Are You One of Those whom Allah Loves?
Say, (O Muhammad, to mankind): If truly you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. Allah is The Oft-Forgiving, The Most Merciful. — Qur’an 3[Al-Imran]:31
Verily, the true believers are those who worship Allah out of love, fear, and hope. They love His blessings, fear His punishment, and hope for His mercy. Besides the goal of attaining paradise to see our Lord, loving Allah is a part of perfecting one’s eeman. We love what He loves and hates what He hates while believing that He loves us in return when we reach certain heights.
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “When Allah loves a slave, He calls out Jibril and says: ‘I love so-and-so; so love him.’ Then Jibril loves him. After that he (Jibril) announces to the inhabitants of heavens that Allah loves so- and-so; so love him. And the inhabitants of the heavens (the angels) also love him and then make people on earth love him”— Bukhari and Muslim
Attaining the love of Allah doesn’t just come by chance, it’s a concerted effort focusing on certain attributes as mentioned through the Qur’an and sunnah. We should explore modalities of obtaining this love for it guarantees two things: abundant reward and supreme success. Here are a few ways enumerated below:
- Allah loves those who follow the Sunnah: The sunnah is Islam and Islam is the sunnah, there’s no disparity between both. You can’t earn the love of Allah without following the sunnah. All of the enlisted acts are found in the sunnah of Allah’s Apostle. This is the prophetic methodology with which Allah is well pleased and assured His love for those who follow this path.
Say (O Muhammad SAW to mankind): “If you (really) love Allah then follow me (i.e. accept Islamic Monotheism, follow the Quran and the Sunnah), Allah will love you and forgive you of your sins. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” — Qur’an 3[Al-Imran]:31
2. Allah loves the good-doers: Good deeds are highly infectious, yet not a lot of people indulge in them. The one who does good is certain of a goodly reward from God. So do good in order to earn the pleasure of your Lord.
So Allah gave them the reward of this world and the good reward of the Hereafter. And Allah loves the doers of good. — Qur’an 3[Al-Imran]:148
3. Allah loves those who act justly: The world today is filled with injustice and unfairness. The principle of justice in Islam applies to everyone without caring whose ox is gored. Allah forbids injustice upon Himself and upholds the one who stands firm for fairness.
… And if you judge, judge with justice between them. Verily, Allah loves those who act justly. — Qur’an 5[Al-Maidah]:42
4. Allah loves those who constantly repent: As humans, we are bound to commit sins. However, we have a Merciful Lord Who is ever-ready to forgive. All you need to do is sincere repentance with a commitment not to return to your sinful ways.
…Truly, Allah loves those who turn unto Him in repentance and loves those who purify themselves — Qur’an 2[Al-Baqarah]:222
5. Allah loves those who rely upon Him: Reliance upon Allah is a means of humility and submissiveness to Him. Allah is needless of us, it’s we that need Him. Hence, Allah loves those who call upon Him at the time of need.
Umar bin Al-Khattab narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “If you were to rely upon Allah with the required reliance, then He would provide for you just as a bird is provided for, it goes out in the morning empty, and returns full.” (At-Tirmidhi)
… Then when you have taken a decision, put your trust in Allah, certainly, Allah loves those who put their trust (in Him) — Qur’an 3[Al-Imran]:159
6. Allah loves those who purify themselves: Purity is part of our faith. Our Lord is Pure and He loves that His servants are pure as well. So keep a state of purity and earn the love of Allah.
…Within it are men who love to purify themselves; and Allah loves those who purify themselves. — Qur’an 9[At-Taubah]:108
7. Allah loves those who are patient: Patience is a very beautiful act filled with merits. Like gratitude, you do not find it among gross people. This is because patience is extremely difficult, especially at times of calamity. One surprising fact is; Allah puts His beloved servants through trial, then grants them patience to endure through the process. This is one of the means through which they earn Allah’s love.
… And Allah loves As-Sabirin (the patient ones, etc.). — Qur’an 3[Al-Imran]:146
Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) reported in an Hadithul-Qudsi that Allah the Exalted said:
The most beloved thing with which My slave comes nearer to Me is what I have enjoined upon him; and My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing Nawafil (voluntary prayers or doing extra deeds besides what is obligatory) until I love him, (so much so that) I become his hearing with which he hears, and his sight with which he sees, and his hand with which he strikes, and his leg with which he walks; and if he asks Me something, I will surely give him, and if he seeks My Protection (refuge), I will surely protect him. — Bukhari
In conclusion, the seven listed actions above are for our perusal to earn Allah’s love. It can be as easy as stated but difficult when it comes to implementation. Let’s see how mighty the goal is to earn Allah’s love and not be deterred by the pains and stress we go through in attaining it. In the end, what really matters most is seeking the pleasure of our Lord, The Highest.
PS: And Success comes only by the will of Allah! If you find this piece beneficial, it’s by His Grace. It’s no scholarly work and we accept our mistakes. Suggestions are welcomed in making this effort better as well. You are free to share by any means for enlightenment purposes. Kindly give a “click-clap” to enable other readers on Medium to see this post. We ask Allah to keep us guided and steadfast upon the right path. We hope you’d read from us again next time in sha Allah!
Yaumul Jumu’ah 6th Jumadal ‘Ula 1441AH//31st January 2020
