A Deep Relationship

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

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Alhamdulillah, my children and I had an an exhilarating weekend at the Reviving the Islamic Spirit conference in Long Beach, California, mashaAllah. For those who couldn't make it this time, inshaAllah you will be able to take your family to this convention next year. You learn a lot from this type of Islamic conference, if nothing else, you are in the company of many good and knowledgeable people, which is in itself a great boost to your Iman--which money can't buy!

Many of the things I heard were nothing new, and I am sure some of you who attended, feel the same, but we need to hear them over and over again. Our lives are full of repeats--albeit good or bad--but we don't mind repeating them. We have more than one child (that's a repeat), we choose the "wrong" spouse or friends more than once, we drive to work and back following the same route, we go to the same place for vacation. But when it comes to the deen and learning the deen, we don't like to repeat. When was the last time you learn how to pray or learn about prayers? For many people they never actually learn the prayers but simply follow the acts of others.

Qur'an is full of repetition. We are commanded to pray five times a day (but we can pray more if we desire nearness to Allah.) Why? Because we tend to forget a lot. Repetition is good for us so we are reminded of Allah when we forget.

One of the speakers at the conference talked about our responsibility in this life. Our foremost and important responsibility is to recognize Allah. Our relationship with Allah is not a few moments of worship but a deep relationship. We should strive to have this relationship with Allah, our Lord. The only way to have this deep relationship is through knowledge of Him. How can you know Him without learning and knowing His names and attributes? When you know Allah, you will love Him and all other love is subject to His love. You will want to do everything to please Him. Remember the sweetness of love that you experience with your spouse at one time? You have so much energy, nothing tires you for the sake of your love, everything is sweet. But when the honeymoon is over, the sweetness started to fade away and it becomes a normal thing, you take each other for granted, and for some it turns bitter. Not with Allah, if you fill your heart with the love of Allah, the sweetness stays and in fact it gets sweeter and sweeter, and He gives more and more. Your soul is always tranquil no matter what you experience outwardly.

May Allah brings us closer to Him and grant us that peace and tranquility in our hearts. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

Does not a lover want to be alone with his beloved?

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

In the Name of Allah, Most Beneficent, Most Merciful
Assalaamu alaykum

I pray that you are well.

There is no love without giving and there is no lover who does not want to be alone with his/her beloved.

When we give our mind, body and soul to the one we love, that's the highest love. The level of love depends on how much we give. Someone who rush to please Allah is manifesting a greater love for Him than someone who is not. Someone who give himself/herself to Allah by waking up at night to pray is manifesting a greater love for Him than someone who sleeps through the night.

In one of God's revealed scriptures it is said, "He has lied who claims to love Me but who when night falls sleeps (and leaves) Me. Does not every lover love to be alone with his beloved." (source--Imam Al-Haddad's Book of Assistance).

When Zulaikha brought faith and married Prophet Yusuf, peace be upon him, she kept herself separate from him and remained engaged in divine services and surrendered herself completely to God. Prophet Yusuf, peace be upon him, called her to his bed in the day time as Zulaikha remained busy at night in divine service. When Yusuf, peace be upon him, called her at nights, she hinted at the day time and said: O Yusuf, I loved you before I recognized God. When I knew God, I can have no love for others except God. I don't hope for anything than this. (source: Imam Al-Ghazzali's Ihya ulum-id-din) (Zulaikha was once the wife of a wealthy man who fell madly in love with Prophet Yusuf, peace be upon him, because of his beauty, and then caused Prophet Yusuf, peace be upon him, many trials. Read Surah Yusuf).

By this we can access our love for Allah.

May Allah give us piety and purify our souls. He is the Master and Lord of souls. Ameen.

Object of love

بسم الله الحمن الرحيم
Assalaamu alaykum

I pray that you are well.

One of bases of love is acquaintance and understanding. Man does not not love one with who he is not acquainted. When it is strong and firm, then is deep love. One of the causes of love is secret connection between a lover and his beloved. This love is cemented not for beauty but for the union of their souls.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said,
"Out of them, love grows among those who have got similarity of souls."
"The souls are regulated army." Love begets among persons of similar nature and habits. Remember the proverb, "birds of a feather flock together"? The souls which agree with one another love one another, and those souls which have no agreement differ.

Only Allah should be the object of our love. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is an object of love because he (peace and blessings be upon him) is the beloved of Allah. So is love for the learned, religious and good people, as the dear ones of the beloved are object of love. The ambassadors and the messengers of the dear ones are also objects of love.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Imbue yourself with divine attributes." This injunction is only for following the good attributes, such as acquisition of knowledge, honesty, showing kindness, to do good to people, enjoin them good, to show them right path and to prohibit from evils.

There is no object of love other than Allah. The way to love Him is through Divine knowledge. A man gets great pleasure getting the secret information of an emperor. God is the most High and Most Honorable. So, the pleasure gained by the pursuit of knowledge of His attributes is the greatest. The best and highest pleasure is by the pursuit of knowledge relating to God and His attributes. It is many times more than the pleasure gained by satisfaction of lust or greed by the sense organs.

Allah knows best.

May Allah increase us in Divine knowledge. Ameen.

source: Imam Ghazzali's Ihya Ulum-Id-Din