In a world filled with distractions and fleeting pleasures, many find themselves searching for a deeper sense of fulfillment and peace. While material success and worldly desires may provide temporary satisfaction, true and lasting peace can only be found in the love for Allah (may He be glorified and exalted). This profound love transcends the superficial and connects us to our Creator in a way that fills our hearts with genuine tranquility and contentment. Through understanding and embracing the love for Allah, we can attain the ultimate peace at heart that we all seek.
Love of Allah
The most gratifying human emotion is love and the most beautiful and perfect semblance of love is to love Allah (may He be glorified and exalted). We stay away from sin because we fear Allah and we fear the punishment of Hellfire, but we worship Allah and do good deeds and draw ourselves closer to Allah because we love Allah and we hope for Paradise. This Love, between the worshiper and the Creator is fulfilling and it fills our hearts, especially when we know that Allah (may He be glorified and exalted) loves us. To love Allah is more than simply pronouncing our love for Allah; it is acting upon this love by obeying Him, worshiping Him, liking what He likes, and disliking what He dislikes.
The Most Glorious name of our creator is ‘ALLAH’ and this is the primary name of Allah (may He be glorified and exalted). The name ‘ALLAH’ comes from the root word ‘Al-ILAH’, the one and only who is worthy to be worshipped. This name is mentioned throughout the Qur’an and Allah uses the term ‘ALLAH’ to remind us that The One that created us, The One that sustains us, The One that we call upon, is the only One that is worthy of our worship. The Lord that we talk about ‘Allah’, He is Allah because He possesses every beautiful names and attributes.
Allah is Al-Wadud, The Loving and The Beloved. No matter how much Love you have in this Life, from your friends, from your spouses, from your parents, from everyone else in this world, you will always have a void in your heart that can only be fulfilled with the love of Allah. And this is what, Shaykh Ibn-al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) mentions. He says:
“Indeed in the heart there is a void that can only be fulfilled with the Love of Allah”.
A lot of us don’t realize this, and we imbue and fill up the void in our hearts with the desires of this world. Whether it be through wealth, through women, or through everything and anything else. We try to fulfill it through desires, but as these worldly desires are fulfilled we notice that we become more empty and the void space magnifies itself. Going against worldly desires and preventing ourselves from over indulging in worldly desires help us to live a healthy and a balanced life. This controlled nature will keep us in constant awareness of the transient nature of this world. For example, saving up money is good but greed and miserliness is frowned down upon. While there is nothing wrong with enjoying a delicious meal, gluttony and overeating is discouraged in Islam. Thus, fulfilling this void space in our heart with each and every single worldly desires won’t be fruitful because that portion of our heart was created for the love of Allah (may He be glorified and exalted) alone. Shaykh Ibn-al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) gives a beautiful example where he goes onto exclaiming that the love of Allah in the heart of the believer is like a tree, the roots are the fear of Allah, the trunk is the humility for the sake of Allah, the leaves are modesty for Allah, and the fruits that it bears is the obedience to Allah. Thus, we can see that our whole relationship with Allah (may He be glorified and exalted) revolves around Love and this is why Shaykh Ibn-al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) gives his other famous parable and says that our journey of worship towards Allah is like that of a bird whose head is love and its two wings are fear and hope.
Now, what is a bird without a head? Is it going to survive? Will it be able to fly without navigating itself despite of having the wings?
Similarly, if our journey to Allah does not begin with love then our journey will not progress and that is why we all must constantly remind ourselves that Allah loves us and He wants us to love Him as well. He is Al-Wadud, one of the most unique names of Allah (may He be glorified and exalted) where not only is Allah the subject but He is the object as well. When we say that Allah is Al-Rahman, He is the one who shows mercy but not the one to whom mercy is shown upon. When we say that Allah is Al-Ghaffar and Al-Ghafoor, He is the forgiver but He is not the one who needs forgiveness. But when it comes to Al-Wadud not only He is loving, but He is the beloved as well.
Learning the Names and Attributes of Allah will increase our love towards Allah. This Love of Allah can only be attained by knowing Him. This love emanates from loving Allah for what He is. Each of the names and attributes of Allah, and each of the meanings and concepts that they refer to, dictate that He must be loved with the utmost love; this also includes all His deeds, because every blessing from Him is due to His generosity and every punishment is due to His justice. Therefore, He deserves to be praised in all situations, and He deserves to be praised at times of ease and of hardship. This is the most sublime and the most perfect type of love, and this is the love of the elite. This Love paves the way for His Glorification. Knowing Him, Loving Him and Glorifying Him, all three are directly proportional to each other. It means that, we cannot Glorify Him until and unless we Love Him and we cannot Love Him until and unless we Know Him. That is why Allah says in the glorious Qur’an:
فَاعْلَمْ اَنَّهٗ لَآ اِلٰهَ اِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لِذَنْۢبِكَ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ وَالْمُؤْمِنٰتِ ۭ وَاللّٰهُ يَعْلَمُ مُتَقَلَّبَكُمْ وَمَثْوٰىكُمْ
So know (O Muhammad ﷺ) that, Laa ilaaha illallaah (None has the right to be worshipped but Allah), and ask forgiveness for your sin, and also for (the sin of) believing men and believing women. And Allah knows well your moving about, and your place of rest (in your homes).
(Surah Muhammad, Ayah 19)
Allah (may He be glorified and exalted) orders His beloved Prophet ﷺ to first know who Allah is and then ask for forgiveness. When we start knowing Him, start to realize His blessings and bounties upon us, we shall automatically start loving Him as He should be loved.
Now, let us take a peek into the matters of glorifying Allah (may He be glorified and exalted). To glorify Allah means to acknowledge His greatness. It involves praising Him and submitting our will, willingly, to His will. What we know is that there is not a tree except that it glorifies Allah, not a bird except that it glorifies Allah, not any one of Allah’s creation except that it is glorifying Him, except that we do not understand their glorification. Allah (may He be glorified and exalted) says in the Glorious Qur’an:
تُـسَبِّحُ لَهُ السَّمٰوٰتُ السَّـبْعُ وَالْاَرْضُ وَمَنْ فِيْهِنَّ ۭ وَاِنْ مِّنْ شَيْءٍ اِلَّايُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهٖ وَلٰكِنْ لَّا تَفْقَهُوْنَ تَسْبِيْحَهُمْ ۭ اِنَّهٗ كَانَ حَلِــيْمًا غَفُوْرًا
“The seven heavens and the earth and all that is therein, glorify Him and there is not a thing but glorifies His Praise. But you understand not their glorification. Truly, He is Ever Forbearing, Oft-Forgiving.”
(Surah Al-Isra, Ayah 44)
And the Prophet ﷺ says:
إِنِّي أَرَى مَا لاَ تَرَوْنَ وَأَسْمَعُ مَا لاَ تَسْمَعُونَ إِنَّ السَّمَاءَ أَطَّتْ وَحُقَّ لَهَا أَنْ تَئِطَّ مَا فِيهَا مَوْضِعُ أَرْبَعِ أَصَابِعَ إِلاَّ وَمَلَكٌ وَاضِعٌ جَبْهَتَهُ سَاجِدًا لِلَّهِ
“I see what you do not see, and I hear what you do not hear. The heaven is creaking and it should creak, for there is no space in it the width of four fingers but there is an angel there, prostrating to Allah.
(Sunan Ibn Majah, Book of Zuhd, Hadith 4190)
Far beyond our understanding and contemplation. Isn’t it? The skies shake and creak and they have the right to shake and creak because there is not a distance of four fingers, except that an Angel is making ruqooh, an Angel is making sujood, and Angel is making Qiyaam to Allah. And this will continue till the day of judgement.
Every single creation of Allah (may He be glorified and exalted) is showing their love by glorifying Him because this is the love that Allah has created for Himself.
Now, a question arises, where is our love for Allah?
It is a normal condition for us all to experience highs and lows when it comes to the level of our worship. There are times when we feel that the love for Allah is alive and is present in our hearts and we take delight in our rituals of worship and calling upon Allah. But, there are times when we feel that the love for Allah has become subtle, and we may feel a break away from Allah and less motivated. What we need are the ways to help us intensify our love for Allah and to help us stay motivated. Reading and understanding the Glorious Qur’an, performing voluntary prayers, remembering Allah, remaining humble towards Allah, giving charity from things that are dear to us, remembering Allah’s Beautiful Names and Attributes, performing the night prayers, keeping good company, gratitude towards Allah, are ways of glorifying and praising Allah through our actions. And these are some of the effective steps of keeping the love for Allah (may He be glorified and exalted) alive in our hearts.
Conclusion
In our quest for true peace and contentment, the love for Allah (may He be glorified and exalted) stands as the cornerstone of our spiritual journey. This love is not merely an emotion but a profound and transformative relationship that shapes our actions, thoughts, and aspirations. By knowing Allah through His beautiful names and attributes, we deepen our love for Him, which in turn brings us closer to fulfilling our purpose as His creation. As we navigate the complexities of life, let us strive to fill the void in our hearts with the love of Allah, allowing it to guide us, uplift us, and grant us the peace we so earnestly seek. Through this unwavering love and devotion, we can attain a state of tranquility and fulfillment that transcends the fleeting pleasures of this world, bringing us true and lasting peace at heart.
