Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
It has been authentically established in the Sunnah that Allah Almighty rejoices greatly at the repentance of His servant. This is the deed regarding which there is a specific text describing the intensity of Allah’s joy.
As for other acts of obedience and righteous deeds, Allah loves and is pleased with them. According to what is stated in the fatwa, Allah rejoices in the obedience of those who obey Him, the excellence of those who do good, and everything that He loves and is pleased with among words and deeds. Allah’s joy is a real attribute befitting Him, and it does not resemble the joy of created beings.
One of the clearest deeds regarding which the texts mention Allah’s joy is sincere repentance.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Allah is more joyful at the repentance of His servant when he repents to Him than one of you would be if he were riding his mount in a desolate land, and it escaped from him while carrying his food and drink...”
He then mentioned that the man found his mount after having despaired of finding it, and, because of the intensity of his joy, he mistakenly said:
“O Allah, You are my servant and I am Your lord.”
Narrated by Muslim; the basis of the hadith is also reported by al-Bukhari.
The Prophet ﷺ gives this example to demonstrate the greatness of Allah’s joy at the repentance of His servant.
Therefore, if a Muslim wants to perform an act for which there is explicit textual evidence that Allah rejoices greatly, he should be diligent in repenting and returning to Allah whenever he commits a sin.
Repentance is not merely saying, “I seek Allah’s forgiveness” with the tongue. Sincere repentance includes abandoning the sin, regretting having committed it, resolving not to return to it, and restoring people’s rights when the sin involved their rights.
Allah Almighty says:
“Indeed, Allah loves those who constantly repent and loves those who purify themselves.”
[Al-Baqarah 2:222]
And He says in describing the righteous:
“And those who, when they commit an immoral deed or wrong themselves, remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their sins—and who can forgive sins except Allah?”
[Aal ‘Imran 3:135]
A believer is not free from mistakes, but whenever he falls into a sin, he quickly returns to his Lord.
No.
According to the fatwa, Allah’s joy is a real attribute established for Him, as the Prophet ﷺ informed us. However, it is befitting Allah and does not resemble the joy of created beings.
Allah says:
“There is nothing whatsoever like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.”
[Al-Shura 42:11]
Therefore, we do not interpret Allah’s joy in terms of the physical and psychological emotions known to human beings, nor do we attempt to imagine its nature. Rather, we affirm it for Allah in a manner befitting Him.
Allah’s joy at the repentance of His servant does not arise from any need Allah has for His servant or for his worship. Allah is free of all need of the worlds. Rather, this is part of the perfection of His grace, mercy, and love of repentance and goodness.
The fatwa states that it has not found another deed performed by servants for which a specific text explicitly mentions Allah’s joy in the same manner as the texts concerning repentance.
Therefore, a distinction should be made between two matters:
We may say: “It is authentically established by textual evidence that Allah rejoices at the repentance of His servant.” This is explicitly established.
But if we say regarding another specific deed: “There is a particular hadith stating that Allah rejoices at this deed,” then specific evidence is required.
Nevertheless, Allah has informed us of many deeds that He loves and is pleased with.
There are many such deeds, and they are not limited to prayer and fasting.
Allah says:
“And Allah loves those who do good.”
[Aal ‘Imran 3:134]
And He says:
“Indeed, Allah loves those who rely upon Him.”
[Aal ‘Imran 3:159]
And He says:
“Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly.”
[Al-Ma’idah 5:42]
Among the deeds Allah loves are honoring one’s parents, maintaining ties of kinship, giving charity, doing good to the poor and needy, speaking truthfully, having good character, remembering Allah, reading the Qur’an, seeking beneficial knowledge, helping people, pardoning others, being patient, relying upon Allah, enjoining what is right, and treating one’s family and neighbors well.
The basic principle is that a Muslim should begin with the obligatory acts, because they are the most beloved deeds by which a servant draws closer to Allah, and then increase in voluntary acts of worship and other good deeds.
A person may think that pleasing Allah always requires enormous deeds, while in reality he can accumulate many rewards through his everyday life.
A good word is charity, removing something harmful from the road is charity, treating one’s family well is an act of worship, helping someone in need is an act of worship, and abandoning a sin for Allah’s sake is an act of worship.
Most importantly, the deed should be sincerely for Allah and in accordance with what He has legislated, rather than merely being outwardly abundant.
The clearest deed for which there is explicit textual evidence that Allah rejoices greatly is the servant’s repentance to Him.
If you commit a sin, do not despair or delay repentance. Rather, return to Allah, seek His forgiveness, and correct what you can.
As for the other acts of obedience, Allah loves and is pleased with them. According to the fatwa, He rejoices in the obedience of those who obey Him, the excellence of those who do good, and whatever words and deeds He loves and is pleased with.
Allah’s joy is real and befitting His majesty, without comparing it to the joy of created beings and without delving into its nature.
And Allah knows best.