Thursday, April 30, 2015

Love, The Ultimate Test of Our Worthiness

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate

Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Narrated by Anas (may Allah be pleased with him):

A man asked the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) about the Hour (i.e. Day of Judgment) saying, "When will the Hour be?" The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "What have you prepared for it?" The man said, "Nothing, except that I love Allah and His Apostle." The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "You will be with those whom you love." We had never been so glad as we were on hearing that saying of the Prophet (i.e., "You will be with those whom you love.") Therefore, I love the Prophet, Abu Bakr and 'Umar, and I hope that I will be with them because of my love for them though my deeds are not similar to theirs. [Bukhari]

The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) wasn’t just being nice to this man, he was teaching him, his companions and us all something very important. He was making clear that love is the ultimate test of our worthiness as human beings. And he was giving us a way to understand about our own love. To know what it is that we really love.

We are with those whom we love. Whatever we love is what is closest to us. What is most often thought of and remembered by us, what is most sought by us, that’s what we love. So, what is it that we remember the most? What occupies our attention the most? What do we wish for the most? Let us be honest with ourselves, do we think of Allah most of the time? Or are we thinking of other things most of the time. Where is our attention? Is it on Allah or is it on the countless other things that occupy us and distract us from our real purpose?

If we can examine ourselves honestly and know what we love then we have taken a major step forward. If we find that what we love is Allah then we are blessed with a great gift for which all praise is due to Allah. But if what we love is other than Allah, then at least we know and we have the opportunity to seek to change what is in our hearts.

A reliable test of how true our love is for Allah is to see how much we are able to serve others and to give of ourselves generously and openly for Allah’s sake. This is one of the most important truths: The quality of our faith is reflected in our intention, attitudes, and behavior.

How do we do this? How do we clear our hearts of our love and attachment for all these things that are other than Allah? How do we get rid of our preoccupation with all the other captivating distractions that compete for our attention? How do we become among those who love Allah more than anything else? We can find the answer in the Qur'an and the way of our Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and it is the remembrance of Allah because it is in the constant remembrance of Allah that our hearts can find stillness and intimacy can develop. As we are guided in the Qur'an:
ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَتَطْمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُم بِذِكْرِ‌ ٱللَّهِ ۗ أَلَا بِذِكْرِ‌ ٱللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ ٱلْقُلُوبُ ﴿٢٨

Those who believed (in the Oneness of Allâh - Islâmic Monotheism), and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allâh, Verily, in the remembrance of Allâh do hearts find rest.
[Qur'an, Ar-Ra'd 13:28]

In the Qur'an Allah promises us,
فَٱذْكُرُ‌ونِىٓ أَذْكُرْ‌كُمْ وَٱشْكُرُ‌وا۟ لِى وَلَا تَكْفُرُ‌ونِ ﴿١٥٢﴾ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱسْتَعِينُوا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ‌ وَٱلصَّلَو‌ٰةِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِ‌ينَ ﴿١٥٣

So Remember Me, and I will remember you, and be thankful to Me, and be not ungrateful to Me. (152) O you who believe, seek help through patience and prayer. Surely, Allah is with those who are patient. (153)
[Qur'an, Al-Baqarah 2:152-153]

Our remembrance of Allah is His remembrance of us. Our call to Him is His answer to us. Remembrance is the way of intimacy with Allah.

Narrated by Abu Dhar (may Allah be pleased with him) that Allah's Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said that Allah said: He who comes with a good deed, its reward will be ten like that or even more. And he who comes with vice, his reward will be only one like that, or I can forgive him. He who draws close to Me a hand's span, I will draw close to him an arm's length. And whoever draws near Me an arm's length, I will draw near him a fathom's length. And whoever comes to Me walking, I will go to him running. And whoever faces Me with sins nearly as great as the earth, I will meet him with forgiveness nearly as great as that, provided he does not worship something with me. (This Hadith is sound and reported by Muslim, Ibn Majah and Ahmad in his Musnad).

Narrated by Abu Hurayah (may Allah be pleased with him); Allah's Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "Allah the Exalted has said; "Whoever harms a friend (wali) of Mine, I declare war on him. My slave draws near to Me with nothing more beloved to me than that which I have made obligatory upon him. And My slave continues to draw nearer to Me with optional acts of devotion (nawafil) until I love him. And when I love him, I am his ear which he hears, his eye with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his foot on which he walks. If he asks Me, I surely bestow it upon him, and if he asks My protection, I surely grant it to him. I do not hesitate in anything which I am to do more than in taking the soul of the believer; he dislikes death, and I dislike to bring him harm."

So, Allah’s grace multiplies with our sincere efforts and honest intention to come closer to Him. Whatever we give to Him comes back manifold to us. In this way, little by little, our love for Allah grows and develops and it transforms us into loving, noble human beings.

We get close to Allah by serving Him, by being for His sake, by learning to make our intentions purely for Him, by learning to become a little less selfish and a lot more giving.

The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) once told his dear companion, Mu'adh Ibn Jabal, “Mu'adh, I do love you!” Mu'adh replied, “And I love you, Messenger of Allah, more dearly than my own father and mother!” The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) then instructed Mu'adh, “Do not end a prayer without asking Allah to help you remember Him, to be thankful to Him, and to serve Him in the best of ways.”
اللَّهُمَّ أَعِنِّي عَلَى ذِكْرِكَ وَشُكْرِكَ وَحُسْنِ عِبَادَتِكَ

As we continue to live our lives in remembrance of Allah our capacity for love will grow, our hearts will expand and we will reach our full human potential inshaAllah.

The intimacy and love that develops in us with our remembrance and other selfless acts of service is a mystery and a wonder.

Allah says,
فَلَا تَعْلَمُ نَفْسٌ مَّآ أُخْفِىَ لَهُم مِّن قُرَّ‌ةِ أَعْيُنٍ جَزَآءًۢ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ ﴿١٧

And no soul knows what has been hidden for them of comfort for eyes as reward for what they used to do. (17)
[Qur'an, As-Sajda 32:17]

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “Allah said:

‘I have prepared for My righteous servants what no eye has seen and no ear has heard, nor has it occurred to the human heart.’”

[Bukhari, Muslim, At-Tirmidhi, ibn Maajah]

‏اللهم إني أسألك حبك، وحب من يحبك، والعمل الذي يبلغني حبك، اللهم اجعل حبك أحب إلى من نفسي، وأهلي، ومن الماء البارد

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.

May Allah bless us with His merciful guidance to His straight path. May He bless us with His love. Allah we seek refuge in You from knowledge that doesn't benefit, hearts that are not humble, and egos that are never satisfied, and eyes that do not weep, and prayers that are not answered, and works that are not elevated.

Allah, bless us with wholesome hearts, grateful tongues, and obedient bodies. Do not let us forget You. Do not deny us loving You. Allah, preserve us and protect us. Be merciful to us. Increase our blessings and support us. O You who has ability over all things.

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wassallam.

Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

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