Abu Umamah (RA) reported: Nabi ﷺ said, “Whoever loves for the sake of Allah, hates for the sake of Allah, gives for the sake of Allah, and withholds for the sake of Allah has perfected the faith” (Abu Dawud, 4681).
1) To love for the sake of Allah: Wahshi (RA) was the slave of Hind bint Utbah (RA). She instructed him to kill Hamza (RA), the uncle of Nabi ﷺ. In return she promised to free him. Wahshi (RA) happily accepted, prepared, and killed Hamza (RA). Nabi ﷺ was deeply saddened. Despite this, years later Nabi ﷺ did dawah to Wahshi (RA). He asked many questions but Nabi ﷺ patiently answered them all. Hind (RA) also accepted Islam. When she asked Nabi ﷺ for assistance, he assisted her.
He recognised that they have now repented and changed, and chose to treat them according to this rather than their past sins. Clearly, his love for them was truly for the sake of Allah, due to which he was able to set his emotions aside and convey the message of Islam. The entire life of Nabi ﷺ was the epitome of love and affection. We may not be able to implement this level of forgiveness and kindness to those who hurt us but at the minimum, we must try to ensure that our character is not spoilt by the misdeeds of others. Love others for the sake of Allah alone. This will enable us to rise beyond the pain and blossom despite the hardships, content in the knowledge that Allah will reward us anyway. May Allah grant us the ability to do so, aameen.
— Shaykh Dawood Seedat حفظه الله
Above is an extract from Shaykh’s Jumah talk in Masjid-ut-Taqwa, Pietermaritzburg on 17/01/2020. To listen to the full audio, please click here.
