Understanding The Prophet's Life
From Issue: 886 [Read full issue]
Treating Others
"The servant does not reach the reality of [or true] faith until he loves for the people what he loves for himself." [Ahmad]
This means that the denial of faith alluded to in this hadith does not imply a complete denial of faith. That is, a person does not become a disbeliever, losing all faith, by not loving for his brother what he loves for himself. What it does mean, though, is that for a person to have true and complete faith, he must love for his brother what he loves for himself. This love is a necessary component of a true and complete faith. A person who does not meet the obligatory requirements of faith is not deserving to be called a true or complete believer. This is what this hadith is referring to.
On the other hand, this hadith does not mean that if a person meets this characteristic, he has complete Iman even if he does not meet the other requirements of Iman. This hadith is simply stressing that this characteristic is an essential pillar of true and complete Iman. There is much more to Iman than simply loving for one's brother what one loves for himself.
In another hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) made it very clear that one of the keys to entrance into Paradise is meeting this condition. In a hadith in Sahih Muslim, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, "Whoever loves to be saved from the Fire and entered into Paradise should die with belief in Allah and the Last Day and should treat the people in the way that he wishes to be treated by them."
In Ihya Uloom al-Deen, al-Ghazali presents a story about a man who complained that his house was infested with rats. He was told to get a cat. His reply was, "I fear that if the rats hear the cat's meow, they will flee to the adjoining houses and what I like not for myself I do not like for them."
Compiled From:
"Commentary on the Forty Hadith of an-Nawawi" - Jamaal al-Din Zarabozo, pp. 495, 496