Quranic Pearls

How to Be Loved by Allah

Mufti Muhammad Qasim ‘Attari

Allah Almighty states:

قُلۡ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ تُحِبُّوۡنَ اللّٰہَ فَاتَّبِعُوۡنِیۡ یُحۡبِبۡکُمُ اللّٰہُ وَ یَغۡفِرۡ لَکُمۡ ذُنُوۡبَکُمۡ ؕ وَ اللّٰہُ غَفُوۡرٌ رَّحِیۡمٌ (۳۱)

“Say you, O Beloved; that '(O) people! If you love Allah, you should therefore obey me, (only then) Allah will love you and forgive your sins. And Allah is Most Forgiving, Ever Merciful.'”^{^[1]}

When some disbelievers claimed to love Allah Almighty, He instructed His beloved صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم to proclaim that if they really loved Allah, they should follow His beloved صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم because this is the sign of truly loving Allah and the door to Allah’s forgiveness and being loved by Him.

Two lessons from this verse:

1. Every believer, man and woman, must follow the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. Sayyidunā Jābir رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ states:

ʿUmar asked the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, “We hear some statements from the Jews which we like. Do you permit us to write them down?” The beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم replied: “Are you astonished like the Jews and Christians? I have brought to you a radiant and clear ˹divine˺ canon. ˹Even˺ if Mūsā عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام were alive today, he would have no choice but to follow me.”^{^[2]}

2. Whoever follows the Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم will be rewarded with two blessings: Allah Almighty will love him and forgive his sins.

Therefore, whoever wants to become a beloved of Allah and have his sins forgiven, he should wholeheartedly follow the beloved Prophet’s teachings and practices.

Let us take inspiration from two noble Companions in this regard:

3. Sayyidunā ʿUthmān al-Ghanī رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ once asked for water and performed wudu. He then smiled and explained to those present: “Once, Allah’s Messenger صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم performed wudu near this place and when he finished, he smiled, ˹so I have followed his sunna˺.”^{^[3]}

4. Sayyidunā ʿAbdullah b. ʿUmar رَضِیَ الـلّٰـهُ عَنْهُمَا was making his camel move in circles at a particular place. When the people asked about it, he replied, “I do not know ˹its wisdom˺, but I saw Allah’s Messenger صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم doing this in this very place, therefore I am also doing it.”^{^[4]}