Let's ask ourselves the question in this lesson: What is the best, most beautiful, most pleasant thing in this life? I believe, but Allah knows better that there is nothing more pleasant and majestic in this life than love for Allah. Dear brothers, Muslims, servants of Allah, I once imagined what it would be like if we were not allowed by the Sharia to say the words: "I love my Lord." After all, there are things that are prohibited. For example, we are forbidden to liken our Lord to any creations, to seek knowledge of the essence of the qualities of Allah. That is, if you hear in the Quran: "The hand of Allah is over their hands", you are forbidden to say that the hand of Allah is such and such, such and such a color, etc. You are a slave, there are things that are forbidden to you, and there are those that are allowed, why? You are also forbidden to ask such a question:
"He is not asked about what He is doing, but they will be asked."(Surah Al-Anbiya 32).
Allah cannot be compared with anything, He is as He Himself described in the Qur'an. Because of His greatness, there is no one like Him:
"There is nothing like Him"(Surah Ash-Shura 11).
What would happen if in our religion it was forbidden to say: "I love you, Lord"? A person passionately wants to say: "I love You, O Allah!" , the poor, sinful criminal is allowed to say: "I love Allah!"
I would like to give an example. If some famous and beautiful girl heard that you said to her: "I love you," she would turn away from you with the words: "Who are you to say these words to me!" Imagine, you, may Allah Almighty forgive us all, dare to say: "Lord, I love you!" Do you even know what love is? Everyone wants her.
As the story of three righteous men in the cave tells, when a stone closed the exit from it, one of them said: "I had a cousin, and I loved her as much as men can love women." Every man and every woman wants this love in the same way, but these are just words. Real, true, and the only love in this world is love for your Lord. The one who does not love his Lord will not understand love, will not recognize it and will never be able to tell about love in his life. True only love is the love of your Lord.
However, the shaitan should not confuse us, and the soul should not deceive you, you will think that you really love your Lord, but in reality everything will be different. Today I want to call all of you, men and women, adults and young, to really love your Lord, who is ready? I want to tell you that just to love Him is already happiness!
Let's first understand what love is.
Love is the constant bending of the wandering heart.
Love for Allah is when you constantly bow to it. Allah said:
"Turn Your Face to Religion as a Hanif" (Sura Yunus 105).
Hanif comes from the word "bow down." There are people who want to clearly build their lives, give their worldly and give their afterlife. But Allah wants you to bow in His direction, this is the meaning of the word hanif. With regard to love, Allah said:
"Among people there are those who give equal to Allah, they love them as they love Allah, and those who believe love Allah more strongly." (Surah Al-Bakara 165).
This is not correct, undoubtedly, you need to lean towards Allah in this, and this is fard. Allah called those who love other things as polytheists, just as they love Allah. The Prophet said:
Indeed, Allah does not look at your views and bodies, Allah looks at your hearts and deeds.
Do you know what preference is? There is the concept of preference, and the concept of self-love. Selfishness is selfishness, when "I" and no one else. Its antonym is preference when this "I" is absent. Allah said:
(Surah Al-Hashr 9).
Get rid of the evil of your soul, which makes you forget about the religion that has tired you in your life. O Allah, we resort to You from the evil of our souls and the evil of our bad deeds! Save us from the evil of our soul!
Preference is when you desire something, but prefer Allah more than what you need.
One of our righteous predecessors got up at night, stroked the bed, and said: "I swear by Allah, you are cool, I swear by Allah, you are good, I swear by Allah, I really want to see you, but I love you to the earth." Then he prayed until dawn.
This is preference, this is what we are talking about. A person needs sleep, his soul wants to sleep, and do you know why he prefers Allah? Listen to one amazing hadith of the prophet (peace be upon him):
Three categories of people whom Allah loves, rejoices and laughs at them, and the one to whom Allah laughs, there will be no calculation. One of them, a man who has a good bed, a beautiful wife, and he gets up and prays at night. Allah says: “O My angels, look at this My servant, he has a good bed, a beautiful wife, and if he wanted, he could lie down. However, he got up, considering Me his Master, and recited My verses. I call you to witness, O My angels, that I have forgiven him ... "
Marvelous! If you look at the meanings of this hadith, Allah says: "If he wanted, he would go to bed." , it is not forbidden to him, Allah did not charge us with the night prayer. However, a person prefers what Allah has, a passion for sleep and a passion for a woman, gets up and prays. Preference is not leaving the haram, no! This is the abandonment of what is permissible, when you prefer Allah to your right - the right to rest, enjoy your wife, you get up and pray to Him, and Allah, taking this into account, will grant you such a great reward. This is the meaning of the constant inclination of the heart to Allah and the preference of the Beloved to all others.
Love is the correspondence of your actions in the explicit and the hidden.
Those. when you're not hiding from your Lord. Allah said:
“When believers are called to Allah and His Messenger to judge them, they say:“ Hear and obey! ”. They are the ones who are successful. Those who obey Allah and His Messenger, fear Allah and profess God-fearing, have found success. " (Surah An-Nur 47-52).
They are afraid of Allah, profess God-fearing, they say: "We have heard and obey." This is the correspondence to the Beloved in the explicit and the hidden.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
The worst person with Allah is two-faced, who comes to some with one face, and to others comes with another.
In front of people with one face, and alone with another. In his city with one face, when traveling with another. At work with one person, at home with another, with the rich with one, with the poor with another, with women with one, with men with another. Who are you anyway? Be with one face, the face of the servant of Allah, with men and women, in the mosque and at work, at home and on travel. Transmitted from Companions:
When the hour of death came to Khuzeifa ibn Yaman, Abdullah ibn Masgud sat at his head and said: "Leave me a covenant." Khuzeifa asked him: "Did not conviction come to you?" Abdullah replied: "Of course, I swear by the Greatness of my Lord!" Khuzeifa said: "Beware of resourcefulness, because truly the religion of Allah is one!"
Love is when you don’t dodge, don’t change your color like a chameleon, you are always with one face.
Love means giving preference to the Beloved for His essence.
You cannot love just for what he is, someone other than Allah. Why do we love our prophet (peace be upon him)? Because Allah ordered us to do this. Why do we love the Kaaba? Because she is the house of Allah. We must all love for the sake of Allah. As for Allah, we love Him for His essence, because He is worthy of it. You cannot love Allah because He bestows good on you. Therefore, such people, when Allah tests them, become angry. We love Him because He is worthy of love, and I am His slave, created for Him. Allah said:
"I created genies and people, only for them to worship Me" (Surah Az-Zariyat 56).
Love is the agreement of the heart with what the Beloved wants.
Once they asked a righteous man: "What do you want?" He replied: "I want me not to want anything."
People are of two types, people who live according to their desires to receive something from Allah, others live according to what Allah wants from them. Some live with thoughts: “So, what do we want from Allah? We want Allah to give us this and that, that He would help me, raise me up among others, to protect me, so that ... ". He lives so that ... If he does something, then only so that Allah will give him. This is selfishness, not love. The one who loves Allah lives as the Almighty wants. If you want to learn how to love, then we will meet with you in a future lesson. I entrust you to Allah for protection, peace and blessings of Allah and His blessings be upon you.
Translated from Arabic by A. Yafarov, imam of the Volsk region
When Allah loves His servant, He tests him ...
Tests are a test of people by Allah "for strength" and at the same time evidence of His love for them. Trials are like bitter medicine that you send to the one you love, knowing that if it heals from an illness, then the bitterness from it will quickly be forgotten. In the same way, Allah cleanses people from sins, leading them through trials.
The hadith says: “A high reward comes with great trials. When Allah loves a person, He tests him. Whoever accepts them will become pleasing to Him, but whoever is displeased will receive His wrath ”(Tirmidhi, Ibn Majda).
And one of the companions said: "If there were no trials in this world, then on the Day of Judgment we would be empty-handed."
Trials are a blessing for the believer because the reward for patience and endurance in overcoming them will remain for him in the future life. And it cannot be otherwise - after all, his good deeds atone for his sins, thereby raising him up before Allah and people. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When Allah loves His servant, He exposes him to difficulties in this life. And when Allah becomes angry, He subjects him to torture in Akhirat (eternal life) ”(Tirmidhi).
Hasan al-Basri (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “Do not murmur against the trials that come as calamities. Perhaps in what you dislike is your salvation, and perhaps in what you prefer is your death. "
Al-Fadl ibn Sahl wrote that there are blessings in trials that a wise person should not neglect. After all, trials erase sins, and a person is awarded the reward of Allah for patience. In addition, trials foster indifference in a person: after passing through them, he is always ready to repent or give alms.
So, trials for the believer are the path to reward. But only those who have patience, firm faith and endurance can walk this path and be worthy of it.
Let us remember the words of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “How wonderful the position of the believer. Indeed, everything in his case is a blessing for him, and this is not given to anyone except the believer: if something pleases him, he thanks Allah, and this becomes a blessing for him. And if sorrow befalls him, he shows patience, and this also becomes a blessing for him "(Muslim).
If a Muslim is faced with trials, he must say “inna lIllahi wa inna ilayhi raj'un” (“we all belong to Allah, and to Him our return”), as well as “qadarullahi wa ma shaa fagyala” (“this is predetermined by Allah, and He did as he wished ”). But the most important and unforgettable moments in a person's life are when he, after hard trials, returns to His Lord, knowing that only the Lord gives relief from suffering, misfortune and troubles.
Allah Almighty said:
“We will certainly test you with insignificant fear, hunger, loss of property, people and fruits. Rejoice the patient, who, when trouble befalls them, say: "Indeed, we belong to Allah, and to Him we will return." They are honored with their Lord's blessings and mercy. They follow a straight path ”(Qur'an, 2: 155-157).
Brothers and sisters! Please read and remember the tips below. They will help you get through the challenges easily.
First, take a close look at what happened to you. And if you accepted and endured all this, then you will see that in the end you gained much more and better than you lost. And you will understand that your Lord arranged your destiny in the best way.
Second, ease your burden of testing by thinking that things could be worse. And also look around, and you will see that you are not the only ones in this world who have to experience pain or loss. However, pain in this world is like a dream or a passing shadow. Therefore, do not exaggerate its strength or role as a factor in your physical and mental state, but rather learn to appreciate those moments in life when you feel happiness and relief.
Ibn Mas'ud said: "For every moment of pleasure there will be a moment of sorrow, and there is no home that is not filled with joy, but it will also be filled with tears." And Ibn Sirin noted: "There is no laughter after which there will be no tears."
Third, remember that not only will panic not eliminate the challenge, but, on the contrary, will aggravate it.
Fourth, remember that panic always pleases foes, not friends. This means that she will delight the shaitan, and will not cause the pleasure of Allah. In addition, panic weakens your intention to fight the challenge, and this will all the more diminish your reward.
Fifthly, remember that the one who tests you is the Wise and Most Merciful, that He (glory to Him) sends you tests not to destroy you, but to test your patience and faith. After all, He sees how you persistently overcome the test sent by Him, and also humbly stand before Him in prayer, asking for His help and protection.
So, a person should not avoid and not be afraid of trials, but perceive them as a blessing and a gift from Allah. Sufyan said: "What people do not like is perhaps better for them than what they love, because they do not know where the good awaits them."
Just as the love of believers for Allah has signs that confirm it, so also the love of Allah for His slaves has signs. And these signs are a good omen for them to keep their hearts calm and their souls to be happy. How happy is he who was helped and endowed with these attributes. How much joy is there to the one to whom Allah has shown His bounty by endowing with His love.
Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Indeed, Allah Almighty said:“ I will declare war on the one who is at war with the one who is close to Me! and My servant will try to get closer to Me, doing more than what is supposed / Navafil / until I love him, when I love him, I will become his hearing, through which he will hear, and his sight, through which he will see, and with his hand, which he will grab, and his leg, with the help of which he will walk, and if he asks Me (for something), I will definitely give him (this), and if he turns to Me for a sewn-up, I will definitely protect his". (Al-Bukhari)
This hadith speaks of six signs of Allah's love for a slave:
1 - "When I love him, I will become his hearing, through which he will hear"
Those. he will only listen to what Allah loves and what he is pleased with, like a call to Allah, or the words of Allah and His Messenger. "Allah did not listen to anything the way He listened to the prophet with a beautiful voice, who read the Koran aloud."
It will also be unpleasant for the slave to hear bad words like lies, slander, and the like. After all, Allah does not love this, as He says about it in the Qur'an:
لاَ يُحِبُّ اللَّهُ الْجَهْرَ بِالسُّوءِ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ إِلاَّ مَنْ ظُلِمَ
“Allah doesn’t like it when they say slander aloud, unless he does it,
with whom they acted unfairly "(Surah an-Nisa, ayat 148)
He also moves away from idle talk and songs, as Allah said about His slaves:
وَإِذَا مَرُّوا بِاللَّغْوِ مَرُّوا كِرَامًا
"When they pass by idle talk, they pass with dignity"(Sura al-Furqan, ayah 72)
The Almighty will endow His servant with discernment in words. He will feel and discern where the truth is and where the lie is in the words of the one he is listening to. As the Almighty said:
وَلَوْ نَشَاءُ لَأَرَيْنَاكَهُمْ فَلَعَرَفْتَهُمْ بِسِيمَاهُمْ وَلَتَعْرِفَنَّهُمْ فِي لَحْنِ الْقَوْلِ
“If We willed, We would show them to you, and then you would recognize them by their signs.
But you will certainly recognize them by reservations "(Surah Muhammad, ayah 30)
Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said about this verse: "You will recognize them by reservations" those. from what comes from them you will understand their goals, you will understand who the speaker refers to. Uthman bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Whoever is hiding something, Allah will certainly show it on his face and on the tongue's slip."
2 - "By his sight, by which he will see"
He will love to look at the signs of Allah in everyday life. On such signs as heaven, earth and what is in them, or Sharia, like the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. Hashem said:
إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلاَفِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ لَآيَاتٍ لِأُولِي الأَلْبَابِ
“Verily, in the creation of heaven and earth, as well as in the change of night and day, there are signs
for those with reason "(Sura ali Imran, ayah 190)
He will not look at what Allah has forbidden, at all lies, and will not be present in these places. As the Almighty said:
وَالَّذِينَ لاَ يَشْهَدُونَ الزُّورَ
"They do not falsely testify (or are not present in false conversations)"
(Sura al-Furqan, ayah 72)
"Zur"- Lie. Scholars say that this is shirk and idol worship.
It is also said that "Zur" - these are the holidays of the polytheists.
Amr bin Qais said: "These are bad meetings and debauchery."
Muhammad bin Hanifiya said: "This is idle talk and songs."
Malik relayed from Zuhri: "They are not present when drinking alcohol and do not want it, as it came in the hadith:" He who believes in Allah and the Day of Judgment, let him not sit at the table on which there is alcohol. "
The one who guards his gaze from the forbidden, Allah gives him a special vision of things. Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “If Umar was talking about something: I think so. It really was as Umar thought "
Al-Kirmani said: "Whoever externally lives according to the Sunnah, and inside constantly watches himself, and lowers his gaze from the forbidden and protects his soul from passions and haraam, his foresight is never mistaken."
3 - "And with his hand, which he will grab"
Those. he will stretch out his hands only for what Allah loves and is pleased with, like cooperation in piety and piety. He will protect his hands from what Allah has forbidden. He does not touch with his hand that which Allah has forbidden, like other people's women, or does not take with it that which does not belong to him, as the rights of strangers, does not harm anyone, does not beat anyone, does no harm to anyone. As the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “A Muslim is one whose hands and tongue are protected from other Muslims. And a muhajir is one who leaves what Allah has forbidden. "
The Messenger of Allah was awarded this sign of love, therefore Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said: “The Messenger of Allah never beat a woman or a servant with his hand, except that he fought in the way of Allah. And if someone offended him, he never took revenge, unless you count the moments when someone crossed the borders of Allah, then the Messenger of Allah took revenge. "
4 - "And with his foot, with the help of which he will walk"
He does not go to forbidden affairs or go to forbidden places.
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Adultery of the feet - their steps."
He does not show arrogance in his gait, because Allah and His Messenger do not like such a gait. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Once, a man walked in his clothes, with which he was seduced, combed, with an arrogant gait. And suddenly Allah forced the earth to swallow him, and he drowns in this earth until the day of judgment "
The one whom Allah loves strives only for good, goes to the mosque, as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Anyone who goes to the mosque in the morning or evening, Allah prepares a place for him in Paradise, every time he goes there."
5 - "And if he asks Me (for something), I will definitely give him (this)"
What reward can be greater than this? What gift can surpass what Allah will give you whatever you ask for? After all, Allah answers His beloved slaves. He replied to those in the cave when they said:
رَبَّنَا آتِنَا مِنْ لَدُنْكَ رَحْمَةً وَهَيِّئْ لَنَا مِنْ أَمْرِنَا رَشَدًا
“Our Lord! Grant us mercy from Yourself and arrange our work in the best way. "
(Sura al-Kahf, verse 10)
He answered Yunus when he called with the words:
لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنْتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ
“There is no deity worthy of worship but You! You are pure! Truly
I was one of the wicked "(Sura al-Anbiya, verse 87)
فَاسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُ وَنَجَّيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْغَمِّ وَكَذَلِكَ نُنْجِي الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
“We answered his plea and saved him from sorrow. This is how We save the believers "
(Sura al-Anbiya, verse 88)
6 - "And if he turns to Me for protection, I will definitely protect him"
If he asks Allah for protection from the temptation and injustice of evildoers, Allah will surely protect him.
When the wife of the ruler seduced Yusuf, he turned to Allah, saying:
مَعَاذَ اللَّهِ إِنَّهُ رَبِّي أَحْسَنَ مَثْوَايَ
“God forbid! After all, He is my master, who provided me with a wonderful life "(Surah Yusuf, ayah 23)
The boy from the story of those who were thrown into the ditches asked Allah for refuge with the words:
اللهم أكفنيهم بما شئت
"O Allah, deliver me from them as you wish."
And Allah delivered him from them, saved him and destroyed those.
And also from the signs of Allah's love for His slave:
7 - A good ending.
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If Allah wishes His servant well, He will make his glory good among people. The Prophet was asked: What does it mean: "Will he good his glory among the people?" He replied: "He will reveal good deeds to him before death, in order to be pleased with him."
He also said: “Anyone who wishes to meet with Allah, Allah wishes to meet with him. And the one who does not like meeting with Allah, Allah will hate meeting with him. " Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said: "And which of us wants to die?" To which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “This is not what you think. When death comes to the believer, and he is pleased with the pleasure of Allah and honor with him, for him there will be nothing more desirable than what awaits him, and therefore he will wish to meet with Allah, and Allah will wish to meet with him "
Some believe that love for Allah Almighty does not mean anything other than following His orders and worshiping Him. There are those who argue that it is impossible to love Allah Almighty, because He has no image, we do not see Him and do not hear. But if we turn to the Qur'an and hadith, then both of these sources openly inform that Allah Almighty loves His servants and His servants love Him. For example, in the 54th verse of Surah "Al-Maidat" it is said (meaning): "And Allah loves them, and they love Allah."
In the 165th verse of the surah "Al-Bakarat" it says (meaning): " And those who believe, they love Allah more ».
And the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) told us that love for Allah Almighty and His Messenger is the basis of iman - true faith. Abu Razim al ‘Ukayli, may Allah be pleased with him, asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):" O Messenger of Allah, what is iman? " The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: "Iman is such love for Allah and His Messenger, which surpasses love for everything else." Another hadith says: “ None of you will believe until he loves Allah and His Messenger more than anything else. ».
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saw Mus' aliyab ibn ‘Umayr, may Allah be pleased with him, dressed in a sheep's clothing. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Look at this person, whose heart Allah has illuminated with Nur. I saw him when he lived with his parents, he ate the best, drank the best, put on the best. Then love for Allah and for His Messenger brought him to the state in which you see him. "
Mus' ab ibn ‘Umayr grew up in a well-to-do family, his parents pampered him and did not refuse him anything. And when he renounced the religion of his parents, that is, paganism, and accepted Islam, they kicked him out of the house. But he did not notice the worldly difficulties that followed because of his great love for Allah and for His Messenger. He died in gazawat at Uhud, defending the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).
In short, both the Qur'an and the hadiths in plain text testify that the good servants who have believed love Allah Almighty.
The assertion that love for Allah has no other meaning than the manifestation of obedience to Him is also not true, since obedience to Allah is the fruit on the tree of love for Him. To the extent that a slave loves Allah, to the same extent he obeys Him.
The statement that it is impossible to love Allah, since we do not see or hear Him, is also not true. Those who are able to think, comprehend reality, love and receive pleasure only through the senses are people of a very low level. People with crystal hearts, high aspiration, high intelligence and generosity do not pay much attention to sensual pleasures. These people prefer inner love to outer love. For example, we very much love the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), imams, awliya, sheikhs, although among them there may be those who are not very handsome outwardly. Nevertheless, we love all of them because of their spiritual beauty, because of their justice, intelligence, patience, meekness, piety, desire to benefit others, because of other similar moral, spiritual qualities.
Allah Almighty has created several reasons why a person can love.
Firstly Allah Almighty inherent in a person is self-love. Man loves himself, desires eternal being and everything that contributes to eternal being. For example, a person loves his life, food, drink, his body, wants to be healthy, etc.
Secondly Allah Almighty inherent in a person love for the one who does something good for him. In a hadith quoted by Abu Númiyaym, Bayhaqi and Ibnu Javzi, it says: "Hearts are made of love for those who are kind to them."
Thirdly Allah Almighty laid in a person love for those who do good for people in general, although this good does not concern him. For example, if we hear about someone who has lived for a long time or lives far from us, on the other side of the world, that he is generous, does good to people, brings them benefit, then we feel sympathy, love for this person, although we are his good and does not concern, and there is not even any hope for it.
Fourth Allah Almighty has inherent in man a love for beauty, for everything beautiful. Beauty is of two types: external beauty visible to the eyes and internal beauty invisible contemplated by the mind. A person loves both and receives pleasure from contemplating both types of beauty, but highly spiritual, highly intellectual people prefer inner, spiritual beauty to outer beauty.
Even one of the reasons listed is enough for the appearance of sympathy, love for a person.
If you think carefully about the above, then we can conclude that only Allah Almighty is worthy of true love due to these reasons, for these reasons are real only in relation to Him, and in relation to everyone else there are only the names of these reasons, and the reasons themselves absent.
Let's take a look at these reasons separately and find out who is really worthy of true love.
A person's love for his being and for everything that contributes to the maintenance of this being - if you ponder over this reason for the manifestation of love by a person, then it turns out that a person must love Allah more than his own being, for his being was created by Allah. Everything that contributes to the existence of a person is also created by Allah. Human being is not real, that is, it is not self-sufficient, it is conditioned by the will of Allah Almighty. The existence of Allah is absolute, it does not depend on anyone or anything and, therefore, only it is real on the scale of eternity.
Therefore, for this reason, a person cannot but love Allah, because He created a person, and the eternity of a person's existence depends on Him.
The next reason is a person's tendency to love someone who is kind to him. If we consider this reason, it again turns out that in reality only Allah Almighty is worthy of love, for from the moment a person is born until his death, every moment Allah continuously endows him with His blessings, visible and invisible, common to everyone and personal for him. The benefits of all people, taken together, in comparison with the benefits of Allah will be less than a drop in comparison with the sea. After all, whoever does any good, it comes from Allah, for this good itself, and the people who did it, were created by Allah, and Allah prompted people to do this good.
Further - a person's tendency to love someone who is kind, merciful to people in general and benefits them, even if this good does not concern him. And from this point of view, only Allah Almighty is really worthy of love, for the good and benefit brought by all people together, in comparison with the good and benefit from Allah Almighty, is less than the fraction of one ray in all the sunlight or than a drop in the sea. In fact, good does not come from people at all, since all good and people who do this good were created by Allah Almighty, and He Himself prompted them to do good. Therefore, for this reason, He alone is worthy of love.
The next reason is a person's tendency to love beauty, everything is beautiful. There are two types of beauty: external, visible with the eyes and internal, spiritual, contemplated by the mind. Outward beauty is comprehensible even for people who are narrow-minded, limited and even for children, while spiritual beauty is comprehended only by people with a perfect mind and a pure heart. That is why people with perfect minds love the prophets, awliya, imams who lived in former times, because of their inner beauty, without even realizing what they looked like outwardly.
Inner, innermost beauty includes a lot, but in the end it all comes down to three categories: science (knowledge), power and the absence of shortcomings. We love prophets, angels, imams, and other alims because they have more knowledge about Allah, His greatness, His universe than other people; they have a talent that others do not have, a great gift that allows them to follow the path of Truth and instruct others on this path; they are also pure from passions, animal instincts, bad qualities, they are ennobled with the best qualities.
Now let's compare the knowledge, power and purity from the shortcomings inherent in Allah Almighty, with the similar qualities of the most perfect people, whom Allah has endowed with them.
All the knowledge that Allah endowed with angels, prophets, messengers, scientists, awliya and all other people, as well as jinn, is insignificant, unreal in comparison with the knowledge of Allah. Even if we consider this knowledge of creations to be real, then Allah Almighty endowed His creations with them.
The Qur'an says that if all the seas and oceans become ink, all the trees - with pencils and with their help they begin to write down the knowledge of Allah Almighty, then the ink will run out and the pencils will run out, but the knowledge of Allah (God's Words) will remain unwritten, for there is no limit to them. ...
Therefore, because of the knowledge we have, only Allah is really worthy of love.
As for the power and power of creations, then they, in comparison with the power and power of Allah Almighty, are, as it were, non-existent, that is, the power of creations is not real. Only Allah Almighty has real power, and creatures have the power that Allah has endowed them with, and He can deprive them of this at any time. It is impossible to have power in any other way than from Allah. That is, if we proceed from power, then even then only Allah Almighty is worthy of love and no one else.
If the reason for love is the absence of shortcomings, then in this case only Allah is worthy of love, since only Allah is pure from all shortcomings. Everything that exists, except for Allah Himself, needs Allah. And what greater lack can there be than the need for someone or something?
Everything that exists except Allah has no power over itself, and Allah has power over everything that exists. If someone is clean of the flaws inherent in creation, then who created it as such? Of course, Allah Almighty.
Conclusion: true beauty, true perfection, true knowledge and omnipotence are the personal attributes of Allah Almighty, inherent only to Him alone, and, in fact, only He is worthy of love.
All this does not mean that one should not love the highly revered Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), other prophets, angels, awliya and other righteous people. They should be loved because Allah Almighty loves them.
Whoever does not love Allah at least a little cannot be a Muslim; the level of a Muslim's faith depends on the degree of love for Allah. Therefore, we should try to constantly increase love for Allah Almighty, zealous in ways to achieve it.
Let's list some ways to increase love for Allah Almighty.
To increase love for Allah Almighty, firstly, one should remove from the heart the love for the worldly. Imam al-Shafirabokhi, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "If someone claims that he loves both Allah and this world, then he is a liar."
This does not mean that you should give up everything worldly. This means that it is not proper to rejoice because of the blessings of the world and to be sad when deprived of them, and thoughts should not always be occupied with worldly things. Let the hands and body of a person be engaged in worldly affairs, while having good and pure intentions, relying on Allah, not harming others, not to the detriment of worshiping Allah and observing the framework of Sharia.
In the heart, always busy with worldly affairs, there is no room for Allah, because the Quran says that Allah did not create two hearts for a person.
The next way to increase love for Allah is to know Him, because it is impossible to love someone you do not know. Having cognized the greatness, perfection, omnipotence and other qualities of Allah, a person cannot but love Him. We learn about the greatness, inaccessibility, wisdom, omnipotence of the Almighty Allah, seeing the wonderful world around us and thinking about all this. Having cognized the creatures, we cognize the Creator, and cognizing the Creator, we gain love for Him.
Those who observe the world and at the same time claim that Allah does not exist are twice ignorant people. One ignorance is ignorance of Allah, the second ignorance is the assertion that there is no Allah just because they themselves did not know Him. Indeed, in man himself there are thousands of facts testifying to the existence of the Creator.
The Qur'an says (meaning): “ And there are signs on earth for those who know, and in yourself. Can't you see? »
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Consider the creation of Allah." He also said that an hour of meditation is better than a year of worship, because the more we meditate, the more we will know Allah Almighty. The more we know Him, the more we love Him. The more we love Him, the more carefully we follow the path indicated by Him. The more carefully and strictly we follow the path indicated by Him, the more happiness we will find in both worlds.
Another way to increase your love for Allah is to constantly remember His mercy and blessings. Usually we love someone who is merciful, kind to us, gives us blessings, and this love is the more, the greater the good that is shown to us. Therefore, one should know and often reflect on the infinite multitude and greatness of the blessings of Allah.
The hadith says: “ Love Allah, for He is beneficent (gives you blessings) "(Imam at-Tirmizi).
There is no limit to the blessings of Allah with which He bestows upon us: they descend from heaven, emanate from the earth, they are also in ourselves - a person is drowning in the blessings of Allah.
The next way to increase love for Allah is to remember Him often, because if we often remember the greatness and merits of someone, we will definitely love him, even if his good does not concern us.
Also, a way to increase love for Allah is to often read salavat to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), study his life. After all, the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) brought to the people the knowledge of the greatness of Allah, His wonderful qualities and names, taught people to worship Allah.
Another way to increase love for Allah is dua (supplication) to increase this love. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) always asked: "O my Allah, give me love for You, surpassing love for everything else!"
The highly esteemed Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also turned to Allah with the words: "O my Allah, I ask You for love for You, love for all who love You, and love for all deeds that bring me closer to You."
Here are some signs of love for Allah:
Striving to meet with Allah. It does not happen that you love someone, but do not want to meet him. Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), dying, rejoiced, eager to participate in ghazavat in the hope of earning the death of a martyr, for they were eager to meet with Allah.
Love for everything that Allah loves, and dislike for everything that He does not love; doing everything that Allah has commanded, and abstaining from everything that He warns against. After all, the lover shows obedience to his beloved.
The constant remembrance of Allah. After all, a person often remembers what he loves and thinks about him, that is, remembrance increases love, and love leads to frequent remembrance.
Desire for retirement. He who loves to communicate alone with Allah gets up at night when people are sleeping, remembers Allah, asks Him, turns to Him, prays, reads His holy scripture - the Koran.
The one who loves Allah is not overwhelmed by sorrow over the unreceived worldly, overlooked or lost. The loss of everything is nothing, as long as he does not lose Allah.
The exercise of patience in troubles and misfortunes from Allah.
Showing mercy to all people.
Love for the holy Quran is also a sign of love for Allah Almighty, since the Quran is the Speech of Allah.
A sign of love for Allah Almighty is also love for those whom He loves, that is, for the prophets, awliya, etc. How, for example, can you love Allah and not love the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), whom He loves most?
One of the signs of love for Allah Almighty is also following the Sunnah of His Messenger. Allah Almighty in the Holy Qur'an says (meaning): “ Say: If you love Allah, then follow me, and then Allah will love you and forgive your sins ».
In short, the fulfillment of all the prescriptions of the Muslim religion and the manifestation of good behavior are all fruits on the tree of love for Allah, these are signs of love for Him.
Question: What are the signs of Allah's love for His slave?
Answer: Praise be to Allah
You have asked a serious and important question about what only a few of the righteous servants of Allah achieve.
The love of Allah is “a position for which believers compete and strive for ... it is nourishment for hearts and souls ... a joy to the eyes ... this is life, and the one who is deprived of it is dead ... this is the light, without which there is pitch darkness ... this is healing and the one who is deprived of it is sick ... this is joy, and the one who is deprived of it lives in sorrow and suffering ...
This is the spirit of faith and good deeds ... with the help of which one can approach Allah ... and the one who is deprived of it is like a body without a soul. "
Allah's love has signs and reasons, which are like keys to a door. And these reasons include the following:
1. Follow the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Allah says in the Holy Quran:
قل إن كنتم تحبون الله فاتبعوني يحببكم الله ويغفر لكم ذنوبكم والله غفور رحيم
"Say:" If you love Allah, then follow me, and then Allah will love you and forgive you your sins, because Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. " (The family of Imran 3:31)
2. To be humble towards believers and adamant to the kaafirs, to fight in the way of Allah and not be afraid of anyone but Him. Allah mentioned these qualities in one verse, where He says:
يا أيها الذين آمنوا من يرتد منكم عن دينه فسوف يأتي الله بقوم يحبهم ويحبونه أذلة على المؤمنين أعزة على الكافرين يجاهدون في سبيل الله ولا يخافون لومة لائم
“O you who have believed! If any of you deviate from your religion, Allah will bring other people whom He will love and who will love Him. They will be humble before the believers and adamant before the unbelievers, they will fight in the way of Allah and not be afraid of the reproof of those who censure. ”(Meal 5:54)
In this verse, Allah describes the qualities of those whom He loves, and the first of them is to be humble and not to be arrogant with Muslims, to be adamant with kafirs, not to humiliate and not insult a Muslim in front of a kafir. Those whom Allah loves fight on His way with the shaitan, kaafirs, hypocrites and sinners, and they fight the evil of their souls (jihad an-nafs). They are not afraid of the censure of the censurer, because as long as they follow the orders of their religion, they do not care for those who ridicule and condemn them.
3. Perform additional (nafil) worship. Allah says in the hadith al-Quds: "And My slave does not stop approaching Me by voluntary actions until I love him." Additional actions include additional prayers, alms, umrah, hajj, and fasting.
4. Love, visit each other, help each other (financially) and give sincere advice only for the sake of Allah.
These qualities were mentioned in a hadith, where the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) conveyed the words of Allaah: “My love is necessarily prescribed to those who love each other for my sake; and to those who visit each other for my sake; and to those who spend in support of one another for my sake; and to those who communicate for my sake. "
Ahmad, 4/236 and 5/236; At-Tanasukh Ibn Hanbal, 3/338; Sheikh al-Albani called the hadith authentic in Sahih at-Targib wa at-Tarkhib 3019, 3020,3021.
By the words “visiting each other for my sake” it is meant that they come to each other only for the sake of Allah, love each other and worship together only to win His pleasure. Al-Muntaka Sharh al-Mutawwa, hadith 1779.
5. To be tested. Troubles and misfortunes are a test for a person and this is a sign of Allah's love, because it acts like a medicine: although it is bitter, you still give it to the one you love. An authentic hadith says: “Verily, the size of the reward corresponds to the size of trials and troubles, and verily, if Allah loves any people, He sends trials (troubles) to them. And the one who shows contentment (before the test), that is also the contentment of Allah. The one who is angry, to him is the wrath of Allah. " at-Tirmizi 2396; Ibn Majah 4031; Sheikh al-Albani called the hadith authentic.
And troubles in this life are better for the believer than punishment postponed until the Last Life. And how could it be otherwise, if through trials the position of the believer is increased, and his sins are erased? The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When Allah desires good for his slave, He punishes Him already in this world. If He desires bad things for His servant, then he postpones the punishment until the Day of Judgment. " at-Tirmizi 2396; Sheikh al-Albani called the hadith authentic.
Scientists explained that one who does not experience troubles and misfortunes is a hypocrite, and Allah does not punish him in this world so that he appears before Him on the Day of Judgment with all his sins.
O Allah, make us those you love.
If Allah loves you, do not ask about the benefits that you will receive, because it is enough to know that He loves you. These are the great fruits of Allah's love in His slave:
Firstly: People love him and accept him on earth, as stated in the hadith from al-Bukhari (3209): “If Allah feels love for (His) servant, He turns to Jibril (and says):“ Indeed, Allah loves such and such , love him also you ”, (after which) Jibril (begins) to love him, and Jibril turns to the inhabitants of heaven (with the words):“ Indeed, Allah loves such and such, you will love him too ”, and the inhabitants of heaven ( begin) to love him, and then they give him a good welcome on earth. "
Secondly, in the hadith al-quds, Allah mentioned the great virtues of those whom He loves. It is narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:“ I will declare war on those who are at war with those who are close to Me! The most beloved of all, whatever (does) My servant in striving to get closer to Me, is for Me that which I have charged him with as a duty, and My servant will try to get closer to Me, doing more than what is laid (nafil) until I love him, when I love him, I will become his hearing, through which he will hear, and his sight, through which he will see, and his hand, which he will grab, and his leg, with the help of which he will walk, and if he asks Me (for something), I will definitely give him (this), and if he turns to Me for protection, I will definitely protect him. And nothing that I do makes Me hesitate to such an extent as (the need to take) the soul of a believer who does not want death, for I do not want to harm him. " Al-Bukhari, 6502.
This hadith lists the benefits of Allah's love for His slave:
- “Then I will become his hearing, through which he will hear”, ie the believer hears only what Allah loves.
- "And by his sight, by means of which he will see", i.e. the believer sees only what Allah loves.
- “And with his hand, which he will grab,” that is the believer will only take what Allah loves.
- “With his foot, with the help of which he will walk,” that is the believer will only go to what Allah loves.
- “And if he asks Me (for something), I will definitely give him (this)”, i.e. the believer's dua will be heard, and his requests will be fulfilled.
- “And if he turns to Me for protection, I will definitely protect him”, i.e. Allah will protect him from everything.
We ask Allah to help us in that which causes His contentment.