“Unquestionably, [for] the allies of Allah there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve - Those who believed and were fearing Allah.” (Yunus: 62-63) Who are these allies who have no fear and do not grieve? Can an ordinary person be among these close allies of Allah? How can one achieve this?
Abu Huraira reported God’s messenger as stating that God has said, “If anyone is hostile to a friend of mine, I have declared war against him. No one draws near to me with anything dearer to me than what I have made obligatory for him. If my servant keeps drawing near to me with supererogatory acts I shall love him, and when I love him I shall be his hearing with which he hears, his sight with which he sees, his hand with which he grasps and his foot with which he walks. If he asks from me I shall certainly give him and if he seeks refuge in me I shall certainly give him refuge. I have not hesitated about anything I do as I hesitate about taking the soul of a believer who dislikes death, for I dislike grieving him, but he cannot escape it.” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari)
From the above hadith, we understand that being Allah’s ally is not a gift exclusive to certain Muslims or a specific group. It is achieved through effort, dedication, and performing the obligatory duties prescribed by Allah, and then engaging in additional voluntary acts to draw closer to Him.
The term “wali (ally)” in Arabic signifies proximity and succession. It’s also derived from loyalty and closeness. Ibn Taymiyyah says: “Walaya (friendship) is the opposite of enmity. The essence of walaya is love and nearness, while enmity is rooted in hatred and distance. A 'wali' is so named due to their loyalty to acts of worship, continuously performing them, however the first meaning is more correct.” (1)
Allah has two types of wilaya over His creation: a general walaya for all creatures due to His lordship over them, and a special walaya for the believers due to their faith. The general walaya encompasses all creatures, including non-believers, as Allah manages their affairs. This is evident in His saying: “Then they His servants are returned to Allah, their true Lord.” (Al-An'am: 62) The special walaya is for the believers whom He guides and supports, as stated: “Allah is the ally of those who believe.” (Al-Baqarah: 257) How then can one attain Allah's walaya? It is only through servitude to Him. Ibn al-Qayyim says: “Whoever seeks eternal happiness should adhere to the servitude of Allah. Allah's friendship is only attained through obedience to Him.” (2)
Allah's Declaration of War on Those Opposing His Allies
Allah says in the qudsi hadith: “If anyone is hostile to a friend of mine, I have declared war against him.” This highlights one of the key aspects of Allah's friendship with His believing servants: He handles their enemies. Imam Abu al-Qasim al-Bakri al-Siqilli (3) states: “Allah takes revenge on those who harm His allies and punishes those who do not support them. Beware of harming them, for they are Allah's protected ones on earth. Disgrace will befall those who harm them, and Allah's wrath is upon those who anger them. Allah is pleased with their satisfaction and displeased with their displeasure. When Allah intends good for a people, He guides them to follow the Sunnah and endears His allies to them. Conversely, when He intends ill for a people, He leads them to innovations and endears His enemies to them.” (4)
Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani in “Fath al-Bari” states: “Whoever backbites an ally of Allah or a scholar is not the same as who backbites against an unknown person. They said: The standard is mentioning a person in a way he dislikes, which varies depending on what is said about him. This can get more severe, and harming a Muslim is forbidden.” (5)
Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali said: “It is obligatory to support Allah's allies and forbidden to oppose them, just as it is obligatory to oppose His enemies and forbidden to support them. Allah says, 'Do not take My enemies and your enemies as allies.' (Al-Mumtahina: 1) And He says, 'Your ally is none but Allah and [therefore] His Messenger and those who have believed - those who establish prayer and give zakah, and they bow [in worship]. And whoever is an ally of Allah and His Messenger and those who have believed - indeed, the party of Allah - they will be the predominant.' (Al-Ma'idah: 55-56)
The Value of Obligatory Acts
“No one draws near to me with anything dearer to me than what I have made obligatory for him.” This part of the hadith highlights the value of obligatory acts, as no deed is more beloved to Allah than them. A Muslim should not suffice with voluntary prayers while neglecting obligatory ones. The most beloved actions to Allah are the obligatory acts He prescribed to bring His servants closer to Him and to grant them paradise through His mercy. One of the greatest of these is the obligatory prayer. Allah says, “But prostrate and draw near [to Allah].” (Al-'Alaq: 19) The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The closest that the slave comes to his Lord is when he is prostrating.” (Narrated by Muslim). He also said: “When you stand in Salat, you hold communion with your Rubb and He is between you and the Qiblah.” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Among the obligatory duties beloved to Allah are the wife's good treatment of her husband, excellence in work, the ruler's justice, respecting and caring for neighbors, and good upbringing and care of children.
Another form of worship is having good expectations of Allah, as stated in the qudsi hadith: Allah says: “I am just as My slave thinks I am, (i.e. I am able to do for him what he thinks I can do for him) and I am with him if He remembers Me. If he remembers Me in himself, I too, remember him in Myself; and if he remembers Me in a group of people, I remember him in a group that is better than they; and if he comes one span nearer to Me, I go one cubit nearer to him; and if he comes one cubit nearer to Me, I go a distance of two outstretched arms nearer to him; and if he comes to Me walking, I go to him running.” And among forms of worship is good treatment of parents and preserving kinship ties.
The Status of Voluntary Acts
Voluntary acts include all forms of worship that are not obligatory but are additional to what Allah has prescribed. These include confirmed Sunnah acts, recommended acts, and general untimed voluntary acts. The term “nafl” may also be used to refer to Sunnah, recommended, or voluntary acts, as they are synonymous according to most scholars. (6)
Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, in explaining the previous hadith, says, “The meaning of this statement is that whoever strives to draw near to Allah through obligatory acts and then continues with voluntary acts, Allah brings him closer, elevates him from the level of faith to the level of ihsan (perfection), so that he worships Allah as if he sees Him. His heart becomes filled with knowledge of Allah, love for Him, awe of Him, reverence for Him, intimacy with Him, and longing for Him. This internal knowledge is akin to seeing Him with the eye of the heart.”
The statement: “If he asks from me I shall certainly give him and if he seeks refuge in me I shall certainly give him refuge.” means that this beloved and close servant has a special status with Allah. When he asks for something, Allah grants it to him. If he seeks protection from something, Allah protects him. His prayers are answered due to his honored status with Allah. (7)
The statement: “I have not hesitated about anything I do as I hesitate about taking the soul of a believer who dislikes death, for I dislike grieving him,” is explained by the Prophet (peace be upon him): “When the time of the death of a believer approaches, he receives the good news of Allah's pleasure with him and His blessings upon him, and so at that time nothing is dearer to him than what is in front of him. He therefore loves the meeting with Allah, and Allah (too) loves the meeting with him.” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
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(1) “Al-Furqan Bayna Awliya' ar-Rahman wa Awliya' ash-Shaytan” by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah.
(2) “This is How the Righteous Should Be” by Shaykh Khalid bin Abdul Rahman al-Husainan, p. 20.
(3) Died in 380 AH.
(4) “Ad-Dalala 'ala Allah” p. 31.
(5) “Fath al-Bari” (10/470).
(6) “Encyclopedia of Fiqh,” Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs of Kuwait, vol. 41, p. 100.
(7) “Jami' al-'Ulum wal-Hikam,” p. 349.
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