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| To love for the sake
of Allah |
To have love for someone for the sake of Allah's pleasure is also a
grand act for which much merit and many rewards have been
promised. "To love for the sake of Allah" means loving someone, not
for worldly gain, but because he is more religious and pious or he
is very learned in din or is busy in serving the cause of din or
because loving him or her is commanded by Allah, e.g. one's parents.
Such a love has been called "love for Allah" in ahadith.
One hadith says, " Allah shall ask on the Day of Judgement, ' Where
are those who loved for the sake of my Greatness? Today when there
is no shade save Mine, I shall have them in My Shade.'" (Sahih
Muslim: Kitab al Birr wa al Silah)
Another tells us that "On the Day of Judgement, those who had mutual
love for the sake of Allah's Greatness shall be on pulpits of light
and all shall envy them." (Jami' Tirmidhi, Kitab al Zuhd)
Abu Idris Khulani, one of the most famous tabi'in says that once he
visited Ma'adh ibn Jabal in the mosque of Damascus and told him
that "By Allah I love you for the sake of Allah." He repeatedly
asked me to swear if it was so and when I answered in affirmative
every time, he pulled me by my shawl and said, "Hear the good news!
I have heard the exalted and blessed Messenger of Allah saying
that "My love shall certainly be for those who love each other for
my sake, who sit in each other's company for my sake, who go to meet
each other for my sake and spend money on each other for my sake." )
Muvatta Imam Malik, Kitab-al-Shi'r)
Having love for Allah's pious and good bondsmen is actually an
outcome of one's love for Allah, so it earns the same rewards and
merits as the latter; because of this love. Allah includes this
lover in His beloved people. According to a hadith, someone asked
our blessed and exalted Prophet, "When shall come the Day of
Judgement?" Our Prophet asked him "What preparation have you made
for the Day?" The man said, "Nothing, but I have love for Allah and
for His Messenger." The Prophet said, "You shall be (on that Day)
with whom you love."
The above hadith has been quoted by Anas. He says that these words
of the Holy Prophet so pleased us as nothing had ever done. He
further said, "I have great love for the Holy Prophet - may he be
eternally blessed - and with Abu Bakr and Umar, may Allah be pleased
with them, and because of this love, I shall be in their company,
even though my deeds are not equal to theirs." (Sahh Bukhari, kitab-
al-Adab, chapter Alamah al Hubb fi Allah).
There are many ahadith of the same import showing that having love
for someone for the sake of Allah is an act of great merit, which
grants one the opportunity of doing good in this world and being in
exalted company in the Hereafter.
Hence, one should love good people for the sake of Allah and with
the intent of becoming good oneself and earning Allah's pleasure, as
a poet once said, " I love good people and although I am not one of
them, may Allah grant me goodness too."
Hadith tells us that when someone loves his brother in faith, he
must tell him of his love (Abu Daud; Kitab-al-Adab; Tirmidhi; Kitab-
al-Zuhd).
A man was sitting with our Holy Prophet when another one passed. The
sitting one said, "O Messenger of Allah! I love this man." The
Prophet said, "Have you told him?" The man said, "No." The Prophet
said, "Tell him!" The man rose to his feet and went to the man who
was passing by and said, "I love you for the same of Allah." He
said, "May Allah whom you love, love you in return!"
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