Oh servants of Allah! There’s no doubt that every believer seeks to please Allah as Moses (pbuh) said: “I hastened on to you, my Lord, that you might be pleased”. It’s known that the pleasure of Paradise is second to none. However, the highest pleasure in Paradise is to be granted Allah’s pleasure. Imam Muslim narrated that the prophet (pbuh) said: “Verily, Allah will say to the people of Paradise: O people of Paradise! They will say: We are at your service, our Lord; all goodness is in Your hand! Allah will say: Are you satisfied? They will say: Why should we not be satisfied when You have given us what you have not given to any other creation? Allah will say: Shall I not give you something better than that? They will say: O Lord, what could possibly be better than that? Allah will say: I will bestow upon you My pleasure and I will never be displeased with you afterwards.”
Allah’s pleasure can only be obtained by doing what Allah likes and avoiding what He dislikes and displeases Him. So, we should recognize what Allah hates to avoid; for example, Allah hates all bad manners such as swearing, insulting, abusing, etc. The Prophet (pbuh) says: “Nothing will be heavier on the Day of Resurrection in the Scale of the believer than good manners. Allah hates one who utters foul or coarse language.” He also says: “Allah, the Most Generous, likes generosity and the most noble of manners, and hates the lowest of them.) Allah is also displeased with what some people do when their relatives or beloved ones die; namely crying out loud and wailing. The Prophet (pbuh) said after the death of his son Ibrahim: “I’m just a human being, the eyes shed tears, but the heart is humble and satisfied, and we never utter what displeases Allah. Oh Ibrahim! I swear to Allah that we’re sad for parting with you.”
Oh servants of Allah! This tongue is one of the foremost reasons that cause people to enter Hellfire. The prophet said: “and a man utters an evil word without realizing its importance, Allah records for him His displeasure till the day he will meet Him.” Unfortunately, nowadays, we can notice that there’re many writers and program presenters have earned the displeasure of Allah because of what they write or say. Instead of fighting corruption, injustice, bribery, unemployment, poverty, terrorism, extremism, and westernization, they engage into systemic and unified attack on scholars and men of Da‘wa on front pages, urge people to commit the forbidden; men and women to mix together; women to reject Hijab, and encourage people to discard allegiance and dissociation (Wala’ and Bara’). May Allah expose them and make their plotting turn against them.
Oh servants of Allah! Most of the famous figures of our time are those who had gotten the anger of Allah. Our Prophet (PBUH) said: “Allah hates everyone who knows well everything in this life, knowing nothing about the Hereafter.” Be careful not to be one of them. If Allah likes a man, he’ll gain the reward in this life and the Hereafter. And if Allah hates a man, he’ll lose his life and the Hereafter. Our Prophet said: “and when Allah hates a slave, He calls Jibril and says: I hate so-and-so, so hate him.’ Then Jibril also hates him. He (Jibril) then announces amongst the inhabitants of heavens: Verily, Allah hates so-and-so, so you also hate him.’
Thus they also start to hate him. Then he becomes hated on the earth as well”. So, the crucial factor is when the people of Imaan and righteousness (the witnesses of Allah’s covenant on the earth) like or hate a person. It doesn’t matter the praise of ordinary people because they may like a singer, an actor or even a wicked rich man, while on the contrary they hate scholars and those who encourage people to do good. Definitely, the love of the grass roots to sinners does not mean that Allah loves them. May Allah make us of those upon whom He bestows acceptance on the earth. I said these words and I seek Allah’s forgiveness for myself and you.
Praise be to Allah and peace be upon His Prophet.
Our prophet (pbuh) says: “Verily, Allah likes His concessions to be taken exactly as He dislikes disobedience to be committed) because sins bring about hatred and anger of Allah, which is why Allah hates them as saying: “He has made hateful to you unbelief and transgression and disobedience”. Moreover, one of the gravest sins after associating partners with Allah (Shirk) is disobedience of parents which became common among Muslim families nowadays. The Prophet said: “The father’s pleasure is Allah’s pleasure, and the father’s anger is Allah’s anger”. So, worthy of Allah’s anger is he who angers his father.
Also, Allah hates what was mentioned in His Prophet’s Hadeeth: “Allah hates three things: gossip, wasting money and asking too many questions that do not benefit you”. Although Allah orders us to stay away from backbiting (despite the fact that what is being said might be true and evidence-based) to avoid hatred and envy, many Muslims nowadays involve themselves into gossip and even spread rumors and lies which increase suffering and distress. Allah said: “And they make the angles who are the servants of the Beneficent Allah female. Did they witness their creation? Their evidence shall be written down and they shall be questioned”.
And let it be known, Oh servants of Allah! that injustice is one of the bad deeds that Allah hates, so He made it forbidden to Him and to people. One instance of this is dispute over what is false; as the Prophet said: “whoever disputes over something false and he knows, he’ll be subject to Allah’s anger until he ceases to dispute.” In addition, whoever supports such a dispute using his authority or by a false testimony or anything else, the Prophet says of such a man: “Whoever helps someone to dispute over something false, he’ll be subject to Allah’s anger until he ceases to help.” Many rights have been lost because of injustice or a false dispute, and you can see for yourselves, if you want, the so many cases in courts, civil rights offices, and dispute settlement committees.
Injustice brings about Allah’s anger. So, everyone in any position of authority should fear Allah and avoid injustice to protect himself from Allah’s anger. The Prophet said: “Near the end of days, there will be unjust people who help the ruler come and go in Allah’s anger.” To those entrusted with the affairs of Muslims, fear Allah and make it easy for them without resorting to sins or disobeying the ruler. Allah likes those who make things easy for the Ummah as the Prophet said: “Verily, Allah accepted easiness for this Ummah (the nation) and hated hardship for it.”
Oh servants of Allah! Mu’awiyah wrote to Aisha, may Allah be pleased with them both, saying: “send me a letter with an advice and do not make it too long”. She wrote: “Peace be upon you, then, I heard the Prophet saying: (Whoever seeks Allah’s pleasure whereas people might be displeased, Allah will spare him the evil and harm of people. And whoever seeks people’s pleasure whereas Allah might be displeased, Allah will not spare him their evil), and peace be upon you”.
In conclusion, we should fear Allah and avoid what He hates to gain the best blessing of Paradise which is Allah’s pleasure. Oh Allah! Bestow upon us Your everlasting pleasure so that You will never be displeased with us. Oh Allah! We ask for Your pleasure and Paradise, and seek refuge with You from Your anger and Hellfire.