said RasulAllah Sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam. whosoever finds these three things in oneself, shall taste the sweetness of faith. that he loves Allâh and his Rasûl more than anyone else. that he bears love or hatred for the sake of Allâh, and that falling in a fierce inferno is desirable to him rather than associating partners to Allâh thalâthun man kunna fîhi wajada Halâwat al-îmâni wa Ta`amahu: an yukûna Allâhu wa Rasûluhu aHabbu ilayhi mimmâ siwâhumâ, wa an yuHibba fî Allâh wa yabghaDa fî Allâh, wa an tûqada nârun, `adhamatun fa-yaqa`a aHabbu ilayhi min an yushrika billâhi shay-an [bukhâri:6941; muslim:43; tirmidhî:2624; nasâyi:8/96; at-targhîb wat tarhîb:4427] -- mu`âdh ibn anas (raDiyAllâhu `anhû) narrates that he asked RasûlAllâh SallAllâhu `alayhi wa sallam of the superior part of îmân. said he, ‘that you love [someone] for the sake of Allâh and that you hate [someone] for the sake of Allâh, and keep your tongue employed in the remembrance of Allâh. annahu sa-ala RasûlAllâh SallAllâhu `alayhi wa sallam `an afDal al-îmân. qâl: ‘an tuHibba lillâhi, wa tubghiDa lillâhi wa tu`umila lisânaka fî dhikri Allâh. [musnad imâm aHmed:5/247; at-targhîb wat tarhîb:4451] ---- `amr ibn jamûH raDiyAllâhu `anhû narrates that he heard RasûlAllâh SallAllâhu `alayhi wa sallam say: ‘a bondsman shall not attain the clarity of faith, until he bears love [only] for the sake of Allâh; and he hates [only] for the sake of Allâh. when he loves for the sake of Allâh tabâraka wa ta`âla and hates for the sake of Allâh ta`âla, he has verily proved his friendship of Allâh. [or ‘verily deserves the friendship of Allâh ta`âla.’] lâ yajidu al-`abda SarîHa al-îmâni Hattâ yuHibba lillâhi ta`âla wa yubghiDa lillâhi ta`âla. fa idhâ aHabba lillâhi tabâraka wa ta`âla wa abghaDa lillâhi ta`âla, faqad istiHaqqa al-wilâyata lillâh [musnad imâm aHmed:3/430; at-targhîb wat tarhîb:4452] --- mu`âdh ibn anas raDiyAllâhu `anhû narrates from RasûlAllâh SallAllâhu `alayhi wa sallam that he said: ‘he who gives for the sake of Allâh, and denies for the sake of Allâh; who loves for the sake of Allâh and hates for the sake of Allâh; and who marries [just] for the sake of Allâh, has indeed perfected his faith. man a`aTâ lillâh, wa mana`a lillâh, wa aHabba lillâh, wa abghaDa lillâh, wa ankaHa lillâh, faqad istakmala îmânahu. [musnad imâm aHmed:3/438, 3/440; tirmidhi:2521, though he said that this Hadîth is munkar; mustadrak al-Hâkim:1/61, and he said that the chain is authentic (SaHîH); bayhaqi in shu`ab al-îmân:15; at-targhîb wat tarhîb:4453] --- abû umâmah raDiyAllâhu `anhû narrates from RasûlAllâh SallAllâhu `alayhi wa sallam, that he said: ‘he whose loves for the sake of Allâh and hates only for the sake of Allâh, and gives for the sake of Allâh and denies for the sake of Allâh, has indeed perfected his faith. man aHabba lillâh, wa abghaDa lillâh, wa a`aTâ lillâh, wa mana`a lillâh, faqad istakmala îmânahu. [abû dâwûd: 4681; at-targhîb wat tarhîb:4454] --- al-barâ’a ibn `âzib raDiyAllâhu `anhû narrates: we were sitting with RasûlAllâh SallAllâhu `alayhi wa sallam and he asked: ‘which among the grasps of islâm is the firmest’. the people replied: ‘Salât [prayer]’ he said: ‘good. but how would that make it the firmest?’, they said: ‘fasting in ramadan’, said he: ‘good. but how would that make it the firmest?’, they said: ‘al-jihad [struggle in the path of Allâh]’, said he: ‘good. but how would that make it the firmest?’ and then he said: ‘the firmest of all grasps of islâm, is that you love for the sake of Allâh and hate for the sake of Allâh. ayyu `urâ al-islâmi awthaqh? qâlu: ‘aS-Salâh’. qâl: ‘Hasanah; wa mâ hiya bihâ?’. qâlu: ‘Siyâmu ramaDân’. qâl: ‘Hasan; wa mâ huwa bihî’. qâlu: ‘al-jihâd’. qâl: ‘Hasan; wa mâ huwa bihî?’. qâl: ‘inna awthaqa `urâ al-îmâni an tuHibba fî Allâhi, wa tubghiDa fî Allâhi ta`âla. [ahmed:4/286; bayhaqi shu`ab al-îmân:13; both of them report thru’ the chain of layth ibn abî sulaym; and Tabarâni reports from ibn mas`ûd. at-targhîb wat tarhîb:4455] [`urâ: grasps, grips, pl.of `urwah. and hence, `urwatul wuthqa: the firm grasp.] --- abû dharr narrates that RasûlAllâh said: ‘exceptional among all deeds, is to love for the sake of Allâh and to hate for the sake of Allâh’. afDalu al-a`amâli al-Hubbu fî Allâhi wa al-bughDu fî Allâh. [at-targhîb wat tarhîb:4456; abû dawud: 4599; aHmed:5/146, though he reports it a little longer than this: ‘undoubtedly, the best of all deeds with Allâh ta`âla is the love for Allâh and hate for Allâh’. there are narrators in his chain, whom he did not name.]
