Pleasing People While Displeasing Allah

22-1-2019 | IslamWeb

Question:

my question regarding the following hadith below is how do I explain when people who commit haram acts are being cheered by their fans like music concerts, wrestling, or when non mahram male and woman chat. are they not enjoying it? “Whoever seeks to please Allah with something displeasing to people, then Allah will be pleased with him. Whoever seeks to please people with something displeasing to Allah, then Allah and the people will both be displeased with him .”
Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

There is a difference of opinion among the scholars about the authenticity of this Hadeeth. Some Imams such as Al-Bukhaari, At-Tirmithi, and Ad-Daaraqutni confirmed that it was a statement of ‘Aa’ishah may Allaah be pleased with her and that it cannot authentically be traced back to the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) (i.e. not a Marfoo` Hadeeth).

However, Ibn Hibbaan may Allaah have mercy upon him classified it as authentic as a Marfoo’ Hadeeth (i.e., traced back to the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention )).

Ibn Al-Muflih said: "Its chain of narrators is good." It was also classed as authentic by Al-Albaani may Allaah have mercy upon him.

In any case, what you have mentioned is not a problem, what is meant is that people are become angry with the one who pleases them by angering Allah, if they [those people] are free from whims and corrupt objectives.

Shaykh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said in the Majmoo' Al-Fataawa, while commenting on this Hadeeth:

"Whoever pleases Allah while the people are angry with him, then he has feared Him and was His righteous slave, and Allah is an ally to the righteous, and He is sufficient for His slave. Whomever fears Allah, Allah will make a way out to his difficulty and will provide for him from sources he never expects. Allah will certainly suffice him from becoming in need of the people. As for all people being pleased with him, then this may not happen. They will only be pleased with him if they are free from following their aims and desires, and if they know the outcome. If someone pleases the people while angering Allah, then they will not avail him against Allah at all, just like a wrongdoer who bites on his hands (in regret) and says (as in the verse which means): {“Oh, I wish I had taken with the Messenger a way. Oh, woe to me! I wish I had not taken that one as a friend.} [Quran 25:27-28]"

As regards the one who praised him by angering Allah turning into someone who dispraises him, then this happens much and it happens at the end, and the good outcome is for those who fear Allah, but since he did not fear Allah, Allah made them turn against him (from praising to dispraising). This does not happen in the beginning because their praise is based on their whims, and Allah is most aware of them.

Allah knows best.

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