The Angel Jibreel’s advice on how to come close to Allah

The Angel Jibreel’s advice to our Prophet on how to come close to Allah (peace be upon them):💕

The Angel Jibreel came to the Prophet, peace be upon them both, and said,

“O Muhammad, live as you wish, for you will die. Work as you wish, for you will be repaid accordingly. Love whomever you wish, for you will be separated.

Know that the nobility of the believer is in prayer at night and his honor is in his independence of the people.” (Sahih Al Jami’, hasan)

The Angel Jibreel reminded our beloved Prophet (peace be upon them) of the inevitability of death, for him and his loved ones, and that, at the end of the day, the only one who will be there for us is Allah and the only thing that will remain of this life is the good deeds we did for Him.

He then told him of two things that bring one closer to Allah; praying at night and being independent and self-sufficient from people. Both are a means of turning away from people and coming close to Allah.

Our Prophet (peace be upon him) told us:

“Hold fast to the night prayer, for it is the practice of the righteous before you. The night prayer is a means of nearness to Allah, an expiation for bad deeds, a barrier for the body against disease and a prevention from sinning.” (Tirmidhi, hasan)

Our Prophet reminded us many times to avoid asking people for anything unnecessarily.

“Avoid asking people, even if it is just for the (tiny) pieces (that break off) of a siwak.” (Musnad Al Bazzar, Sahih)

The reason why a Muslim should not ask others for things unnecessarily and be as self-sufficient as possible is that it is from the complete reliance upon Allah to not ask anyone unnecessarily except for Him. This strengthens the bond between us and Allah. Unlike people, Allah loves for us to ask Him and call upon Him, as explained in the words of an Arab poet:

“Do not ask the son of Adam for anything, (Instead) ask the One whose doors are never blocked.

Allah becomes angry if you abandon asking Him, And the son of Adam becomes angry when he is asked.”