In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
An everlasting relationship and true love is not with people, or any other object of creation, but with Allah. People come and go but Allah stays. He is Al-Baqi (The Everlasting), Al-Wadud (The Loving One). People may love us (for whatever reason) and we may have wonderful relationships with people but that is going to be short lived, and if it is founded upon disobedience of the Almighty, we earn nothing but Allah’s displeasure.
If we want an everlasting relationship, if we want true love, focus our efforts on building our relationship with Allah and gaining His love, then we will, not only get His companionship and love but He will instill love in others’ hearts for us as well. You will never be lonely.
Allah Almighty says,
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ سَيَجْعَلُ لَهُمُ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ وُدًّا ﴿٩٦[Qur'an, Maryam 18:96]
Verily, those who believe [in the Oneness of Allâh and in His Messenger (Muhammad SAW)] and work deeds of righteousness, the Most Gracious (Allâh) will bestow love for them (in the hearts of the believers). (96)
Our faith requires that our love for Allah and His Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam supersedes any other type of love for any other object or creation. When we love Allah, that love draws us closer to Him and helps us build a relationship that can help us in this life and in hereafter.
Love of Allah requires us to love what Allah loves and to dislike what displeases Him and to further demonstrate that love by following the Qur'an and the Sunnah.
قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ ٱللَّـهَ فَٱتَّبِعُونِى يُحْبِبْكُمُ ٱللَّـهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّـهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿٣١[Qur'an, AleImran 3:31]
Say, [O Muhammad], "If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful." (31)
This should be a reminder for those of us who merely provide lip service about their love for Allah and His messenger rather than actualizing that love in real behavioral commitments.
Every Friday when we read Surah Kahf and the stories in it, we should be reminded of the true purpose of life. We need to reflect on our own relationship with our Lord. Search deep within our hearts about the motivations that drive our lives and our understanding (explicit or implicit) of the purpose of our lives. That is because the purpose of our life drives our goals, actions, and behaviors in general. For many of us, earning a living and making money tend to be the focal point of our lives, including a total immersion in building our dwellings, families, and so on while neglecting our duty and love for Allah. The time that we spend on various activities reflects our priority and love for each of those activities. For those of us who exhibit that behavior, Allah Almighty says,
قُلْ إِن كَانَ ءَابَآؤُكُمْ وَأَبْنَآؤُكُمْ وَإِخْوَٰنُكُمْ وَأَزْوَٰجُكُمْ وَعَشِيرَتُكُمْ وَأَمْوَٰلٌ ٱقْتَرَفْتُمُوهَا وَتِجَـٰرَةٌ تَخْشَوْنَ كَسَادَهَا وَمَسَـٰكِنُ تَرْضَوْنَهَآ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْكُم مِّنَ ٱللَّـهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ وَجِهَادٍ فِى سَبِيلِهِۦ فَتَرَبَّصُوا۟ حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِىَ ٱللَّـهُ بِأَمْرِهِۦ ۗ وَٱللَّـهُ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلْفَـٰسِقِينَ ﴿٢٤[Qur'an, At-Tawbah 9:24]
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 Allâh and His Messenger, and striving hard and fighting in His Cause[], then wait until Allâh brings about His Decision (torment). And Allâh guides not the people who are Al-Fâsiqûn (the rebellious, disobedient to Allâh) (24
Many times we find that love is missing from our hearts. Why? Because our hearts are filled instead with doubts, vain desires, and temptations of temporal life.
The young men in Surah Al-Kahf fled to the cave from their people because they have faith in Allah. Allah made them a sign for the later generation and for us so we know Allah. When we know Allah, we are bound to love Him. Many scholars agree that Allah creates a person (and his heart) in such a way that he has the natural inclination to love Allah. However, as a person’s heart gets corrupted by doubts, desires and other temptations, that love has to be rekindled through faith and knowledge.
As we strive to build Allah’s love in our hearts and have that love push out the vain desires that tend to influence our lives, remember the extent of Allah’s love for us. Umar ibn al-Khattab said: “Some prisoners were brought to the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wassallam, and there was a woman among the prisoners who was searching (for her child). When she found her child she embraced him and put him to her breast. The Messenger of Allah said to us, ‘Do you think that this woman would throw her child in the fire?’ We said, ‘No, by Allah, not if she is able not to.’ The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, ‘Allah is more merciful to His slaves than this woman is to her child.’” [Agreed upon. Bukhari and Muslim]
اللهم إني أسألك حبك، وحب من يحبك، والعمل الذي يبلغني حبك، اللهم اجعل حبك أحب إلى من نفسي، وأهلي، ومن الماء البارد
Allahumma inni as'aluka hubbaka, wa hubba man yuhibbuka, wal-'amalalladhi yuballighuni hubbaka. Allahumm-aj'al hubbaka ahabba ilayya min nafsi, wa ahli, wa minal-ma'il-baridi
O Allah! I ask You for Your Love, the love of those who love You, and deeds which will cause me to attain Your Love. O Allah! Make Your Love dearer to me than myself, my family and the cold water. [At-Tirmidhi]
May Allah grant us mercy from Himself and grant us tawfiq.
Ameen.
Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
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