For such a reading would necessitate that the sun be above Allah—exalted is He—and that is an odious conclusion that no member of Ahl al-Sunnah has ever held. The difficulty today, however, is that once a person understands a point he often fails to apply it correctly; and when he grasps a single issue he imagines he has mastered all knowledge.

A man must therefore recognize his own limits and speak—especially in matters of the divine attributes—only on the basis of what he knows from the Book of Allah, the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ, and the statements of the leading scholars.

Accordingly, the words “on a Day when there is no shade except His shade,” or “Allah will shade them in His shade,” refer to a shade that no one will be capable of producing at that time, because on that Day no buildings will be erected, no trees planted, no dunes heaped up, no stones neatly arranged—nothing of the sort. Allah, exalted is He, says: “They ask you about the mountains. Say: ‘My Lord will pulverize them utterly and leave the earth a level, barren plain, where you will see no curvature and no elevation’” (20:105–107).

Nothing at all will shield creation from the sun—no structure, no tree, no rock, nothing whatsoever. Rather, Allah—blessed and exalted—is He—will create something with which He will shade whomsoever of His servants He wills, on a Day when there is no shade but His. This, and nothing else, is the meaning of the ḥadīth.

What concerns us here is the Prophet’s statement, “two men who love one another for Allah’s sake—meeting for that reason and parting for that reason.” In other words, affection arises between them purely for Allah’s sake, not for wealth, status, lineage, or anything else. One sees his brother devoted to obeying Allah and avoiding His prohibitions, so he loves him for that reason. Such people are the ones who truly fall under the words, “they love one another for Allah’s sake.”