THE LOVE OF GOOD SHOULD BE IN HARMONY WITH WHAT ALLAH LOVES

This principle is that the love of a believer for what is good, and
hishatred for what is evil, and his desire for the accomplishment of
the good and his desire for the avoidance and prevention of evil
should be in harmony with what Allah loves and hates. Allah loves all
that He has enjoined upon us in His shari'a , and dislikes all thatHe
has forbidden us in His shari'a . Furthermore, the action of the
believer in that which he loves (the good), and his avoidance
andopposition to that which he hates (the evil), must be to the extent
of his ability and his strength, for verily, Allah does not demand
from any of us more than what is within our ability. Allah says:
[Fear Allah (have taqwa of Allah) as much as you are able] Qur'an 64/16.
THE LOVE AND HATE OF THE HEART
What is upon the believer in terms of his actions must not be confused
with his obligations in terms of the actions of the heart. It is
obligatory upon the believer for his hatred of evil and his love of
good, and his desire to do good and his desire to oppose and avoid
evil to be perfect, complete, and without doubt or hesitation. Any
lack in this area is none other than a lack in faith ( imaan ). This
is in contrast with the actions of his body which is only within the
bounds of his ability.
When the will of the heart, its likes and dislikes are complete and
perfect (i.e. in harmony with the love and hate of Allah ta'ala) and
then the believer does of that all that is within his ability, he will
be given the reward of one who carried out the orders of Allah
perfectly. Some of the people have loves and hates which are not in
harmony with the love of Allah and His Prophet and the hates of Allah
and His Prophet, and this is a type of hawaa (the inclinations, lusts,
or tendencies of the self). If he follows them, then he is a follower
of hawaa. Allah said:
[And who is more astray than theone who follows his hawaa without any
guidance from Allah?] Qur'an 28/50
The origin of hawaa is that which the self loves, and that which the
self hates is a corollary of it.
WHAT EXACTLY IS HAWAA
The meaning of hawaa is the loving and the loathing which is in the
self. It is not in and of itselfblameworthy, since it is not under the
control of the person, rather what is blameworthy is the following if
these likes, desires and dislikes. Allah said to Dawood:
[O Dawood, we have made you a successor on the Earth, so rule between
the people with the truth, and do not follow hawaa lest it lead you
astray from the path of Allah.] Qur'an 38/26
And Allah said in another aya:
[And who is more astray than theone who follows his hawaa without
guidance from Allah?] Qur'an 28/50
The Prophet (sas) tells us in the hadith:
"Three things which save: fear of Allah in public and private,
moderation in poverty and in wealth, and speaking the truth when angry
and when contented.And three things which lead to destruction:
obedience to greed, following of hawaa , and a person's being pleased
with himself."
The love and the hate of which we are speaking brings about certain
"tastes" and feelings and desires in the presence of the loved or
hated thing. Whoever follows these desires and feelingswithout an
order from Allah and His Prophet, is the one described as the follower
of his hawaa . In fact, this may even reach the levelof shirk wherein
he takes as his god his own hawaa! (See Qur`an 43/25)
THE FOLLOWING OF HAWAA IN THE PREVIOUS RELIGIONS
The following of hawaa in matters pertaining to religion and worship
is more grievous and serious than the following of hawaa in matters of
ordinary worldly desires. The first of these is the condition of those
who became kuffar from the Christiansand the Jews and the
polytheists,as Allah said about them:
[And so, if they do not answer your call, know that they only follow
their own hawaa , and who is more astray than the one who follows his
own hawaa without guidance from Allah, andAllah does not guide those
who oppress.] Qur'an 28/50
And, in another verse, Allah said:
[(Allah) gives to you an analogy from your own selves: Do you have,
among that which your right hands possess (i.e. slaves) any partners
in that which Allah has given you such that they are equal to you. You
fear them as you fear one another. Thus, we explain the signs to a
people whounderstand. No, those who oppress follow their hawaa without
knowledge. Then, who will guide the one who Allah sends astray, and
they have no helpers.] Qur'an 30/28-29
And Allah said in another verse:
[(Allah) has explained for you thatwhich you have been forbidden inall
except cases of absolute necessity. Verily, many go astray via
(following) their own hawaa and without knowledge, and verily Allah is
most knowledgeable of the violators.] Qur'an 6/119.
And, in another verse, Allah said:
[Say: O, people of the book, do not introduce excesses into your deen
which are not of the truth. And do not follow the hawaa of apeople who
have already gone astray. They have led many people astray, and have
themselves become lost from thestraight path.] Qur'an 5/77.
And, Allah said:
[The Jews and the Christians will never be satisfied with you until
you follow their traditions and ways. Say: verily, the guidance of
Allah, that is the guidance. And if you follow their hawaa even
afterthe knowledge which has come to you, you will have no
protectornor any helper against Allah.] Qur'an 2/120.``
And, again in Sura Al-Baqarah, Allah said:
[And, if you follow their hawaa after the knowledge which has come to
you, verily, you are of theoppressors.] Qur'an 2/145.
Allah said:
[And judge between them with what Allah has sent down, and do not
follow their hawaa and beware of them lest they tempt you away from
some of what Allah has sent down to you.] Qur'an 5/49.
Thus whoever goes outside the dictates of the Qur'an and the Sunnah -
among those who are called "scholars" or"worshippers" are known as the
people of hawaa , just as the salaf , may Allah have mercy on them,
used to refer to them as " Ahlu -l-hawaa ) i.e. the people of hawaa .
This is because anyone who has not followed the knowledge has followed
his hawaa . What's more, knowledge of the deen (way, or religion) does
not come about except through the guidance of Allah with which He sent
His Prophet (sas). Thus, Allahsaid:
[And, verily many of them go astray by (following) their own hawaa and
without knowledge.] Qur'an 6/119.