Love of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى‎

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ. الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ وَالْعَاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ وَصَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ خَاتَمِ النَّبِيِّينَ وَعَلَى جَمِيعِ الأَنْبِيَاءِ وَالْمُرْسَلِينَ.

All Praise is due to Allah, we praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our own evils and our own bad deeds. Anyone who is guided by Allah, he is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, the Only One without any partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad, peace and blessings on him, is His servant, and His messenger.

Dear Brothers and Sisters …                                     السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

يَا أَيُّهَا الّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ –

(O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared, and die not except in a state of Islam.)

There is not a believer except that strives to attain the love of Allah. If a believer knew that Allah the Exalted loved him there is nothing in this world that could contain his pleasure and joy. All else is insignificant in the path of this love.  Because it is love from the King of kings for a created servant. The One in Whose hands are the affairs of this world and the next. And controls his provision, lifespan, and heart. It is no surprise that a believer strives with all their efforts to attain His love.

From the signs of Allah’s love to his servant is how much they follow the prophet (ﷺ) and perform the sunnah. A person’s striving to follow and act on the sunnah is a sign that Allah loves them as Allah says:

قُلْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمَ – آلِ عِمْرَانَ: 31

Al Imran 31: Say, [O Muhammad], “If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive your sins.

And there are signs indicating Allah’s love of a person and there are deeds to attain it that a believer must be guarded to do:

The foundation for this love, is Iman (faith) and the righteous works. For Allah loves Iman (faith). And Allah loves righteous deeds because they are from the Iman (faith). Allah’s love for a person increases in proportion to their level of Iman (faith) and number of righteous deeds. The means of attaining the love of Allah and its signs always return to this great foundation and the people vary in their level of Iman:

There are some who realize the basics of Iman but do not reach completion. This is due to shortcomings in some of the commands and doing some of the prohibitions that do not wipe away the foundation of Iman but reduce it.

And some achieve complete Iman (faith) by doing all the obligations and avoiding the prohibitions. And due to his fear and watchfulness of Allah in the public and private, his Iman may rise to the level of Ihsan (perfection).  Then how Allah respond to your love, Lets look into the following hadith.

‏ ‏ إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَالَ مَنْ عَادَى لِي وَلِيًّا فَقَدْ آذَنْتُهُ بِالْحَرْبِ

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “Allah said, ‘I will declare war against him who shows hostility to a pious worshipper of Mine

 وَمَا تَقَرَّبَ إِلَىَّ عَبْدِي بِشَىْءٍ أَحَبَّ إِلَىَّ مِمَّا افْتَرَضْتُ عَلَيْهِ

And the most beloved things with which My slave comes nearer to Me, is what I have enjoined upon him (by offering obligatory Worships)

 وَمَا يَزَالُ عَبْدِي يَتَقَرَّبُ إِلَىَّ بِالنَّوَافِلِ حَتَّى أُحِبَّهُ

and My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing Nawafil (praying or doing extra deeds besides what is obligatory) till I love him.

 فَإِذَا أَحْبَبْتُهُ كُنْتُ سَمْعَهُ الَّذِي يَسْمَعُ بِهِ

so, I become his sense of hearing with which he hears.

 وَبَصَرَهُ الَّذِي يُبْصِرُ بِهِ

and his sense of sight with which he sees.

 وَيَدَهُ الَّتِي يَبْطُشُ بِهَا وَرِجْلَهُ الَّتِي يَمْشِي بِهَا

and his hand with which he grips, and his leg with which he walks.

 وَإِنْ سَأَلَنِي لأُعْطِيَنَّهُ

and if he asks Me, I will give him.

 وَلَئِنِ اسْتَعَاذَنِي لأُعِيذَنَّهُ،

and if he asks My protection (Refuge), I will protect him.

وَمَا تَرَدَّدْتُ عَنْ شَىْءٍ أَنَا فَاعِلُهُ تَرَدُّدِي عَنْ نَفْسِ الْمُؤْمِنِ، يَكْرَهُ الْمَوْتَ وَأَنَا أَكْرَهُ مَسَاءَتَهُ ‏”‏‏.‏

and I do not hesitate to do anything as I hesitate to take the soul of the believer, for he hates death due to the agony, and I hate to disappoint him.”

Sahih al-Bukhari 6502. https://sunnah.com/bukhari:6502.

Be conscious of Allah and obey Him and do plenty of good deeds for it is a means for attaining the love of Allah. And whomsoever attains the love of Allah becomes one of his allies and that is the great success. In Surah Yunis

أَلَا إِنَّ أَوْلِيَاءَ اللَّهِ لَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ * الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَكَانُوا يَتَّقُونَ * لَهُمُ الْبُشْرَى فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِكَلِمَاتِ اللَّهِ ذَلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ  –

Yunis 62-64: (62) Unquestionably, [for] the allies of Allah there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve (63) Those who believed and were conscious of Allah (64) For them are good tidings in the worldly life and in the Hereafter. No change is there in the words of Allah. That is the great attainment.

Allah mentioned about the people who love Allah.

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ یَّتَّخِذُ مِنْ دُوْنِ اللّٰهِ اَنْدَادًا یُّحِبُّوْنَهُمْ كَحُبِّ اللّٰهِ ؕ وَالَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْۤا اَشَدُّ حُبًّا لِّلّٰهِ ؕ وَلَوْ یَرَی الَّذِیْنَ ظَلَمُوْۤا اِذْ یَرَوْنَ الْعَذَابَ ۙ اَنَّ الْقُوَّةَ لِلّٰهِ جَمِیْعًا ۙ وَّاَنَّ اللّٰهَ شَدِیْدُ الْعَذَابِ

And [yet], among the people are those who take other than Allah as equals [to Him]. They love them as they [should] love Allah. But those who believe, love Allah more (than anything else). And if only they who have wronged would consider [that] when they see the punishment, [they will be certain] that all power belongs to Allah and that Allah is severe in punishment.

And among the signs of Allah’s love of His servant is safeguarding him from discord in this world and the evidence to that is the Hadith of Qatadah bin Numan ( قَتَادَةَ بْنِ النُّعْمَانِ  ) that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “When Allah loves a person, He safeguards him in this world like one of you protects the ill through a diet”.  [At Tirmidhi 2036] and authenticated by Ibn Habban [669]

So a believer must be guarded to implement the means for attaining Allah’s love and look for its signs. He should make plenty of supplication to attain this great status. The status of attaining Allah’s love and being His ally. For if he attains it, then he will be happy in this world through a pleasant life and comfort in his heart. And on the Day of Resurrection, he will have a great victory which is the pleasure of Allah and His paradise. And from the authentic prophetic supplications in this regard is:

We ask Allah the Exalted to make us and on our parents from His allies and those whom He loves. And to facilitate actions that He loves. And to keep us away from what He abhors. Indeed, He is the All-Hearer, Responsive.

I conclude with this and send prayers of blessings and peace upon our Prophet as your Lord commanded:

Allahumma Sallai Al’a Muahmmad’n wa’aila Muhammad

أَقُولُ مَا تَسْمَعُونَ وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ  لِي وَلَكُمْ مِنْ كُلِّ ذَنْبٍ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ  إِنَّهُ هُوَ الغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

For Any questions please contact me at info@irlammosque.org.

Imam Mahboob Rasool