Bismillahi Rahmani Raheem, Assalamu Alaikum
“Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and those with him are forceful against the disbelievers, merciful among themselves.” (48:29)
Strictness In a person is a fitnah a Muslim must get rid of, we are not Jews or Salafi’s who think they are better because of it, rather a person is a taghut and a Jahil as a result.
This is the reason the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) made spreading salaam (peace) a part of faith, peace softens the heart and stops it from becoming hard which is the death of it.
Abd-Allah ibn Umar narrated that a man asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): What is the best thing in Islam? He said, Feeding others and giving the greeting of salaam to those whom you know and those whom you do not know. (Bukhari, Muslim, Ahmad, Abu Dawood, al-Nisaai, Ibn Hibbaan)
Rasul Allah (saws) also said “You will not enter Paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I not tell you about something which, if you do it, you will love one another? Spread salaam amongst yourselves.” (Tirmidhi)
What results from strictness is killing of the heart, this is the sunnah of Allah and His prophet (saws):
“Due to Allah’s mercy, you (O messenger) are gentle with them. Had you been severe and harsh hearted, they would have fled from around you.” (3:159)
“Woe to those whose hearts are hardened against the remembrance of Allah.” (39:22)
“Whosoever turns away from My Message, verily for him is a life narrowed down (made strict), and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Judgement.” (20:124)
The Awliyah are not Awliyah because they are stricter on religion than everyone else, they are Awliyah because they maintain their hearts in every situation, there are so many ahadith regarding this you should then understand you have religion backwards if you thought otherwise.
The Prophet (saws) said “Abu Bakr does not surpass you because of fasting or praying more, but because of a secret (understanding) that took root in his heart.” (Ahmad)
From Abu Darda (ra): “The Abdal (Substitute saints) have not come to be greater than the rest of the people by performing much fasting or prayers or tasbeeh, but rather by excellent morals, being true in their scrupulousness, their sound intentions, their hearts being at peace with all Muslims, and giving others sincere counsel for the sake of Allah.”…(Hakim at-Tirmidhi in Nawadir al-Usul (Asl #51). A hadith of similar wording was recorded by Daylami (Firdaws, 2:344) and ibn ‘Asakir (1:292) from Anas, and ibn Abi Dunya (K. Awliya, #8) from ‘Ali)
The entire world relies on people who are not the strictest people with prayer, fasting or tasbeeh, from ‘Ubada (ra): “The Abdal in my community are thirty. By them, (events on) the earth (are) established (bihim taqum al-Ard), and by them you are sent rain, and by them you are granted help and victory.” …(Tabarani in Mu’jam Kabir, ibn ‘Asakir (1:277, 298), Bazzar, and others. Sahih according to Suyuti and Munawi, and Haythami (10:63 #16673)).
From Abu Sa’id al Khudri (ra): “The Abdal from my nation did not enter into Paradise with their actions, but rather through the mercy of Allah, through the unparalleled generosity of their souls, the fact that they hold no grudge or hatred against anyone and their hearts being at peace with everyone (they have understanding towards people), and through mercy for the entirety of Muslims.”…(Bayhaqi (Shu’ab al-Iman, 7:439 #10893), and similar versions by ibn Abi Dunya (Kitab al-Awliya’ p. 28 #58), Hakim at-Tirmidhi (Nawadir, Asl #51) and others)
Abu Hurayra (ra) said: “I entered upon the Messenger of Allah (ra) in the masjid, and he said to me, “O Abu Hurayra, in this hour, a man will walk through this door, who is one of the seven people of the world through whom Allah diverts punishment from the Earth’s inhabitants.” Just then a Habashi (Ethiopian) entered in through that door. He was bald and maimed, and was carrying a container of water on his head. So he said, “O Abu Hurayra, that is him,” and then said to the man three times, “Welcome to Yasaar (other versions mention Hilal).” (This man would sweep and clean the masjid, and he was a servant of Mughira ibn Shu’ba.)…(Hakim at-Tirmidhi in Nawadir (Asl #123) and Khatm al-Awliya (p. 443), Abu Nu’aym in his Hilya (2:24, 81) and many others)
This is the path of Wilayah “When my servants ask thee concerning Me, I am indeed close to them: I respond to the prayer of every supplicant when he calleth on Me; (this next part is what the awiyah surpass others in) let them also, with a will, listen to My call (response) and believe in Me (see Me): that they may walk in the right way (that they may walk with Me),” (2:186) who among you knows how to listen and see Allah’s response, the Awliyah know exactly what Allah wants.
This verse is the same as the Hadith Qudsi where Allah says “when I love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, his sight with which he sees, his hand with which he seizes, and his foot with which he walks”, Allah walks with the Awliyah on earth because of these qualities that have nothing to do with praying a lot, or excessive fasting or tasbeeh.
Understand, it is not excessive prayer or fasting that gets you to this point but a heart able to see Allah by having the same qualities as Him, just like a you know how a friend who has the same qualities as you will behave, you will see Allah when you gain the same exalted qualities as Him among His creation.
Praying from morning to night will not change your heart automatically only gaining understanding for all people and why they do what they do will, because that is the knowledge that is part of Allah and where you will see Him.
By seeing how He treats His creation and looks upon them you will find Him, so do not presume Allah is stricter on the believers, who try for His sake day and night, than the Kufar who are turned away from Him, it is the opposite.
“Do they not travel through the land (meeting people), so that their hearts (and minds) may thus learn wisdom and their ears may thus learn to hear (Allah)? Truly it is not their eyes that are blind, but their hearts which are in their breasts (that become strict and constricted)”. (22:46)
The Messenger of Allah (saws) said “The folk (Ahl) of the Qur’an are the folk of Allah (Ahl ul-Laah) and His elect.” (ibn Majah (Muqaddima, #211), Darimi (#3192), Imam Ahmad (#11831, 11844, 13053).
From ibn ‘Umar (ra) who said: “Allah repels calamities from 100 households due to the presence of one righteous Muslim amongst them.” (Tabarani (M. Awsat, #4080 – Haythami’s Majma’ 8:164, Suyuti’s Jami’ Saghir, #1794))
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: Allah the Almighty said: O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it.” (Tirmidhi, Ahmad)
Shaykh Rami Al Rifai.