How to Attain Allah’s Pleasure: A Simple Formula

I asked, “How can we please Allah?” He smiled and softly replied, “Pleasing Allah is the easiest thing in the world. It’s as easy as turning on the AC with a remote, changing the TV channel, or getting up to switch on a light. But understanding the technique to please Allah is very difficult.” I looked at him in surprise and, after a moment, said, “Sir, what a strange thing you just said—on one hand, the task is easy, yet on the other, its method is difficult. I don’t understand what you mean.” He smiled and, after a brief pause, replied, “My child, to understand this, you must first grasp the mindset of a creator.”

I asked, “Sir, what is the mindset of a creator?” He said, “Have you heard of Edison?” I immediately replied, “Yes, he is the one who invented the light bulb and the railway signalling system.” He quickly said, “Exactly, my child. I want to tell you something about this same Edison. One day, while passing through the market, he saw a lantern maker cursing his invention. The lantern maker complained that Edison’s foolish invention had rendered him and his siblings jobless. Edison couldn’t tolerate the insult to his creation, so he got into an argument with the craftsman. This argument escalated into a fight. The police arrived and arrested Edison. When people heard about the incident, they couldn’t believe it because no one had ever seen Edison fight or argue before. But despite that, the incident was true.”

He paused to catch his breath and then continued, “This may seem like a small incident, but it reveals the entire psychology of a creator. Every creator in the world is sensitive about their creation. They can tolerate insults to themselves but cannot endure the disrespect of their creation. You’ve likely seen painters, novelists, poets, and musicians—they can spend hours praising their tunes, verses, stories, and paintings, and they adore anyone who admires their creations. Sit in front of a poet and start praising his poems; he won’t let you leave. This too is the psychology of a creator.” I listened quietly. He continued, “Every creator in the world has two traits: they are pleased when their creation is praised, and they become extremely angry when it is disrespected.”

I shifted uneasily and said, “Sir, my question was how to please Allah, but you’ve changed the topic.” He smiled and looked at me the way philosophers look at the ignorant or foolish. Then he asked, “Tell me first, what does Allah give to a person He is pleased with?” I replied, “Sir, my knowledge is limited; I request your explanation.” He smiled and said, “When Allah is pleased with someone, He expands their sustenance, grants them peace, happiness, and tranquillity, and enlarges their dominion. But when He is displeased, all these things are reversed: their power diminishes, tranquillity vanishes, happiness disappears, peace is lost, and sustenance becomes scarce. This causes their household, company, factory, shop, or even their country to fall into ruin.”

I listened quietly. He said, “Allah is the Creator of the universe, the greatest of all creators, and human beings are His most beloved creation. Therefore, unless a person loves His most cherished creation, Allah does not become pleased with them. And if Allah is not pleased with someone, that person’s sustenance, happiness, peace, and power do not expand in this world.” He paused and then continued, “Allah has created humans, animals, plants, lakes, mountains, and everything in the universe, but humans hold the top spot on His list of creations. Any country, society, system, or individual that loves and respects Allah’s creations according to His priorities and gives them their rightful place earns Allah’s pleasure. And in return, they enjoy peace, tranquillity, happiness, sustenance, and power in this world.” I continued to listen quietly.

After a brief pause, he said, “Now, if you analyse the world’s different countries with this truth in mind, you’ll find that in the nations where people are respected, their rights are protected, citizens’ dignity is preserved, the sick receive medicine, the unemployed get jobs, the ignorant are educated, and the oppressed receive justice, those countries are prosperous. They enjoy peace, sustenance, happiness, and their dominion expand. But in countries where human beings are not valued, where the poor become poorer and the rich become richer, where societies are trapped in class systems, those countries are labelled as ‘Third World.’ These nations stand as beggars at the doors of prosperous countries, and their rulers spend their time flattering the wealthy nations to maintain their own power.”

Love for Allah’s Creation

Expand your perspective of loving Allah’s creation a little further and consider which countries in the world are progressing at present. Which nations are on the path to becoming superpowers? You will be astonished to see that the countries advancing rapidly are those where, after humans, care is extended to animals, trees, rivers, streams, lakes, and mountains. In these places, oppressing a helpless human and cutting down a tree are both considered crimes. Thus, Allah is fully pleased with these countries, and they continue to progress.” He paused and then continued, “The laws of human rule and the laws of Allah’s universe are very different. In the world, humans give more importance to those who are superior in health, wealth, and power, and they try to distance themselves from those who are lower in status. But Allah’s system is the exact opposite. He is close to the deprived and distant from the prosperous. He resides in the helplessness of the voiceless and the destitute. Therefore, those who care for Allah’s deprived people, and try to please them, draw closer to Allah’s pleasure.”

He fell silent.
I then asked, “Sir, this philosophy may apply to countries and societies, and perhaps this formula is designed for rulers. But what should an ordinary person do if they wish to please Allah?”

He smiled and emphatically said, “Allah’s laws are unchanging. He holds the same expectations for everyone, from common individuals to rulers. If you wish to please Allah, draw closer to His poor, helpless, and deprived people. Allah will come closer to you. Share your happiness, peace, comfort, and sustenance with the deprived, and Allah will share His sustenance, peace, comfort, and happiness with you. You can well imagine the magnitude of Allah’s pleasure and His vast dominion. This formula also applies to rulers. When the ruler of a nation works for Allah’s helpless people, Allah begins to work for that ruler. When a government provides medicine to the sick, sustenance, employment, education, peace, and happiness, Allah expands the power and influence of that government. This is a very simple and easy formula.”

He continued, “Go out today and feed a hungry person, and you will be amazed to see that by evening, sustenance will have expanded in your home, and you and your family will have been relieved from countless troubles. Try this once and see for yourself. Once you manage to please Allah, you won’t need to appease any global powers. You will become the true master.”

Listen carefully to how much the Creator loves His creation and what He is commanding for them:

لَّيْسَ الْبِرَّ أَن تُوَلُّوا وُجُوهَكُمْ قِبَلَ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ وَلَـٰكِنَّ الْبِرَّ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَالْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ وَالْكِتَـٰبِ وَالنَّبِيِّـۧنَ وَءَاتَى ٱلْمَالَ عَلَىٰ حُبِّهِۦ ذَوِى ٱلْقُرْبَىٰ وَٱلْيَتَـٰمَىٰ وَٱلْمَسَـٰكِينَ وَٱبْنَ ٱلسَّبِيلِ وَٱلسَّآئِلِينَ وَفِى ٱلرِّقَابِ۔(البقرہ:177)

Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but [true] righteousness is [in] one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveller, those who ask [for help], and for freeing slaves; [and who] establishes prayer and gives zakah; [those who] fulfill their promise when they promise; and [those who] are patient in poverty and hardship and during battle. Those are the ones who have been true, and it is those who are the righteous.

وَٱعْبُدُوا۟ٱللَّهَ وَلَا تُشْرِكُوا۟ بِهِۦ شَيْـًۭٔا ۖ وَبِٱلْوَٲلِدَيْنِ إِحْسَـٰنًۭا وَبِذِى ٱلْقُرْبَىٰ وَٱلْيَتَـٰمَىٰ وَٱلْمَسَـٰكِينِ وَٱلْجَارِذِى ٱلْقُرْبَىٰ وَٱلْجَارِ ٱلْجُنُبِ وَالصَّاحِبِ بِالْجَنبِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ وَمَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ مَن كَانَ مُخْتَالًا فَخُورًا(النساء:36)

Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him, and to parents do good, and to relatives, orphans, the needy, the near neighbour, the neighbours farther away, the companion at your side, the traveller, and those whom your right hands possess. Indeed, Allah does not like those who are self-deluding and boastful.

 Here, the creator has given a beautiful message by declaring the love of his creation as the easy way to success.

فَلَا ٱقْتَحَمَ ٱلْعَقَبَةَ ،وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا ٱلْعَقَبَةُ، فَكُّ رَقَبَةٍ ،أَوْ إِطْعَـٰمٌۭ فِى يَوْمٍۢ ذِى مَسْغَبَةٍ،يَتِيمًۭا ذَا مَقْرَبَةٍ،أَوْمِسْكِينًۭا ذَامَتْرَبَةٍۢ(البلد:11-16)

But he has not broken through the difficult pass. And what can make you know what is [breaking through] the difficult pass? It is the freeing of a slave, Or feeding on a day of severe hunger, An orphan of near relationship, Or a needy person in misery.

 So let’s take the path indicated by Allah become a servant of His creatures and become Master.