the qur'an details seven qualities that almighty allah loves and seven qualities that almighty allah does not love. then, we-muslims-have a way to explore the steps to gaining his love.

human beings by nature, love rewards when they exert themselves. and when they are devoted to a cause, coupled with anticipating the rewards, they tend to strive more and bear the discomfort that comes with the struggle.

this is similar to our relationship with allah. almighty allah loves it when we exert ourselves for his sake and he describes the payoffs when he loves his servant .

as prophet muhammad says in a hadith qudsi ,

"...when i love him(my faithful servant) i am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks. were he to ask [something] of me, i would surely give it to him, and were he to ask me for refuge, i would surely grant him it. i do not hesitate about anything as much as i hesitate about [seizing] the soul of my faithful servant: he hates death and i hate hurting him" (al-bukhari).

this is indeed an aspiration worth pursuing, a dream worth fulfilling and a love worth nurturing.

why would it not be?

the one who does good when displeased,

how will he be when pleased?

(the key to paradise by ibn rajab al-hanbali) 

therefore, to complete one's faith and gain this love, we should seek only allah alone in love, hate, giving and withholding and allah alone must be our lord and the only one whom we worship.

let me break it down - it is total submission and the essence of submission is to love what the beloved loves and to abstain from what he does not love.

this was how our pious predecessors achieved the criteria of true worshippers and reached the highest level in their efforts. allah loves his servant to beautify his tongue through speaking the truth, his heart through sincerity, piety, repentance, trust and patience, his body through obeying and purifying it from all dirt. 

  seven qualities that allah does not love

1. israaf (extravagance)

( verily, he likes not al-musrifun (those who waste by extravagance)) (al-an'am 6:141)

excessive spending and lavishness in everything is the core of evil and leads to greater evil. it makes one forget the hereafter and preparing for it. such acts would be a cause of humiliation and disgrace on the day of judgment.

that is why almighty allah has prescribed zakah (obligatory alms) and sadaqah  (voluntary charity) in order to bless the wealth and to curb extravagance in eating, drinking, clothing and in everything we do.

2. istikbaar (pride)

( he likes not the proud)  (an-nahl 16:23)

and the prophet says,

"pride is to completely disregard the truth and scorn (looking down upon) the people" (muslim)

sometimes a person might be deceived by his/ her knowledge, wealth and property, lineage and ancestry, or worship and be arrogant and boastful.

al-hasan al-basri advised that: "do not become proud merely because you worship often, for consider what happened to iblis after he spent a great deal of time worshipping" (gems and jewels)

pride is among the greatest means of damage to a person's wealth and circumstances. it distances one away from allah's love and "whoever has an iota of pride in his/her heart will not enter paradise" (muslim).

3. mukhtal fakhoor (arrogant boaster)

( verily, allah likes not any arrogant boaster)  (luqman 31:18).

being arrogant and boastful are a deadly combination –beauty, knowledge, wealth and noble lineage should be taken as gifts from almighty allah and one should be humble and grateful for them rather than make them a means of pride and oppression.

servants of allah cannot be true to themselves as long as they are flattering themselves, walking in an arrogant manner and looking down on people who are inferior to them and not mix with them.

the one who is arrogant in this world will be disgraced on the day of judgment.

prophet muhammad says,

  "the arrogant will be gathered on the day of judgment in the form of small ants. humiliation will surround them from everywhere" (at-tirmidhi).

4. udwaan (transgression)

( verily, allah does not like the transgressors-(mu'tadeen ) ) ( al-ma’idah 5: 87).

human characteristics have limitations, which if surpassed would be transgression and if one falls short of it, it would be a defect – for example, generosity has a limitation, when surpassed, it becomes extravagance, when courage is surpassed, it becomes rashness; when ibadah (worship) is surpassed, one falls into the risk of adopting bid’ah - some of the companions almost fell into this trap when one of them said, "i will not eat meat,'' another said, "i will not marry women,'' while the third said, "i will not sleep on the bed.''

when the prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him) heard these statements, he said, “what is the matter with some people who said such and such? i fast and break the fast, sleep and wake to stand to pray, eat meat, and marry women. he who is not pleased with my sunnah is not with me.”(al bukhari) 

therefore, moderation is the best way to deal with all matters – it is not to exaggerate and make it hard for ourselves by prohibiting the permissible things. and not to transgress the limits by excessively indulging in the permissible matters but rather we should only use what satisfies our need and not fall into extravagance.

5. zulm (evil, wrongdoing)

( and allah does not like the zalimun (oppressors, polytheists and wrong doers)) (al-imran 3:57).

this is a reprehensible trait whose existence spoils the iman and darkens the heart. the wrongdoers are those who have chosen the tempting transient life instead of the hereafter.

all acts of wrongdoing such as stealing, breach of trust, embezzlement, usurping the rights of others, and bribery, have serious consequences in the hereafter.

in a hadith qudsi, almighty allah says : "o my servants, i have forbidden oppression for myself and have made it forbidden among you. therefore, do not commit oppression" (muslim).

6. khiyaanah (treachery) 

( certainly, allah likes not the treacherous) (al-anfal 8: 58).

the treacherous one is two-faced and inconsistent in words and deeds. acts of treachery lead to betrayal, disloyalty, perfidy, deception and hypocrisy which in turn soil the iman.

7. ifsaad (mischief-making)

( and allah does not like the mufsidun (mischief makers)) (al-ma’idah 5: 64).

this is a comprehensive term which includes great crimes, sins, oppression, carrying false tales, hypocrisy, tyranny and all kinds of mischief. all these acts are despicable and stain the iman.

hasten today to adopt the qualities that almighty allah loves and don't rest until they become second nature to you; hasten today to abandon all the qualities allah does not love and don't relent until you hate them with all your heart. the prophet said: "faith wears out in the heart of any one of you just as clothes wear out, so ask allah to renew the faith in your hearts."  (al-haakim in al-mustadrak and al-haythami in majma az-zawaa'id)

therefore the key is supplication, resorting to allah and sincere desire to please him followed by action, so we say,

"allahuma habbib ilayna –al-iman wa zayyinhu fi quloobina.

"o allah make iman beloved to us and beautify it in our hearts".