Seeking True Love

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

Humans are needy and dependent social creatures. We all need companionship. We all want love--from Allah, and from the creation.

We are all running towards something. Ironically, the more we run after the creation, the more the creation runs away from us! As soon as we stop running after the creation, and re-orient, as soon as we start running towards Allah, the creation runs after us. It’s a simple, simple formula:

Run towards the creation, you lose Allah and the creation. Run towards Allah, you gain Allah and the creation.

Allah is Al Wadud (The Source of Love). Therefore, love comes from Allah—not people.

When you fill yourself with the Source of love (Al Wadud), you become a magnet for love. Allah teaches us this in the beautiful hadith Qudsi:

“If Allah has loved a servant [of His], He calls Gabriel (peace be upon him) and says: ‘I love So-and-so, therefore love him.’” He (the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said: “So Gabriel loves him. Then he (Gabriel) calls out in heaven, saying: ‘Allah loves So-and-so, therefore love him.’ And the inhabitants of heaven love him.” He (the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said: “Then acceptance is established for him on earth. (Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi)

In a profound hadith, a man came to the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and said: “O Messenger of Allah, direct me to an act, which if I do, Allah will love me and people will love me.” He said: “Detach yourself from the world, and Allah will love you. Detach yourself from what is with the people, and the people will love you.” [Ibn Majah]

We’re all running. But so few of us are running in the right direction. We have the same goal. But to get there, we need to stop. And examine if we are running towards the Source–or just a reflection.

O Allah, indeed, we ask You for Your love and the love of those who love You, and for the action that will cause us to attain Your love, O Allah, make Your love more beloved to us than ourselves, our family and cold water.

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