Causes That Bring About the Love For The Lord of the Worlds

[Tahiyah]

by ~ Imam Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali


(1) Recognizing the bounties Allah has bestowed upon His slaves. These bounties [are so many that they] cannot be counted or enumerated. [Allah says:] "If you count the blessings of Allah, never will you be able to count them." [14:34]

Hearts naturally have love for those who do good to them. Love for a blessing is from the general aspects of thanking the one who has bestowed a bounty. It is said that thanks is with the heart, tongue and limbs.

(2) Another cause is to have knowledge of Allah by His Names, Attributes and Actions. The one who knows Allah, loves Him. Whoever loves Him, obeys Him. Whoever obeys Allah is honored by Him. Whoever Allah honors, He will have him live close to Him. Whoever lives close to Him, has attained the glad tidings.

(3) One of the great causes [that leads to having love of Allah] is the specific knowledge that comes about through pondering over the creation of the heavens and the earth and what Allah has created. In the Qur'an, there is much mention of the signs of Allah that indicate His Greatness, Power, Majesty, Perfection, Eminence, Compassion, Mercy, Strength, Subjugation and other of His beautiful Names and exalted Attributes. Whenever one's knowledge of Allah is strengthened, one's love for Him is also strengthened and one's love for obeying Him is also strengthened. He will then experience the pleasure of worship, whether it be in prayer, remembrance or other forms of worship.

(4) Another cause that will bring about love for Allah is to act towards Allah with sincerity and purity while going against one's desires. This is a cause for Allah to bless a slave and when He blesses the slave, the slave loves Him.

(5) One of the greatest causes that bring about one's love for Allah is increasing one's remembrance of Allah. Whenever a person loves something, he remembers it more often. And it is through the remembrance of Allah that the hearts find tranquillity. In fact, one of the signs of having love for Allah is the constant remembrance of Allah by one's heart and tongue.

(6) One of the causes that brings about Allah's love for His slave is reciting the Qur'an often and pondering over its meaning, in particular those verses that contain Allah's Names, Attributes and Actions. Having fondness for that action will lead the slave to love Allah and Allah to love Him.

(7) Another of the causes of love for Allah is remembering what has been mentioned in the Qur'an and Sunnah concerning the believers seeing their Lord in the Hereafter and visiting them and gathering together on the Day of Abundance. That will definitely bring about in a person love for Allah.

[Tahiyah]

Ibaadah and Levels of Love, by ~ Imam Ibn Taymiyyah

Al-'Ibaadah which we are commanded to perform includes the meaning of humility and love, it contains extreme humility before Allah (SWT) together with the extreme love for Him (AWJ). The uppermost level of love is the extreme adoration (Tatayum) and its lowermost level is the interest, because the heart is first interested in the beloved. After the interest comes the affection, then the love, and finally the extreme adoration. In Arabic "Taym-u-Allah" (the adorer of Allah) is used to mean "Abd-u-Allah" (the worshiper of Allah) because the adorer is the one who yields completely to his lover.

One who submits to someone with hatred is not worshiping him. And one who loves someone without submitting to him is likewise not worshiping him; this is like a man who loves his son and friends. Therefore, neither love nor submission alone are sufficient in worshiping Allah (SWT). Allah (AWJ) must be loved most by Al-'Abd and He (SWT) must be the greatest of all in his sight. Nothing deserves complete love and submission except Allah (AWJ). It is a futile love when anything has been loved for other than the sake of Allah (SWT). And whatever has been highly regarded without it being by the Command of Allah, its glorification is rejected.

The love for Allah (SWT) and Ar-Rasool (SAAWS) should override any other love.

Allah (SWT) said:

"Say: If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your kindred, the wealth that you have gained, the commerce in which you fear a decline, and the dwellings in which you delight are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger, and striving hard and Fighting in His Cause; then wait until Allah brings about His Decision (torment). And Allah guides not the rebellious folk." [At-Tawbah:24]

Thus, the essence of love should be due to Allah and His Messenger, so too with the obedience. For the obedience is due to Allah (AWJ) and His Messenger, and pleasing is due to Allah and His Messenger,

"But it is more fitting that they should please Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad SAAWS) if they are (true) believers." [At-Tawbah:62]

[Mary Carol]

Charity As A Means To Show Love Of Allah

The Qur'an says: : And be steadfast in your prayer and pay charity; whatever good you send forth for your future, you shall find it with Allah, for Allah is well aware of what you do." (2:110)

Charity should not be used as a tax shelter or to win personal recognition, but only for the love of Allah. "To spend of your substance out of love for Him - to your kin, orphans, the needy, the wayfarer, those who ask and for freeing slaves." (2:l77)