20/06/2025
Imām al-Nawawī – may Allah have mercy on him – said:
“The meaning of having good expectations (ḥusn al-ẓann) of Allah is to believe that He will show mercy to him and pardon him.”
Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (9/256)
Ibn al-Qayyim – may Allah have mercy on him – said:
“Whenever a servant has good expectations of Allah, strong hope in Him, and sincere reliance upon Him, Allah will never disappoint his hope—ever. Indeed, Allah—Glorified and Exalted—is not One to disappoint the hopeful, nor to waste the efforts of those who act.
There is nothing that brings more relief to the heart—nor expands it more—after faith, than trusting in Allah, hoping in Him, and having good expectations of Him.”
Madārij as-Sālikīn (1/471)
He also said:
“Your reliance (tawakkul) upon Allah is in proportion to your good expectations and hope in Him. For this reason, some scholars defined tawakkul as good expectations of Allah.
But in reality, good expectations lead to true reliance—because one cannot place trust in someone of whom he has a bad opinion, nor in someone from whom he expects nothing.”
Madārij as-Sālikīn (2/121)
He also said:
“Whoever reflects deeply on this matter will realise that good expectations of Allah are, in essence, righteous actions themselves.
For a servant is only motivated to do good by his expectation that his Lord will reward him, accept his deeds, and recompense him. Thus, good expectations are what drive him to act. The better his expectations, the better his deeds.
However, good expectations alongside the pursuit of desires is nothing but self-delusion.
As reported by at-Tirmidhī and Aḥmad, from Shaddād ibn Aws, the Prophet ﷺ said:
‘The intelligent one is he who holds himself accountable and works for what is after death, while the incapable one is he who follows his desires and merely hopes in Allah.’
In short, true good expectations only accompany the means of salvation. When the means of destruction are present, good expectations are invalid and false.”
Madārij as-Sālikīn
