Shaykh Albani on True Love!

Questioner: Someone who loves a person for the sake of Allaah, must he say, “I love you for the sake of Allaah,” to him?

Al-Albaani: Yes, but loving [someone] for the sake of Allaah has a huge price, only very few people pay it. Do you know what the price [to be paid] for loving someone for Allaah’s sake is? Do any of you know the price?

Let whoever knows give us the answer.

Someone present: Allaah’s Messenger ﷺ said, “There are seven whom Allaah will shade with His shade on the day when there will be no shade except His …” one of the categories mentioned are two men who love each other for Allaah’s sake, who get together for that reason and part for it too.

Al-Albaani: This is correct in and of itself but it is not the answer to the question, it’s an approximate definition of loving for the sake of Allaah but not a conclusive one.

My question was what is the price that two people who love each other for the sake of Allaah must give one another? And I’m not referring to the reward in the Hereafter. What I’m getting at from the question is what is the practical proof that two people love each other for the sake of Allaah? Because two people may love each other but their love is nominal, not real.

So what is the proof of true love?

Someone present: “That he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.”

Al-Albaani: This is the characteristic of love or [at the very least] one of the characteristics of love …

Someone else: Allaah said, “Say: ‘If you love Allaah, then follow me and He will love you.’” [Aali-’Imraan 3:31]

Al-Albaani: This is the correct answer to another question.

Someone present: Maybe the answer can be found in the authentic hadith, “There are three things if found in a person, he will experience the sweetness of faith …” one of which is two people who love each other for Allaah’s sake.

Al-Albaani: This is the effect of loving someone for the sake of Allaah, [that you find] a [certain] sweetness in your heart.

Someone present: The Most High said, “By Time! Indeed, mankind is in loss. Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience.” [Surah Asr 103]

Al-Albaani: Well done. That is the answer.

And an explanation of that is that if I really love you for the sake of Allaah I would persist in advising you, and you would do the same. Persevering in advising one another is very rare between those who claim to love each other, this love might have some sincerity in it, but it is not complete, because we try to make an allowance for the other, afraid that the other person will become angry, that he will flee … and so on.

It is in light of this that [you can see that] the cost of loving someone for the sake of Allaah is that each person shows sincerity towards the other by advising him, always and forever telling him to do good and preventing him from bad—he is more constant in advising him than that person’s own shadow is close—for this reason it has been authentically reported that when parting from one another, one of the habits of the Companions was that one of them would read to the other, “By Time! Indeed, mankind is in loss. Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience.” [Surah Asr 103]

Al-Haawi min Fataawaa al-Albaani, pp. 165-166.

Source: On University Graduates Issuing Fatwas

The Prophet sallahu alayhi wa salam said:

ما من القلوب قلبٌ إلا و له سحابةٌ كسحابةِ القمرِ ، بينما القمرُ يُضيءُ إذ عَلَتْه سحابةٌ ، فأظلَم ، إذ تجلَّتْ

“There is not a heart from the hearts except it has clouds like the clouds of the moon. If the clouds cover the moon when it is shining, it turns dark and when it goes away it appears”

[Saheeh Jami no. 5682]

Imam San’aani rahimahullah said:

“That is the hearts. Sometimes it is bright and the meanings are recalled and it remembers its Lord. Sometimes is is dark and does not realize anything”

[Tanweer Sharh Jami as-Sagheer]

Imam al-Munaawi rahimahullah said:
 
“The reason for the Hadith was mentioned in al-Firdaws that Umar asked Ali about a man who is speaking then forgets [what he is saying] then remembers. So Ali said he heard the Messenger sallahu alayhi wa salam said the following narration”

[Fayd ul-Qadir (5/466)]

This is very interesting as it explains that phenomena when we suddenly forget what were saying in a middle of a conversation. The full narration mentions the following:

Ali said radiallah anhu said:

 وبينا الرجل يحدث الحديث إذ علته سحابة فنسي ، إذ تجلت عنه فذكر 

“While a man speaks some speech, the clouds cover [his heart] so he forgets. When it clears, he remembers”

[Reported by at-Tabarani]

Translated by

Faisal Ibn Abdul Qaadir Ibn Hassan
Abu Sulaymaan

“By the witnessing day [Friday] and by the witnessed day [the Day of ‘Arafaah].” [al-Burooj 85:3].

It was reported from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The promised day is the Day of Resurrection, the witnessed day is the Day of ‘Arafaah, and the witnessing day is Friday.”

Narrated by al-Tirmidhi and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani.

It was reported from Abu Qutaadah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was asked about fasting on the Day of ‘Arafaah. He said, “It expiates for the sins of the previous year and of the coming year.”

Narrated by Muslim.

it was narrated from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no day on which Allaah frees more people from the Fire than the Day of ‘Arafaah. He comes close and expresses His pride to the angels, saying, ‘What do these people want?’”

Narrated by Muslim

It is also narrated that

خَيرُ الدُّعَاءِ : دُعَاءُ يَومِ عَرَفَةَ

“The best du’aa is the du’aa on the Day of ‘Arafah”

(Reported by At-Tirmidhee (#3585)

and Authenticated by al-Imam Albani rahimahullah

Let us hasten to seek Allah’s reward while hastening just as fast to seek His forgiveness, let’s not take a beautiful opportunity like this for granted and let it pass us.

May Allah overlook the shortcomings of our brothers and sisters who passed away, and may He grant our brothers and sisters across the globe istiqamah, salaam and sakinah, ameen

#79 | Explanation of the Creed | al-Barbahaaree (rahimahullah)

It is not permissible to hide sincere advice from any of the Muslims, whether pious or impious, in matters of the Religion. Whoever hides that has acted deceitfully towards the Muslims. Whoever acts deceitfully to the Muslims has done so towards the Religion. Whoever acts deceitfully towards the Religion has behaved treacherously towards Allah, His Messenger and the Believers.×

× Footnote: Tameem ad-Daaree narrates: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “The religion is sincerity.” Upon this we asked, ‘To whom?’ He replied, “To Allah, His book, His Messenger and to the leaders of the Muslims and their common folk.”

– Reported by Muslim (no. 98)

#68 | Explanation of the Creed | al-Barbahaaree (rahimahullah)

Know that no-one will enter Paradise except through the mercy of Allah. Allah will not punish anyone except according to the degree of his sins. If He were to punish them all, the inhabitants of the heavens and the earths, the good and the bad of them, then He would punish them without being unjust to them. ×

It is not permissible to describe Allah the Most High, as being unjust, since the unjust is the one who takes that which is not his own, whereas creation and decree belong to Allah, the Magnificent. The creation is His creation and the world is His.

× Foot note: Ubayy ibn K’ab reports that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasalaam said, “If Allah punished those who inhabit His Heavens and His earth, He would punish them without being unjust to them. If He had mercy upon them, His mercy would be greater than their actions.”

– Reported by Abu Dawood, Ibn Majah and Ahmad. The hadeeth is declared saheeh by Shaykh Al-Albani in Saheehul-Jaami’ (no. 5244)

Ash-Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan, may Allah preserve him, said :

حلق الشعر وتقليم الأظافر لا يجوزان في عشر ذي الحجة لمن أراد أن يضحي، أو أن يأخذ شيئًا من شعره أو أظافره في عشر ذي الحجة، حتى يذبح أضحيته؛ لنهيه صلى الله عليه وسلم عن ذلك ‏؛ كما في حديث أسماء رضي الله عنها، أما مجرد تسريح الشعر الذي لا يحصل معه زوال شيء من الشعر؛ فلا بأس به‏. 

“Cutting the hair and trimming the nails is not allowed for the one who intends to make a sacrifice  during the ten days of Dhul Hijjah. (Similarly), or to remove any piece of hair from himself or from his nails during the ten days. (This is) until he slaughters his sacrifice due to the prohibition of the Prophet sallahu alayhi wa salam from that, as comes in the hadeeth of Asmaa, may Allah be pleased with her. As for hairstyling only which doesn’t cause pieces of the hair to fall off, then that is okay”

Reference : Muntaqaa min Fataawa al-Fawzaan.