"He who wants to learn his value in the eye of Allah should look at Allah’s value in his eye." How should we understand this hadith?

"He who wants to learn his value in the eye of Allah should look at Allah’s value in his eye." How should we understand this hadith?

Dear Brother / Sister,

Anas (r.a.) narrates:

"He who wants to learn his value in the eye of Allah should look at Allah’s value in his eye." (Suyuti, Jamius-Saghir 6/49, Hadith No: 8386)

From Jabir b. Abdullah: The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) came to us and said,

"O people! Allah has groups of angels that He sends so that they will stay in meetings of dhikr. Benefit from gardens of Paradise." They asked,

"O Messenger of Allah! What are gardens of Paradise?" The Messenger of Allah said,

"They are meetings of dhikr. Go there to mention Allah and remind your souls there. He who wants to learn his value and position in the eye of Allah should look at Allah’s value and position in his eye. For, Al­lah states the following:

'The position of My slave near me is like My position near him.' "(Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Matalibu Aliya, Tevhid Publications: III/161.)

What is meant in the hadith: If we want to understand our value in the eye of Allah, we should look at the value we give to Allah. Do we love Allah? Do we obey Allah? How much is our respect to Allah? We will understand our position in the eye of Allah according to the answers to those questions. If we love Allah, we must obey Him. If we do not obey Allah, it means we do not love Allah. The criterion of our value in the eye of Allah is our love of Allah and trust in Him.

Human beings are equal in creation since they come from Hz. Adam and Hawwa or since they are born of a mother and a father. From this point of view, it is groundless for a person to boast of his lineage. For, real superiority is the superiority in terms of taqwa. The Quran states this superiority of taqwa as follows:

"O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things)." (al-Hujurat, 49/13)

Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) explains this issue in his Farewell Sermon as follows:  

"O people, your Lord is One, and your father is one: all of you are from Adam, and Adam was created from soil. The noblest of you in Allah’s sight is the most god-fearing. An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab except taqwa." (Ahmad Zaki Safwa, Jamharatu Khutabil-Arab, Mısır 1962, I/157)

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) states the following in another hadith:

"An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab. Superiority is based on taqwa only." (Ahmad b. Hanbal, V / 411)

Thus, he confirmed this issue. Some other hadiths of Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) about taqwa are as follows:

"I advise you to have taqwa (to fear Allah)." (Abu Dawud, Sunan, 5; Tirmidhi, Ilm, 16; Ahmad b. Hanbal, II/325).

"What causes a person to enter Paradise the most is his taqwa (fear of Allah)." (Ahmad b. Hanbal, II/392, 442).

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