Foundations of True Faith
Shaykh ‘Abdur-Rahmaan
ibn Hasan aalush-Shaykh
(d.1285H) – rahimahullah
LOVE FOR ALLAAH
Shaykh
‘Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Hasan
said:[1]
“Allaah – the Most High –
says:
“Say: If you do love Allaah, follow me, and Allaah
will love you.”[2]
This aayah is also known as Aayatul-Mahabbah (the aayah about
love). Some of the Salaf
have said: “The people claimed that they loved Allaah, so Allaah – the Most
High – revealed the aayah about mahabbah (love): “Say: If you
do love Allaah, follow me, and Allaah will love you.”[3] So this aayah indicates the proofs and
evidences for mahabbah, and its fruits and benefits. So from the proofs of mahabbah and its
clear signs is: to follow the Messenger sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam; and
from its fruits and its benefits is: that Allaah will love you. So whosoever does not seek to follow the
Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam; then such a person will not
attain the love of Allaah.
CHARACTERISTICS OF TRUE LOVE
Allaah – the Most High – also
says:
“O
you who believe! If any of you turns
back from his religion (then wait) Allaah will create a people who will love
Him and He will love them, who will be soft and gentle with the believers and
harsh against the disbelievers, who will fight in Allaah’s
path, and will not be afraid of the blame from the blamers.”[4]
Here, Allaah has mentioned
four characteristics of those who love Him:
Firstly and Secondly: They are gentle and soft towards the
Believers. It is said that this means:
to be merciful, compassionate and kind.
‘Ataa (d.114H) – rahimahullah – said:
“A Believer’s gentleness for another Believer is like that of a child towards
his father, or a slave towards his beloved master; and against the disbeliever,
it is like that of a lion towards its prey: “Strong against the disbelievers,
and merciful towards each other.”[5]
Thirdly: Jihaad in
the path of Allaah with the soul, the hand, the tongue, and with wealth and
property. This is the characteristic by
which true mahabbah is ascertained.
Fourthly: They are not afraid of the blame and reproach
of the blamers. This being the truest
characteristic of mahabbah.
If the one claiming mahabbah,
whilst loving his beloved, fears the blames and reproaches of other, then this
in reality, is not considered to be true mahabbah. Allaah – the Most High – says:
“Those whom they call upon, themselves desire the waseelah (means
of approach) to their Lord as to which of them should be nearest. They hope for His mercy and fear his
punishment.”[6]
Here, three levels which are linked
to mahabbah have been mentioned:
[i] Love:
which is desiring to seek nearness to Him.
[ii] At-Tawassul:
(seeking the means of approach) to Him, through righteous and correct
actions.
[iii] Hope and Fear: A proof
of desisting the means of approach to Him through righteous and correct actions
is that such actions are done hoping in His mercy and also fearing His
punishment.
And it is known with certainty that
seeking nearness (to Allaah) can only be achieved when there is a desire and
love for this, and the desire and love for seeking nearness (to Him stems from
love of Him. Indeed, true love for Him
necessitates desiring to draw near to Him.
However, with the Jahmiyyah and
the Mu’attilah, none of this has any
value. Since, in their (false) view,
Allaah does not draw near anyone, nor does anyone draw near to Him, nor does He
love anyone. So they deny life for the
hearts, bliss for the souls, coolness for the eyes, and the highest delights of
this world and the Hereafter. And due to
this denial their hearts became hardened, and between them and Allaah there
became barriers and obstacles preventing them from knowing Him and loving
Him. They do not know Him, nor do they
seek to love Him, nor do they do they mention Him – except by denying and
negating His Names and His attributes.
They criticize and condemn those who make mention of the perfect and
majestic Names and the Attributes of Allaah, accusing them with that which is
more fitting to be attributed to themselves!
And sufficient is it for one possessing knowledge and possessing a heart
with life, that they view the sayings of such people with harshness, contempt
and hatred; knowing that such people have dissociated themselves from the love
of Allaah – the Most High – and from knowing and understanding His
Uniqueness and Oneness (with respect to His Names, Attributes and Actions).
A COMPREHENSIVE DEFINITION
Ibn Taymiyyah
(d.728H) – rahimahullah – says:
“There can not be a clearer
recognition of mahabbah than this, and this recognition in itself
increases love for Allaah. And people
have discussed (at lengths) about mahabbah – its causes, its signs, its
fruits, its supports and its rulings.
The most comprehensive of what has been said about this is what Abu Bakr al-Kataanee relates from al-Junayd (d.297H):
Abu Bakr
al-Kataanee said:
A discussion about mahabbah
took place in Makkah, during pilgrimage season.
The Shaykhs who were present spoke about this
topic, and al-Junaydbeing the youngest of them. They said to him: What do you say, O ‘Iraaqee? So al-Junayd lowered his head and tears were gushing from his
eyes, then he said:
“A servant
should overcome his soul,
And be
continuous in the remembrance of his Lord,
Establishing
the rights of his Lord,
Focusing
upon Him with his heart,
The light of
fear setting ablaze his heart,
Whilst
drinking from the vessel of pure love,
And certain
hidden realities being unveiled for him.
So when he
talks, its is due to Allaah,
When he
speaks, it is from Allaah,
When he
moves, it is by the Command of Allaah,
And when he
is serene, then it is from Allaah,
He belongs
to Allaah, is for Allaah and is with Allaah.”
Upon hearing this, the Shaykhs all started weeping, and they said:
There is nothing left to add to
that, may Allaah reward you O Crown of the Knowledgeable Ones.”
DEVELOPING LOVE FOR ALLAH
Ibn al-Qayyim
– rahimahullah – says: “The reason which cause mahabbah (love)
of Allaah to develop, are ten:
Firstly:
Reciting the Qur’aan, reflecting and
understanding its meaning and its intent.
Secondly:
Drawing closer to Allaah – the
Most High – through optional deeds, after fulfilling the obligatory duties.
Thirdly:
Being continuous in the dhikr
(remembrance) of Allaah, with the tongue, the heart and the limbs – under all
circumstances. The more continuant the dhikr, the more muhabbah develops and intensifies.
Fourthly:
Giving precedence to what Allaah loves
over personal loves, when being overcome by desires.
Fifthly:
Contemplating and deliberating over
the Names and Attributes of Allaah.
Sixthly:
Recognizing and remembering the
favors and bounties of Allaah – both manifest and hidden.
Seventhly:
To be humble and submissive before
Allaah – and this is the greatest matter.
Eighthly:
To be in seclusion reciting the
Qur’aan, during that time in which Allaah descends to the lowest heaven (which
is the last third of every nigh), finishing this recitation with seeking Allaah’s forgiveness and repenting to Him.
Ninthly:
To sit in the gatherings of the true
and sincere lovers of Allaah, reaping the fruits of their speech, and not to
speak except if there is benefit in it and that you know that such talk will
increase you in goodness and that it will benefit others as well.
Tenthly:
To stay clear of all those causes
which distances the heart from Allaah – the Mighty and Majestic.
So these are the ten reasons which
cause the person to develop true love for Allaah and to reach the rank of al-muhabbah, by which he reaches his Beloved.”[7]
