Lesson 3: Loving God and His Messenger

Love and hate are among the actions of the heart. It is obligatory upon the pubescent person to use these two emotions in accordance with the rules of the Religion. One must love Allah and what is in accordance with the rules of Islam. Also, one must hate the devil and what he whispers of sinful matters.

1- Loving Allah and His Messenger, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam: The pubescent person is obligated to love Allah, His Qur’an, and His Prophet. This is done by following the orders of Islam and avoiding its unlawful matters.

Allah, ta^ala said:

قُلْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللهُ

Qul in kuntum tuhibbun-allaha fattabi^uni yuhbibkum-ullah.

Ayah 31 of Suratu Al ^Imran means: {Say (O Muhammad): If you love Allah, then follow me, and Allah will love you.}

This is an essential part of believing in Allah, what He revealed, and believing in the Prophet and what he brought. The doubt in Allah, on the other hand, His Qur’an, or His Messenger is among the sins of the heart. In fact it is blasphemy, which takes one out of the Religion of Islam.

2- Loving the companions, relatives (Al) of the Prophet, and the pious Muslims: Among the obligations of the heart is loving the Companions, relatives (Al) of the Prophet and the pious Muslims. Failing to love them is one of the sins of the heart. Mocking or cursing them is among the sins of the tongue.

The Companions: They are the Companions of the Prophet. They supported the Religion of Allah and spread it, especially the earlier ones who immigrated with the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, and those who received him in Madinah. The Companions are the people who met the Prophet during his life and believed in him, whether they knew him for a long or a short time, as long as they died on the correct belief.

The Relatives (Al) of the Prophet: This term is given to the wives of the Prophet such as Khadijah and ^A’ishah. It also refers to his Muslim relatives, like Hamzah, al-^Abbas, ^Aliyy, al-Hasan, al-Husayn, and their mother Fatimah (may Allah raise all their ranks). Loving the Al of the Prophet is an obligation because of the merit they have. If one means by the term “Al” the God-fearing pious people, which is one of its meanings, then loving them is an obligation, because they are beloved to Allah due to their ideal behavior in obeying Allah.

The Pious Muslims: They are the ones who have performed all the obligations and avoided all the sins. Among these categories are the scholars, and the highly righteous Muslims.

3- Hating the Devil and Sins: Among what is also obligatory on the heart is hating the devil and the sins. Also, one must regret performing the sins.

Questions:

1. List some of what a Muslim is obligated to love.

2. State from the Qur’an the proof that an indication of a Muslim’s love of Allah is his rightly following the Prophet.

3. Who are the Companions? Why is it obligatory to love them?

4. Who are the Al? Why is it obligatory to love them?

5. Who are the pious Muslims?

6. List some of what a Muslim is obligated to hate?