Striving for the Love of Allah سبحانه و تعالى - Shaykh Mustafa Abu Rayyan | Jumu’ah Khutbah

Opening Khutbah

إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَصَفِيُّهُ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ وَخَلِيلُهُ أَرْسَلَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَى النَّاسِ كَافَّةً بَشِيرًا وَنَذِيرًا فَبَلَّغَ الرِّسَالَةَ وَأَدَّى الْأَمَانَةَ وَنَصَحَ الْأُمَّةَ وَتَرَكَنَا عَلَى الْمَحَجَّةِ الْبَيْضَاءِ لَيْلُهَا كَنَهَارِهَا لَا يَزِيغُ عَنْهَا إِلَّا هَالِكٌ فَصَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ وَسَلَامُهُ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَأَصْحَابِهِ وَمَنِ اهْتَدَى بِهَدْيِهِ وَاسْتَنَّ بِسُنَّتِهِ وَدَعَا بِدَعْوَتِهِ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ

أُوصِيكُمْ وَنَفْسِي بِتَقْوَى اللَّهِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ مُحْسِنُونَ. جَعَلَنَا اللَّهُ مِنْهُمْ وَإِيَّاكُمْ.

My beloved brothers and sisters, I start by praising Allah and sending blessings and salutations upon our beloved messenger Muhammad ﷺ.

Our Single Greatest Wish

My beloved brothers and sisters, in this khutbah I would like to focus on — or highlight — what should be, or ought to be, our single greatest wish. That if someone were to ask you: what would you like or want more than anything else? The answer should be that our Creator, Allah, loves us. That the One who is worthy of worship, the Creator of all, the One above all, Allah loves you. And that if we were given the love of Allah by the Almighty, there is nothing else in the world that we would need.

What can go wrong for you if Allah loves you? What can go wrong for you in the dunya if the Creator of the dunya loves you? What can go wrong for you in the akhirah if Allah loves you? And we need to strive to gain the love of Allah. Allah speaks about it in the Qur'an often — Allah mentions not only who He loves, but the actions that He loves as well. And it is extremely important that we ask ourselves: how much do we strive for that? It is the single greatest blessing and honor to have.

Often we speak about us loving Allah, which is extremely important. In fact, your iman will not be complete unless you love Allah and His messenger more than anything else — more than yourself, your family, your children, everything and anything in existence. That Allah and His messenger come first. That's your responsibility. But the ulema, they have a beautiful statement. They used to say: it is not surprising nor is it amazing that you love Allah. Why wouldn't you love Allah? When He created you, when He gave you, when He blesses you, when He provides for you, when He gave you everything that you have — why wouldn't you love Allah? But what's amazing is that Allah may love you — you who sin, you who forget, you who make mistakes, you who oppress — that Allah Almighty can love you. May Allah shower His love upon us.

The Story of the Flag-Bearer at Khaybar

My brothers and sisters, one day the Prophet ﷺ — this was in Khaybar — he told his companions: "Tomorrow, I am going to give the flag. The flag-bearer of the battle tomorrow will be someone, and this person is very special. Because he is someone that loves Allah and His messenger, and Allah and His messenger love him."

Every companion there was wondering: who will this person be? How lucky are they? What a blessed thing to have — that the Prophet ﷺ is telling you: whoever will be the flag-bearer tomorrow, Allah loves him and the Prophet loves him.

Sayyidina Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه, the great companion that you all know, he said: "I have never wished for leadership" — and it is not from the Sunnah to want to be in a position of leadership, to desire it, to want to be in charge; that's not from the Sunnah; if Allah puts you in charge, be responsible, but don't strive for it — Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه said: "I was never someone that would strive to be in the limelight — until that day." What's different this time? What makes Umar ibn al-Khattab want to be that person? Because whoever that is enjoys the honor of Allah loving him and the messenger loving him.

Then the Prophet ﷺ said, as everyone is in anticipation waiting: "Where is Ali? Where is Ali?" And they said he is feeling some pain or some illness in his eye — his right eye. And the Prophet ﷺ said: "Bring him to me." And in the end — long story short — it was Ali ibn Abi Talib رضي الله عنه that day that was given the flag and the honor of that title: someone whom Allah and His messenger love.

What Happens When Allah Loves You

When Allah loves someone, the Prophet ﷺ told us that Allah announces it to Angel Jibreel. And I want you to imagine — this could be anyone of us — that Allah Almighty announces to Angel Jibreel: "O Jibreel, know that I love such and such." It could be someone that is in our midst right now, someone that you know, someone that is engaged in worship, someone that is kind to others, someone that fulfills the conditions of those deserving of Allah's love. Angel Jibreel — Allah will say — "O Jibreel, I love such and such, so now you have to love him." And then Angel Jibreel will announce it to the angels, to the mala'ik in the heavens — all of them: "Allah loves such and such, so now you all must love that person as well."

And there are many more angels than there are human beings, my brothers and sisters. For every human being there are two at the very least, if not more. And for every spot in the heavens, the Prophet ﷺ said, you can't put three fingers in the heavens except there is an angel prostrating, making sujood. The Prophet ﷺ said in a narration that there are so many angels that descend on the Night of Qadr that are equal to the amount of grains of sand on earth. Imagine all of those creations loving you — and because they love you, they make du'a for you, they seek Allah's forgiveness for you.

Then the Prophet ﷺ said: and once all of that happens, Allah puts acceptance on the earth for that person. What does that mean? It means that your life becomes smooth and easy. You're the one that when you apply for a job, you get it easily. You want a promotion, you get it easily. You start a business, it goes well. When you have children, they are upright. Your marriage is decent. Everything is good — because Allah has put acceptance on the earth for you. Once you have Allah's love, your life goes the right way. Hence why we have to strive for it.

That's the first thing that you get if Allah loves one of His servants: He calls for Jibreel, then Jibreel calls all the angels, then Allah puts acceptance on the earth for you — ease, barakah, and benefit.

Allah's Protection of His Awliya'

What else are some of the signs of what happens when Allah loves you? When Allah loves you, Allah protects you, Allah aids you. The Prophet ﷺ narrated in a hadith qudsi — a divine narration from Allah:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6502)

Allah said: "Whoever shows animosity, anger, and hatred, and becomes the enemy of one of my awliya'" — the awliya' are those that Allah loves — Allah said: فَقَدْ آذَنْتُهُ بِالْحَرْبِ — "that person I announce war against him." Be very careful, my brothers and sisters. Sometimes when we are going against a fellow human being, you don't know — that person may be loved by Allah. And if they're loved by Allah, you better be careful, because if you're unjust to them and if you're oppressing them, Allah has announced war against you, and everything in your life will go wrong.

How to Gain Allah's Love: Obligations and Nawafil

Then that same hadith starts to describe how you gain Allah's love. Allah said in the narration: "There is nothing more beloved to me that my servant does than that which I have made obligatory upon him." So the way you gain the love of Allah — that will then result in Allah loving you, and Angel Jibreel loving you, and all of the angels loving you and making du'a for you, and acceptance on the earth — is the obligations. The five daily prayers, fasting Ramadan, dutifulness to your parents, going to Hajj if you can afford it. All of these things — do the obligations. Is that all?

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6502)

"And my servant does not cease drawing closer to Me with extra deeds of worship" — and we're talking about the qiyam, the witr, the tarawih, fasting Mondays and Thursdays, sadaqa, all of the extra — حَتَّى أُحِبَّهُ — "until I love him," Allah says.

And what happens when Allah loves you?

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6502)

Allah says: "I become the hearing by which he hears, and the sight by which he sees, and the hand by which he strikes, and the foot by which he walks." What does that mean? It means that this person will be so guided, so protected, that they will not gaze upon except that which pleases Allah. And they will not listen to except that which pleases Allah. And they will not use their hands except for that which pleases Allah. And they will not go anywhere except that it pleases Allah.

Is that all? No. If Allah loves you — and may Allah love us all — Allah said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6502)

"And if he asks Me, I will surely give him. And if he seeks My protection, I will surely protect him." This is what you gain when Allah loves you — protection and aid, support from the One that is above all, the One that is the greatest, Allahu Akbar, the One that is able to do all things.

Trials as a Sign of Allah's Love

Is that all, my brothers and sisters? No. What else do we gain from the love of Allah? And this one I want you to pay attention to — because at first, you'll be like: how does this work?

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2396)

If Allah loves a people, Allah tests them with trials and tribulations. When Allah loves you, Allah tests you with trials and tribulations. So never assume that the troubles in your life are just punishments — because Allah also tests those that He loves. Why would Allah do that? Well, Allah is Hakim, He is the Most Wise.

There is a narration where the Prophet ﷺ said that Allah will write for His servant to be in a very high place in Jannah. Because Allah loves you, Allah wants you to be in the highest place in Jannah. But then your actions and deeds are not enough to get you there. You've strived, you tried, you prayed, you did — but you're not getting to the place Allah wants you to get. So Allah cleanses you from your sins in the dunya, and raises your rank, gives you opportunity to have sabr.

When will you have sabr? If your life is always easy, will you ever experience patience and sabr? You will not. And why is sabr important?

Because Allah loves those that are patient. So among the actions that if we do, Allah will love us, is sabr. For you to have sabr and patience, you have to go through a calamity. That's why, when there is a losing of loved ones — and may Allah have mercy on all of them — whether that is illness, or whether that is financial troubles, or whether that is a loss of a friendship, or whatever the case may be — if it results in you having sabr and patience, and that sabr results in Allah loving you, then isn't that a good thing?

My brothers and sisters, there is a lot to say about this. But it is important that we first of all appreciate that the greatest single wish we should all have is hubb Allah. Because once Allah loves you, nothing will go wrong.

أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ مِنْ كُلِّ ذَنْبٍ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ إِنَّهُ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

Second Khutbah: The Story of Mu'adh ibn Jabal and Loving for Allah's Sake

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ.

My beloved brothers and sisters, I want to conclude with a qissa — a story — that was narrated by one of the tabi'in, Abu Idrees al-Khawlani. Now Abu Idrees was actually born during the time of the Prophet ﷺ, but he never saw the Prophet ﷺ as he was a young child. So he ended up learning from the companions and grew up as a tabi'i.

Abu Idrees one day said: "I came to" — he was in Damascus — "I came to the masjid of Damascus, the main mosque there. And there I saw a man. And this man — he had a presence about him. He had a presence, an aura. He was smiling — radiant, beautiful smile. And people were around this person. They would ask him religious questions and he would answer them. Any of their affairs, they would come to him and he would sort it out for them. And as I'm observing this man, I asked: 'Who is it?' And they told me: it's Mu'adh ibn Jabal."

Mu'adh ibn Jabal — the great companion of the Prophet ﷺ. The companion that the Prophet ﷺ said to him: يَا مُعَاذُ إِنِّي أُحِبُّكَ — "O Mu'adh, I love you." The companion that the Prophet ﷺ sent to Yemen to call the people of Yemen to Islam. The companion whom the Prophet ﷺ said: "The most knowledgeable of my ummah in halal and haram is Mu'adh ibn Jabal." It was this companion.

He said: "The following day, I came early to the masjid — hoping to catch him. And as I arrived, he's already there." And that was the way of the companions — they were people that were always engaged in ibadah. He said: "Mu'adh ibn Jabal is sitting there." Remember, he just realized who he is not too long ago. He said: "I approached Mu'adh ibn Jabal from the front. I came and I walked towards him. And I said to him: 'O Mu'adh, وَاللَّهِ إِنِّي أُحِبُّكَ فِي اللَّهِ' — Mu'adh, I swear by Allah, I love you for the sake of Allah."

And then Mu'adh says to him: "By Allah, do you mean this?" "Yes, I mean this." "By Allah, do you mean this?" "Yes, I mean this." Then Mu'adh said: "Come closer." He came closer. Mu'adh grabbed his cloak and said: "I heard the Messenger ﷺ say, I heard the Messenger ﷺ say, that Allah said:"

(Muwatta Imam Malik, Book 51, Hadith 15; also narrated in Musnad Ahmad)

"My love has become incumbent" — meaning, they will most definitely get My love — "upon those that love each other for My sake, those that sit with each other for My sake, those that visit each other for My sake."

What does it mean to love each other for Allah's sake? What does it mean to visit each other for Allah's sake? It means that you have no other personal reason. The relationship between you and the other person is not based on wealth, or dunya, or hobbies, or anything other than Allah. You like that person because of how close they are to Allah. You love that person because of their worship, their connection, their knowledge, their ibadah. That's what attracted you to them as a brother, as a sister — because that shows that you care about Allah and His messenger.

What makes this person different from that person? Well, I see this person in the masjid all the time. I see them with the Qur'an all the time. And because of their Qur'an and their prayer and their modesty — because of her hijab and her honesty — I have love for that person. That's the kind of love — if you have it for your fellow Muslims, that is for the sake of Allah, because of Allah, مِنْ أَجْلِ اللَّهِ — that will result in Allah loving you.

Actions That Earn Allah's Love

May Allah make us among those that love Him. And may Allah make us among those that are loved by Him. This requires another khutbah where I actually talk about what are the actions that if we do, Allah will love us. Allah says in the Qur'an:

Allah loves those who do good.

Allah loves those who are patient. الْمُتَّقِينَ — those who are pious. الْمُحْسِنِينَ — those who excel in goodness. الْمُقْسِطِينَ — those that are just.

The Prophet ﷺ told us:

"The most beloved actions to Allah are those that are done consistently, even if they are small." There are so many narrations and so many ayat where we are being told about what Allah loves. But that requires a whole separate khutbah, inshallah, where we go through these and then start doing them more and more, inshallah.

Closing Du'a

May Allah forgive all of our shortcomings. May Allah bless this gathering.