✨Attaining the Love of Allah

There is not a believer except that strives to attain the love of Allah. If a believer knew that Allah the Exalted loved him there is nothing in this world that could contain his pleasure and joy. All else is insignificant in the path of this love. Because it is love from the King of kings for a created servant. The One in Whose hands are the affairs of this world and the next. And controls his provision, lifespan, and heart. It is no surprise that a believer strives with all their efforts to attain His love.

And there are signs indicating Allah’s love of a person and there are deeds to attain it that a believer must be guarded to do:

The foundation for this love, is Iman (faith) and the righteous works. For Allah loves Iman (faith). And Allah loves righteous deeds because they are from the Iman (faith). Allah’s love for a person increases in proportion to their level of Iman (faith) and amount of righteous deeds. The means of attaining the love of Allah and its signs always return to this great foundation and the people vary in their level of Iman:

There are some who realize the basics of Iman but do not reach completion. This is due to shortcomings in some of the commands and doing some of the prohibitions that do not wipe away the foundation of Iman but reduce it.

And some achieve complete Iman (faith) by doing all the obligations and avoiding the prohibitions. And due to his fear and watchfulness of Allah in the public and private, his Iman may rise to the level of Ihsan (perfection).

Similarly, people vary with regards to their righteous deeds. There are some who excel. And others perform them moderately. While others shortchange and wrong themselves.

So whoever wants Allah the Exalted to love them should increase their Iman by doing plenty of good deeds and avoiding what Allah the Exalted prohibited.

From the signs of Allah’s love to his servant is how much they follow the prophet (ﷺ) and perform the sunnah. A person’s striving to follow and act on the sunnah is a sign that Allah loves them as Allah says:
Al Imran 31: Say, [O Muhammad], “If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive your sins.

The Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal was loved at his time until the present day for his upholding of the sunnah and rejecting bidʻah (religious matter or practice without basis in Quran and Sunnah). Also, he withstood severe afflictions for this sake that others would not be able to handle. The believers are Allah’s witnesses on this earth and their love for him is a sign of Allah’s love for him. And it was related from him that he said: “I did not write a Hadith of the Prophet (ﷺ) except that I acted on it.”

And from the signs of Allah’s love for His servant is the extent that they perform acts of obedience and stay away from prohibited actions. The evidence for this is the Hadith Qudsi in which Allah said: Whoever shows hostility to a friend of mine, I have declared war upon him. My servant does not grow closer to me with anything more beloved to me than the duties I have enjoined upon him. My servant continues to grow closer to me with Nawafil (good deeds beyond what was obligated) until I love him. When I love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask something from me, I would surely give it to him. Were he to ask me for refuge, I would surely grant it to him…[Bukhari 6502]

And from the signs of Allah’s love of His servant is that he likes, dislikes, associates and disassociates only for Allah’s sake. Not for some worldly gain that he is seeking or to please someone. He supports Allah’s allies and dissociates from Allah’s enemies. The evidence to this is Allah’s words:
Al Maedah 54: O you who have believed, whoever of you should revert from his religion – Allah will bring forth [in place of them] a people He will love and who will love Him [who are] humble toward the believers, stern against the disbelievers; they strive in the cause of Allah and do not fear the blame of a critic. That is the favor of Allah ; He bestows it upon whom He wills. And Allah is all-Encompassing and Knowing.

A person’s relations with the believers should only be for Allah’s sake. That is if he sits with them, he should sit with them for Allah’s sake. If he visits them, he should visit them for Allah’s sake. He should not love them, sit with them, or visit them seeking a worldly gain. And it was related in the Hadith Al Qudsi: Allah said: My love is obliged to those who love one another for My sake, meet one another for My sake, visit one another for My sake and spend for My sake”. [Malik 2/953]

Oh Muslims:
Be conscious of Allah and obey Him and do plenty of good deeds for it is a means for attaining the love of Allah. And whomsoever attains the love of Allah becomes one of his allies and that is the great success.

Yunis 62-64: (62) Unquestionably, [for] the allies of Allah there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve (63) Those who believed and were conscious of Allah (64) For them are good tidings in the worldly life and in the Hereafter. No change is there in the words of Allah . That is the great attainment.

And among the signs of Allah’s love of His servant is safeguarding him from discord in this world and the evidence to that is the Hadith of Qatadah bin Numan ( قَتَادَةَ بْنِ النُّعْمَانِ ) that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “When Allah loves a person, He safeguards him in this world like one of you protects the ill through a diet”. [At Tirmidhi 2036] and authenticated by Ibn Habban [669]

And from the signs of Allah’s love of His servant is that he loves to meet Allah at the time of his death as indicated in the Hadith narrated by Abu Musa: “Whoever loves to meet Allah, Allah loves to meet him, and whoever hates to meet Allah, Allah hates to meet him.” [Bukhari 6507] [Muslim 2685]

So a believer must be guarded to implement the means for attaining Allah’s love and look for its signs. He should make plenty of supplication to attain this great status. The status of attaining Allah’s love and being His ally. For if he attains it, then he will be happy in this world through a pleasant life and comfort in his heart. And on the Day of Resurrection he will have a great victory which is the pleasure of Allah and His paradise. And from the authentic prophetic supplications in this regard is:
“O Allah! I ask You for Your Love, the love of those who love You, and deeds which will cause me to attain Your Love. O Allah! Make Your Love dearer to me than myself, my family and the cool (pleasant) water” [At Tirmidhi 3490]

We ask Allah the Exalted to make us and on our parents from His allies and those whom He loves. And to facilitate actions that He loves. And to keep us away from what He abhors. Indeed He is the All-Hearer, Responsive.

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