What Does the Hadith Mean When Allah Loves or Hates a Person He Calls Jibra’il?
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
On the idea of Allah mentioning some people’s names in the Heavens. Could you please explain what this means? And to whom are they mentioned? Presumably, the same people Gabriel tells to love so and so (familiar Hadith). Please let me know if you need anything further from me. Kind regards.
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.
Gabriel Announces If Allah Loves or Hates Someone
Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “When Allah loves a servant, he calls Gabriel, and he says: Verily, I love this person, so you should love him. Then Gabriel loves him and makes an announcement in the heavens: Allah loves this person, and you should love him. Thus, the dwellers of the heavens love him, and he is honored on the earth.”
In another narration, the Prophet said, “When Allah is angry with a servant, he calls Gabriel and says: I resent this person, so you should resent him. Then Gabriel resents and announces in the heavens, saying: Verily, Allah resents this person, so you should resent him. Thus, they resent him, and he is hated on the earth.” [Bukhari; Muslim]
What Does Love Mean?
As mentioned in the hadith of Thawban, a servant continually asks Allah for his happiness and pleasure, and it remains so until Allah says, O Jibra’il, so and so servant asks my pleasure for him; indeed, my mercy overcomes him. This is recorded in Ahmad and Tabarani. The hadith of Abu Hurayra supports this; my servant continually becomes closer to me through performing the optional worship until I love him.
The reality of love with the people of gnosis is experiential and can’t be defined. It can only be described by those who have experienced it. Love is of three types: love of Allah is divine, love of angels is spiritual, and love of servants is natural love, which one will experience.
[Ibn Hajar, Fath al-Bari, Sharh al-Bukhari]
The basis of all happiness and good—in their essence—is directing oneself to Allah and always turning to Him. Therefore, we should continually ask Allah Most High for pleasure (rida) and turn to him by being ever thankful, performing good works, and repenting when we fall.
I would like you to go through the valuable answers and links below. You will receive guidance and direction in sha Allah.
Related
- Allah’s love Archives – SeekersGuidance
- Only Concerned With Allah’s Pleasure, not His Reward: Do I Need to Repent? – SeekersGuidance
- The True Cause of All Happiness and Good is Turning to Allah – Mawlay al-Arabi al-Darqawi – SeekersGuidance
- How Do I Know If Allah Most High Loves Me As I Am Struggling to Practice My Religion? (seekersguidance.org)
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.
