The Book of the Believer · Hadith 18 (#Ḥadīth #18)

18 - عن المفضل بن عمر، قال: قال رجل لأبي عبد الله الصادق (ع) وأنا عنده، إنّ مَن قِبلنا يقولون: إنّ الله إذا أحب عبداً نوّه منوهٌ من السماء: إن الله يحب فلاناً فأحبوه، فيُلقي اللهُ المحبة (له) في قلوب العباد، وإذا أبغضَه نوّه منوه من السماء: إن الله يبغض فلاناً فأبغضوه، فيُلقي الله له البغضاءَ في قلوب العباد. قال: وكان (ع) متّكئاً فاستوى جالساً ثم نفَض كمَّه ثم قال: ليسَ هكذا! ولكنْ إذا أحبَّ الله (جلّ جلاله) عبداً أغرى به الناسَ ليقولوا ما ليس فيه؛ ليؤجِرَه ويؤثمَهم، وإذا أبغض عبداً ألقى الله (جلّ جلاله) له المحبّة في قلوب العبادِ ليقولوا ما ليس فيه ليؤثمَهم وإيّاه ثم قال: مَن كان أحبَّ إلى الله تعالى من يحيى بنِ زكريّا؟ ثمَّ أغرى جميعَ مَن رأيتَ حتى صنعوا به ما صنعوا. ومَن كان أحبَّ إلى الله (جلّ جلاله) مِن الحُسين بن عليٍّ (ع)؟ أغرى به حتى قتلوه! ومَن كان أبغضَ إلى الله من أبي فُلان وفلان؟ ليس كما قالوا

18. Al-Mufaďďal ibn 'Umar narrates: I was with Abu 'Abd Allah al-Sadiq when a man came to him and said: “Some people say that when Allah loves a person, a caller from the heavens will declare that Allah loves that person and thus everyone must love him. But when He hates a person, a caller from the heavens will too declare that Allah hates that person and thus everyone must hate him.” He was reclining. He sat upright and said: “It is not so. Rather, when Allah loves a person, He incites the people against him that they may say against him what is not true and he may thereby be rewarded whilst they may be punished for that. And when He despises a person, Allah pours love for him in the hearts of people so they may praise him for what he does not possess and thereby both they and he may be punished.” Then he said: “Who was more loved by Allah than Yahya ibn Zakariya (Prophet Jonah son of Prophet Zachariah)? Yet, all those who were around him were against him until they did with him what they did (i.e. they killed him). And who (also) was more loved by Allah than Al-Husayn ibn 'Ali ? People turned against him until they killed him! And who was more despised by Allah than Abu … and …? It is not (true) what they have said.”

Gradings are classical jarḥ-wa-taʿdīl, name-matched to a rijāl index (not individually re-verified).