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There is a famous hadith in which God was asked why He made the world. His response was that He longed to be known. I would very much appreciate being directed to that particular hadith, so that I can cite it in an academic paper.

With thanks,

JW

Jennifer
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  • Salam and welcome to Islam SE the Q&A site about Islam. Please consider taking your time to get to know how this site works by taking our [tour] and visiting our [help]. – Medi1Saif Aug 14 '16 at 08:04
  • I honestly don't know about such a hadith. Can you say whether it was quoted by shi'a or sunni references maybe that would be helpful. – Medi1Saif Aug 14 '16 at 08:05
  • I've come across this somewhere, but unfortunately can't recall where; as one of the answers below indicate, it was in a Sufi context. – Mozibur Ullah Aug 14 '16 at 08:26

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It sounds like you are referring to the "hadith of the hidden treasure", which is sometimes rendered as

I was a hidden treasure and was not known; I loved to be known, therefore I created creation and made Myself known to them so that they came to know Me.

While often cited in sufi literature, you should mention that this hadith is not recognized by the scholars as having any known valid isnad (chain of transmission), even though its meaning is considered true. References for this hadith being considered a fabrication are numerous and easy to find, in particular Ibn Taymiyyah is reported in ['al-Maqaasid al-Hasanah' of as-Sakhaawee (no. 838)] to have stated (comments in [] by me):

This is not from the words of the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam), and there is no known isnaad [chain of transmission] for it be it saheeh [sound] or da'eef [weak].

according to this website. Concerning whether the meaning of this narration is considered true in Islam, 51:56 seems to be relevant, as it is a Quranic verse with similar meaning:

And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.

Ibn Abbas is reported to have said "worship Me" has the meaning of "know Me" here. I do not know what your paper is intended to show, but it should be said here that the longing of Allah to be known is not interpreted as a need on the part of Allah, since God is considered self-sufficient in Islam.

G. Bach
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Let me share what i found:

“It is Allah Who has created seven heavens and of the earth the like thereof (i.e. seven). His Command descends between them (heavens and earth), that you may know that Allah has power over all things, and that Allah surrounds all things in (His) Knowledge.” Quran[65:12]

And i think it is very close to what you are looking for. I will update if i find something more relevant to what you are looking for.

Zia Ul Rehman Mughal
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