Hadith (You Will Be With Whom You Love): Explanation and Benefits

April 29, 2022

By Eman Abdallah Kamel

Eman is a writer and an engineer. She also studied at Zad Scientific Academy (an online academy) for Islamic Studies (shariah) and the Arabic language.

(You will be with the ones you love.) One of the greatest hadiths emphasizes the importance of righteous deeds in preparing for the Hereafter. A comprehensive explanation of the hadith and its benefits will be provided in this article.

Introduction

The narrations of the sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) are called hadith. The two most famous collections of Hadith widely accepted by Muslims are those of Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari (810–870 CE) and Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj (817–875 CE), both of which bear the same title of Sahih (authentic).

Al-Bukhari spent sixteen years compiling his collection of hadith and ended up with 2,602 hadith (9,082 with repetition).

Muslim traveled extensively to collect his collection of Hadith, including in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt, and Syria. He collected about 300,000 hadiths, approximately 4,000 of which were extracted for recording in his collection based on strict acceptance criteria.

You Will be with Those You Love

A man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asking, “When is the Hour?” The Prophet said, “What have you prepared for it?” The man said, “I have not prepared for it with much prayer, fasting, or charity except that I love God and His Messenger.” The Prophet said, “You will be with whom you love.”

Anas said, “We had never been so glad as we were on hearing that saying of the Prophet, “You will be with whom you love.” So I love Allah and His Messenger, Abu Bakr, and Umar, and I hope to be with them, even if my deeds are not similar to theirs.”
Narrated by Anas Ibn Malik [Sahih/Authentic]—[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Who was Anas Ibn Malik (the narrator of Hadith)?

The companion Anas bin Malik bin Al-Nadr Al-Ansari was the servant of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). When Anas’s mother brought him to the Prophet; to serve him, she told the Prophet that Anas could write. This feature was not available except in a few of the companions of the Prophet; this indicates Anas’ insight and intelligence since his childhood. At the time, he was only ten years old.

Anas memorized and learned from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and narrated many noble hadiths (sayings), about 2,286 hadiths. Anas continued to serve the Prophet Muhammad until the death of the Prophet in the year 11 AH/632 AD. Then Anas went to Damascus, and after that to Basra, and died there. He was the last of the Companions to die in Basra in the year 93 AH, 712 CE.

Vocabulary Explanation

The Hour	Day of Judgment, the Day of Resurrection, or the Last Day.
What have you prepared for it?	What did you do of the good deeds that deserve to be asked about?
You will be with whom you love	That is, you will be with whom you preferred their love to the love of others.

The Overall Explanation

Bedouin Abu Khuwaisrah Al Yamani, the companion of the Prophet, asked, “When is the Day of Resurrection?” The Messenger of Allah guided him to what is most important to be asked about: did he prepare good deeds for that great Day? The man replied that he did not prepare much for fasting or prayer, except for loving God and His apostle. The Prophet told him that he would be with those he loved, even if he did not do many good deeds.

Likewise, those who love the righteous for their obedience to Allah Almighty will receive their reward. Because the intent is the origin, and the action follows it.

You will reap what you sow. Image source: tbfcu.com

Hadith Benefits

This hadith includes great meanings that require careful attention to benefit.

Belief in the Last Day

In Islamic doctrine, a Muslim must believe in the Last Day. Because one of the six pillars of faith is belief in the Last Day.

A Day of Judgment is the day on which God will judge all of creation after death. The Muslims believe that God will judge each human for their deeds; some of them will enter Paradise, and some will enter Hell. Heaven and Hell cannot be described except for the descriptions mentioned in the Noble Qur’an and Hadiths.

The date of the Resurrection is known only to God, according to verse 63 of Surah Al-Ahzab (The Combined Forces). The English explanation of this verse is “In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, and the Most Merciful.

People ask you (O Prophet) concerning the Hour. Say, “The knowledge is with Allah alone. You never know; perhaps the Hour is near.”
Surah 33: Al-Ahzab, Verse 63.

Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah upon him) was keen to guide his Ummah (community) toward the best path for them. So, the Prophet explained that preparing for the Hereafter (al-Akhirah) by offering good deeds in this world is more important than asking about the time of Judgment Day. Also, among the best things in a person’s Islam is to leave what does not concern him and to be preoccupied with what benefits him.

The Love of God Almighty and His Messenger

The first of the Five Pillars of Islam is to believe that Allah Almighty is the one God worthy of divinity and servitude, and He has no partner, and that Muhammad is the last of His prophets.

This hadith confirms the virtue of loving God and His noble messenger. The sincere lover of God and His Messenger must obey their commands and avoid their prohibitions.

The greatest obedience to Allah Almighty is to perform the five prayers (salah) on time. A Muslim must also give alms (zakat), fast during Ramadan, and make a pilgrimage (Hajj) for Muslims who are physically and financially able to do so.

Good deeds are the way that leads one to meet God. Allah said in the Holy Quran:

Say, ˹O Prophet, ˺“I am only a man like you, ˹but˺ it has been revealed to me that your God is only One God. So, whoever hopes for the meeting with their Lord, let them do good deeds and associate none in the worship of their Lord.”
Surah 18: Al-Kahf (The Cave), Verse 110.

Among the love of God is approaching Him with supplication (dua), whether supplication of worship or for a reason. The best supplication is a sincere supplication from the heart.

Likewise, the true lover of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) must follow his Sunnah and imitate his great morals. God said in the Holy Quran:

Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent example for whoever has hope in Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah often.
Surah 33: Al-Ahzab, Verse 21.

When Aisha, the wife of the Prophet Muhammad, was asked about his character, she said, “His character was the Quran.” (Sahih Muslim).

The Messenger of God used to do what God commanded in the Quran and leave what Allah prohibited. Also, the Prophet Muhammad was always remembering Allah, seeking His forgiveness and repentance to Him.

The verses of seeking forgiveness and repentance in the Holy Quran are many, including:

And seek your Lord’s forgiveness and turn to Him in repentance. He will grant you a good provision for an appointed term and graciously reward the doers of good. But if you turn away, then I truly fear for you the torment of a formidable Day.
Surah 11: Hud, Verse 3.

Also, striving to seek knowledge and teach it to others is from the love of Allah and His Prophet. The Prophet Muhammad said: “Whoever follows a route in the pursuit of knowledge, God will ease for him a route to Paradise.” (Narrated by Abu Huraira – (Sahih Muslim))

The Companions’ love for Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq and Omar bin Al-Khattab

The companions of Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq and Umar bin Al-Khattab were the closest companions to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings upon him). And they have a great role in Al-Islam.

This Hadith confirms the companions’ veneration of Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq and Omar bin Al-Khattab and their love for them. And their knowledge of their importance (may Allah be pleased with them all).

The companion Anas Ibn Malik declared his love for Abu Bakr and Umar and wished to be with them in Paradise, even if his actions were not the same as theirs. Here, Anas teaches us humility. The companion Anas bin Malik taught people the Sunnah (sayings and techniques) of the Prophet Muhammad for more than eighty years. Among his students were Al-Hasan Al-Basri and Muhammad bin Sirin. Those scholars had a significant impact on the intellectual history of Islam.

The Hadith also teaches us that one should always strive to improve one’s work, not be deceived by what one has done, and do one’s best to improve it.

(You will be with whom you love.)

Being with those he loves is a general rule that urges choosing a good friend and warns against loving the people of falsehood and striving to know and love the people of truth.

Benefiting from the love of the righteous does not require doing their work. But true love reaches you the status of the one you love.

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