—Allah Most High—‘Whoever shows enmity to a close servant of Mine has challenged Me to war. Nothing by which My servant draws near to Me compares to what I have made obligatory upon him. My servant continues to draw near to Me through voluntary acts of worship until I love him. When I love him, I am 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. Through Me he hears, through Me he sees, through Me he grasps, and through Me he walks. If he asks Me, I will surely give him, and if he seeks My protection, I will surely protect him. I do not hesitate over anything I do as I hesitate over taking the soul of My believing servant: he dislikes death, and I dislike causing him distress, yet he must face it.’”

Allah loves this believer who draws near to Him through voluntary acts after fulfilling the obligatory duties, because he has done what Allah loves; the recompense corresponds to the deed.

Allah Most High says:

“Allah is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him.”

In truth, the servant at whose pleasure Allah is pleased, and at whose anger He is angry, is himself pleased with what pleases Allah and angered by what angers Him. Let these two serve as examples of someone who loves what Allah loves, hates what Allah hates, is pleased with what Allah is pleased with because it pleases Allah, and is angered by what angers Him. Yet no human being can maintain this continually. Even the most perfect of creation must sometimes feel ordinary human anger and pleasure. Hence the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said in an authentic hadith:

“O Allah, I am only human and become angry as humans do. So any Muslim whom I have insulted or cursed, though he did not deserve it—make that a blessing and a purification for him, and a means of drawing him near to You on the Day of Resurrection.”