of creation.
Majmu’ Fatawa wa Rasail Muhammad ibn Salih al-‘Uthaymeen (1/174-175)
Ibn Rajab says the angels build the houses of Paradise through the remembrance of Allah. If a person slows down in remembrance, the angel stops building and asks what happened. This shows that continuous action leads to continuous rewards.
When a person keeps doing good deeds, he may receive rewards for past actions that he would not get if he stopped. Allah loves consistency in deeds and rewards them more than actions that are abandoned. This applies to supplication as well—a person is answered as long as he does not become impatient and stop. If he stops, his supplication is not answered. This prevention from Allah is called boredom or weariness as a response to the person’s own boredom and weariness, just as Allah said: “They forgot Allah, so He forgot them.”
The strongest evidence for this is the hadith of ‘A’ishah, where the Prophet ﷺ said: “Do what you can of good deeds, for Allah does not stop rewarding until you stop acting.”
Some tried to change the meaning of hatta in the hadith, but their views are weak. Ibn Qutaybah also interpreted it differently, but his claim remains incomplete.
The phrase is commonly used in Arabic, and some have suggested that hatta (until) here means lam al-ta‘lil, meaning Allah does not become bored so that you may become bored. However, this interpretation is weak, because if that were the case, the phrase would have been “so that you do not become bored,” making it clear that Allah does not stop giving and that knowing this should encourage people to continue doing good.
Some argue that the statement implies boredom for Allah through mafhum al-ghayah. Those who reject this concept deny that the wording proves this attribute for Allah at all. Those who accept it say that when evidence negates an attribute from Allah, it cannot be inferred from the text.
Since evidence clearly negates all deficiencies from Allah, boredom and weariness are also negated from Him.
Translation: Al-Hasan Al Basri (d. 10AH) said: “The houses of Paradise are built by the angels through remembrance of Allah. If a servant slows down in remembrance, the angel stops building. The angel then asks, ‘What is wrong, O so-and-so?’ The person replies, ‘My companion has slowed down.’ Al-Hasan said: ‘Support them—may Allah have mercy on you—with provision (of deeds).’”
Also, when a person continues doing good deeds, he may receive rewards from his past actions that he would not have received if he had stopped. Allah loves continuous and consistent deeds and rewards them in a way He does not reward those that are interrupted.
This meaning is also confirmed regarding supplication. A servant’s supplication is answered as long as he does not become impatient and say, ‘I have supplicated, but I have not been answered,’ and then he stops supplicating. This shows that if a person persists in supplication and insists on it, he will be answered. But if he stops and gives up, he will be prevented from receiving a response. This prevention from Allah is described as boredom or weariness in return for the servant’s own boredom and weariness, just as Allah said: ‘They forgot Allah, so He forgot them’ (At-Tawbah: 67), meaning He abandoned and left them as a response to their abandonment of Him.
This is the most apparent explanation given regarding this matter.
Supporting this is the narration from ‘A’ishah, in which the Prophet ﷺ said: ‘Do what you can of good deeds, for Allah does not stop rewarding until you stop acting.’ This was recorded by Baqiyy ibn Makhlad, though in its chain is Musa ibn ‘Ubaydah.
It has been said that hatta here means wa (and), but this is not correct because hatta only connects individual words, not whole sentences, as known among grammarians, though some disagreed. Others said hatta means when, but this is not known.
Ibn Qutaybah claimed that the meaning of the hadith is: ‘Allah does not stop unless you stop,’ but he also claimed that The usage of this phrase is well known in Arabic speech. Some have said that hatta here means lam al-ta‘lil (the preposition indicating reason or purpose), meaning that Allah does not become bored so that you may become bored with your deeds.
However, this interpretation is unlikely. If this were the meaning, it would have been phrased as “so that you do not become bored,” making the purpose clear—that Allah does not tire of giving, and informing people of this should encourage them to continue acting without feeling tired or bored.
It could also be said that this statement attributes boredom and weariness to Allah by way of mafhum al-ghayah (implication through limitation).
Those who reject mafhum al-ghayah (those who do not consider this implication valid) deny that the wording proves boredom for Allah in any way.
Those who accept mafhum say that when evidence proves that an attribute is negated for Allah, it cannot be understood from the text.
And indeed, there is clear evidence negating deficiencies and imperfections from Allah, and among these deficiencies is boredom and weariness.
Fath Al Bari by Ibn Rajab (1/165-166)
