By Mawlana Shaykh Nazim Adil Al-Haqqani

Today we speak about love for Allah ﷻ and His Prophet ﷺ. Our Grandsheikh was telling this hadith, that one day the Prophet ﷺ was giving a sermon when one Bedouin came to the door of the mosque and shouted, “Oh Prophet ﷺ, when is the Last Day coming?” There was no answer, so he called out again and still again. The Prophet ﷺ was waiting for Allah ﷻ to provide him with an answer, as only He knows when is the Last Day. Then the Angel Jibril (Gabriel) came to him saying, “Ask him what he did in preparation for the Last Day.” The man replied, “Muhammed ﷺ, I love you and I love your Lord, nothing else, only this. Then Jibril told Muhammed ﷺ, “Answer him that he will be with you and your Lord like two fingers together. Everyone who loves another must be with him on the Last Day.” On hearing this, Abu Bakr asked, “Oh Prophet, is not action a necessary condition, is only love enough?” He answered, “No, ya Aba Bakr, actions are not a condition, important is love. Everyone will be with his beloved friend.”

If one is conquered by his nafs (ego) and his actions are bad, but he loves good people, not loving bad people or his own bad actions, then he will benefit from his love. When Abu Bakr heard this answer, he prayed two rakats (units of prayer) in thanks to his Lord, and said, “Oh Prophet ﷺ, I never heard such good news as this til now.” Look at the humbleness of Abu Bakr, no one can reach to his station. “Until now my heart was in knots which I could not untie. Your hadith untied them just now. I am satisfied, absolutely at peace in my heart. In this life I can’t be patient one moment without your presence. I was thinking, if actions are a condition to be together in Paradise, how could I be with you? Where are my actions compared with yours?” And where are our actions compared with Abu Bakr’s? Therefore the Prophet ﷺ has given sweet words to people. In Islam there is no higher thing than love.

The first step for us is calling people to the love of our Lord. We can meet with everyone from every religion on this, everyone who has the belief in Allah Almighty. If meeting here it is enough, then agreement may come step by step. Secondly we are saying it is the command of Allah ﷻ to love all good people generally. Individually we can’t force one person to like another, but he must agree in principle to like all good people. Right is always up; wrong is always down in darkness.

Source: Mercy Oceans, Book 2 (1980), pages 102-4.