Is it better to say Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is the beloved of Allah or the intimate friend of Allah?
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The questioner : His EminenceThe Shaykh : We see some of the worshippers in the Prophet’s Mosque when they finish the congregational prayer.
The Shaykh : But the question I mentioned just now is: is it better for us to say the Messenger of Allah is the beloved of Allah and not the intimate friend of Allah?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Is it beloved?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Intimate friend of Allah? Why? Because intimacy is higher than love. Therefore, you must make your description of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in accordance with the truth. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 532 And so we say that Allah loves the believers, and He is the beloved of every believer. But do we say that He is the intimate friend of every believer, or that Allah took every believer as an intimate friend? No. If intimacy is higher than love, then whoever describes the Messenger with love without intimacy has done wrong, because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is the intimate friend of Allah, as he said: Sahih Muslim 532 Yes, that is correct.
The Shaykh : But the question I mentioned just now is: is it better for us to say the Messenger of Allah is the beloved of Allah and not the intimate friend of Allah?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Is it beloved?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Intimate friend of Allah? Why? Because intimacy is higher than love. Therefore, you must make your description of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in accordance with the truth. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: