What is the ruling on love for the sake of Allah, and how is it achieved?
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The questioner : The questioner, Ghada al-Ghamidi, has a set of questions. She says: “O honorable Shaykh, what is the ruling on love for the sake of Allah, and how is it achieved?”
The Shaykh : Love for the sake of Allah is one of the strongest bonds of faith. It is among the matters that are sought, for which the servant is rewarded, to the extent that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) included those who love one another for the sake of Allah the Exalted among those whom Allah will shade in His shade on the Day when there is no shade except His. He said (peace and blessings be upon him):Sahih al-Bukhari 1423.
So, love for the sake of Allah is one of the strongest bonds of faith. Its cause is that a man sees a person who worships Allah the Exalted, who carries out the obedience of Allah, and who reforms what he can for the sake of Allah’s servants, so he loves him for that. The causes of love are many, including kinship, friendship, wealth, and poverty. It may also be that a cause of love is sharing in disobedience and open sinfulness, as occurs among the people of open sinfulness and disobedience. Love for the sake of Allah is the highest and best of them. It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) that he said:. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : Love for the sake of Allah is one of the strongest bonds of faith. It is among the matters that are sought, for which the servant is rewarded, to the extent that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) included those who love one another for the sake of Allah the Exalted among those whom Allah will shade in His shade on the Day when there is no shade except His. He said (peace and blessings be upon him):
Seven people will be shaded by Allah under His shade on the day when there will be no shade except His. They are: (1) a just ruler; (2) a young man who has been brought up in the worship of Allah, (i.e. worship Allah (Alone) sincerely from his childhood), (3) a man whose heart is attached to the mosque (who offers the five compulsory congregational prayers in the mosque); (4) two persons who love each other only for Allah's sake and they meet and part in Allah's cause only; (5) a man who refuses the call of a charming woman of noble birth for an illegal sexual intercourse with her and says: I am afraid of Allah; (6) a person who practices charity so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right hand has given (i.e. nobody knows how much he has given in charity). (7) a person who remembers Allah in seclusion and his eyes get flooded with tears.
سبعة يُظلهم الله في ظله يوم لا ظل إلا ظلّه إمام عادل وشاب نشأ في طاعة الله ورجل قلبه معلّق بالمساجد ورجلان تحابّا في الله اجتمعا عليه وتفرّقا عليه ورجل دعته امرأة ذات منصب وجمال فقال إني أخاف الله ورجل تصدّق بصدقة فأخفاها حتى لا تعلم شماله ما تنفق يمينه ورجل ذكر الله خاليا ففاضت عيناهSo, love for the sake of Allah is one of the strongest bonds of faith. Its cause is that a man sees a person who worships Allah the Exalted, who carries out the obedience of Allah, and who reforms what he can for the sake of Allah’s servants, so he loves him for that. The causes of love are many, including kinship, friendship, wealth, and poverty. It may also be that a cause of love is sharing in disobedience and open sinfulness, as occurs among the people of open sinfulness and disobedience. Love for the sake of Allah is the highest and best of them. It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) that he said:
Whoever loves a people, he is of them.
من أحب قوما فهو منهمThe questioner : May Allah reward you.