In the Name of Allah, the Encompassingly Merciful, the Particularly Merciful. All praise belongs to Allah. May the best of blessings and most perfect of peace be upon our master Muhammad ibn Abdullah, and upon his followers, his companions, and all those guided by his teachings.
The following article is taken from a lesson by illuminated scholar Habib Umar bin Hafiz. Can we truly love Allah if we do not know him? A short reminder that loving Allah requires effort, knowledge, and preference of Allah over other things.
Love of Allah
There is no one more deserving of your love than the Most Merciful, who has created you and originated you from nothingness and bestowed upon you blessings.
Love is the consequence of knowing. So, to the extent one knows the tremendousness and might of Allah Most High and gifts upon one, is to the extent that one will know and love one’s Lord.
A believer’s love does not become complete until they love Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) above else.
Say [Prophet], ‘if your fathers, sons, brothers, wives, tribes, the wealth that you acquired, the trade which you fear will decline and the dwelling you love are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger and the struggle in His cause then wait until Allah brings about His punishment.’ Allah does not guide those who break away.
(Qur’an, 9:24)
In the above verse, Allah Most High is pointing out the corruption of those who love any of these things more than Allah and His Messenger.
One must love those beloved to Allah and the most deserving of this love is the greatest of Allah’s creation His beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and the reality of this love cannot be expressed nor encompassed.
For the person in love with things other than Allah Most High has many expressions, states. One gets enraptured, taken and does wondrous things in expressing their love for creation and love takes one’s emotions, feelings, and thoughts.
Even so, there are some who choose to worship besides Allah as rivals to Him, loving them with love due only to Allah, but those who believe are more intense in their love of Allah.
(Qur’an, 2:165)
But those who believe are more intense in their love for Allah. To the extent of faith and knowing [Allah], is one’s love. For faith is connected to knowing [Allah]. To the extent that one’s faith increases when one’s knowledge increases.
To Know Allah
Knowing Allah Most High is acquired through proper reflection and contemplation on the speech of Allah and His Messenger. From sincerely directing oneself to Him and standing at the door of His Bounty and Grace through what He has ordained of acts of worship and by reflecting on the tremendousness of His Names and Attributes, Mighty and Majestic.
And reflecting on His creation and His fashioning, exalting thereby their Originator and Unique Creator. So if one’s reflection becomes good and its horizons expand, then one’s knowledge of Allah increases, and it is necessarily entailed by increasing in the knowledge of Allah to increase in love of Him.
By expanding one’s knowledge of Allah, one’s love becomes more expansive and stronger until Allah and His Messenger become more beloved to one than all else.
As one’s love increases, one’s remembrance increases. For if one loves something, they make much mention of it and through much remembrance, one’s intimacy with the one remembered increases.
So, remember me, I will remember you, and be thankful to me and do not disbelieve.
(Qur’an, 2:152)
Sign of Love
And the sign of love is preferring Allah. Preferring Allah and His command over all other commands and above all the desires of the self, and overall the wishes and inclinations of one’s caprice and desires. That is the sign of one’s love. Becoming deeply engaged in one’s remembrance is also a sure sign of love.
It is mentioned that one of the Prophets (peace and blessings be upon them all) asked His lord, “Give me a sign [to indicate] those whom You love, so that I love them, and those you don’t love, so that I don’t love them.” Allah Most High said, “If you see a servant loving my remembrance then know that I have been witness that I love them. And when you see a servant who does not remember me then know that I have not proclaimed it, and I do not love them.”
Allah Most High gives worldly matters to those He loves and those He doesn’t, but He only gives religion to those He loves. Truly the servant’s love for Allah is their honor, rank, dignity, and the means for their eternal felicity in this life and in the next.
So let us become attached to the love of Allah and let us be under the realities of Allah’s words: “and those who believe are more intense in their love of Allah.” And let us increase in love for Allah and His Messenger through fasting, standing in prayer, and all other acts of worship. For, as knowledge of Allah increases, love increases.
O Allah, free our hearts from being attached to other than You, and make us from people whom You love and who loves You.https://www.youtube.com/embed/DCKUQHSRL4s?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&rel=0
