LOVE FOR THE SAKE OF ALLAH

In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

An-Nawawi records in his book Riyad us-Saliheen:

Anas ibn Malik, RadiyAllahu Anhu, reported: The Messenger of Allah, SallAllahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, said:

ثَلَاثٌ مَنْ كُنَّ فِيهِ وَجَدَ حَلَاوَةَ الْإِيمَانِ أَنْ يَكُونَ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِمَّا سِوَاهُمَا وَأَنْ يُحِبَّ الْمَرْءَ لَا يُحِبُّهُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ وَأَنْ يَكْرَهَ أَنْ يَعُودَ فِي الْكُفْرِ كَمَا يَكْرَهُ أَنْ يُقْذَفَ فِي النَّارِ

There are three qualities in which are found the sweetness of faith: that one loves Allah and His Messenger are more than anything else, that one loves a person only for the sake of Allah, and that one hates to return to unbelief just as he hates to be thrown in the Hellfire.

Source: Sahih Bukhari 16, Grade: Muttafaqun Alayhi

Abu Huraira, RadiyAllahu Anhu, reported: The Messenger of Allah, SallAllahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, said:

سَبْعَةٌ يُظِلُّهُمْ اللَّهُ فِي ظِلِّهِ يَوْمَ لَا ظِلَّ إِلَّا ظِلُّهُ الْإِمَامُ الْعَادِلُ وَشَابٌّ نَشَأَ بِعِبَادَةِ اللَّهِ وَرَجُلٌ قَلْبُهُ مُعَلَّقٌ فِي الْمَسَاجِدِ وَرَجُلَانِ تَحَابَّا فِي اللَّهِ اجْتَمَعَا عَلَيْهِ وَتَفَرَّقَا عَلَيْهِ وَرَجُلٌ دَعَتْهُ امْرَأَةٌ ذَاتُ مَنْصِبٍ وَجَمَالٍ فَقَالَ إِنِّي أَخَافُ اللَّهَ وَرَجُلٌ تَصَدَّقَ بِصَدَقَةٍ فَأَخْفَاهَا حَتَّى لَا تَعْلَمَ يَمِينُهُ مَا تُنْفِقُ شِمَالُهُ وَرَجُلٌ ذَكَرَ اللَّهَ خَالِيًا فَفَاضَتْ عَيْنَاهُ

There are seven persons whom Allah will shade on a Day when there is no shade but His: a just ruler; a young person who grew up in the worship of Allah; a person whose heart is attached to the mosques; two persons who love each other, meet and depart from each other for the sake of Allah; a man whom a beautiful woman of high status seduces, but he rejects by saying, I fear Allah; a person who spends in charity and conceals it such that his right hand does not know what his left hand has given; and a person who remembered Allah in private and he wept.

Source: Sahih Bukhari 629, Grade: Muttafaqun Alayhi

Abu Huraira, RadiyAllahu Anhu, reported: The Messenger of Allah, SallAllahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, said:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَقُولُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَيْنَ الْمُتَحَابُّونَ بِجَلَالِي الْيَوْمَ أُظِلُّهُمْ فِي ظِلِّي يَوْمَ لَا ظِلَّ إِلَّا ظِلِّي

Allah will say on the Day of Resurrection: Where are those who love each other for the sake of my glory? Today, I will shelter them in my shade, for it is a day when there is no shade but mine.

Source: Sahih Muslim 2566, Grade: Sahih

Abu Huraira, RadiyAllahu Anhu, reported: The Messenger of Allah, SallAllahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, said:

لَا تَدْخُلُونَ الْجَنَّةَ حَتَّى تُؤْمِنُوا وَلَا تُؤْمِنُوا حَتَّى تَحَابُّوا أَوَلَا أَدُلُّكُمْ عَلَى شَيْءٍ إِذَا فَعَلْتُمُوهُ تَحَابَبْتُمْ أَفْشُوا السَّلَامَ بَيْنَكُمْ

You will not enter Paradise until you believe and you will not believe until you love each other. Shall I show you something that, if you did, you would love each other? Spread peace between yourselves.

Source: Sahih Muslim 54, Grade: Sahih

Abu Huraira, RadiyAllahu Anhu, reported: The Messenger of Allah, SallAllahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, said:

رَجُلًا زَارَ أَخًا لَهُ فِي قَرْيَةٍ أُخْرَى فَأَرْصَدَ اللَّهُ لَهُ عَلَى مَدْرَجَتِهِ مَلَكًا فَلَمَّا أَتَى عَلَيْهِ قَالَ أَيْنَ تُرِيدُ قَالَ أُرِيدُ أَخًا لِي فِي هَذِهِ الْقَرْيَةِ قَالَ هَلْ لَكَ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ نِعْمَةٍ تَرُبُّهَا قَالَ لَا غَيْرَ أَنِّي أَحْبَبْتُهُ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قَالَ فَإِنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِلَيْكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ أَحَبَّكَ كَمَا أَحْبَبْتَهُ فِيهِ

A man set out to visit his brother from another town and Allah sent an angel to him. When the man met the angel, he was asked: Where are you going? The man said: I am visiting my brother in this town. The angel said: Are you returning a favor? He said: No, only that I love him for the sake of Allah the Exalted. The angel said: I am a messenger from Allah to tell you that Allah loves you as you love him.

Source: Sahih Muslim 2567, Grade: Sahih

Al-Bara, RadiyAllahu Anhu, reported: The Messenger of Allah, SallAllahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, said about the Ansar:

لَا يُحِبُّهُمْ إِلَّا مُؤْمِنٌ وَلَا يُبْغِضُهُمْ إِلَّا مُنَافِقٌ فَمَنْ أَحَبَّهُمْ أَحَبَّهُ اللَّهُ وَمَنْ أَبْغَضَهُمْ أَبْغَضَهُ اللَّهُ

None loves them but a believer and none hates them but a hypocrite. Whoever loves them, then Allah will love him. Whoever hates them, then Allah will hate him.

Source: Sahih Bukhari 3572, Grade: Muttafaqun Alayhi

Mu’adh ibn Jabal, RadiyAllahu Anhu, reported: The Messenger of Allah, SallAllahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, said:

قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ الْمُتَحَابُّونَ فِي جَلَالِي لَهُمْ مَنَابِرُ مِنْ نُورٍ يَغْبِطُهُمْ النَّبِيُّونَ وَالشُّهَدَاءُ

Allah the Exalted said: Those who love each other for the sake of My glory will be upon pulpits of light and they will be envied by the prophets and the martyrs.

Source: Sunan At-Tirmidhi 2390, Grade: Sahih

Mu’adh ibn Jabal, RadiyAllahu Anhu, reported: The Messenger of Allah, SallAllahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, said:

قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَجَبَتْ مَحَبَّتِي لِلْمُتَحَابِّينَ فِيَّ وَالْمُتَجَالِسِينَ فِيَّ وَالْمُتَزَاوِرِينَ فِيَّ وَالْمُتَبَاذِلِينَ فِيَّ

Allah the Exalted said: My love is obligatory for those who love each other for my sake, who sit together for my sake, who visit each other for my sake, and who spend on each other for my sake.

Source: Musnad Ahmad 21525, Grade: Sahih

Miqdam ibn M’adi, RadiyAllahu Anhu, reported: The Messenger of Allah, SallAllahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, said:

إِذَا أَحَبَّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَخَاهُ فَلْيُعْلِمْهُ إِيَّاهُ

When one of you loves his brother, then let him know.

Source: Sunan At-Tirmidhi 2392, Grade: Sahih

Anas ibn Malik, RadiyAllahu Anhu, reported: A man was with the Prophet, SallAllahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, when another man passed by and he said, “O Messenger of Allah, I love this man.” The Prophet said:

أَعْلَمْتَهُ

Have you told him?

He said no. The Prophet said:

أَعْلِمْهُ

Tell him.

He went to the man and he said to him, “I love you for the sake of Allah.” The other man replied:

أَحَبَّكَ الَّذِي أَحْبَبْتَنِي لَهُ

May Allah, for whose sake you love me, also love you.

Source: Sunan Abu Dawud 5125, Grade: Hasan

Mu’adh ibn Jabal, RadiyAllahu Anhu, reported: The Messenger of Allah, SallAllahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, took me by the hand and he said:

يَا مُعَاذُ وَاللَّهِ إِنِّي لَأُحِبُّكَ وَاللَّهِ إِنِّي لَأُحِبُّكَ

O Mu’adh, I swear by Allah that I love you. I swear by Allah that I love you.

And he said:

أُوصِيكَ يَا مُعَاذُ لَا تَدَعَنَّ فِي دُبُرِ كُلِّ صَلَاةٍ تَقُولُ اللَّهُمَّ أَعِنِّي عَلَى ذِكْرِكَ وَشُكْرِكَ وَحُسْنِ عِبَادَتِكَ

I advise you, O Mu’adh, not to forget supplicating after every prayer, saying: O Allah, help me to remember you, give thanks to you, and worship you in the best manner.”

Source: Sunan Abu Dawud 1522, Grade: Sahih

Success comes from Allah, and Allah knows best.