HADITH SIX: ALLAH LOVES HARMONY
HADITH SIX: ALLAH LOVES HARMONY. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, «O Abu Ayyub, shall I not guide you to a charity that Allah and His Prophet love? Mend what is between people when they get angry and stop talking to each other.»
Reported by al-Tabarani in al-Mu‘jam al-Kabir (3922) and al-Albani declared it hasan (Sahih al-Targhib, 2820)
Commentary
Allah loves it when we reconcile people. It is part of Allah’s love for us and everything that benefits us.
Allah’s love is the greatest
Allah loves and we love. But Allah’s love is drastically different from ours. Our love is a reflection of human need. When we love, we expect a return on our love, a benefit of some sort. Allah, however, loves without gaining anything. Ibn al-Qayyim pointed to this difference when he wrote:
Everyone in creation that you love and loves you wants you only for their own self [benefit] and their need from you, but Allah wants you for your[ benefit]. This is similar to the tradition where it is reported that Allah said, «My slave! All want you for their own selves [i.e. to benefit themselves], but I want you for you.» So how can one not be ashamed when this is what Allah is like for them, but they are turning their back on Him, busy loving another with a love that consumes all their heart. In addition, for everyone among creation that you deal with: if they do not profit from you, they will not interact with you. And they must receive some kind of profit. But the Rabb, the Highest, deals with you so that you receive the greatest and highest profit from Him: one dirham [spent] is multiplied ten times to seven hundred times to a lot more, but sin is recorded as one, and it is the fastest thing to erase. And He, glory be to Him, created you for Himself and created everything in this world and the Hereafter for you. So does anyone other than Him truly deserve maximum love and maximum effort in pleasing?
Al-Da’ wa al-Dawa’ (pp. 536–537)
We benefit from whom and what we love, and this forms the basis of human love. This is not selfish or cynical but a reflection of our inherent nature (see Appendix I). We are dependent beings who are constantly looking to fulfill their needs and complete
what is missing in their lives. We are poor by nature, and all of our movement is an effort to feed our needs. We need to eat and drink, and so we seek and love food. We need companionship and emotional support, so we marry and have friends. We
cannot be independently happy, so we search for this happiness in wealth, shopping, travel, and entertainment. Allah pointed to the essential difference between Him and us when He said:
Say, “Shall I take for myself a wali other than Allah, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, who feeds but is not fed?”
Al-An‘am (Q6:14)
Not needing food is the sign that He is the Self-Sufficient who does not need anyone or anything. Our dependence on food, however, points to our eternal dependence. We will always need someone else. This is why all human-to-human relationships are built on an exchange of benefits: I give but also receive. If I were to gain nothing from the other—whether physical or emotional rewards—no relationship will form or be sustained. This is true even for the noblest of human bonds. A mother derives emotional fulfillment/pleasure from her children and feels complete because of them. We receive emotional satisfaction from altruistic acts, grow as human beings, and reach our full potential. Allah offered Jannah as a reward for our good deeds because it is impossible for us to move without some benefit in return.
The love of Allah is markedly different. Allah receives no benefit at all from us; it is we who receive all the benefits. His commands and prohibitions are for our individual and communal happiness and wellbeing, and, on top of that, He rewards us. And His rewards are unlike anything a human can offer. He multiplies our good deeds beyond count, and an offense is quickly erased and forgotten when we ask for forgiveness.
Unlike humans who hold grudges and refuse to forgive, Allah forgives and pardons sins as high as mountains in an instant. And He loves to forgive and take us back. The love of Allah, as Ibn al-Qayyim explained, is the best love we can ever attain because it expects no benefit in return. Many humans seek to profit at our own expense, never hesitating to harm us as long as they get what they want. Allah does not profit from
us, does not hurt us with His commands, and takes care of all of our needs.
We need the love of Allah to heal us. We need the love of Allah to be able to give love. This life damages us in significant and profound ways. We look for love and acceptance, but are met with cruelty, deception, and selfishness. We take one blow
after another until we are utterly exhausted. We lose trust in everything, and we start to lose hope. This world cannot assuage our fears and frustrations. It cannot satisfy our need for love. And if we keep looking for answers in the world, we will grow more desperate and cynical. It is only when we look beyond this world that we will find hope. The love of Allah transcends the limitations of this world and its pain. It is love on a whole new level, with the answer that will make us bigger than this world and its problems. The love of Allah can heal us.
Allah loves social goodwill
This is one of the realizations that help us know and love Allah more. What benefit does human harmony bring to Allah? None at all. So, why does He love it? Because it is best for us. Since it helps us, Allah loves it and loves those who promote it.
There is ample evidence in the Quran and Sunnah of Allah’s love for social amiability and goodwill. It is one of the main Islamic objectives that underlies the Islamic message and guides its rulings.
To begin with, note the communal nature of many Islamic obligations. Salah takes place in mosques in congregation. The Friday prayer brings an even bigger crowd together. Fasting unites the entire Ummah in a single act of worship for a whole month. Hajj is the symbol of Muslim unity with an international gathering of the faithful. Zakah cements communal bonds when the rich care for the poor. If you think about it, these obligations could have been made private and individual: we each could have been left to choose the time of our fasting and Hajj, Salah could have been only commanded at home, and Zakah could not have even been obligated. But these acts of worship bring
us out of our homes and countries and redirect aspects of our life so that we would socialize with other Muslims and worship with them. The congruence and synchronization of worship bring hearts together and create common realities and goals. One of the main goals of the Islamic revelation is to spread love and solidarity between people, a brotherhood and sisterhood that is nurtured by faith.
Allah commands the unity of the believers in the Quran and warns against division and infighting. For example, Allah said:
Hold on all to the rope of Allah and do not divide. And remember the blessing of Allah upon you when you were enemies, and He brought your hearts together, and you came through His blessing, brothers. And you were on the edge of a pit of the Fire, and He saved you from it. This is how Allah clarifies His ayahs to you so that you will be guided.
Ali ‘Imran (Q3:103)
As the ayah explains, it was Islam that united the hearts of the first Muslims. It saved them from bloodshed and friction as it saved them from Hell. In fact, the two are connected. Islam removes the causes of friction and division, which happen to be the sins that Allah hates. And when the believers hold on to the rope of Allah—His revelation and obedience—they will be blessed with a love that unites their hearts. Islam cleanses our hearts, corrects our convictions, and rearranges our priorities. When we allow it to completely transform us and are born anew with Iman, we will abandon ignorant disagreements and embrace each other as brothers and sisters.
When the believers fight, Allah makes it an obligation on the Ummah to remove this discord and restore harmony. Allah said:
And if two parties of the believers fight, then reconcile them. But if one of them transgresses against the other, then fight the transgressor until it returns to the command of Allah. And if it returns, then reconcile them with justice and act justly. Indeed, Allah loves the just.
Al-Hujurat (Q49:9)
Discord is detrimental to the Hereafter and this world. It leads to countless minor and major sins and obstructs the performance of Islamic duties. Lying, deception, backbiting, suspicion, gossip, verbal insults, and physical conflicts are all the children of discord. And how could Muslims worship together or work together when they hate each other? This is why the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
«Shall I not tell you about what is better than the rank of fasting, praying, and charity?» They said, “Yes.” He said, «Mending relations. Spoiled relations is the shaver.»
Reported by Abu Dawud (4919) and al-Tirmidhi (2509) and declared sahih by al-Albani
Shaving the religion means removing it like a shaver removes hair; this is the terrible consequence of discord. An individual or community will slowly depart from Islam when they allow themselves to hate and attack each other unjustly. Just consider how we all behave. What do we do when we hate someone? We start backbiting them, suspecting them with no due cause, making fun of them just to feel better, and in time, we may be ready to hurt them. Those who mend relations save everyone from tremendous harm, and they restore love. This is why their rank is among the highest in Jannah, and this is why Allah loves them.
You and people
Now we may feel inspired and want to spread goodwill among people to reach the highest levels of Jannah. But our personal relationships need to be fixed first before we can fix other people’s relationships. How we are with other people is part of the harmony we are commanded to spread. In fact, it is the basis of this harmony.
Eliminating discord from our own lives is the greater obligation. It takes precedence because it immediately affects us, and no one can fix it but us. It is not easy, I know. But we have to try, and we should ask Allah for support. Keep in mind the rewards of the Hereafter every time you think it is too difficult and you want to back out. No one is asking for or expecting perfection. With our best effort and dua, some of our relationships may remain tense and strained, and some may take a while before they recover. You do not have to be perfect before you set out to help others. But you should at least put effort into fixing your relations. When you do this, you will understand why it is important, how to go about softening people’s hearts so they will reconcile, and Allah will grant you greater success in your mediation.
So, for the sake of Allah, for the sake of His love, make the first move. And be patient. The reward of Allah awaits you.
Mending relations
Reconciling people is a charity (sadaqah). Charity is something we give to help remove hardship and make someone’s life better. Money, at times, can do this but not always. So, it is part of Allah’s Mercy that He made good deeds a charity: a blessing for those of us who do not have money. We can assist by giving people advice, hope, and guiding them towards forgiveness. This should greatly inspire us to keep helping everyone in all possible ways. We will not be able to help everyone we meet with our wealth, but we can make their life better with kindness. Even a simple smile counts as charity! Is there anything easier than that? The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
You smiling in the face of your brother is a charity.
Reported by al-Tirmidhi (1956) and al-Albani declared it sahih (Sahih
al-Tirmidhi, 1956)
One of the greatest charities that Allah loves is restoring love and peace to a relationship. When spouses are fighting and are on the brink of divorce, when the bonds between parents and their children are tested, when two dear friends have turned into bitter enemies, and when there is enmity and hatred between two Muslims rather than love, our intervention could save lives.
Loving Allah and what He loves means spreading love among His servants. The more people love each other, the more pleased Allah is. There is nothing dearer to a lover than the pleasure and happiness of their beloved. If we love Allah, we will try to make people love each other again. Spread love to receive Divine Love.
DR. ALI ALBARGHOUTHI
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