✍️ Written by: Sahibzada Shahid Siddiq
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Introduction
The greatest desire of a human being is that his Lord becomes pleased with him. If all the successes and failures of the world are placed aside, then the real success for the servant is only this — that Allah Almighty is pleased with him, and he (the servant) is pleased with Allah Almighty. In the Qur’an and Hadith, this message has been repeatedly given that the pleasure of Allah is obtained only through faith, patience, gratitude, and walking upon the path of the Holy Prophet ﷺ.
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Raza (Pleasure) in the Light of the Qur’an
In the Noble Qur’an, Allah Almighty has explicitly mentioned those people with whom He became pleased:
1. The People of Faith and those who fear (Allah)
رَّضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَنْ خَشِيَ رَبَّهُ
“Allah became pleased with them and they became pleased with Him. This is the rank for those who fear their Lord.”
(Surah Al-Bayyina:
2. The Muhajirun, the Ansar, and their followers
وَالسَّابِقُونَ الْأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنْصَارِ… رَّضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ
“And the first and foremost among the Muhajirun and the Ansar, and those who followed them with excellence — Allah became pleased with them and they became pleased with Him.”
(Surah At-Tawbah: 100)
Here Allah has mentioned the condition that faith and following are the reason for Allah’s pleasure.
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Raza (Pleasure) in the Light of Hadith
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ explained in his Hadith the principles of Allah’s pleasure:
1. Allah’s pleasure is in the pleasure of parents
“The pleasure of Allah is in the pleasure of the father, and the displeasure of Allah is in the displeasure of the father.”
(Sunan al-Tirmidhi)
2. Patience and gratitude are the path to pleasure
“When Allah loves a people, He puts them into trials. So whoever is pleased, for him is the pleasure (of Allah), and whoever is displeased, for him is the displeasure (of Allah).”
(Tirmidhi)
3. Faith, Tawheed, and unity are the path to pleasure
“Allah is pleased with three things for you:
(1) That you worship Him alone and do not associate anything with Him,
(2) That you all hold fast together to the rope of Allah (the Qur’an),
(3) That you show sincerity to those placed in authority over you.”
(Sahih Muslim)
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The Real Criterion for the Servant
After these verses and Ahadith, this reality becomes clear that:
• The first stage of attaining Allah’s pleasure is faith.
• The second stage is being pleased with Allah’s distribution, meaning gratitude upon blessings and patience upon trials.
• The third stage is love and following of the Holy Prophet ﷺ.
• And the fourth stage is companionship of the Awliya (friends of Allah) and the righteous, so that the servant remains firm upon the straight path.
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Love of the Messenger ﷺ and Allah’s Pleasure
Allah’s pleasure becomes complete when the servant develops love for the Holy Prophet ﷺ in his heart. It is narrated in Hadith:
“None of you can be a true believer until I become more beloved to him than his father, his children, and all mankind.”
(Sahih Bukhari)
This means that the door of Allah’s pleasure is in reality the love of Mustafa ﷺ.
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The Real Success in the Hereafter
The Qur’an and Hadith have clearly explained that the real reward in the Hereafter will be that the servant will be gathered with the beloved Prophet ﷺ and the righteous:
وَمَن يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ مَعَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ ٱلنَّبِيِّۦنَ وَٱلصِّدِّيقِينَ وَٱلشُّهَدَآءِ وَٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ ۚ وَحَسُنَ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ رَفِيقًا
“Whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger, then they will be with those whom Allah has favored: the Prophets, the Truthful, the Martyrs, and the Righteous. And what excellent companions they are!”
(Surah An-Nisa: 69)
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Conclusion and Supplication
Therefore!
• Allah’s pleasure is attained when we become pleased with His decisions.
• Adopt the way of gratitude and patience.
• Make the love and following of the Holy Prophet ﷺ the true wealth of our lives.
• And adopt the companionship of the Awliya and the elders.
And the supplication is this:
O Allah! Make us among those who are pleased with Your decisions, patient upon Your trials, grateful upon Your blessings, and walking upon the love and Sunnah of Your beloved Prophet ﷺ. And gather us in Paradise in the company of Your Prophet ﷺ, the Companions, the Awliya, and the Righteous. Ameen.