In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Allah Most High says in Surah Al-Kahf:
قُلْ إِنَّمَآ أَنَا۠ بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُكُمْ يُوحَىٰٓ إِلَىَّ أَنَّمَآ إِلَـٰهُكُمْ إِلَـٰهٌ وَٰحِدٌ ۖ فَمَن كَانَ يَرْجُوا۟ لِقَآءَ رَبِّهِۦ فَلْيَعْمَلْ عَمَلًا صَـٰلِحًا وَلَا يُشْرِكْ بِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِۦٓ أَحَدًۢا ﴿١١٠[Quran Al-Kahf 18:110]
Say, "I am only a man like you, to whom has been revealed that your god is one God. So whoever would hope for the meeting with his Lord - let him do righteous work and not associate in the worship of his Lord anyone." (110)
The most beautiful and the most elevated love we can experience is the love for the One our hearts were created to love, the One that creation was brought into existence to adore, the One who we will be returning to at the expiration of our term on this earth. This love is the love for Allah. It is your highest aspiration.
Do you feel it? Do you still feel there’s something missing deep inside you? Do you feel true in your love for Allah? If not, what exactly is it that pulls you away from loving Him?
It’s time to for you to learn three secrets about loving Allah, to find out how your love for Him can increase your productivity, and to boost yourself with some practical tips to make your heart love Allah.
Allah al-Wadood, the Most Loving, tells us:
... يُحِبُّونَهُمْ كَحُبِّ ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَشَدُّ حُبًّا لِّلَّهِ ..[Quran, Al-Baqarah 2:165]
...They love them as they [should] love Allah. But those who believe are stronger in love for Allah...
How strong is your love for Allah?
Secret #1: Worship is not burdensome.
Worship is not so burdensome and difficult that the Muslim needs to have a rest from it. Rather it is an act of love and veneration of Allah, may He be exalted.
The perfection of the Beloved, the One we love, is enough to make our heads spin. One of the salaf said: “Loving Him motivates me in such a way that is even stronger than His commands.”
Here’s the secret: love for Him, true love connected to the perfection of His Being, is the best and strongest motive for acts of worship. Worship isn’t burdensome when you do it out of love.
Secret #2: You can worship Him from your heart.
If we find that we don’t love Allah from our hearts, it’s because we don’t know Him. Can you imagine what He has prepared in Jannah? Can you imagine being able to see Him and be with Him?
Now back to earth. Why are you here? Stop and think; Allah gives the answer in His Book: illaa li ya’budun, meaning: that they may worship Me.
But how can you worship Him if you don’t know Him? This is called ma’rifah. How often do we say: I want to study Islam, but I don’t know where to start? Here’s the answer.
The scholars before us said: ‘awwalu waajibun ‘alaa al ‘abdihi ma’rifatu’llaahi bi al tawheedi, meaning: “the first duty upon a person is to know Allah via His Oneness.”
So here’s the secret: the first step toward loving Allah from your heart is to learn about Him.
Secret #3: There’s a formula for complete happiness.
Normally we love things because of the way those things make us feel. Who is the One Who gave us everything we have, the One Who gave us people to love? Allah Most High says:
وَمَا بِكُم مِّن نِّعْمَةٍ فَمِنَ ٱللَّهِ ۖ ثُمَّ إِذَا مَسَّكُمُ ٱلضُّرُّ فَإِلَيْهِ تَجْـَٔرُونَ ﴿٥٣[Quran, Al-Mu'minun 16:53]
And whatever you have of favor – it is from Allah. Then when adversity touches you, to Him you cry for help.
Ibn Taymiyyah said: The more the servant loves his Master, the less he will love other objects and they will decrease in number. The less the servant loves his Master, the more he will love other objects and they will increase in number. [Majmoo-ul-Fataawaa, 1/94]
Here’s the secret: your heart will only find complete happiness in loving Allah and seeking to do what pleases Him.
Let’s face the fact, which slave is more productive— a slave working for one master with full focus or the slave trying to work for many masters at the same time?
Two Ways To Make Your Heart Love Allah
Now you’ve learned three secrets on how important loving Allah is for yourself; this will boost your will to pray and do good deeds, because you’ll do it out of love. It’s the best and first knowledge you should seek, and it’s the only way for your own heart in its quest for satisfaction.
How can you make your heart love Him?
Here are two of the 10 ways Ibn al Qayyim described in Madarij-us-Saalikeen to develop your love for your Lord.
1. Recitation Of The Quran With Reflection
Understand the Quran’s meanings and what’s intended by it. This also enables you to know Allah using His own words!
2. The Heart’s Comprehension Of His Names And Attributes
Witnessing them and having knowledge of them, to immerse yourself in the garden of knowledge. Whoever knows Allah by His Names and Attributes and Actions will, no doubt, love Him.
Make Du'a for the Ultimate Love
The Prophet salallaahu ‘alauhi wa sallam narrated this dua in a hasan (good) hadeeth in Tirmidhi and Ahmad:
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ حُبَّكَ وَحُبَّ مَنْ يُحِبُّكَ وَحُبَّ عَمَلٍ يُقَرِّبُنِي إِلَى حُبِّكَ
Allāhumma Innī As’aluka Ḥubbaka Wa Ḥubba Man Yuḥibbuka Wa Ḥubba cAmalin Yuqarribunī Ilā Ḥubbika. (O Allah, I ask You for Your Love, and the love of whoever loves You, and the love of deeds that will bring me closer to Your Love.)
Use this dua to ask for Allah’s love in all its forms.
May Allah bring us closer to Him and increase our love for His beloved Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) and his family and companions, and make us taste the sweetness of faith and experience His love and the beauty of the ultimate love. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
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