"THE SWEETNESS OF FAITH"

Narrated by Anas, Volume 1, Number 15 of Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith


The Prophet said, "Whoever possesses the following three qualities will have the sweetness (delight) of faith:

1. The one to whom Allah and His Apostle becomes dearer than
anything else.
2. Who loves a person and he loves him only for Allah's sake.
3. Who hates to revert to Atheism (disbelief) as he hates to be thrown
into the fire."

My Dear Uhktis, this Hadith is special to me because it encompasses the objective of our worship. We know that Allah (Subhannahu wa ta'ala) says the purpose of our existence is to worship Him, alone.

"And I (Allah) created not the jinns and men except they should worship Me (Alone)"
{Az-Zariyat 56}.

We also know Allah revealed to His Prophet (Sallahu alaihi wa Salam):

"Whoever obeys the Messenger verily obeys Allah; but if any turn away, We have not sent you to watch over their (evil deeds)"
{Al-Nisaa 80}.


It is clear then, that obedience to the Messenger (Sallahu alaihi wa Salam) is nothing less than obedience to Allah (Subhannahu wa ta'ala). In the Sahihs of Al-Bukhari and Muslim it is recorded that the Messenger of Allah (Sallahu alaihi wa Salam) said:

"Whoever obeys me, obeys Allah. Whoever disobeys me, disobeys Allah"

Not following the Sunnah or the commands of the Prophet (Sallahu alaihi wa Salam) is exactly the same as not following the commands of Allah. Ibn Katheer noted that it is the Prophet's (Sallahu alaihi wa Salam) job only to convey the message and it is up to each person to accept or to reject his message. The one who follows his message will be saved. Hence, whoever obeys Allah (Subhannahu wa ta'ala) and His Messenger (Sallahu alaihi wa Salam) is guided, whoever disobeys Allah (Subhannahu wa ta'ala) and His Messenger (Sallahu alaihi wa Salam) harms no one except himself. [1]

So exactly what does the "sweetness of faith" mean? Let's look at each aspect a little more closely.

The first statement says: "The one to whom Allah and His Apostle becomes dearer than anything else.

How can we make our Rabb (Subhannahu wa ta'ala) and His Messenger (Sallahu alaihi wa Salam) dearer to us than our most beloved ones, husbands, children, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, close friends, etc. These are the ones we turn to for companionship, love, and support. But do we really get that love and support directly from our loved ones? No, they are but vessels, Allah (Azza wa Jall) has placed in our lives to facilitate the human contact, emotional support, trials, and tests we all need to exist in this world. The real love and support comes from our Lord (Al Karim). Then with the love, only He (Al Wahhab) can give, Allah (Subhannahu wa ta'ala) gave His revelation to a special human being, our Beloved Prophet Muhammad (Sallahu alaihi wa Salam). This special gift was received and accepted by the Prophet (Sallahu alaihi wa Salam), with all the hardships that came with it, Al-Hamdulillah. Knowing how much our Creator loves us and protects us, and knowing how much Rasullulah (Sallahu alaihi wa Salam) sacrificed and devoted himself to relaying and living the sacred message, we can not help but be in awe. So how could we love anything more than Allah (Subhannahu wa ta'ala) and His Apostle (Sallahu alaihi wa Salam), when our very purpose for living came from and through Them. Allahu Akbar!

The second statement says: "Who loves a person and he loves him only for Allah's sake.

When we really think about the ones we love, family and friends. Do we go that step further and search inwardly to know what kind of love we are feeling, and giving? We all know that love is an emotion, an inward or outward expression of an elevated stirring of our inner most feelings. If Allah (Subhannahu wa ta'ala) is Al Badi (The Originator) of all things, that very emotion, love, comes from Him and is because of Him. Certainly, Allah (Subhannahu wa ta'ala) is deserving of the credit for our feelings. There is nothing anyone can do to stir the feeling of love or hate in us, that do not originate from our Lord (Subhannahu wa ta'ala), and by His permission. Remember, a believer does not operate from his own desires. Only Iblis did this, and became the accursed one, Authoobillah. So when we love, we love for His (Subhannahu wa ta'ala) sake.

The third statement says: " Who hates to revert to Atheism (disbelief) as he hates to be thrown into the fire."

This one seems to be easy to comprehend and follow, because none of us wants to be thrown into the fire. But, are we being alert, and ever vigilant, to keep this from happening? I'm sure most of us have gone through tremendous trials and tests acquiring and holding on to the "rope of Allah". All that hard work should never be in vain. The deen of Al-Islam is too beautiful and fulfilling to give up, at any stage during our journey to Jannah, Insha-Allah. We have been given a vivid and horrific description of Jahannah, a place of unending torture and humiliation. We must guard ourselves from disbelief, which comes with the price of our souls. Authoobillahi min ashaitan ir rajeem, Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahmim.

The "Sweetness of Faith", is just what it says, Faith in its sweetest form. This sweetness is available to all who believe, Subhannallah, Al-Hamdulillah, Allahu-Akbar.

My dear Uhktis, the comments above, represent what this Hadith means to me. All correctness is from Allah (Subhannahu wa ta'ala), and any mistakes have been my own, Astaghfirullah.

Your Sister in Love with the Deen,

Sakeenah

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[1] Ismaaeel Ibn Katheer, Tafsee al-Quran al-Adheem al-Maroof bi Tafseer ibn Katheer (Riyadh, Maktabah Daar al-Salaam, 1998) p. 345