Sahih al-Bukhari — Hadith 6502
Narrated by Abu Hurairah
إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَالَ مَنْ عَادَى لِي وَلِيًّا فَقَدْ آذَنْتُهُ بِالْحَرْبِ
Translation
The Prophet said: 'Allah said: I will declare war against him who shows hostility to a pious worshipper of Mine. And the most beloved things with which My slave comes nearer to Me is what I have enjoined upon him; and My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing Nawafil (voluntary deeds beyond what is obligatory) till I love him, so I become his sense of hearing with which he hears, and his sense of sight with which he sees, and his hand with which he grips, and his leg with which he walks; and if he asks Me, I will give him, and if he asks My protection, I will protect him.'
Commentary
This Hadith Qudsi describes the highest spiritual station attainable by a human being. The journey begins with obligatory worship (fard), then progresses through voluntary acts (nawafil) until one reaches a state where divine love transforms every faculty. 'I become his hearing... his sight... his hand... his leg' does not mean literal incarnation but describes a state of perfect alignment with divine will — every perception and action becomes guided by God. This hadith is central to Islamic spirituality (tasawwuf/Sufism) and describes what scholars call 'wilaya' (closeness to God).