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)
