Love
Volume 4: Things That Save
The source text systematically examines "Love" (muhabbat)—the highest of spiritual stations—and its natural consequences: "Longing" (shawk), "Intimacy" (uns), and "Contentment" (riḍā). Following the sections on oneness (tawḥīd) and trust (tawakkul), this analysis argues that the servant's love for Allah is not merely a form of "obedience" but a genuine orientation that envelops the whole heart. According to the text, there is no real being worthy of love besides Allah; for all worldly causes of love (beneficence, beauty, perfection) are truly gathered only in Allah. The document details the ways to strengthen this love, its obstacles, and its Hereafter reflection—the concept of "Vision of God" (ruʾyat Allāh).
Summary
The source text systematically examines "Love" (muhabbat)—the highest of spiritual stations—and its natural consequences: "Longing" (shawk), "Intimacy" (uns), and "Contentment" (riḍā).
Sections
2.1. The Reality of Love and Theological Debates
The text rejects the views of some scholars that "loving Allah is impossible, and love merely means persisting in worship." Love is the fruit of perception and knowledge (maʿrifa). One loves only what one knows.
- The Five Senses and the Heart: Love is not limited to external senses such as sight and hearing. The heart, like a "sixth sense," perceives beauties beyond the senses (knowledge, character, perfection) through the light of spiritual insight.
- Hierarchy of Stations: Love is the highest station. Repentance, patience, and asceticism are preparatory stages for love; longing, intimacy, and contentment are its fruits.
2.2. The Five Foundations That Generate Love (Causes of Love)
The source text explains in five points that all reasons for loving a being are in fact gathered only in Allah:
| Cause | Explanation | Relation to Allah | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Love of One's Own Existence | Every living being loves its own existence and continuance. | The servant's existence is not from himself but from Allah's attribute of "the Living, the Self-Subsisting." | | Beneficence (Iḥsān) | A person feels love toward one who does him good. | The true doer of good (al-Muḥsin) is Allah alone. People are merely means. | | Inherent Beauty (Jamāl) | Beauty is loved even without any other motive. | Absolute beauty and majesty belong to Allah. Every aesthetic quality is His artistry. | | Inner Perfection (Kamāl) | Exalted attributes such as knowledge, power, and holiness are loved. | The knowledge and power of created beings are nothing beside Allah's infinite perfection. | | Hidden Affinity | Similarity and closeness between souls generate love. | The bond of "the soul being a divine command" and "being adorned with Allah's character traits." |
2.3. Knowledge of God and the Highest of Pleasures
Knowledge and spiritual recognition are man's most special pleasure. The pleasure of a knowledge is proportional to the honor of what is known.
- The Most Honorable Knowledge: Knowing the Creator of existent things, His attributes, and His order is the highest of pleasures.
- Worldly vs. Otherworldly Pleasure: Pleasures of leadership or carnal desire are temporary and limited. The pleasure of knowledge of God is eternal and is not destroyed by death; rather, it becomes clearer with death.
2.4. Complaint, Groaning, and Patience
At the opening of the text, attitudes during illness and affliction are illustrated through the practices of the early scholars:
- Groaning: The early generations disliked a patient's groaning because it carried the "scent of complaint." Groaning is described as Satan's share.
- Praising Allah: Angels pray for the patient who praises Allah, while they curse the one who complains. The divine warning received by Prophet Jacob for his complaint shows the sensitivity on this matter.
Conclusion
Divine love is the servant's recognizing his own deficiency and turning toward absolute perfection. According to the source text, this journey begins with lifting worldly veils one by one (carnal desire, anger, greed for wealth). For the heart illumined by the light of knowledge, the world is a prison, and death is a moment of union when eternal beauty will be beheld. True felicity is possible only through this love and the station of contentment it brings.
Key concepts
- The Example of Prophet Jacob
- When he expressed his grief as time passed, he received the divine warning: "Are you complaining of Me to My servants?"
- Groaning
- Described as Satan's share in illness. It is reported that angels pray for the patient who praises Allah, but curse the one who complains.
- Love of the Self (Nafs Love)
- It is innate for every living being to love its own existence, continuance, and perfection.
- Beneficence (Iḥsān)
- A person is the servant of one who does him good. Hearts were created to love the one who shows beneficence.
- Loving for Its Own Sake (Love of Beauty)
- Loving something not for gain but solely for its beauty. Beauty is found not only in outward form but also in inner form perceived through the light of spiritual insight.
- Absolute Beauty
- The gathering of perfect attributes such as knowledge, power, and holiness in a person intensifies love.
- Hidden Affinity
- The spiritual compatibility and likeness between lover and beloved.
- Love (Muhabbat)
- The inclination of nature toward what it finds pleasure in perceiving.
- Knowledge of God (Maʿrifat Allāh)
- The knowledge of knowing Allah through His names, attributes, and acts; it is the foundation of love.
- Longing (Shawk)
- The yearning for the Beloved who is known in one respect yet remains incomplete in another, and the desire to complete that knowledge.
- Intimacy (Uns)
- The ease and pleasure felt in the presence of the Beloved; finding peace only with Him while shrinking from others.
- Contentment (Riḍā)
- The heart's uncomplaining acceptance and pleasure toward Allah's decree and destiny, whether in affliction or blessing.
- Spiritual Insight (Baṣīra)
- The eye of the heart; the capacity to perceive spiritual realities that cannot be grasped by the senses.
- The Truthful One (Ṣiddīq)
- The perfected person who affirms Allah and truth to the highest degree and has advanced in spiritual knowledge.
- The Unseen Realm (Malakūt)
- The realm beyond the senses, under spiritual and divine governance; the secrets of the heavens.
- Worthiness (Istihqāq)
- Being deserving; Allah's being alone worthy of love because of His perfect attributes.
- Annihilation in Oneness (Fanā fi'l-Tawḥīd)
- Dissolving in oneness; being so absorbed in Allah's existence as to see none besides Him in being.
Study questions
According to the source text, what stations come before the station of love and prepare one for it?
Repentance, Patience, and Asceticism.
What is the only "share" Iblis obtained from Prophet Job?
His groaning during illness.
How is the fundamental relationship between "Knowledge" and "Love" explained?
Love is a fruit of knowledge; one can love only what one knows and recognizes. Love without perception and knowledge is inconceivable.
What are the two main causes that strengthen love of Allah in the heart?
1. Cutting off worldly preoccupations and purifying the heart of all besides Allah. 2. Strengthening and deepening knowledge of God (maʿrifat Allāh).
For whom is the concept of longing (*shawk*) not applicable?
For those who have never known their Beloved at all, or for those who have attained full vision of their Beloved with no remaining deficiency in their perception.
What is a fundamental sign of Allah's loving a servant?
Allah's managing the servant's affairs directly; cooling him toward the world and granting him intimacy through His remembrance.