Allah has personal feelings
From the Holy Qur’an we can also understand that Allah has personal feelings. He loves and does not love, pleased and displeased, shows mercy and favor, displays anger and wrath, feels pleasure etc. One who has such a variety of feelings cannot be an abstract light but must be a person.
Thus in the sura “Al-Imran”, or “The Family of ‘Imran” it is said:
Innallaha yuhibbul – Mutawakkiliin: “Behold! Allah loves those who put their trust (in Him).” (3.159)
The negative feeling of Allah is explained in the sura “Al-Ma’ida”, or “The Table Spread”:
Wa yas-’awna fil-’arzi fasaadaa / wallahu laa yuhibbul-mufsidiin: “Their effort is for corruption in the land, and Allah does not love corrupters.” (5.64)
So Allah loves those who trust Him and does not love corrupters or miscreants.
Furthermore, in the sura “At-Tauba”, or “Repentance” it is explained:
Was-saabi-quunal ‘Awwa-luuna minal-Muhaajiriina wal ‘Ansaari wallaziinattaba – ‘uuhum-bi – ‘ihsaanir-razi-yallaahu ‘anhum wa razuu ‘anhu: “The vanguard (of Islam) – the first of the Muhajirs and the Ansar, and those who followed them in good deeds, – Allah is well pleased with them and they are well pleased with Him.” (9.100)
The vanguard of Islam – those in the first rank – are those who dare and suffer for Allah and never flinch. The first historical examples are the Muhajirs and the Ansar. The Muhajirs – those who forsook their homes in Mecca and migrated to Medina. The Holy Prophet being among the last to leave Mecca, is mentioned first. Then come the Ansar, the Helpers, the citizens of Medina who invited them, welcomed them, and gave them aid, and who formed the pivot of the new community. Next, all who follow them in good deeds are mentioned. In spite of all their sacrifice and suffering they rejoice in pleasing Allah; their Salvation, which is synonymous with Allah’s pleasure, affords them supreme bliss. Thus Allah derived pleasure from sacrifices of His devotees. He has feelings of a person, but that of a Supreme Spiritual Person, of course.
Laqattaa-ballaahu ‘alan Nabiyyi wal-Muhaajiriina wal-’Ansaaril-lazii-nattaba-’uuhu fii saa-’atil-’usrati . . . Innahuu bihim Ra-’uufur-Rahiim: “Allah turned in mercy to the Prophet, and to the Muhajirs and Ansar, – who followed him in a time of distress. . . . Behold! He is Full of Pity, Most Merciful towards them.” (9.117)
Another feeling of Allah and His reciprocation with His devotees is described in the sura “Yusuf”, or “Joseph”:
Qaaluuu ‘a-’innaka la-’anta Yuusuf? Qaala ‘ana Yuusufu wa haazaaa ‘akhii / qad mannal-laahu ‘alay-naa: “They said: ‘Are you indeed Joseph?’ He said, ‘I am Joseph and this is my brother. Allah has shown us favor.” (12.90)
This verse is connected with an interesting story about the messenger of God, Joseph, that Allah narrated to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (S. A. W.) (12.4-101):
The father of Joseph was Jacob, also called Israel the son of Isaac, the younger son of Abraham. Jacob had four wives. From three of them he had ten sons. In his old age he had from Rachel, a very beautiful woman, two sons: Joseph and Benjamin (the youngest). The place where Jacob and his family and his flocks of sheep were located was in Canaan, and is shown, by tradition, near modern Nablus (ancient Shechem), some thirty miles north of Jerusalem.
Once Joseph said to his father: “O my father! I saw in a dream eleven stars and the sun and the moon. I saw them prostrating themselves to me.”
His father replied: “O my dear son! Tell not your brothers of your vision, otherwise they will plot against you. The Lord has preferred you and will teach you the interpretation of events, and will shower His grace upon you.”
Joseph was a mere lad. But he was true and frank and righteous. His father loved him dearly. But his stepbrothers were jealous of him and hated him. His destiny was predicted in the dream. He was to be exalted above his eleven brothers (stars) and his father and mother (the sun and the moon, respectively). The young lad Joseph (Arabic Yusuf) was innocent and did not even know of his brothers’ guile and hatred, but the father knew and warned him.
After a while one of Joseph’s brothers said: “Indeed Joseph is dearer to our father than we are.”
Another brother suggested: “Kill Joseph or cast him to some other land, so that our father’s favor may be solely for us.”
A third said: “Don’t kill Joseph, but throw him to the bottom of a well; some caravan will find him and enslave him.”
They came to their father, saying: “O father! Why will you not trust us with Joseph? We love him immensely. Send him with us tomorrow so that he may play and enjoy himself. We shall take good care of him.”
The father replied: “In truth it saddens me that you should take him with you, because I fear your carelessness will leave him for the wolves to devour.”
They said: “If the wolves should devour him, when we are so close together, then surely we would have already perished.”
Later, they led Joseph off and threw him to the bottom of a well. They came back weeping to their father in the evening: “O father! We went racing with one another, and left Joseph with our things, and the wolves devoured him.”
They showed the “false blood” on Joseph’s shirt. It was not the blood of Joseph, but the blood of a goat which the brothers had killed expressly for this purpose.
Jacob understood that there had been some foul play, and he did not hesitate to say so. Thus, with a knowing expression on his face, he said: “No, your minds have bewildered you into something wrong. The tale you tell may be good enough for you, who invented it, but not for me. I pray for Allah’s aid.”
Meanwhile there came a caravan to the well and when the water-drawer let down his bucket he found Joseph. They took him from the well and sold him as a slave. The rich man of Egypt purchased him and said to his wife: “Receive him honorably. He may prove useful to us. We may adopt him as a son.”
When Joseph reached his full manhood Allah gave him wisdom and knowledge.
Once the wife of his master tried to entice Joseph to a sinful act. She bolted the doors and commanded: “Come!”
Joseph replied: “I seek refuge only in Allah. My master has treated me honorably. Wrong-doers never prosper.” She truly desired him, and he would have desired her had it not been that he understood the will of his Lord. Allah always warded off evil and lewdness from him, for he was Allah’s chosen servant. As Joseph hurried to the door, she tore his shirt from behind, and they met the master at the door.
The woman said: “What shall be the reward for one who wishes evil on your wife; it should be prison or a painful doom?”
“It was she who asked of me an evil act”, said Joseph.
One of the lusty woman’s household testified that if Joseph’s shirt is torn from the front, then she speaks truth and he is the liar. But if his shirt is torn from behind, then she has lied and he is the truthful.
When the ruler saw Joseph’s shirt had been torn from behind, he said: “This is your cunning and deception. Woman, ask forgiveness for your sin.”
The women in the city said: “The rich man’s wife is asking of her slave-boy an ill deed. Indeed she has fallen for him with all her heart. She is bewildered by lust.”
When the wicked wife heard of their sly talk, she invited the city women to a feast and called Joseph: “Come out!”
When the women saw his overwhelming beauty they exalted him and cut their hands with the fruit knifes, exclaiming: “O Allah! This is not a human being. This is no other than some gracious angel!”
She said: “Now you can understand why I cannot control myself in his presence. I asked of him an evil act, but he proved firm in his sensual control. But still if he does not do as I desire of him then he truly shall be imprisoned.”
Now Joseph had all the women urging him for sexual pleasure as his beauty was so great. Joseph prayed: “O my Lord, prison is much better than to do as they urge me. If You do not help defend me from their persuasive desires then I shall fall weak and become foolish. So the Lord heard his prayer and fended off their evil desires.
After a while Joseph was imprisoned and two young men were imprisoned with him. One of them said: “I dreamed that I was pressing wine.”
The other said: “I dreamed that I was carrying bread on my head, from which the birds were eating. Tell us the meaning of this.”
Joseph replied: “O my two fellow-prisoners, as for one of you, he will pour out wine for his master to drink; and as for the other, he will be crucified so that the birds will eat from his head.” Then he said to one that would be released: “Mention me in the presence of the king.”
Upon his release the man forgot to mention Joseph to the king. As a result Joseph was kept in prison for many years.
Then the king had a dream: “I saw seven fat cows which seven lean cows were eating, and seven fresh ears of corn and seven dry ears of corn. O learned ones! Explain to me my vision.”
His advisers answered: “Confused dream. We do not know the interpretation of such a vision.” The man from the prison now remembered Joseph, he went to the prison immediately and exclaimed: “O Joseph, explain this dream, that I may return to the king and let him know the meaning of his vision.”
Joseph replied: “You shall sow crops for seven years as usual, but that which you reap, leave it in the husk and save it all except what little you need to eat. After that will come seven hard years which will devour all your crops except that which you have stored. After that, will come a year when the people will have bountiful crops.”
When the king heard this interpretation he said: “Bring this man to me so that I may keep him at my side.”
After talking with Joseph the king said: “Today in our presence you are established and trusted.”
Joseph said: “Set me over the storehouses of the land, for I am a skilled custodian.”
Having been put through all kinds of trials and tribulations Joseph never lost faith in Allah; he never deviated from the righteous path. Soon Joseph was reunited with his parents and younger brother in Egypt. Thus from these events we can see how Allah shows favor to His sincere devotees. Devotees of the Lord never lose their faith in Allah and He protects, guides, and favors them. This story illustrates how Allah is affectionate towards His devotees in a very personal way.
Furthermore it is stated in the Holy Qur’an:
Gayril-magzuubi alay-him wa laz-zaaalliin: “Not (the path) of those who earn Your anger nor of those who go astray.” (1.7)
Wa many-yu-wallihim yawma-’izin-duburahuuu ‘illaa muta-harrifal-liqitaalin’aw mutahay-yizar ‘ilaa fi-’atin-faqad baaa-’a bi-gazabim-minal-laahi: “If any do turn his back to them on such a day, unless it be in a stratagem of war, or to retreat to a troop (of his own), he draws on himself the wrath of Allah.” (8.16)
Laa khayra fii kasiirimin-naj-waahum ‘illaa man ‘amara bi-sadaqatin ‘aw ma’-ruufin ‘aw ‘is-laahim-baynannaas / wa many-yaf-’al zaalikab – tigaaa-’a marzaa-tillahi fa-sawfa nu’-tiihi ‘ajran ‘azziimaa: “In most of their secret talks there is no good. But if one exhorts to a deed of charity or goodness or peace-making between the people: to him who does this, seeking the good pleasure of Allah, We shall bestow a vast reward.” (4.114)
From all these ayats we can see that Allah loves (3.159) and does not love (5.64); is pleased and displeased (9.100); is full of pity (9.117); shows favor (12.90), anger (1.7) and wrath (8.16); takes pleasure (4.114).
Only a person can have these characteristics. One who is a person, who has individuality can have personal feelings. No abstract light or abstract power can have individual feelings. No impersonal energy can have such variety. The Holy Qur’an explains that Allah loves and loves not, is pleased and displeased, is full of pity, shows favor, anger and wrath, takes pleasure, etc. For displaying all these feelings Allah must have senses, mind and intelligence. He is not less than us. Of course, the senses of Allah cannot be material for they would be temporary like our bodily senses. His senses must be spiritual. Unlike our very limited material senses, they are perfect, unlimited, eternal and beyond contamination and illusion..
