Love
قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ ٱللَّهَ فَٱتَّبِعُونِى يُحْبِبْكُمُ ٱللَّهُ
“Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “If you ˹sincerely˺ love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you”
Surah Ali ‘Imran 3:31
Love. This is where it starts. God is love. And we were created from Love, to love and to be loved. Let us bring back the essence of creation, which is love. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was spreading love among people even before Angel Gabriel brought the revelation. When the Quran was sent down, he spent nearly twenty years speaking about the love of God before any practices were introduced. And this is the way we need to follow his entire calling.
The basics and practices are essential as they create a strong root, yet remembering this foundation of love creates a strong base for the heart, a fuel that humanity lives by. If we look deeply into our hearts, we will touch this truth and light.
Also in the Quran, the story is told of the angels questioning God about the creation of humanity. They did not understand why a human needed to be created when they may have a tendency towards destruction. God responded “I know what you do not know”. In the Holy Quran – English translation of the meanings and commentary, it is quoted “perhaps they also, being without emotions, did not understand the ‘whole’ of Allah’s nature, which gives and asks for love.“ This sacred cycle of love between humanity and the Divine is beyond the capacity of even the angels to fully grasp.
“The way of God’s Messenger is the way of Love. We are the children of Love. Love is our mother”
Rumi
Take a few slow, conscious breaths.
– With every inhale, draw in love.
– With every exhale, release peace.
Bring the Divine Names into your awareness:
– Allah Al-Wadūd, the Most Loving.
– Allah As-Salām, the Source of Peace.
Allow these Names to echo within you.
– Let love soften your heart, and peace settle through your entire being.
“A life without love is of no account. Don’t ask yourself what kind of love you seek, spiritual or material, divine or mundane, Eastern or Western … Divisions only lead no more divisions.
Love has no labels, no definitions. It is what it is, pure and simple. Love is the water of Life. And the lover is a soul of fire! The universe turns differently when fire loves water.”
The Forty Rules of Love – Elif Shafak
“ALLAH: THE ORIGIN OF LOVE
Allah is the Creator of the universe and the light of the heavens and the earth. He is the one absolute, transcendent Reality that unites all differences in the ocean of His love. He is the light that inspires flowers to bloom. He is the breath of love behind the wind that undresses the trees in winter and adorns them with blossoms in spring. He is the power causing mountains to rise. He is the artist painting color into the cones of your eyes. He is the source of life behind all of nature. He is the One whose light squeezes a seed to create a tree, the One whose love changes stones into gold.”
Secrets of Divine Love: A Spiritual Journey into the Heart of Islam – A. Helwa
