Part 103

those who look forward to [the meeting with] Allah [for the reward from Him], and the Last Day. And whosoever turns away, then indeed, Allah is Rich, Worthy of All Praise. Perhaps Allah will grant love [and friendship] between you and those whom you [now] hold as enemies. For Allah has power [over all things]; and Allah is Often Forgiving, Most Merciful” (60:1—7). Indeed, this is what happened with the people of Makkah. Before Makkah was conquered, they were the enemies of Allah and His Messenger. But subsequently, the majority of them became believers and friends of Allah and His Messenger. In fact, Ibn Kullab and his followers based their argument on the notion that wilayah, friendship, is an eternal characteristic of Allah’s essence, which includes will, love, goodwill, favor, and the like. Hence, it means a constant, unchanging will after death. This is a consequence of Allah’s knowledge. For if Allah knows that someone will die as a believer and continue to be a friend of Allah, He wants him to enter Paradise. A similar principle is applicable to the enemy of Allah [i.c., if Allah knows that he will be an unbeliever at the time of death, he will remain an enemy of Allah; for Allah continues to want him to enter Hell].

The public, however, said that although friendship implies love for Allah and pleasing Him, while enmity implies hatred for Allah and incitement of His wrath, Allah is nevertheless pleased with someone and loves him after he becomes a believer and does righteous deeds. However, He is angered and displeased if a man reverts to unbelief. Allah says: “This is because they followed that which called forth the wrath of Allah, and they hated Allah’s good pleasure . . .” (47:28). In this verse, Allah mentions that one’s deeds call forth His wrath. He also says: “When at length they provoked Us, We exacted retribution from them . . .” (43:55). Qur’anic exegetes have interpreted the clause, “when at length they provoked Us,” to mean, “when they enraged Us [or made Us angry].” Allah also says: “... If you are grateful, He is pleased with you . . .” (39:7).

In the authorized hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari, recorded on the authority of Abu Hurayrah, from the Prophet (pbuh), who said: “Allah Almighty says: Whoever takes a friend of mine as an enemy, has challenged Me to wage war on him. And the best way in which a man can draw nearer to Me is to perform the obligations that I have laid upon him. My servant continues to draw nearer to Me through supererogatory acts of piety in order that I may love him. And if I love him, I will be the hearing by which he hears, the eyes by which he sees, the hand with which he fights, and the legs on which he walks. Through me he hears, he sees, he fights,

and he walks. If he asks anything of Me, I will give it to him, if he takes refuge in Me, I will protect him, and there is nothing from which I recoil more from than taking the soul ofa believer; he hates death, while I hate to cause him offense. Yet death is his inevitable end.”

Allah says that a man seeks to draw near to Him through supererogatory acts of obedience so that He will love him. Then He says, “If I love him I will be such and such.” Thus, it is clear that Allah’s love comes after the person’s performance of deeds that call forth His love. And the Quran supports this. Allah says: “Say [Oh Muhammad]: If you do love Allah, follow me: Allah will love you and forgive you all your sins. . .” (3:31). His saying, “Allah will love you” is the result clause following the conditional, “if you do love Allah, follow me.” This is, indeed, their reward for the act of following the Messenger. Allah rewards them by loving them. And as is known, the reward for a deed and the effect of a cause do not occur until after the deed is done and the cause takes effect. This is, indeed, similar to His saying: “Call on Me; I will answer your prayer . . .” (40:60). It is also similar to His saying: “Oh, our people, hearken to the one who invites you to Allah, and believe in Him: He will forgive you your faults and deliver you from a Grievous Penalty” (46:31); and “Oh, you who believe! Fear Allah, and always say a word directed to the Right. That He may make your conduct whole and sound and forgive you your sins . . .” (33:70-71); and “. . . So fulfill your engagements with them to the end of their term: For Allah loves the righteous” (9:4); and“... Why say you that which you do not do? Grievously hateful is it in the sight of Allah that you say that which you do not do. Truly Allah loves those who fight in His Cause in battle array, as if they were a solid cemented structure” (61:24). Allah speaks these words after the people told the Prophet (pbuh) that if they knew the deed that Allah loves most, they would perform it. Allah also says: “The unbelievers will be addressed: Greater was the aversion of Allah to you than [is] your aversion to yourselves, seeing that you were called to the belief and you no longer refuse” (40:10), which indicates that His love and His aversion are due to their deeds, and that He loves them if they fear Allah and fight for His Sake. That is why He encourages them to perform such deeds, exactly in the same way He encourages them to do what He will reward them for. And the reward of a deed must follow the deed. His saying: “. . . Seeing that you were called to the Belief and you no longer refuse” (40:10) also indicates that Allah abhors them for rejecting the call to belief. Similar to this is His saying: “Allah’s Good Pleasure is on the believers

when they swore allegiance to you under the tree: He knows what is in their hearts, and He sends down tranquility to them; and He rewards them with a speedy victory” (48:18). His saying, “Allah’s pleasure is on the believers when they swore allegiance to you under the tree,” indicates that Allah’s Good Pleasure is on the believers after they swore allegiance. For an effect cannot occur before its cause and hence, if Allah’s Good Pleasure is on the believers, then this did not occur until after they had swom allegiance.

This is supported in the Sahih, in which we read that the Prophet (pbuh) said: “Allah asks the people of Paradise: ‘Oh, people of Paradise, are you pleased?’ They answer: ‘Oh, our Lord, how could we not be pleased when you have granted us what you did not grant to any of Your other creatures?’ Allah replies: ‘Do you want Me to grant you better than that?’ They answer: ‘Oh, our Lord, what else is better than that?’ He says: ‘I will grant you My good pleasure so that I will never be displeased with you again.”” This indicates that at that time, Allah granted them His Good Pleasure, which would never again be followed by His wrath. It also indicates that other forms of His approval might be followed by His displeasure or anger.

It is related in both Sahih Muslim and Sahih al-Bukhar7, in the intercession hadith, that all the Messengers [except the Prophet Muhammad, pbuh] said: “My Lord has been more angered than He ever has before, and more than He ever will again.” Also, in the two Sahihs the Prophet (pbuh) expresses in more than one way that: “Allah’s response to the repentance of His servant may be compared to'a man traveling through a desert full of dangers and perils who loses his horse, which has been carrying his food and water. He looks for it [the horse] but he does not find it. He lies down to await death, and when he wakes up, what should he see but his horse before him with his food and water; Allah’s joy over the repentance of one of His servants is like the joy of this man.” In another version the Prophet (pbuh) said: “How would you describe His [Allah’s] happiness?” They replied: “It will be very great, Oh, Messenger of Allah.” He [the Prophet] answered: “Allah will be more pleased with the repentance of His servant than that man who found his horse.” Similar to this is Allah’s derisive laughter at two men, one of whom kills the other, yet both of them enter Paradise; or His laughter at the last person to enter Paradise, who said: “What! Are you mocking me though you are the Lord of the worlds?” Allah replies: “No, but I am capable of doing whatever I choose.” [These comments are all found in the two Sahihs}.

In what is called du‘a? al-qunit, the prayer of reverence, the worshiper said to Allah: “Please take me as your friend among those whom You have taken as your friends.” Allah says: “My friend is Allah, Who revealed the Book and He also takes the Righteous for friends” (7:196); and “. . . And Allah takes for friends those who fear Him” (45:19). This friendship is due to their fear of Allah and their righteousness, and hence, could not have preceded their fear and righteousness, even though they have become righteous and godfearing due to Allah’s Will, Power, Gracious Bounty, and Beneficence. Accordingly, Allah’s taking them for friends is a consequence of their being righteous and fearing Him. Similar to this is Allah’s mercy, of which the Prophet (pbuh) said: “The Merciful Allah will show His Mercy to the merciful for He is the Merciful. He is merciful toward people of the earth, in order that He who is in heaven [Allah] may show His Mercy to you.” [Al-Tirmidhi said that this is a sound hadith]. Allah says: “. . . If you are grateful, He is pleased with you. . . .” (39:7). In this verse, Allah associates His Pleasure with their gratitude in the same way that reward is associated with an act, or as an effect is associated with its cause. It is well known that a reward always follows the act for which it is a reward. Allah also says: “. .. You shall enter the Sacred Mosque, if Allah wills, with minds secure . . .” (48:27). This verse indicates that “Allah’s will” will be in the future. He [Allah] also says: “Indeed, when He intends a thing, His Command is ‘Be’ and it is!” (36:82). This verse also indicates that if He [in the future] intends something, He will say: ‘Be’ and it will be. Allah also says: “And say: work [righteousness], and soon Allah will observe your work .. .” (9:105). Thus, He will observe their work [in the future] if they work [righteousness].