Question

salam alaikum Love and Sake for Allah is best....... but can it be said that it is """"OBLIGATORY""""" to love for the sake of Allah..... for there are many who love people for friendship...... I wanted a cnfrmaion whether it is OBLIGATORY OR RECOMMENDED(mustahab)" and how authentic is this narration that martyrs will envy people because of the position that will be achieved by people who love for the sake of Allah please answer both jazakallah and salam alaikum!!!!!!!!!

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

Love for the sake of Allah, as well as hatred for the sake of Allah, are significant because both approaches are among the most solid bonds of faith; since this is the case, it is an obligation to achieve it. Indeed, the scholars stated that love for the sake of Allah is obligatory. Ibn Battal in his commentary on 'Saheeh Al-Bukhari', said: “If someone says: …Tell us about love for the sake of Allah or hate for the sake of Allah, is it an obligation or a recommended act?” It would be said: “Rather, it is an obligation; and this is the view of Imam Maalik as well”. If it is said “what is the evidence for this?”, it would be said: “What Al-‘A‘amash narrated from Abu Salih from Abu Hurayrah who said: the Prophet said: “I swear by Him in Whose Hands my soul is, you will not enter Paradise unless you have faith, and you will not have faith unless you love one another. Shall I not tell you about something if you do it you will love one another? Spread the Salam amongst yourselves.” [Imam Muslim, Imam At-Tirmithi, Imam Abu Dawood and Imam Ibn Majah] What the Prophet ordered them to do, they should act according to it, Don't you see that the Prophet swore (by Allah) with his utmost sincerity that "the people would not have faith until they love one another, and they will not enter Paradise until they have faith. Thereforre, every wise person should be sincere in his affection and love to the believers..."

Ibn Hajar said in 'Fat'h Al-Bari': “Malik said that loving and hating for the sake of Allah are among the obligations.” Moreover, Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah said in ‘Minhaj As-Sunnah’: “Love for the sake of Allah and hate for the sake of Allah are an obligation and it is one of the strongest bonds of faith.” Indeed, there are many texts of scholars about this matter.

On the other hand, the Hadeeth to which you pointed in the question is a Saheeh (authentic) Hadeeth reported by Imam Ahmad and Imam At-Tirmithi from Mu‘ath Ibn Jabal who said: “I heard the Prophet saying: “Allah said: “Those who love one another for My sake, will have pulpits of light, and the Prophets and martyrs will envy them (i.e. wish that they have the same)."

Besides, Imam At-Tabarani reported the same Hadeeth from Abu Malik Al-Ash‘ari who said: “The Prophet said: “There are slaves of Allah who will have pulpits of light on the Day of Judgment, and they are neither Prophets nor martyrs, but the Prophets and martyrs will envy them (i.e. wish that they have the same).” They (companions of the Prophet ) asked: “Who are they?” Prophet  said: “They are those who love one another for the sake of Allah.” [Imam At-Tabarani]

Imam At-Tabarani also reported the Hadeeth mentioned above, but with different wording: "I knew some people who are neither Prophets nor martyrs but the martyrs and Prophets will envy them (i.e. wish that they have the same) because of their status with Allah. They are people from different tribes who love one another for the sake of Allah."

As regards your statement that some people love other people for friendship, then this does not contradict what is mentioned above. Human beings love their friends, neighbors and relatives; it's quite a natural way of showing wordly love and passion among people, and also it is part of humanity. So, this is permissible, and it is not dispraised unless it prevents one from the mention of Allah or diverts him from loving Allah. Ibn Al-Qayyim said: “There is a fifth category of love that is not a part of what we have mentioned here, it is the natural love, which is that a person tends to what suits his nature, like the love of the thirsty person for water, and the love of the hungry person for food, and loving sleep, and loving the wife and the children, and these are not dispraised unless they prevent one from the mention of Allah or divert him from loving Allah.”

Allah Knows best

Fatwa answered by: The Fatwa Center at Islamweb