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Ponder & Reflect

Seeking Nearness to Allah – First Steps to the Spiritual Journey - Camino

Seeking Nearness to Allah - First Steps to the Spiritual Journey

If we take a break from our busy lives and ponder the miracles we see around us every day, it is easy to see that they are expressions of God’s love. It is in the air we breathe and the food we eat.

Although that sounds clichéd and somewhat trite, if we reflect we will see that without God’s love we would not exist here for even a nanosecond.

When God is Merciful, it is because He loves us; when He is Generous it is because He is demonstrating His affection through His Generosity.

And when He forgives us, which He does over and over again, it is because He loves us. And God in turn loves it when we turn to Him in repentance. It is one way that we can reciprocate His love.

Prophet Muhammad tells us that:

Allah Almighty stretches out His hand during the night, turning towards the one who did wrong during the day, and stretches out His hand during the day, turning towards the one who did wrong during the night, until the day the sun rises from the place it set. (Muslim)

His Door is Always Open

Allah makes it easy for us to go to Him and be close to Him. His door is always open and He will continue to demonstrate His love for us no matter how far away we wander. He is Al Wadud, the One who loves and is the source of all love and loving-kindness.

Allah is the Most Affectionate and the source of all affection. He is also the One who is deserving of all our love and affection.

When we reflect on the love God shows to us, we should try to think of other ways of reciprocating that love. God is not in need of our kindness and affection, He does not need our love but He is also the Most Appreciative and loves it when we demonstrate our love for Him and our love for others.

Remember always that the believer should love for everyone else exactly what he loves for himself, and to that end, love and respect for others is of paramount importance.

Love and respect for God should be part of our everyday routine and going beyond our obligatory deeds will strengthen the bond between us and God.

The following words from God, repeated to us by Prophet Muhammad, give us a very profound definition of the love God has for us.

I am as my servant thinks (expects) of me. I am with him when he mentions Me. If he mentions Me to himself, I mention him to Myself; and if he mentions Me in an assembly, I mention him in an assembly greater than it. If he draws near to Me a hand’s length, I draw near to him an arm’s length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed. 

(Al-Bukhari)

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Gaining Allah’s Love

Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

“When Allah loves a slave, He calls Jibreel (Gabriel) and says: ‘I love so-and-so; so love him.’ And then Jibreel loves him. Then Jibreel announces in the heavens saying: ‘Allah loves so-and-so; so love him’; then the inhabitants of the heavens (the angels) also love him; and then people on earth love him.”

 (Al-Bukhari)

Live Within the Limits of Your Day

Live Within the Limits of Your Day

Ibn Al-Qayyim, in his book Madarij As-Salikeen, gives us a prescription to help us gain the love of Allah:

Giving precedence to what He loves over what you love when you are overtaken by your desires. Remember Allah with your tongue, heart, and actions under all circumstances. Pondering the beauty of His creation and the wisdom in the universe

Observing Allah’s kindness, goodness, and bounties Having a soft, subdued, and meek heart before Allah. Being alone with Allah during the last portion of the night while reading His Book, then repenting and asking for forgiveness.

Accompanying good and sincere people and benefiting from their knowledge. Keeping away from any evil that comes between the heart and Allah.

Performing voluntary deeds after completing obligatory deeds as is explained in the hadith qudsi: “My slave continues getting closer to Me by performing voluntary deeds until I love him.”

(Al-Bukhari)

Allah knows best, I hope this helps.

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Inner Peace in Islam  

Allah’s Greatest Mercy to Us: Forgiveness

If Not For His Mercy

If Not For His Mercy...

Allah gives a person a lifelong opportunity to turn away from sin and disobedience and choose the right path to receive His forgiveness.

Those who commit evil are hurting themselves in this life and the next.

However, Allah’s forgiveness has no limits and the only condition is asking for it:

۞ قُلْ يَـٰعِبَادِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا۟ مِن رَّحْمَةِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ ٥٣وَأَنِيبُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمْ وَأَسْلِمُوا۟ لَهُۥ مِن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِيَكُمُ ٱلْعَذَابُ ثُمَّ لَا تُنصَرُونَ ٥٤وَٱتَّبِعُوٓا۟ أَحْسَنَ مَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكُم مِّن رَّبِّكُم مِّن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِيَكُمُ ٱلْعَذَابُ بَغْتَةًۭ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَشْعُرُونَ ٥٥ أَن تَقُولَ نَفْسٌۭ يَأَوْ تَقُولَ لَوْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هَدَىٰنِى لَكُنتُ مِنَ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ ٥٧ـٰحَسْرَتَىٰ عَلَىٰ مَا فَرَّطتُ فِى جَنۢبِ ٱللَّهِ وَإِن كُنتُ لَمِنَ ٱلسَّـٰخِرِينَ أَوْ تَقُولَ حِينَ تَرَى ٱلْعَذَابَ لَوْ أَنَّ لِى كَرَّةًۭ فَأَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ ٥٨٥٦

Or should say, when it seeth the doom: Oh, that I had but a second chance that I might be among the righteous!Or should say: If Allah had but guided me I should have been among the dutiful!,Lest any soul should say: Alas, my grief that I was unmindful of Allah, and I was indeed among the scoffers!,And follow the better (guidance) of that which is revealed unto you from your Lord, before the doom cometh on you suddenly when ye know not,Turn unto your Lord repentant, and surrender unto Him, before there come unto you the doom, when ye cannot be helped.Say: O My slaves who have been prodigal to their own hurt! Despair not of the mercy of Allah, Who forgiveth all sins. Lo! He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

(Az Zumar :Ayat 53-58)

Forgiving sins and accepting repentance is a manifestation of God’s love.

He is just and fair to the minutest detail, so everyone gets exactly what they deserve, plus extra measures of compassion, mercy, and forgiveness.

Prophet Muhammad SAW said:

Allah said: ‘O son of Adam! I shall go on forgiving you so long as you pray to Me and aspire for My forgiveness whatever may be your sins. O son of Adam! I do not care even if your sins should pile up to the sky and should you beg pardon of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam! If you come to Me with an Earth full of sins and meet Me, not associating anything with Me in worship, I will certainly grant you as much pardon as will fill the Earth’

(At-Tirmidhi).

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Inner Peace in Islam  

Try to be in a constant state of remembering Allah, mentioning His name, praising Him, glorifying Him, thanking Him, and asking for forgiveness. Some people, simply by filling their waiting times throughout the day, say istighfar 500 times a day.

مَّن يُطِعِ ٱلرَّسُولَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ ٱللَّهَ ۖ وَمَن تَوَلَّىٰ فَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَـٰكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفِيظًۭا ٨٠

"Whoso obeyeth the messenger hath obeyed Allah, and whoso turneth away: We have not sent thee as a warder over them.

— M. Pickthall"

(Quran 4:80)

The most pleasing human emotion is love and the most beautiful form of love is to love Allah. 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 nearer to Allah because we love Allah and we hope for Paradise.

Love between the worshiper and the Creator feels so satisfying and it fills your heart, especially when you know that Allah loves you. Among the names and attributes of Allah is Al-Wadud, meaning The Most Loving, The Most Affectionate, The Beloved, The Loving-Kindness.

To love Allah is more than simply pronouncing your love of Allah; it is acting upon this love by obeying Him, worshiping Him, liking what He likes, and disliking what He dislikes.

Love must be nurtured in order for it to grow and for you to experience the fruits of this love.

It is a normal part of our human condition to experience highs and lows when it comes to the level of our worship. There are times when we feel the love of Allah is alive and ever present in our hearts and we take delight in our rituals of worship and calling upon Allah.

قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ ٱللَّهَ فَٱتَّبِعُونِى يُحْبِبْكُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ ٣١

"Say, if you love Allah, obey me (Muhammad), Allah will love you and forgive you your sins, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful." (Quran 

— M. Pickthall

(Quran :3 : 31)

There are other times when we feel the love of Allah is there but is more subtle, and we may feel distanced from Allah and less motivated.

Even the scholars recognize that we need ways to help us intensify our love of Allah and to help us stay motivated, and they have listed effective steps of keeping the love of Allah alive in our hearts. If you are currently going through a slump, and you feel that you need a boost in your love of Allah, read on.

1. Reading the Holy Qur’an with understanding. The Holy Qur’an is a book of guidance, so we must not only read its verses, but comprehend what we read, contemplate on the meanings, and implement what we read. When reading the Qur’an, we can try to read the meanings or watch videos of respectable scholars who explain the meanings of the verses.

2. Performing voluntary prayers. The prayer no doubt strengthens our connection with Allah, and more so the voluntary prayer because we stand for this prayer purely for the sake of Allah, even though it is not obligatory. It is a two-way love because Allah returns this love to the one who performs the voluntary prayers. It was narrated by Abu Hurayrah that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said in a longer Hadith, “Allah the Mighty and Sublime said, ‘My servant draws not near to Me with anything more loved by Me than the religious duties I have enjoined upon him, and My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory works so that I shall love him.’” To increase our love for Allah and to be loved by Allah, we should start performing the sunnah prayers. As a quick review, the sunnah prayers are two rak’at before fajr, four before dhuhr and two after it, two after maghrib, and two after isha.

3. Remembrance of Allah. Try to be in a constant state of remembering Allah, mentioning His name, praising Him, glorifying Him, thanking Him, and asking for forgiveness. Some people, simply by filling their waiting times throughout the day, say istighfar 500 times a day.

4. Remain humble. Humility is equivalent to submission to Allah. We should abandon selfishness and pride in our human power, and stand humbled, meek, and submissive as servants of Allah.

5. Give in charity from things that are dear to you. This really challenges your heart. When a clothes drive or toy drive comes around for the poor, do not give the worn-out clothes you do not want, but give your new, clean, and beautiful clothes. Have you heard how Aisha, Prophet Muhammad’s wife, used to give out the coins in charity to the poor? Aisha used to perfume the coins in musk before giving them in charity. When asked why she did this, she explained that the charity reaches Allah before it touches the hand of the person in need.

6. Remembering Allah’s Beautiful Names and Attributes. Learning the Names and Attributes of Allah will increase our love and awe towards Allah.

7. Performing the night prayers, qiyam ul layl. What truly sets apart the ordinary Muslim from a devout believer, who is close to Allah, is the ability to wake up before fajr and pray the qiyam prayers. This is a time full of blessings and rewards from Allah.

8. Keeping good company. The people you choose to surround yourself with influence your relationship with Allah because some people draw you closer to Allah while others take you further away from Him.

9. Going against worldly desires. Preventing yourself from overindulging in worldly desires helps you live a healthy, balanced life, and keeps you in constant awareness of the transient nature of this world. For example, saving up money is good but greed and miserliness are frowned upon. While there is nothing wrong with enjoying a delicious meal, gluttony and overeating is discouraged in Islam.

10. Gratitude towards Allah. We are immersed in countless blessings and gifts from Allah and we often neglect to thank Allah and express our gratefulness for what we have. The more we thank Allah and acknowledge His blessings, the more we feel the love of Allah, and the more Allah will give us. The verse in the Holy Qur’an says, {And (remember) when your Lord proclaimed, ‘If you are grateful, I will surely increase you (in favor); but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe.’}

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Inner Peace in Islam  

Manifestations of God’s Love

Allah’s love is translated in His attributes of forgiveness, compassion, and mercy. While His love is bestowed lavishly on those who earned it, His mercy is unconditional.

You receive it whether you are an obedient person, a sinner, or even a pagan or idolater. If a non-believer sincerely asks for God’s help or protection in an emergency, he gets it, although God knows he will turn back to sin as soon as he is rescued.

Despite this, he is given an unconditional dose of God’s infinite mercy that he may find the right path: When trouble touches a man, he cries unto Us (in all postures), lying down on his side, or sitting, or standing. But when We have solved his trouble, he passes on his way as if he had never cried to Us for a trouble that touched him! Thus do the deeds of transgressors seem fair in their eyes!

وَإِذَا مَسَّ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ ٱلضُّرُّ دَعَانَا لِجَنۢبِهِۦٓ أَوْ قَاعِدًا أَوْ قَآئِمًۭا فَلَمَّا كَشَفْنَا عَنْهُ ضُرَّهُۥ مَرَّ كَأَن لَّمْ يَدْعُنَآ

 إِلَىٰ ضُرٍّۢ مَّسَّهُۥ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ زُيِّنَ لِلْمُسْرِفِينَ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ ١٢

"And if misfortune touch a man he crieth unto Us, (while reclining) on his side, or sitting or standing, but when We have relieved him of the misfortune he goeth his way as though he had not cried unto Us because of a misfortune that afflicted him. Thus is what they do made (seeming) fair unto the prodigal."

— M. Pickthall

(Yunus 10:12)

People everywhere in the world obtain their sustenance from Allah regardless 

of their beliefs. Many evil people are even very rich because Allah gives them good things in this life, although He knows that they have not earned safety in the hereafter.

On the other hand, believers who follow through with good deeds receive special blessings from Allah: happiness and contentment in this life — even in the midst of trials and tests — and reward in the hereafter for holding on to their faith under pressure.

Allah loves them because they have shown their love to Him practically.

 

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 Inner Peace in Islam  

Does Allah Love Us All Unconditionally?

Does Allah ever give humans unconditional love?

• God loves humans but hates their sins. This means that although bad deeds merit God’s disapproval and subsequent punishment, they also invoke His infinite mercy on a weak creature whom He has lovingly created, to whom He has given life, and whom He has nurtured with gifts and bounty.
• This means that although bad deeds merit God’s disapproval and subsequent punishment, they also invoke His infinite mercy on a weak creature whom He has lovingly created, to whom He has given life, and whom He has nurtured with gifts and bounty.
• Allah describes Himself in the Quran as “The Loving”

وَلِلَّهِ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ فَٱدْعُوهُ بِهَا ۖ وَذَرُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِىٓ أَسْمَـٰٓئِهِۦ ۚ سَيُجْزَوْنَ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ ١٨٠ 

“Allah's are the fairest names. Invoke Him by them. And leave the company of those who blaspheme His names. They will be requited what they do."

— M. Pickthall.”

(Qur’an 7:180)

God is Al-Wadud, the Source of Love. His love is eternal and does not begin or end; it is a fundamental aspect of His essence. Love is not merely something God does; it is intrinsic to who He is. Just as you cannot separate water from the ocean, you cannot separate love from God. He is not influenced or affected by human emotions, actions, or sins. We have the choice to respond to Allah’s love by loving and worshiping Him. However, our refusal to honor Allah does not alter;

Whereas the human being can be kind, God is Kindness (Ar-Ra’uf); where we can be merciful, God is Mercy (Ar-Rahman). God is not just forgiving, He is Forgiveness (Al-Ghaffur); He is not just peaceful, He is Peace (As-Salam). God’s love and attributes do not change in response to our choices because God is not reactive. He is the cause of everything in existence.

The Prophet (pbuh) explains that if every single human on Earth reached the height of spiritual piety or if they were all the worst of existence, it would not add or take away anything from Allah’s sovereignty. The Prophet (pbuh) continues to say that if Allah chose to fulfil the prayer of every single human being at once, it would not decrease what Allah has “any more than a needle decreases what is in the ocean when it is put into it.”4 As C.S. Lewis said, “A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word ‘darkness’ on the walls of his cell.” Allah’s love for us never diminishes. What changes is our ability to be receptive to Divine Love?

Practice: When we are kind and loving to others reflecting God’s Love upon the Earth, we are more able to receive the unconditional love of God. 

Reach out to someone you love with a call or text and just let them know what they mean to you.

Yet love must be expressed in action; otherwise, it’s just a word without meaning.

For example: A man may say to his wife “I love you” and then may treat her badly. Does he love her?

Love between humans and God follows the same principle of actions consistent with words.

It must mean obedience from us to God — as His grateful creation — and mercy from God to us as our loving Creator.

 

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Allah is Al Wadud because He is actively showing us that He loves us through the manifestations of all His names and His attributes. His affection is with us through all of our trials, tribulations, triumphs, and blessings. Every day we are surrounded by reminders of our Creator and His love for us.

Yes, Allah's love is unconditional. The Quran describes Allah as having compassionate love for all of his creatures, especially humans. Some say that Allah's love is different from the love that parents have for their children because Allah's love is unconditional and continues without fail.

His love is unconditional!

Without discrediting them, it's important to note that they're still human and not perfect. No human can truly unconditionally keep their door open for you 24/7. But Allah swt can, and He continues to do so. That's why He's Al-Wadud.

Prophet Muhammad taught us about some of the ways God shows His love for us that might not be otherwise apparent.

He told us that God declares His love to the angels and that the love does not stay with the angels but descends to earth.

When God loves someone, he calls to the angel Gabriel saying, ‘Oh Gabriel, I love so and so, (the name of a person) so love him.’ Then Gabriel will call to the angels in the heavens, ‘God loves so and so, so love him.’ And the angels will love that person and God will place acceptance on earth for that believer.

(Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

Hadith Qudsi

Prophet Muhammad explains more about God’s love when he tells us what God explained to him about His love for us.

Allah said:

And the most beloved thing with which My slave comes nearer to Me is what I have enjoined upon him, and My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing voluntary prayers and extra deeds apart from what is obligatory, until I love him, (so much so that) I become his hearing with which he hears, and his sight with which he sees, and his hand with which he strikes, and his legs with which he walks; and if he asks Me something, I will surely give (it to) him, and if he seeks refuge with Me I will surely protect him.

(Al-Bukhari)

How to gain the love of Allah

Ibn Qayyim lists 10 things we can do to gain the love of Allah:

1) Recitation of the Qur’an with reflection and with understanding.

2) Performing voluntary deeds.

3) Remember Allah in every situation – with our hearts, actions and deeds.

4) Preferring the love of Allah over what we love.

5) Reflecting on Allah’s Names and Attributes.

6) Witnessing His favors and blessings, both hidden and open.

7) To be humble and submissive before Allah.

8) To seclude oneself in worship.

9) Keeping company with those who are truthful in their love of Allah.

10) Staying away from all that comes between the heart and Allah.

Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawzīyah, Madārij al-sālikīn