بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Obedience to Allah is the Way to Obtain His Satisfaction
(Translated)
We all strive to attain the pleasure of Allah Almighty, for it is the highest goal of every Muslim to win a great victory. The Almighty said:
[رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ ذَلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ]
“Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him. That is the ultimate triumph” [Al-Ma’idah 5:119]. One of the inclusive supplications is: “Oh Allah, I ask you for your satisfaction and paradise.”
There are many ways to attain Allah’s pleasure, and we must take advantage of them. Obedience is necessary whether in the state, society, home or school. The most important obedience is obedience to Allah Almighty and His Messenger (saw). Obedience here is obligatory, absolute and unrestricted. We must obey all of His commands, the Almighty, without discussion. The Almighty said:
[يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ فَإِن تَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ إِن كُنتُمْ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ]
“O believers! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. Should you disagree on anything, then refer it to Allah and His Messenger, if you ˹truly˺ believe in Allah and the Last Day.” [An-Nisa 4:59],
[وَمَن يُطِعِ ٱللَّهَ وَٱلرَّسُولَ فَأُوْلَٰئِكَ مَعَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْهِم]
“And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger will be in the company of those blessed by Allah” [An-Nisa 4:69],
[وَاسْمَعُوا وَأَطِيعُوا]
“hear and obey” [At-Taghabun 64:16]. This obedience is not weakness, but rather strength and empowerment.
So, how can we seek Allah's satisfaction by obeying Him?
Obedience, in its comprehensive sense, is only to Allah Almighty and to the Messenger (saw), even if people are angry and not satisfied, and it is a request for Allah’s satisfaction. Allah says:
[أَفَمَنِ اتَّبَعَ رِضْوَانَ اللَّهِ كَمَنْ بَاءَ بِسَخَطٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَمَأْوَاهُ جَهَنَّمُ وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ]
“Are those who seek Allah’s pleasure like those who deserve Allah’s wrath? Hell is their home. What an evil destination!” [Ali’Imran 3:162], and the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: «مَنِ الْتَمَسَ رِضَاءَ اللَّهِ بِسَخَطِ النَّاسِ كَفَاهُ اللَّهُ مُؤْنَةَ النَّاسِ، وَمَنِ الْتَمَسَ رِضَاءَ النَّاسِ بِسَخَطِ اللَّهِ وَكَلَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَى النَّاسِ»“Whoever seeks Allah's pleasure by the people's wrath, Allah will suffice him from the people. And who ever seeks the people's pleasure by Allah's wrath, Allah will entrust him to the people.”
And there are deeds that Allah is pleased with from us, and others that He hates, on the authority of Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: The Messenger of Allah (saw), said: «إِنَّ اللهَ يَرْضَى لَكُمْ ثَلَاثاً، وَيَكْرَهُ لَكُمْ ثَلَاثاً؛ فَيَرْضَى لَكُمْ أَنْ تَعْبُدُوهُ وَلَا تُشْرِكُوا بِهِ شَيْئاً، وَأَنْ تَعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللهِ جَمِيعاً وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا، وَأَنْ تَنَاصَحُوا لِمَنْ وَلَّاهُ اللهُ أَمْرَكُمْ، وَيَكْرَهُ لَكُمْ؛ قِيلَ وَقَالَ، وَكَثْرَةَ السُّؤَالِ وَإِضَاعَةَ الْمَالِ»“Verily Allah likes three things for you and He disapproves three things for you. He is pleased with you that you worship Him and associate nor anything with Him, that you hold fast the rope of Allah, and be not scattered; and He disapproves for you irrelevant talk, persistent questioning ane the wasting of wealth.”
And we must obey Allah in what He commands, and stop what He forbids, so if we obey Him, then our obedience to Him is worship, so the one who disobeys Him will not obtain Allah’s pleasure, how can he hope for His pleasure by abandoning prayer, fasting, Hajj, zakat, and other acts of worship!! If the tooth-stick and brushing the teeth brings the satisfaction of the Lord, Glory be to Him, then how about other acts of worship?! On the authority of Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, she said: The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: «السِّوَاكُ مَطْهَرَةٌ لِلْفَمِ، مَرْضَاةٌ لِلرَّبِّ» “The tooth-stick is a means of purifying the mouth, and is pleasing to the Lord.”
We must be faithful to Him in worshiping Him, in our prayers, fasting, zakat, Hajj and all our deeds, and we fear no one but Him, may He be glorified and exalted. And we do not supplicate, seek refuge, seek help, and hope for nothing but Him, and we do not seek refuge except with Him, and we do not trust except in Him, Glory be to Him, and we do not fear the blame of a blamer in Him, so we proclaim the truth at all times and whenever we can, by hand, tongue or heart.
And here we are in the holy Ramadan, the month of acts of worship and good deeds, the month of giving charity, the month of work, so let us take advantage of its hours and days to gain the pleasure of Allah Almighty, and we do not hesitate to remember him a lot, the more we remember him, the more he is satisfied with us, on the authority of Abu Darda, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet (saw) said: «أَلَا أُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِخَيْرِ أَعْمَالِكُمْ وَأَرْضَاهَا عِنْدَ مَلِيكِكُمْ، وَأَرْفَعِهَا فِي دَرَجَاتِكُمْ، وَخَيْرٍ لَكُمْ مِنْ إِعْطَاءِ الذَّهَبِ وَالْوَرِقِ، وَمِنْ أَنْ تَلْقَوْا عَدُوَّكُمْ فَتَضْرِبُوا أَعْنَاقَهُمْ، وَيَضْرِبُوا أَعْنَاقَكُمْ؟»“Shall I not tell you of the best of your deeds, the most pleasing to your Sovereign, those that raise you most in status, that are better than your gold and silver, or meeting you enemy (in battle) and you strike their necks and they strike your necks?” They said: What is that, O Messenger of Allah! He said: «ذكرُ اللَّهِ»...“Mention of Allah”...
And whoever remembers Allah; Thanks Allah for the blessings, on the authority of Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: «إِنَّ اللهَ لَيَرْضَى عَنِ الْعَبْدِ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ الْأَكْلَةَ فَيَحْمَدَهُ عَلَيْهَا أَوْ يَشْرَبَ الشَّرْبَةَ فيَحمِدهُ عَلَيها»“Allah most high is pleased when a man eats something and praises Him for it, or drinks something and praises Him for it.” He is satisfied with you while you eat and you say: Al-ḥamdu lillāhil-ladhī (Praise be to Allah) after you finish your food. Gratitude brings contentment. He, Glory be to Him, said:
[إِنْ تَكْفُرُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ عَنْكُمْ وَلَا يَرْضَى لِعِبَادِهِ الْكُفْرَ وَإِنْ تَشْكُرُوا يَرْضَهُ لَكُمْ وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَى ثُمَّ إِلَى رَبِّكُمْ مَرْجِعُكُمْ فَيُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ إِنَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ]
“If you disbelieve, then ˹know that˺ Allah is truly not in need of you, nor does He approve of disbelief from His servants. But if you become grateful ˹through faith˺, He will appreciate that from you. No soul burdened with sin will bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord is your return, and He will inform you of what you used to do. He certainly knows best what is ˹hidden˺ in the heart.” [Az-Zumar 39:7]
Among the ways to gain and obtain the satisfaction of Allah Almighty is obedience to His commands that we hold our tongues, our pens, and our limbs from a word that comes from it spontaneously or intentionally, in which there is the wrath of Allah, Glory be to Him, and we make it get used to what is pleasing to Him. On the authority of Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, the Prophet (saw) said: «إنّ العَبْدَ لَيَتَكَلَّمُ بِالكَلِمَةِ مِنْ رِضْوَانِ اللَّهِ، لاَ يُلْقِي لَهَا بَالاً، يَرْفَعُهُ اللَّهُ بِهَا دَرَجَاتٍ، وَإِنَّ العَبْدَ لَيَتَكَلَّمُ بِالكَلِمَةِ مِنْ سَخَطِ اللَّهِ، لاَ يُلْقِي لَهَا بَالاً، يَهْوِي بِهَا فِي جَهَنَّمَ»“A slave (of Allah) may utter a word which pleases Allah without giving it much importance, and because of that Allah will raise him to degrees (of reward): a slave (of Allah) may utter a word (carelessly) which displeases Allah without thinking of its gravity and because of that he will be thrown into the Hell-Fire.”
We also have to treat others well, and the first people to treat well are parents, on the authority of Abdullah bin Amr, may Allah be pleased with them, who said: The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: «رِضَا الرَّبِّ، فِي رِضَا الْوَالِدِ، وَسَخَطُ الرَّبِّ، فِي سَخَطِ الْوَالِدِ»“The pleasure of the Lord lies in the pleasure of the parent. The anger of the Lord lies in the anger of the parent.”
And if we seek Allah's satisfaction, glory be to Him, so we have to be polite with good morals, manners and high values, so we do not lie in our speech, we do not break a promise, we do not break an agreement, we do not betray a trust, we do not betray a covenant we made, and we have patience when afflicted, and contentment with the judiciary, so whoever is satisfied with the affliction will have the satisfaction of Allah. On the authority of Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: «إِنَّ عِظَمَ الْجَزَاءِ، مَعَ عِظَمِ الْبَلَاءِ، وَإِنَّ اللهَ إِذَا أَحَبَّ قَوْماً ابْتَلَاهُمْ، فَمَنْ رَضِيَ فَلَهُ الرِّضَا، وَمَنْ سَخِطَ فَلَهُ السُّخْطُ» “The magnitude of the reward goes along with the magnitude of the affliction. When Allah loves people He afflicts them, and those who accept it gladly receive Allah’s good pleasure, but those who are displeased receive Allah’s displeasure.”
Likewise, being kind and gentle with others, and rejecting violence and harshness earn us the pleasure of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, on the authority of Abd Allah Ibn Mughaffal, on the authority of the Prophet, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, who said: «إِنَّ اللَّهَ رَفِيقٌ يُحِبُّ الرِّفْقَ وَيَرْضَاهُ، وَيُعْطِي عَلَى الرِّفْقِ مَا لَا يُعْطِي عَلَى الْعُنْفِ»“Allah is gentle, likes gentleness, and gives for gentleness what he does not give for harshness.”
And from the intensity of the believer's love for his Lord, Glory be to Him, and his greed for His pleasure, he loves to meet him. On the authority of Ubadah bin Al-Samit, may Allah be pleased with him, on the authority of the Prophet (saw) who said: «مَنْ أَحَبَّ لِقَاءَ اللَّهِ أَحَبَّ اللَّهُ لِقَاءَهُ، وَمَنْ كَرِهَ لِقَاءَ اللَّهِ كَرِهَ اللَّهُ لِقَاءَهُ»“He who loves to meet Allah, Allah also loves to meet him, and he who dislikes to meet Allah, Allah also abhors to meet him.”
The most important thing that we can do to achieve Allah's pleasure these days is to work hard to re-establish the rule of His Sharia on earth, by working to resume the Islamic life in the Second Khilafah Rashidah state on the Method of the Prophethood.
If we seek the pleasure of Allah, He will guide us to the most righteous path, and lead us out of the darkness of ignorance and humiliation into the light of knowledge and glory. We must follow the provisions of the Qur'an that
[يَهْدِي بِهِ اللَّهُ مَنِ اتَّبَعَ رِضْوَانَهُ سُبُلَ السَّلَامِ وَيُخْرِجُهُمْ مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ بِإِذْنِهِ وَيَهْدِيهِمْ إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ]
“through which Allah guides those who seek His pleasure to the ways of peace, brings them out of darkness and into light by His Will, and guides them to the Straight Path.” [Al-Maidah 5:16]
O Allah, make us among those who obeyed You, and You were pleased with them and admitted them to Paradise.
Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Muslimah Ash-Shami (Umm Suhaib)