I love the people in my life. I love seeing them, hanging out with them and other basic things you do with your friends. Almost everyone feels the same about the people they love. But the one thing I and many others have trouble with is loving for them what you love for yourself. It’s easy to take the last open seat on the shuttle or CTA but how easy is it to give it up for someone else. Which leads me to this month's Sunnah in Action:
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said : "None of you will believe until you love for your brother what you love for yourself." Related by Bukhari & Muslim
This hadith is commonly used and heard which I feel is the reason that it's not taken very seriously. We say it as a joke when we want something out of our friends but we rarely act on it. For the prophet (SAW) to say that you are not truly believing, meaning you do not have true faith or truly understand what Islam is about, unless you love for your brother what you love for yourself is a huge statement. This religion was sent down to cure the hearts of people. The prophet (SAW) taught people how to treat each other. This religion is not just about who can memorize the most Quran or who has the most knowledge in islam. A huge chunk of his teachings were about how to treat a fellow human. This is why he stressed that we need to love for our fellow muslims what we love for ourselves.
Another reason he (SAW) said this was so we can establish our faith. When you understand that jannah is the everlasting and true home then you do not care much about your own desires. If we truly truly understand how insignificant this dunya (world) is compared to the next life we would gladly be giving up everything we own to please our muslim brothers and sisters. The prophet (SAW) said “By Allah, this world in comparison to the hereafter is nothing but as though one of you dipped his finger in the sea. So ponder how much (of seawater), the finger returns with.” Keeping what we love to ourselves will give us temporary enjoyment in this life. But loving for your muslim brother or sister what you love for yourself will give you permanent happiness in the next life. You will be rewarded for every time you decided to put somebody else before you inshaa Allah.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said : "None of you will believe until you love for your brother what you love for yourself." Related by Bukhari & Muslim
This hadith is commonly used and heard which I feel is the reason that it's not taken very seriously. We say it as a joke when we want something out of our friends but we rarely act on it. For the prophet (SAW) to say that you are not truly believing, meaning you do not have true faith or truly understand what Islam is about, unless you love for your brother what you love for yourself is a huge statement. This religion was sent down to cure the hearts of people. The prophet (SAW) taught people how to treat each other. This religion is not just about who can memorize the most Quran or who has the most knowledge in islam. A huge chunk of his teachings were about how to treat a fellow human. This is why he stressed that we need to love for our fellow muslims what we love for ourselves.
Another reason he (SAW) said this was so we can establish our faith. When you understand that jannah is the everlasting and true home then you do not care much about your own desires. If we truly truly understand how insignificant this dunya (world) is compared to the next life we would gladly be giving up everything we own to please our muslim brothers and sisters. The prophet (SAW) said “By Allah, this world in comparison to the hereafter is nothing but as though one of you dipped his finger in the sea. So ponder how much (of seawater), the finger returns with.” Keeping what we love to ourselves will give us temporary enjoyment in this life. But loving for your muslim brother or sister what you love for yourself will give you permanent happiness in the next life. You will be rewarded for every time you decided to put somebody else before you inshaa Allah.