Loving for Allah's Sake

Loving someone for Allāh's sake is worship that results in great rewards. Prophet ﷺ has frequently mentioned it in various aḥadīth.

Rewards

There is indeed a great reward for the Muslims who love each other for the sake of Allāh. We will, in shaa' Allāh, mention a few narrations in that regard.

Under the Shade of Allāh

Prophet ﷺ said

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَقُولُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَيْنَ الْمُتَحَابُّونَ بِجَلاَلِي الْيَوْمَ أُظِلُّهُمْ فِي ظِلِّي يَوْمَ لاَ ظِلَّ إِلاَّ ظِلِّي

Verily. Allāh would say on the Day of Resurrection: Where are those who have mutual love for My Glory's sake? Today I shall shelter them in My shadow when there is no other shadow but the shadow of Mine.

Sahih Muslim ¹

In a longer ḥadīth, Prophet ﷺ also mentioned 7 people whom Allāh will grant that V.I.P status on the day of judgement, one of them is:

وَرَجُلاَنِ تَحَابَّا فِي اللَّهِ اجْتَمَعَا عَلَيْهِ وَتَفَرَّقَا عَلَيْهِ

two persons who love each other only for Allāh's sake and they meet and part in Allāh's cause only;

Sahih al-Bukhari ² Sahih Muslim ³

Admiration by Prophets and the Martyrs

Prophet ﷺ said, Allāh said:

الْمُتَحَابُّونَ فِي جَلاَلِي لَهُمْ مَنَابِرُ مِنْ نُورٍ يَغْبِطُهُمُ النَّبِيُّونَ وَالشُّهَدَاءُ

Those who love each other for the sake of My Majesty shall be upon podiums of light, and they will be admired by the Prophets and the martyrs

Jami' at-Tirmidhi ⁴

This is a great status that a person can look forward to (as a result of loving a fellow-muslim for Allāh's sake)

Reason for Allāh's Love

Prophet ﷺ mentioned to us a beautiful story in this context

Abu Hurairah reported Allāh's Apostle ﷺ as saying:

أَنَّ رَجُلاً 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 لاَ غَيْرَ أَنِّي أَحْبَبْتُهُ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قَالَ فَإِنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِلَيْكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ أَحَبَّكَ كَمَا أَحْبَبْتَهُ فِيهِ

A person visited his brother in another town and Allāh sent an Angel to wait for him on his way and when he came to him he said:

Where do you intend to go?

He said: I intend to go to my brother in this town.

He said: Have you done any favour to him (the repayment of which you intend to get)?

He said: No, excepting this that I love him for the sake of Allāh .

Thereupon he said: I am a Messenger to you from, Allāh: (to inform you) that Allāh loves you as you love him (for His sake)

Sahih Muslim ⁵

Envied by Prophets and Martyrs

These people will be envied by Prophets and martyrs, even though they themselves were not Prophets nor martyrs. They will have no fear on the Day when everyone will be full of fear.

Prophet ﷺ said:

إِنَّ مِنْ عِبَادِ اللَّهِ لأُنَاسًا مَا هُمْ بِأَنْبِيَاءَ وَلاَ شُهَدَاءَ يَغْبِطُهُمُ الأَنْبِيَاءُ وَالشُّهَدَاءُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ بِمَكَانِهِمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى " . قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ تُخْبِرُنَا مَنْ هُمْ . قَالَ " هُمْ قَوْمٌ تَحَابُّوا بِرُوحِ اللَّهِ عَلَى غَيْرِ أَرْحَامٍ بَيْنَهُمْ وَلاَ أَمْوَالٍ يَتَعَاطَوْنَهَا فَوَاللَّهِ إِنَّ وُجُوهَهُمْ لَنُورٌ وَإِنَّهُمْ عَلَى نُورٍ لاَ يَخَافُونَ إِذَا خَافَ النَّاسُ وَلاَ يَحْزَنُونَ إِذَا حَزِنَ النَّاسُ "

وَقَرَأَ هَذِهِ الآيَةَ « أَلاَ إِنَّ أَوْلِيَاءَ اللَّهِ لاَ خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلاَ هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ »

There are people from the servants of Allāh who are neither prophets nor martyrs; the prophets and martyrs will envy them on the Day of Resurrection for their rank from Allāh .

They (the people) asked: Tell us, Messenger of Allāh, who are they? He replied: They are people who love one another for the spirit of Allāh (i.e. the Qur'an), without having any mutual kinship and giving property to one. I swear by Allāh, their faces will glow and they will be (sitting) in (pulpits of) light. They will have no fear (on the Day) when the people will have fear, and they will not grieve when the people will grieve.

He then recited the following Qur'anic verse: "Behold! Verily for the friends of Allāh there is no fear, nor shall they grieve." ⁶

Sunan Abi Dawood ⁷

Inform Your Brother That You Love Him

It is a sunnah of Prophet ﷺ to inform his companions about his love for them, an example of one such incident is famous ḥadīth of Mu'adh bin Jabal

عَنْ مُعَاذِ بْنِ جَبَلٍ، قَالَ أَخَذَ بِيَدِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ إِنِّي لأُحِبُّكَ يَا مُعَاذُ . فَقُلْتُ وَأَنَا أُحِبُّكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ . فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَلاَ تَدَعْ أَنْ تَقُولَ فِي كُلِّ صَلاَةٍ رَبِّ أَعِنِّي عَلَى ذِكْرِكَ وَشُكْرِكَ وَحُسْنِ عِبَادَتِكَ

The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ took my hand and said: 'I love you, O Mu'adh!' I said: 'And I love you, O Messenger of Allāh ﷺ.' Then the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said: 'Never forget to say in every prayer: Rabbi a'inni 'ala dhikrika wa shukrika wa husni 'ibadatik (My Lord, help me to remember You, give thanks to You and worship You well.)

Sunan an-Nasa'i ⁸

And also, it is also mentioned explicitly from the blessed mouth of our beloved ﷺ:

Narrated Anas ibn Malik

أَنَّ رَجُلاً، كَانَ عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَمَرَّ بِهِ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنِّي لأُحِبُّ هَذَا . فَقَالَ لَهُ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ أَعْلَمْتَهُ . قَالَ لاَ قَالَ أَعْلِمْهُ . قَالَ فَلَحِقَهُ فَقَالَ إِنِّي أُحِبُّكَ فِي اللَّهِ . فَقَالَ أَحَبَّكَ الَّذِي أَحْبَبْتَنِي لَهُ

A man was with the Prophet ﷺ and a man passed by him and said: Messenger of Allāh! I love this man. The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ then asked: Have you informed him? He replied: No. He said: Inform him. He then went to him and said: I love you for Allāh's sake. He replied: May He for Whose sake you love me love you!

Sunan Abi Dawood ⁹