Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said: “None of you (truly) believes until his inclination is in accordance with what I have brought.”
The few words of this Hadith encompass Islam in its entirety and define true faith. Al-Imam an-Nawawi said: “It means that a person must measure his deeds against the Qur’an and Sunnah, oppose his inclinations, and follow what the Prophet (SAW) conveyed. And it is similar to the saying of Allah, the Exalted: It is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter, that they have the choice about their affair.” (Al-Ahzab: 36)
A Muslim cannot have complete faith until he likes all that Allah and His Messenger like and dislikes all that they dislike, which means that the sincere believer will be pleased to obey Allah and careful about doing it correctly and precisely. It follows that anyone who claims to love Allah, yet does not respect His limits and obey His commands as taught by His Messenger (SAW), is not only untruthful but also exposes the weakness of the faith. Just as true faith requires living and practicing the religion according to the Prophet’s Sunnah, it also requires submitting willingly to the laws of the Shari’ah and accepting it as the criterion by which to judge all matters. Allah (SWT) said:” Whoever obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah.” (An-Nisa’: 80)
The word “hawa” used in this Hadith is related to the verb meaning “fall” and is defined as the desire of the self for something or its inclination toward what it likes or what suits it. Its general implication is a negative one: the seeking of immediate gratification without regard for consequences. Thus, it is mentioned in the Qur’an as something to be resisted and opposed, and which may, when unchecked, even become a rival to Allah. – obeyed instead of Him. Every kind of disobedience and blameworthy innovation results from giving preference to inclinations that differ from what the Messenger (SAW) has conveyed from Allah. Being somewhat less than complete believers, many people will need to make a conscious effort to oppose such desires and inclinations that, encouraged by Satan, tempt one away from the straight path and can lead him into various degrees of deviation or disobedience.
The usage of the word here, however, points to the fact that inclinations can indeed be conditioned and changed. It also shows that “hawa” can mean love in a positive sense as well, such as love for the truth. Hence, a person who is certain in faith will realize that what was conveyed by the Prophet (SAW) is beneficial to him in this world and the next, and his conviction will make that way of life desirable to him to the exclusion of all others.
Umm Muhammad
