How close is God to us?

God is close to all things and all people, but not everyone is close to God. If A is close to B, how can B not be close to A? The definition of closeness here is not measured by distance but rather by the awareness of the spiritual relations.

God is always aware of His closeness to us, thus He is always close to us. We are not always aware of this proximity; therefore we are not always close to God. We are close to God to the extent that we are aware of God’s closeness to us.


Suppose a blind man and a sighted man are sitting next to each other: the sighted man knows that he is close to his blind friend, but the blind man is not aware of his friend’s presence and proximity. If the eye of our heart is blind, we will be far from God.

A given thing is either present or absent. If something is absent, we know its attributes first and then we proceed to know the thing. If something is present, we know the thing first and then only we conceive of its attributes.

For example, for a knowledgeable person will know there is a fire if he sees black smoke. For the man of God, he know God is present just by looking at God's attributes. The men of knowledge knows God by God attributes. The stupid and heart blinded person needs to see God Himself to acknowledge His existence.

Therefore, by learning the Higher Intent of God's Revelations (Maqasid Syariah), we will be able to practice Islam according to the true Objectives and Intentions of how God actually wanted us to adhere, hence to be close to God.

If we want to be close to someone we loved, we must learn what they actually wants or dislike. A boy would learn what his girlfriend wants or dislike in order to be close with her. Similarly, we need to learn the true intent of God (what God wants and what He dislike) in order to be close to Him.

Wallahu'alam