ALLAH'S ATTRIBUTE OF LOVE

ALLAH'S ATTRIBUTE OF LOVE

 

{And spend in the path of Allah and do not cast yourselves to destruction with your own hands and practice Ihsaan. Verily, Allah loves those who practice Ihsaan.} Al-Baqarah/195

 

{Constant listeners to lies, constant devourers of the forbidden. So, if they come to you, judge between them, or turn away from them. If you [decide to] turn away from them, they will not harm you in the least. And, if you [decide to] judge between them, judge between them with in equity. Verily, Allah loves those who judge in equity.} Al-Maidah/42

 

{How could the associationists have a pact before Allah and His Prophet?! Except those with whom you made a pact at the Sacred Mosque: as long as they live up to their pledges to you, live up to yours to them, verily, Allah loves the people of Taqwa.} At-Tauba/9

 

{They ask you about menses. Say: It is unclean, so withdraw from women during their courses. And do not approach them until they have become clean. Then, when they have purified themselves, go to them from where Allah has ordered you. Verily, Allah loves those who ever turn to Him in repentence and He loves those who ever purify themselves.} Al-Baqarah/222

 

{Say: If you [truly] love Allah, then follow me that Allah may love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. * Say: Obey Allah and obey the Prophet. Then, if they turn away [know that] Allah loves not the disbelievers.} Aal-Imran/31-32

 

In these verse is the proof of Allah's attribute of love. Love is one of the attributes of Allah's actions (As-Sifaat Al-Fi'liya). There can be no doubt about this attribute of Allah as is clear from the Qur'an, the Sunnah, and the Consensus of the beginning of the Ummah of the Muslims. His love is called just that, and is of a nature appropriate to His Greatness and Perfection. It cannot be compared to human love except in name, since Allah said about himself: {There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearer, the Seer}. This is the case with all of Allah's attributes, both those of His Essence and those of His Actions.

 

The linquistic derivation of the work for love (Hubb) contains the meanings of things being consistently together, and steadfastness. Thus is is said that a camel "Ahabb" (the same verb as the one meaning "loves") when it sits down and is quiet. Thus, one who loves is constant in the remembrance of the object of his love, and his heart is steadfast in its love with not desire to move away from it or to shift it to another.

 

Among the evidences of the Sunnah for Allah's attribute of Love is the following sahih hadith narrated by Ahmad:

 

"Three Allah loves, and three Allah hates: a man who faces the enemy along with a group [of mujahideen] and continues to face them until he either is killed, or opens a way for his companions; a group of people who press on in their journey until they yearn to touch the ground (i.e. sleep), and so they stop. Then one of them takes himself off to one side and continues praying until he wakes his companions to continue their journey; and a man who has a neighbor who harasses him and who is patient with his neighbor's torments until they are separated by death or journey. As for those whom Allah hates: a businessman who ever swears by the truth of his claims; a poor person who is arrogant; and a stingy person who is ostentatious and boastful about what he gives."

 

Ibn Taimia said: The people of the Sunnah and Al-Jamaa say that Allah loves and is pleased, as the Qur'an and the Sunnah have clearly shown. They further say that Allah's love and his pleasure (or acceptance) is more specific than His Will. Thus, Allah does not love disbelief or any forms of corruption and disobedience nor does he accept it, even though all of these things fall under His Will and His Decree as does everything in the creation.

 

DISCUSSION OF THE VERSES CITED ABOVE

 

In this verse, Allah informs us that He loves Al-Muhsineen i.e., those who practice Ihsaan. Ihsaan means doing of good, and is the opposite of Isaa'a, doing bad [toward] or offending. Ihsaan is of two type: Ihsaan in the worship of Allah and Ihsaan toward His creation. Ihsaan in the worship of Allah has been interpreted in the hadith as: "...to worship Allah as if you see him for, verily, even though you do not see Him, He surely sees you." As for Ihsaan toward His creation, it can consist of causing spriritual or material benefit to reach them or using ones strengths to keep some harm away from them, or both together. In this categoy is the "spending" of knowledge, i.e., exerting of one's efforts to teach people that which is beneficial to them and which has not reached them, and the spending of material wealth in the many paths of good.

 

It has been authenticated that Ibn Abbas said about the phrase in the first part of this verse, i.e., "do not cast yourselves to destruction" that: "This is about spending and not about fighting." This means that the Muslims have been warned that if they neglect the spending of wealth in the path of Allah, they will cast themselves to destruction. This can come about in three ways: 1) Excessive and unnecessary spending of what Allah has blessed us with, so the remainder is not sufficient to spend in the path of Allah; 2) Greediness and a desire to build up one's wealth rather than spending in the path of Allah; and 3) Laziness and/or backwardness which causes one not seek the sources of material power in the first place, and so it is not available to be spent in the path of Allah. This can be caused by a misunderstanding of Islam and thinking that it demands that we "flee from the life of this world" altogether. This will lead to our "casting ourselves to destruction with our own hands"!!

 

KNOWLEDGE CONTAINED IN THIS VERSE

 

Affirmation of Allah's attribute of love -- in a manner appropriate to His Greatness and Perfection.

 

That rewards or punishments are appropriate to the actions which caused them.

 

Ihsaan is a cause of Allah's love for His slave.

 

Proof that we act and that our actions have consequences.

 

An urging to seek the way and practice of Ihsaan.

 

Allah's great Compassion for his slaves, in that He enjoins us to practice Ihsaan with one another.

 

ALLAH'S ATTRIBUTE OF LOVE

(Continued)

Justice and equitable, unbiased judgement are a must in all interaction and judgments with all people. This is regardless of whether such are relatives, strangers, enemies or friends. Equity with respect to Allah's rights over us means to utilize all of the provision which He has bestowed upon us in the path of obedience to Him, and not to use any of that for the purpose of disobedience to Allah ta'ala.

 

Allah loves those who are just and equitable in all that they commit and all that they omit. He loves those the just with their families, and all that have been placed under their care or custody, in any work which they undertake, any decision which they give in a question and in every responsibility of any kind. Ibn Abbas narrates that the Prophet (sas) said:

 

"The just are with Allah on the day of Qiyama on towers of light on the right of the Throne -- those who are equitable in their rulings, with their families, and in all responsibilities which they have been given."

 

Justice is obligatory from everyone toward everyone and in all situations. Oppression is absolutely forbidden and can never be permissible in any situation. Furthermore, justice is something loved by all humanity. It is of the Ma'roof which the heart recognizes as good and which Islam enjoins and orders us to enjoin. On the other hand, oppression (or injustice and inequity in judgement) is of the Munkar which the heart rejects, and which Islam forbids us and commands us to forbid it to others. (The Prophet reported Allah as saying: "I have forbidden injustice to myself and it is likewise forbidden among you.")

 

The law of Islam or Shari'a which is obligatory upon every ruler and state to apply to the fullest is absolutely just. It contains no injustice or unfairness of any kind. Rather, the ruling of Allah is the ultimate and perfect ruling in all issues. The Shari'a is "that which Allah sent down." Whoever rules by what Allah has sent, rules with justice and equity, and whoever rules by other than what Allah sent down is, as Allah has described him (or her) in the Qur'an and oppressor (Dhaalim), corrupt (Faasiq) and a disbeliever who has left Islam (Kaafir).

 

A nations's affairs can be established through a system of justice which is mixed with sins and deviations more than it can be established with an oppressive system, even though it may contain few other sins (and be quite "Islamic" otherwise). For this reason, it has been said that Allah causes the just nation to flourish even if it is disbelieving, but He causes the oppressive nation to perish, though it may be "Muslim." The affairs of this world can flourish with justice combined with disbelief, but not with Islam combined with oppression.

 

This is because justice is the system of the entire creation. So, if the affairs of this world are established and maintained with justice, they will succeed, even though their authors may have no share in the good of the hereafter. If, however, the affairs of this world are executed with oppression and injustice, they will not flourish, even though their authors may have Iman sufficient to save them in the hereafter

 

KNOWLEDGE FOUND IN THIS VERSE

 

Allah's order to be just and equitable in all things.

 

Justice is a cause of Allah's love.

 

Affirmation of Allah's attribute of Love

 

Affirmation that humans act and are responsible for their actions -- that Allah will recompense all of use in accordance with our actions: reward for good and obedience to the Shari'a, and punishment for evil doing and transgression of the Shari'a.

 

In this verse, Allah instructs the Muslims how they must act toward the pagans of Makka in relation to a peace treaty which was between them since before the revelation of Sura At-Tauba. Allah's statement {...as long as they live up to their pledges to you, live up to yours to them...} means that as long as they live up to the terms of the agreement between you and them and continue to restrain from warfare (for the prescribed ten years). The Prophet (sas) and the Muslims did that, and the peace treaty with the pagans of Makka from Dhiy Al-Qi'dah of year 6 until Quraish broke the agreement by inciting their allies among the Arab bedouins (particularly, a tribe called Banu Bakr) to attack the allies of the Muslims among the bedouins. At that point, the Prophet invaded Makka with a force of 10,000 believers, and the Holy city was liberated by Allah for belief and worship in Ramadhan of year 8.

 

Love is the gravitation of the soul toward the object of love because of some perceived attribute of goodness or perfection. Al-Azhariy said: "Love of the slave for Allah and for His Prophet (sas) is his obedience of their orders and the following of them in all things. The love of Allah for His slave is a love which is appropriate to His Greatness and Perfection and its signs are His Mercy, His kindness and favor toward His slave." The meaning of this verse is: Say [to them], O Muhammad that if you truly love Allah, then follow me, for that which I have brought is from Him and makes clear His Attributes, His orders and His forbiddances. One who truly loves is very concerned to know the object of his love and to know his orders and forbiddances, that which pleases and that which annoys him so that he may seek to come closer to the object of his love through complying with his wishes and avoiding all that displeases him. Thus, if you follow me, Allah will surely love you.

 

This is a firm rejection of those claim to Allah's love while their actions give lie to their words. It is not possible for love to exist in the presence of ignorance of the Loved and lack of care for His orders and forbiddances. This is as Al-Warraaq said in poetry:

 

You disobey the god while you feign love of him;

This, I swear is a new type of analogy;

If your love were true, you would obey Him;

He who truly loves is to his loved obedient.

 

KNOWLEDGE CONTAINED IN THIS VERSE

 

Affirmation of the Deityship of Allah ta'ala.

 

Affirmation of Allah's attribute of Love.

 

Enjoining the true love Allah which means exerting oneself in its cause -- seeking Allah's love through obedience to Him.

 

Affirmation of Allah's attribute of Forgiving. Among Allah's names are Al-Ghafoor and Al-Ghaffaar.

 

An order to follow the Messenger (sas). This verse is the standard by which those who truly love Allah can be known and distinguished from those who falsely claim to love Him. The sign of love for Allah is the following of His Prophet (sas) in all things.

 

NOTE: Al-Jahmiya and Al-Mu'tazilah and those who followed them rejected Allah's attribute of Love. They said that love is something which does not occur except between similar beings. With this flimsy argument, they attempted to strip Allah of one of the attributes which He attributed to Himself!

 

SUMMARY: Allah Most High loves the people of obedience to His orders: the prophets and messengers, His angels, His allies (awliyaa) and the believers and Muhsineen among His slaves. Allah is also the object of the love of His devoted, believing slaves, and their love of Him knows no equal in anyone or anything else. This is the obligation upon every Muslim: that every love be subordinate to and lesser than a Muslims love for Allah and His Prophet (sas). Love of Allah is the heart of all righteous action and all worship, both apparent and internal is based on the love of the slave for his Lord Most High. This is only by Allah's grace and mercy, and through no power or ability of His slave. Rather it is Allah who loved his slave and granted him the love of Allah in his heart and made it greater than all other love, so that he would be among the people of obedience to Allah and people of His love and acceptance.

ALLAH'S ATTRIBUTES OF MERCY AND FORGIVENESS

 

Allah's statements: {In the name of Allah, Al-Rahman, Al-Raheem}, {Our Lord You have encompassed everything with mercy and with knowledge}, {And [Allah] is, with the believers, ever Raheem (merciful)}, {And my Mercy encompasses all things}, {You Lord as decreed mercy upon Himself.}, {And He is Al-Ghafoor (the Forgiving), Al-Raheem (Al-Raheem)}, {And Allah is the best Protector, and He is the most Merciful of those who have mercy.}

 

"Al-Basmalah:" The preposition "bi", here translated as in, signifies the seeking of Allah's aid. It goes with an omitted phrase which it indicates equivalent to "I begin, seeking Allah's aid..." The word for name ("ism") is derived from either the root meaning "elevation or loftiness" or from the root meaning "sign or marking". The Arabic word Allah is derived from "aliha" which connotes Deityship or the taking of one as a deity. The derivation of this word is that it was originally "Al-Ilaah", i.e., the god. Then, the hamza in the middle was eliminated to form "Allah". This word was in use among the Arabs to denote the Lord and Creator long before the coming of Islam. This name of Allah, like all of His names, serves as a name, and also indicates some of His attributes, here His attribute of Deityship. About His being "Al-Rahman, Al-Raheem," Ibn Abbas said: "Al-Rahman and Al-Raheem are two names denoting compassion, one more so than the other, i.e. denoting a more encompassing Compassion." Both words are "intense" forms (Seeghat Al-Mubaalagha). Al-Rahman is a form more intense than Al-Raheem and involves a more drastic change to the root. Al-Rahman is only for Allah ta'ala. No others can be names or described with this attribute. In fact, this word was not used in Arabic until Allah himself introduced it in the revelation. This is not the case with Al-Raheem. People can be described with this attribute and, in fact, Allah himself described His Messenger with this attribute in the Qur'an.

 

Ibn Al-Qayyim said: "The names of the Lord Most High are both names and attributes. They point to His attributes of Greatness and Perfection, with no contradiction between their being attributes and their being names. "Al-Rahman" is His name and it is also a description of His attributes."

 

As for the mention of both of these attributes together, it has a meaning more sublime than the sum of the two meanings: Al-Rahman indicates the attribute of Mercy in Allah's essence (one of As-Sifaat Adh-Dhaatiya, remember?), while Al-Raheem indicates this mercy being carried out with relation to those shown mercy (and thus is one of As-Sifaat Al-Fi'liya). The first one means that Allah has the attribute of Mercy, and the second means that He indeed has mercy on His creation. This distinction can be seen from the Qur'an itself, where Allah mentions that He is Al-Raheem with the believers, etc., but never is Al-Rahman mentioned in conjunction with Allah's creation.

 

These two names also indicate the truth of the sending of the prophets and the revealed books. This is clear to anyone who ponders their meaning. Allah's attribute of mercy and His actual mercy upon His creation makes in impossible that He could neglect them and not inform them of the way to absolute bliss. Thus, anyone who gives these attributes their full due, will realize that they include in their meaning the sending of the messengers and the revealed books even more clearly than they include the sending of the rain or the causing of plants to grow. The life of the heart arising from Allah's mercy in giving us guidance is far superior to the physical life of our bodies arising out of His supplying us with physical sustenance in this world.

 

KNOWLEDGE CONTAINED IN THE BASMALA

 

Affirmation of Allah's attribute of Compassion and Mercy.

 

Affirmation of the Deityship of Allah ta'ala.

 

Affirmation of Allah's names and attributes generally.

 

{Those who carry the Throne and those around it exalt the praises of their Lord and believe in Him; and they seek forgiveness for those who believe: Our Lord! You have encompassed everything with mercy and knowledge, so forgive those who have repented and have followed Your path, and shield them from the torment of Al-Jaheem!} Ghaafir/7

 

Allah's mercy is of two types: His all-encompassing mercy which includes all of his creation, and His special mercy and compassion for those who live according to His Order, those who do that which Allah loves and that which pleases Him. The angels her invoke Allah's all-encompassing mercy in making Du'a for the righteous believers who practice repentance.

 

{Muhammad is not the father of any of your men. Rather, the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets. And Allah is in full knowledge of all things. * O, you who believe remember Allah, much remembrance. * And exalt Him morning and evening. * He is the one who sends His prayers upon you along with His angels, that He may take you out of the darknesses to the light and He is, with the believers, Most Merciful.} Al-Ahzaab/40-43.

 

Here, Allah informs us that He has a special mercy for the believers, the people of His Way and His Order. As for this life: His mercy upon them is that He guided them to the truth of which others remained ignorant, and showed them the way which others failed to see or deviated from such as those who call to Kufr or Bida' and the ignorant ones who follow them. And Allah's mercy upon the believers in the hereafter: It is His protecting them from the fear and tribulations of that day, the His Order to the angels to receive them with glad tidings of success with paradise. About this mercy, Allah said: {I will decree (lit: "write") it for those who have Taqwa and pay the Zakat, those who believe in our Ayaat, those who follow the unlettered Prophet Messenger...} (7:156-157) And, in another verse: {Verily, those for whom good has been decreed will be from it far removed. They will hear no sound of it and they will be in that which they desire for eternity. The Greatest Tribulation will not grieve them and the angels will receive them [saying] this is your day which you were promised!}

 

KNOWLEDGE IN THESE AYAAT

 

Affirmation of Allah's Mercy and, in particular, His special mercy toward the people of obedience to Him.

 

A reminder to strive for Iman.

 

A rejection of the position of those who rejected Allah's attribute of Mercy, or interpreted it in some obscure and unjustified fashion.

 

ALLAH'S ATTRIBUTE OF MERCY AND FORGIVENESS

(Continued)

 

{And write (i.e. decree) for us in this world a good thing and in the hereafter. We have been guided to you. He said: [As for] my punishment, I send it upon whomever I wish and my Mercy encompasses all things. So I will write (i.e. decree) it for those who have Taqwa and pay the Zakat, and those who believe in Our ayaat. * Those who follow the Messenger, the Unlettered Prophet...} 7:156

 

Allah here informs us that His Mercy is general, encompassing all things in the upper worlds and the lower worlds, both the righteous and the corrupt, the believer and the disbeliever. There is no living thing, but that the Mercy of Allah has touched it. However, the most complete mercy is not for everyone in Allah's creation, as we see in Allah's statement {So I will write it...}. This is the special Mercy for the People of piety and obedience to Allah and is the Mercy whose consequence is joy in this life and in the next. Thus, in this verse is found proof of Allah's attribute of Mercy, that it is expansive and encompasses His entire creation, and also that His special Mercy which leads to joy in the hereafter is reserved for the people of taqwa and obedience.

 

{Say: Whose is all that is in the heavens and the earth? Say: [They belong] to Allah. He has written Mercy upon Himself. Verily, He will gather you all on the day of Qiyama, in which there is no doubt. Those who lost their own selves do not believe.} 6:12

 

This verse starts with a reminder that Allah is the Creator of all that is in the universe and the Owner and absolute Free Agent of His creation. This is followed immediately by Allah's declaration that He has "written" Mercy upon Himself. Here Allah shows His compassion for those who have turned their backs on Him, reminding us that He is Raheem with His slaves and fully capable of delivering immediate punishment for their actions. In spite of this, He has written mercy upon Himself, giving them time right up to the approach of death or Qiyama to repent and change their ways. He has written this, and promised it to us purely as a grace and a favor from Him. No one has or possibly could oblige Him to do that or anything else. This is then followed by mention of those "who lose their own selves". This is a reminder of our full accountability for actions. So, although, with our meager understanding, it may not seem "merciful" or even "just" for Allah to punish those who transgress and die without repenting from their sins, we are reminded again that we make our own choices and act. Therefore, it is completely just and fair that we face their consequences. Furthermore, it shows that great Mercy of Allah that he will overlook much, forgive many sins, and leave the door to repentance open.

 

This process of "writing" in the Qur'an comes with both its Shar'iy (please review if you have forgotten!) and Kauniy meanings. Examples of this word in the Qur'an with its Shar'iy meaning include the following: {Fasting has been written upon you...}, And We wrote upon them in it (i.e. the Taurat) that [the law is] a life for a life...}. And, examples of its Kauniy meaning include: {And we have written in Az-Zaboor, after the Dhikr, that the earth will be inherited by my righteous slaves...}, {He wrote upon him (i.e. Shaitaan) that [his state would be such that] with regard to any who turn to him, he will lead them astray and guide them to the punishment of the blazing fire.}

 

In this verse we have another example of this term used in its Kauniy sense. Allah has "written" upon himself Mercy with His creation as a pure favor from Him and with no compulsion from any direction.

 

Think about this: We know that it is possible for a person to obligate himself with certain things or to forbid other things to himself. Thus, this is obviously possible for He above whom there is nor one capable or ordering or forbidding. Also: Allah's writing something upon Himself necessitates his wanting of that thing to be, His loving it and acceptance of it just as His forbidding himself something necessitates his dislike for it and His intention that it should not be. Thus, whatever Allah "writes" and "obligates" upon Himself must occur, and whatever Allah "forbids" Himself must not and will not occur. This is in contrast to that which He forbids His creation or that which He obligates upon His creation, all of which takes place in some cases, but not in others. Human actions are always in accordance with Allah's decree, but are not always in accordance with His order, and that which He likes and that which pleases him. His actions, on the other hand, are always exactly what he wills and that which it pleases Him to do. This explains why "write" in this verse is Kauniy and not Shar'iy.

 

The people have become divided in this issue into two extremes of deviation, and the middle way. On group rejects the idea that anything could become required of him or "forbidden" him even through His own action and choice. Others declared a variety of things "obligatory upon Allah" or forbidden to Him using their minds.

 

Allah has guided the Ummah to the middle way in that in which they differed. He is not to be compared to His creation in any of His attributes or actions. On the other hand, his attributes with which He has described Himself cannot be negated or rejected. Nothing can be declared "obligatory" upon him or "forbidden" to Him, rather the people of the middle way simply report that which He has said about himself in the Qur'an or through His Prophet (sas).

 

KNOWLEDGE CONTAINED IN THIS VERSE

 

Affirmation of Allah's attribute of Mercy.

 

Affirmation of the Tauhid of Allah's Lordship.

 

Allah's care for his creation is of two types: general and specific. The general includes His creation of all people, His giving of sustenance, and His showing them the way to that which is to their benefit in this life and the next. Allah's special care is His mercy and care for His allies (Awliyaa) which is his nurturing of their Iman and His granting them the success of doing that which pleases Him and is in accordance with His order.

 

Affirmation that Allah has a "self" (nafs), and that, like all of Allah's attributes, is of a nature and meaning appropriate to His greatness and perfection.

ALLAH'S ATTRIBUTES OF BEING PLEASED WITH, ANGER,

WRATH, DISLIKE FOR SOMETHING, ETC.

 

{You will never find a people who believe in Allah and the Last Day gravitating toward the love of those who act in opposition to Allah and His Messenger; even though they may be their fathers, their sons, their brothers or their kinsmen. For these Allah has written (i.e. decreed) Iman in their hearts and aided them with a spirit from Him. He will admit them to gardens under which rivers flow, to dwell therein forever. Allah is well pleased with them and they with Him. These are the party of Allah. Truly, it is the Party of Allah who will be successful.} 58/22.

 

In the verses of this chapter and others, Allah Most High describes Himself with the following attributes of action:

Ar-Ridhaa: to be pleased with something or someone, in this case with the believers and their actions.

Al-Ghadhab: anger; Allah is, as he mentioned in Al-Fatiha and elsewhere, angry with those who rebelliously disobey His orders.

As-Sakht: wrath; a more extreme anger, things which Allah loathes and which annoy and displease Him.

Al-Kurh: to be displeased with something.

Al-La'n: usually translated to curse. It means for one to be completely removed from and distanced from Allah's mercy.

 

All of these attributes and those like them are of Allah's attributes of action (As-Sifaat Al-Fi'liya) which Allah does when and as He wishes.

 

It is firmly established by textual evidence that the Creator has attributes of willful action such as sitting on the throne, withholding, giving in abundance, descending, and creating. Of these, some involve Allah alone, while others are "transitive" in nature and are actions which affect Allah's creation. This division corresponds to the two type of verbs found in all human languages. There can be no doubt that both types of actions are actions of Allah whether of the first type or the second. It is impossible either logically or in terms of the Shari'a that they could have their existence in any besides Him. Further, all of Allah's willful actions are under his complete Power and Will. Whenever and whatever He wishes to speak is spoken. Whatever He wishes to do He does whether in the past, the present or the future. This is a principle upon which the early generations were unanimous and which are clear in the Qur'an and the Sunnah.

 

In the first verse above, Allah sets out in no uncertain terms on of the attributes of the believers: Their loyalty, their love is entirely dedicated to Allah, His Messenger, and the people of Iman. They do not gravitate toward the people of disbelief or yearn to be like them and imitate them, no matter how close their previous relationship may have been. And, they do not give their loyalty to or feel that they belong to any grouping of any kind or description except for the group and the nation of the believers. They place nothing above this tie of Iman, neither the closest ties of blood and kinship or of nation, language, friendship, etc. No need for long discussions on the relationship of Islam to nationalism - Allah said it all and much more in this one verse.

 

Allah tells us that those who achieve this level of Iman - rising above all other ties and groupings except the brotherhood of Iman are the ones for whom He has decreed Iman and that He will aid them with strength and the light of Iman in their hearts. They are the ones who He will admit to the gardens of Paradise. Next (and to the point of this chapter), Allah tells us of his being pleased with these people and that they are content with Him as their Deity. They represent the Party of Allah, and Allah tells us that they are the ones who will be successful, i.e., will experience the good of this life and the next. The Prophet (sas) taught about this attribute of Allah in the following hadith:

 

"Verily Allah will say to the people of Paradise: "O, people of Paradise...", to which they will respond: "Labbaik, our Lord, and Saadaik, all good is in Your two Hands." Allah will then say: "Are you now pleased?" They will answer: "What is with us that we could not be pleased, when You have given us that which you gave no others in Your creation." Allah says: "Should I not give you something even better?" Then, they will ask: "O Lord, what could possibly be better than that?" To which Allah says: "I fix upon you My pleasure, and I shall never be angry with you, ever!" [Narrated by Muslim and Bukhari.]

 

{And whoever kills a believer intentionally [shall have] his reward of Hell fire, to dwell therein forever. Allah is angry with him, has cursed him and has prepared for him a terrible punishment.} 4/93.

 

In this verse is a harsh warning to those who intentionally murder a believer that their punishment will be Hell fire forever. The meaning of "forever" (Khaalidan feehaa) here is an extremely long stay therein. Allah further states that he is angry with them (Al-Ghadhab), and has cursed them (Al-La'n), i.e., has cast them away from His mercy. With respect to human action, this word means to curse and to revile, while with respect Allah's action it means to cast away and to put at a distance (from His mercy). This is the opposite concept of Allah's sending his prayers (Salaat) upon the righteous which has also been mentioned in the Qur'an. {He is the one who sends His prayers upon you, as do His angels, so that he may take you out of the darknesses into the light; and He is with the believers most Merciful. Their greeting on the day they meet him is "Salaam".} And, about Al-La'n, Allah said: {Verily Allah has cursed the disbelievers and prepared for them a blazing fire}.

 

The apparent meaning of this verse is that tauba is not accepted from one who killed a believer. This position has been reported as the position of Ibn Abbas and others among the companions, based on the many very harshly-worded hadith about the sin of killing a Muslim. The position of the majority of the Ummah, however, is that the verses and hadith about tauba which state that all sins are wiped clean by tauba include murder and thus, what is meant here is one who died without repentance. Wa Allahu A'alam!