HADITH THREE: ALLAH LOVES EASE
HADITH THREE: ALLAH LOVES EASE. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was asked, “Which religion does Allah love the most?” He answered, «The monotheistic and easy one.»
Reported by Ahmad (2107) and al-Tabarani in al-Mu‘jam al-Kabir (11572) and al-Albani
declared it hasan (Sahih al-Jami‘, 160. See also al-Sahihah, 881)
Commentary
Religion and worship are founded on love. Tawhid and ease are the hallmarks of Islam, where the hearts turn to Allah alone with complete devotion.
Religion is built on love
Would you be surprised to hear that all that Allah does, He does out of love? And would it be surprising to learn that love is the foundation of religion? With the vilification of God and religion in the modern era, no one would blame you if this shocked you. This entire book is devoted to demonstrating how love is inseparable from Allah and Islam. So, let us examine those “surprising” statements.
Whatever Allah commands, He does because He loves it. This is plain and intuitive. Similarly, whatever Allah prohibits, He does so because it obstructs and stands in the way of what He loves. Here is an example. Allah said:
Shaytan only wants to incite hatred and animosity between you with alcohol and gambling and to stop you from remembering Allah and praying. So will you not give them up? Al-Ma’idah (Q5:91)
The intention of Shaytan is the opposite of what Allah loves. Allah prohibited alcohol because, among other things, it stirs up enmity between people, impairs judgement, detracts from proximity to Allah (in Salah), and is physically harmful. Allah loves the opposite of what alcohol does: He loves harmony and love between people, mental clarity that allows sound judgement, proximity to Him, and protection of health. This is true for all commands and prohibitions: Allah wants us to do what He loves and avoid its opposite. Allah loves and commands honesty, justice, and kindness, and He hates and prohibits their opposites and anything that detracts from them.
Similarly, whatever Allah creates, He does so because He loves it or loves its consequences. When Allah brings something into existence, it is either entirely beneficial or more beneficial than harmful. An example of the first are the angels of Allah, while an example of the second is Shaytan. Though Allah hates the rebellion of Shaytan and the disobedience he promotes, Shaytan plays an essential role in the earthly test that produces the faith and sacrifice of the Prophets of Allah and their righteous followers. In other words, the excellence and purity of the people of Jannah is a consequence of their battle with Shaytan, and Allah loves the Iman of the righteous more than He hates the disbelief of Shaytan. Hence, Allah loved the existence of everything that He created, and that is why He brought it into existence. Since Allah hates what is purely or mostly harmful, He does not bring it into existence (see Qa‘idah fi al-Mahabbah by Ibn Taymiyyah).
Love is also the motive behind all of our actions. Each step we take is to secure what we love, directly or indirectly. Whatever we hate, we hate because we love its opposite. Without love, we would not hate. Ibn Taymiyyah wrote:
Hate exists because of love.
Qa‘idah fi al-Mahabbah (p. 9)
We love life, health, family, money, and we run away from their opposites: death, sickness, loneliness, and poverty. Love is the primary emotion, and hate is subsidiary to it: we hate only to attain, complete, and preserve what we love. So as it turns out, all movement in this universe—what Allah does and what we do—is based on love. Ibn Taymiyyah wrote:
The basis of every act and movement in the world is from love … Love is the basis of everything in existence.
Qa‘idah fi al-Mahabbah (pp. 7–9)
Imagine that you are living in a world of love! Whatever happens, or does not, is linked to Allah’s love and bears its mark. It is blissful and comforting to feel that we are living in a world surrounded by love. If it rains, if it snows, if it is morning or evening, everything moves because Allah loves it, or it is leading us to His love. Even what we hate: Allah allows it because it leads to what He loves. If we see a wrong, we should change it, for Allah does not love evil. He loves our righteous reactions against evil. That is the wisdom behind the presence of evil. If there are things we cannot change and yet hate, our awareness of Allah’s love rescues us. We know that Allah put it there because it leads to something wonderful. When something is out of our control, we let it flow and notice the beauty in it or that will come from it. We accept the Will of Allah because we love Him. When we see a world dominated by love, we are much more likely to act with love.
Religion and worship are also founded on love. Linguistically, both worship (ibadah) and religion (din) carry the meaning of submission, surrender, and humility. But it is not done out of subjugation and terror. Worship (ibadah) is defined as the utmost love that brings complete submission (Jami‘ al-Masa’il by Ibn Taymiyyah vol. 9, p. 177) (see also the Introduction and Appendix I). This means that both love and submission are the pillars of worshipping Allah. Loving Allah without listening to Him is obviously not worship. Listening to Him without love, like begrudgingly obeying a tyrannical king, is not worship. Submission to Allah must happen out of choice, and this choice is love (Qa‘idah fi al-Mahabbah by Ibn Taymiyyah). People worship whatever they worship out of love. Allah said:
And among people are those who adopt rivals besides Allah, loving them as they love Allah. But those who believe love Allah more.
Al-Baqarah (Q2:165)
They turn them into rivals and equals to Allah by loving them as much as they love Allah. This is Shirk in love (associating partners with Allah in love). Ibn al-Qayyim wrote commenting on this ayah:
The basis of Shirk is associating others with Him in love.
Al-Da’ wa al-Dawa’ (Dar ‘Alam al-Fawa’id, p. 439)
The foundation of all Shirk is loving another as much as Allah or more. And the foundation of Tawhid is loving Allah more than any other. As the ayah affirms, the believers love Allah more than the people of Shirk love His rivals. And how could anyone besides Allah be loved as much as He? Who has the qualities, perfection, and generosity to merit similar love? Who grants as many favors as He? Who helps in distress as He? Who attracts the hearts to Him as He does? This is why the believers could reach such heights in loving Him that no disbeliever could reach with false rivals.
Since loving Allah is the foundation of Tawhid, Allah loves it the most. And since Shirk detracts from this love, it is the most hated to Him. Ibn al-Qayyim remarked:
Shirk is what He hates most because it decreases this love and divides it between Him and the one whom they associate with Him.
Tariq al-Hijratayn (p. 532)
And because of that, the most beloved names to Allah are the ones that express Tawhid. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
The most beloved names to Allah are Abdullah and Abdurrahman.
Reported by Abu Dawud (4950) and al-Albani declared it sahih (Sahih Abi Dawud, 4950)
The basis of all religions, true or false, is love. No one prays, bows, prostrates, obeys, and sacrifices what is dear to them except to someone that they love and esteem, someone closer to their heart than any other. The core of the worship of Allah is for Him to be the most beloved and the greatest in the heart, with actions that reflect this love. This is the essence of Tawhid and Islam. All the Quran revolves around creating, strengthening, and preserving this love until it is greater than any other love (Al-Da’ wa al-Dawa’, p. 464). Ibn al-Qayyim added:
And the goal of creation and [Allah’s] commands is the love [of Allah]. It is the beginning of the da’wah of the Messengers and the last statement of a believing slave [of Allah] who if he dies upon it, his admission and confession of this love and its sole dedication to Allah admit him into Jannah. It is the first thing that enters one into Islam, and the last thing one exits with from this world to meet Allah. And all actions are tools and means for it, and all stations [of Iman] are means and causes to attain it, complete it, and protect it from impurities and defects. It is the pillar of happiness, the soul of Iman, and the trunk of the tree of Islam.
Tariq al-Hijratayn (p. 643)
Loving Allah is why He created us all, why He made this world. Allah said:
And I did not create the Jinn and humans except to worship Me.
Adh-Dhariyat (Q51:56)
Remember that worship (ibadah) is built on utmost love? Our creation and the creation of the universe we inhabit is our incredible opportunity to know Allah, freely choose Him over all others, and to love Him with every cell in our body. This is a transformative love that lifts one up to a heavenly state of being before they even die, where they witness the love of Allah every single day and in everything they see and do. And when they die, it is this love that opens the Gates of Jannah for them and propels them to the highest ranks.
Hanifiyyah
The word “hanif” linguistically signifies one who turns towards something and away from another (Mufradat Alfadh al-Quran and ‘Umdat al-Huffadh). This word is linked in the Quran to Ibrahim who turned to Allah and away from all falsehood. This legacy of Ibrahim S is the pure religion that Allah loves and commands all to follow. It is the religion of Islam. Allah said:
Say, “Indeed, my Rabb has guided me to a straight path–a correct religion–the way of Ibrahim, inclining toward truth. And he was not among those who associated others with Allah.”
Al-An‘am (Q6:161)
Tawhid cleanses the heart from all attachments except to Allah. It is based on the recognition that there is no real deity but Allah, that no one has any power except Allah, and that no one deserves to be worshipped but Him. It develops a special bond with Allah, where He is the most beloved. Ibn Taymiyyah wrote:
Allah created His slaves upon the Hanifiyyah, the religion of Ibrahim, and its foundation is loving Allah alone.
Minhaj al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah (vol. 5, p. 403)
When it comes to our relationship with Him, the religion that Allah loves is one that affirms His Oneness (in creation, in worship, and in His Names and Attributes) and supremacy, especially as the Supremely Beloved. This love made the sacrifices of Ibrahim possible. No one would attempt to kill his only son unless he loved the One who commanded it more. When Allah saw this love in the heart of His beloved and his willingness to make this great sacrifice, Allah rescinded His command. The goal was not for a man to slaughter his son but for him to slaughter other loves in his heart until Allah’s love was supreme. This is the Tawhid of Ibrahim.
Allah loves Ease
In our practice of Islam and interactions with others, Allah loves and desires ease. Allah said:
Allah desires ease for you, not hardship.
Al-Baqarah (Q2:185)
Allah described the mission of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم as:
And he relieves them of their burden and the shackles that were on them.
Al-A‘raf (Q7:157)
The rebellion and disobedience of past nations brought difficulty to their religion. But the final message of Islam came to guide people to ease in all of their affairs and rescue humanity from burden. Highlighting this Islamic imperative, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسل said:
I was sent with the easy hanifiyyah.
Al-Silsilah al-Sahihah (2924)
There is ease and balance in Islamic laws and obligations, ease in repenting from sins, and ease in dealing with others. The following incident at the time of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم illustrates this:
A bedouin urinated in the masjid, so people rushed to beat him. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said to them, «Leave him [until he is done] and pour a bucket of water over his urine. You were sent to make things easy and were not sent to make things difficult.»
Reported by al-Bukhari (6128)
Religious ease and kindness attract the hearts to Allah and promote a pleasant practice of Islam, unlike hardship and cruelty. Allah loves those who inject ease into their interactions, especially in situations when most people do not. This includes teaching the ignorant and the foolish, responding to altercations, and financial dealings. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said about commerce:
«Allah loves one who is affable when they sell, affable when they buy, and affable when repaying their debt.»
Reported by al-Tirmidhi (1319) and al-Albani declared it sahih (Sahih al-Tirmidhi, 1319)
People tend to be at their worst when there is money involved. But when one learns to love Allah more than wealth, they will be more forgiving in their interactions, knowing that bringing comfort to people is more pleasing to Allah. Since Allah loves ease, we should try to spread this ease in our daily dealings, inside and outside of our homes. Ease is found in applying the religion of Allah as it was revealed. We should always remember the following ayah:
And the one who has taqwa of Allah, He will grant them ease in their affairs.
Al-Talaq (Q65:4)
If we follow what Allah loves and revealed, we would be choosing the best path in life. And when we bring ease to people’s lives, so will Allah to ours.
DR. ALI ALBARGHOUTHI
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