In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
What is love? In dictionary.com, love is 1) a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person, 2) a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend, 3) sexual passion or desire, 4) a person toward whom love is felt; beloved person; sweetheart. 5) (used in direct address as a term of endearment, affection, or the like): Would you like to see a movie, love?
Is that what love is? Are we ready to say we love Allah?
Great companions like Abu Bakr, 'Omar, 'Othman and 'Ali, radhiAllahu anhum, the four Rightly Guided Caliphs (Khulafa ar-Rashideen), these great men had love for Allah. How is it so that Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, the leader of the believers, would travel everyday after fajr to the house of a blind elder woman to clean her house, prepare for her children, tend to her animals, and yet she didn't know who this man was and what he did. All she knew was a man came and provided for her. How is it, if not for the love of Allah, what else did he do it for? Was it for money? He was one of the richest companions. Was it for status and prestige? He was the Prophet's successor, the head of state. Such was the love that Abu Bakr had for Allah.
'Omar Al-Khattab, he was on the way to kill the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, but instead he embraced Islam. His love for Allah and this Deen was so great that while all the other Muslims were hiding their Islam, Omar was ready to proclaim his Islam and ready to tell everyone this new blessing and mercy that Allah bestowed upon him. Such was the love that he had for Allah.
'Othman ibn 'Affan, when he was asked to give, he gave the best of what he had and all of what he had. Compare with us, when we give, we give the extra, the things that we don't use or things that we are ready to throw away! When the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, was preparing for a battle, Othman brought to the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, the best camels, the best swords, the best shields. Imagine the cost he took upon himself to provide this for the Muslims. If he didn't do this for the love of Allah, what is it for then? To be become popular, to become recognized? He was the son-in-law of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam. It has been said that marriage to two daughters of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam, Ruqayyah then Ummi Kalthum had earned Othman the nickname Dhun-Noorayn (the one with the two lights) as there was no one else had the privilege of having the Prophet as a father-in-law twice over. He was the only man in history to marry 2 daughters of a Prophet. After Umm Kalthum passed away, the Prophet said to him, "Had we a third daughter, surely, we would have given her in marriage to you.” What an endorsement when the Prophet of Allah sallallahu alayhi wassallam considers you worthy of marrying his own daughters. His status was there. So he did that for none other than he only desired Allah. Such was the love he had for Allah.
'Ali ibn Abi Talib (the father of the Prophet's grandchildren Hasan and Husain and husband to his beloved daughter Fatimah Az-Zahra), he stood the entire night in prayers. The companion said, they left him after 'Isha in ruku' and they came before Fajr and they found him in bowing (ruku'), except that there was one difference -- that his beard was soaked and there was puddle of tears beneath him. What gave him the happiness to pray all night? He was one of the 10 promised Jannah yet he worship as if he was promised Hell. His desire to be with Allah pushed him to work hard. Such was the genuine love Ali had for Allah.
There are many ahadith to show Ali's love for Allah. These two incidents summarize them all -- 1) On the eve of the campaign of Khaybar, the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "I shall give the standard to a man who loves Allah and His Messenger, and whom Allah loves and also His Messenger." `Umar said: "I never liked to be entrusted leadership before that day." The next day the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, summoned `Ali and gave him the flag. 2) Some people complained to the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, about `Ali, whereupon he stood and said: "Do not accuse `Ali of anything! By Allah, he is truly a little rough (la’ukhayshan) in Allah’s cause."
How much Allah does for us? He created us, He gave us life, He gave us our limbs, He gave us good health, He gave us parents, He gave us spouses and children, He gave us nice houses to live in, nice vehicles to drive, He gave us everything, we can't count them, and more to come, we can't even imagine ever. He promises for us eternal Paradise. He promises to elevate the status of the righteous to look at His face on the Day of Judgment. How does Allah love us so much? The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said that Allah's love for His slaves is more than a mother who lost her child and found him back. It is for this reason Sufyan al Thawri said, "I rather have Allah as my Judge in the Day of Judgment than my own parents because I know Allah loves me more than my own parents." We know how much Allah loves us because even when we disobeyed Him, He still feeds us, He still clothes us, He still let us breathe. He subjected all His other creations to us -- the sun, the moon, the animals, the plants and so on ... but what do we do? We spread corruption on earth, we corrupted the world. But He still provides for us, nourishes us and sustains us. Even while committing the sin, He still let us breathe. How great, how noble, how merciful, is Allah!
Narated By Abu Huraira : I heard Allah's Apostle saying, Allah divided Mercy into one-hundred parts and He kept its ninety-nine parts with Him and sent down its one part on the earth, and because of that, it's one single part, His creations are Merciful to each other, so that even the mare lifts up its hoofs away from its baby animal, lest it should trample on it."[Sahih Bukhari]
Narated By 'Umar bin Al-Khattab : Some Sabi (i.e. war prisoners, children and woman only) were brought before the Prophet and behold, a woman amongst them was milking her breasts to feed and whenever she found a child amongst the captives, she took it over her chest and nursed it (she had lost her child but later she found him) the Prophet said to us, "Do you think that this lady can throw her son in the fire?" We replied, "No, if she has the power not to throw it (in the fire)." The Prophet then said, "Allah is more merciful to His slaves than this lady to her son." [Sahih Bukhari]
Maybe you think Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman and Ali were the companions of the Prophet and they had an advantage. But how about Imam Ahmad Hanbali, he was an ordinary human just like you and I, before he became a great Imam. When he was arrested and was punished with 100 lashes in public, his students were witnessing the punishment. In between the lashes, Imam Ahmad passed out. When he woke up, he asked his students if they had prayed 'Asr and they replied, "Yes." So he said, 'Then make wudu' for me so I can pray Asr." After he prayed 'Asr, his students asked him a question, "O Our Sheikh, when the whipper was whipping you, we were crying out of pain that you were going through, yet you were smiling. Why?" So the Iman said, "You all were looking at the hands of the whipper, but I was looking at the hands of Allah." SubhanAllah. If it wasn't for his love of Allah, how else would he think the way he thought during the punishment.
Put yourself in the shoes of these great men and ask yourself, "Would have I reacted the same?" "Would I have done the same?" "Would I have thought the same?" Ask yourself now, "Do I really love Allah?"
Allah Almighty says,
قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّـهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّـهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿٣١[Qur'an AleImran 3:31]
"Say (O Muhammad SAW to mankind): "If you (really) love Allah then follow me (i.e. accept Islamic Monotheism, follow the Qur'an and the Sunnah), Allah will love you and forgive you of your sins. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.""
(31)
The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, counsel us to read Surah Kahf every Friday. Have you read Surah Kahf today? This is not difficult to do for those who love Allah. Those who love Allah, Allah loves them more because we cannot outdo Allah in anything, and that includes love.
اللهم إني أسألك حبك، وحب من يحبك، والعمل الذي يبلغني حبك، اللهم اجعل حبك أحب إلى من نفسي، وأهلي، ومن الماء البارد
Allahumma inni as'aluka hubbaka, wa hubba man yuhibbuka, wal-'amalalladhi yuballighuni hubbaka. Allahumm-aj'al hubbaka ahabba ilayya min nafsi, wa ahli, wa minal-ma'il-baridi
O Allah! I ask You for Your Love, the love of those who love You, and deeds which will cause me to attain Your Love. O Allah! Make Your Love dearer to me than myself, my family and the cold water. [At- Tirmidhi]
Ameen.
Emotional video on Love of Allah and His Messenger sallallahu alayhi wassallam
Have a blessed Jumu'ah. Please don’t forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
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