Does Allah Love Us?
Transcribed from a khutbah by Ustadh Muhammad AlShareef
After the Prophet (Sal Allahu alayhi Wa Sallam) passed away, Aboo Idrees Al Khawlanee (d. 80 AH/699-700 CE) in Dimishq (Damascus), went to Masjid Al Kabeer. And in the masjid he saw a group of people sitting around one man. And he described the man as smiling very much and people were sitting around him asking questions. So Aboo Idrees Al Khawlanee asked,
“Who is this man?”
and they answered him saying
“That is Muadh Ibn Jabal (Radi Allahu Anhu), the companion of the Prophet (Sal Allahu alayhi Wa Sallam).”
So Aboo Idrees Al Khawlanee came the next day early in the morning before Salaatul Fajr, and he thought that he was the first one to enter the masjid but there he found Muadh Ibn Jabal (Radi Allahu Anhu) praying in the masjid before Salaat. So Aboo Ibrees came to Muadh and sat behind him and waited for him to complete his prayer. After Muadh completed his prayer, Abu Idrees went to him and said to him,
“Oh Muadh! I love you for the sake of Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala)!”
Muadh Ibn Jabal (Radi Allahu Anhu) pulled Aboo Idrees closer and he asked him,
“Aal la hu Lillah?” “By Allah do you love me only for the sake of Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala)?”
So Aboo Idrees said,
“Yes!”
So Muadh Ibn Jabal (Radi Allahu Anhu) smiled and pulled him closer and said to him,
“Let me give you the good news for verily I heard the Prophet (Sal Allahu alayhi Wa Sallam) say, “Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) said,
“Wajabat Muhabbati Li Mutahaabina fiya”
“My love is wajib upon those who love for my sake””
(This narration is similar to the one found in Muwatta Imam Malik(Book 51, Number 51.5.15) except the one in the Muwatta says Salaatud Dhuhr instead of Salaatul Fajr)
Brothers and Sisters throughout history people have claimed that they love Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) and Allah loves them. The Christians claim that Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala ) loves them but Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) calls them
وَلاَ الضَّالِّين
“The Misguided” (S1.V7)
and the Jews claim that they love Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) but Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) says about them
غَيرِ المَغضُوبِ عَلَيهِمْ
“Those whom Allah is angry with”.(S1.V7)
And so Muslims also claim that they love Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala). But the fact that Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) loves us, is the real question. Does Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) truly love us?
In Sahih Al Bukhari, the Prophet (Sal Allahu alayhi Wa Sallam) says “When Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) loves someone he calls Jibreel and Allah then says
“Ya Jibreel! Inni uhibbu fulan!” “Oh Jibreel! I love such and such a person, so love him!”
and Allah names that person and then Jibreel loves that person. Then Jibreel calls out to all the angels of the heavens and he says,
“Allah loves so and so, so love him!”, so all the angels love him. And then Allah places the pleasure of in the hearts of the people towards this person!”
The Prophet said in another narration of this hadeeth,
“The slave will continue to try to win the pleasure of Allah, he will try to win the love of Allah until Allah calls Jibreel and says to him, “Oh Jibreel! My slave so and so is trying to please me, verily my love has overcome him!”
Indeed the Prophet (Sal Allahu alayhi Wa Sallam) told us in the Quran and the Sunnah about many people that Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) loved. In the Quran we find many stories of people that Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) loved. And amongst the greatest people that Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) loved was Ibraheen (Alayhis Salaam). Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala ) said ,
وَاتَّخَذَ اللّهُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ خَلِيلاً
“And Allah took Ibraheem as a Khalil(close and dear friend)” (S4.V125)
When one of the companions heard the Prophet (Sal Allahu alayhi Wa Sallam) recite this in salaah, he said to the Prophet (Sal Allahu alayhi Wa Sallam),
“May coolness of her eyes be the mother of Ibraheem. For who wouldn’t love for their son to be taken as the Khalil of Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala).””
And from the people that Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) loved was Ayyub (Alayhis Salaam)
Allah said,
إِنَّا وَجَدْنَاهُ صَابِرًا
“We found him to be patient”
and then Allah said
نِعْمَ الْعَبْ
“What a beautiful(blessed) slave he is”
And form the people that Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) loved is in Sahih Muslim, the Prophet (Sal Allahu alayhi Wa Sallam) told us that a man went out once to visit his brother for the sake of Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala). And on his path Allah sent an angel and the angel asked him where are you going , and he said
“I am going to visit my brother for the sake of Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala )”
and the angel asked him
“Do you have any other reason to go to his house?”
then he said
“I am going for no other reason than for the sake of Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala )”
Then the angel said
“Verily I give you the good news, I am an angel form Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala ) with a message from Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) that He loves you!”
And form the people that Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) loved was Khadija (Radi Allahu Anha). In Sahih Al Bukhari the Prophet (Sal Allahu alayhi Wa Sallam) was sitting with Jibreel reciting the Quran and Khadija (Radi Allahu Anha) came. Jibreel turned to Khadija and said
“This is Khadija bringing you some food. Give her my salaam!”
This is Jibreel (Alayhis Salaam) saying give my salaam to Khadija (Radi Allahu Anha) and then he said
“Give her the glad tidings of a home in paradise!”
What happens when Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala ) loves us?
Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) first and foremost will mention the name of the person, fulan ibn fulan, and then Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) will call to Jibreel and tell him that he loves this person. Not only will Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) love this person but also Jibreel will love this person. Not only Jibreel but also the angels of the heavens and the earth will love this person. And then Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) will put the pleasure in the hearts of the people towards this person.
And if that person was to ask anything, Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) would grant what he asks for. And if he seeks refuge in Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) from anything, Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) will protect him. And a person whose case is such, his end is definitely Jannah.
And Brothers and Sisters on the same side of this hadeeth we also have to be aware and fear gaining the wrath of Allah. We also have to beware of the people who gain the anger of Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala). On the same side of this hadeeth the Prophet (Sal Allahu alayhi Wa Sallam) said that a person would continue to anger Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) and disobey Allah, until Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) will hate that person. And Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) will call to Jibreel and Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) will tell Jibreel “Oh Jibreel! My servant so and so is continuing to anger me and my anger has overcome him.”
Part II
I was listening to a tape once and a man or the shaykh was talking about stories and hadeeth dealing with children. And one of the stories that he mentioned was about the Prophet (Sal Allahu alayhi Wa Sallam) playing with children. The Prophet (Sal Allahu alayhi Wa Sallam) was playing with Al Husayn and then he raised him up for people to see and he said,
“Allah will love those who love Al Husayn!”
So it got me thinking what other ways from the Quran and Sunnah that we can do to get Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) to love us, to gain Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala)’s love. From this Ibn Al Qayyim (Rahimullah) wrote different ways we gain Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala)’s love. And I will mention those things that he wrote.
Firstly, we need to take advantage of the third portion of the night. The Prophet (Sal Allahu alayhi Wa Sallam) said,
“Every night Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) comes down to the Samaa’ Ad Dunya and he calls out to the people “Is there anyone who will ask for dua’a, so I may accept their dua’a! Is there anyone who will ask for forgiveness, so I shall forgive them!””
So we should take advantage of this in praying Qiyaam Ul Layl (Voluntary Night Prayer).
We should also remember Allah often. Whenever we are commuting to work or standing in a line somewhere its always our chance to remember Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala). Allah says,
فَاذْكُرُونِي أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَاشْكُرُواْ لِي وَلاَ تَكْفُرُونِ
“Remember me and I shall remember you” (S2.V152)
And who does not want Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) to remember them???
We should read the Quran with understanding. Read what Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) revealed to us for our life and for our death. Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) says,
أَفَلاَ يَتَدَبَّرُونَ الْقُرْآنَ
“Will they not contemplate the Quran?” (S4.V82)
and Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) says,
كِتَابٌ أَنزَلْنَاهُ إِلَيْكَ مُبَارَكٌ لِّيَدَّبَّرُوا آيَاتِهِ وَلِيَتَذَكَّرَ أُوْلُوا الْأَلْبَابِ
“A book we sent down mubarik, so that they may contemplate its verses.” (S38.V29)
We should sit and be with those people who truly love Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) and spend our time with them. In Surat Al Kahf, Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) says,
سَيَقُولُونَ ثَلَاثَةٌ رَّابِعُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ خَمْسَةٌ سَادِسُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ رَجْمًا بِالْغَيْبِ وَيَقُولُونَ سَبْعَةٌ وَثَامِنُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ
“(Some) say they were three, the dog being the fourth among them; (others) say they were five, the dog being the sixth,- doubtfully guessing at the unknown; (yet others) say they were seven, the dog being the eighth.” (S18.V22)
Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) mentions the dog of the ahl al kahf (people of the cave). Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala ) in this verse mentions the dog so many times. The scholars have said that look at the position of the dog in this life, and he has no position to remember but this dog out of all the dogs was mentioned in the Quran so many times. why? It was because of the companions that the dog had, the companions that he was with. So if a dog is going to be mentioned in the Quran so many times, you can imagine when someone spends his time with the people that Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala ) loves, how much his level will be raised just because of that companionship that he chose to take. As the Prophet (Sal Allahu alayhi Wa Sallam) taught us, that good companion is like a person who sells musk, even if the companion doesn’t give you any musk, you are going to benefit form the smell and fragrance of the musk.
We should love to meet Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala). The Prophet (Sal Allahu alayhi Wa Sallam) said
“Whoever loves to meet Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala), Allah loves to meet them!”
And no doubt if someone is going to love to meet Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) they will do good for that meeting, they will prepare for that meeting. They will love to meet Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) because they have prepared themselves in the obedience of Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala). And a person will not love to meet Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) only because they didn’t prepare to meet Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala), they spent their life in disobedience to Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala). They will not love to meet Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala), and Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) will not love to meet that person.
We should push away everything that stands between us and Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) and Allah’s Messenger (Sal Allahu alayhi Wa Sallam). And so when we go to our houses, the different disobediences that we do towards Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) are things that are standing between us and Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala)’s love and we have to critically look at the thing that we are doing and take it and extract it out of our lives.
We should always put the Sunnah of RasoolAllah (Sal Allahu alayhi Wa Sallam) in front of us. We should always put the wishes of the Prophet (Sal Allahu alayhi Wa Sallam) before our wishes. Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) revealed in the Quran,
قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَاللّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
“Say if you love Allah, then follow me. Allah will love you and forgive your sins” (S3.V21)
We should make patience a part of our character. As they say, a person who continues to do something he will be known for that which he does. When a person is patient in his dealings in his home and at his work, then he becomes sabir (the patient). And Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) tells us of those who are patient and
إِنَّ اللّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ
“Allah loves those who are patient” (S2.V153)
We should learn Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala)’s Asma Was Sifaat. We should learn the names of Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) and his characteristics. So when we read in the Quran Ar Rahman we hope Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) has mercy on us. And when we read Allah is As Sami’ and Al Baseer, that he is Allah Hearing and All Seeing, so when we go to disobey Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) and we think that we are in private we will know that Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) can see us. And when we read in the Quran that Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) is Shadeed Al Iqaab, He is severe in punishment, when we are going to disobey Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) we will remember this that He is severe in punishment and we will abstain form the disobedience of Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala).
We should continue in doing our nawaafil (voluntary acts). The Prophet (Sal Allahu alayhi Wa Sallam) says that Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) says in a hadeeth qudsi,
“The slave will continue to come close to me in voluntary deeds until I love him”
In the sharh (explanation) of this hadeeth, the scholars have said these are voluntary acts of all kinds. Voluntary acts of the tongue and the limbs.
A poet once said,
“How can you disobey Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) and you claim that you love Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala).
This is very strange and very unique in a way of understanding.
If your love of Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala) was true you would have obeyed Allah (Sub’haanahu Wa Ta’ala).
Verily the person who loves someone else will follow that person.”
Tags: Aqeedah, Tazkiya, Khutbah, Islam
Sources: Muhammad Al Shareef,Khutbah, IslamWay.com
IBN AL HYDERABADEE 