Virtues of loving Allah

Virtues of loving Allah:

Loving Allah is the noblest and greatest deed and it has uncountable virtues some of which are as follows:

• It is the root and essence of Tawheed: Sheikh Abd al-Rahman ibn Sa'di (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "Loving Allah alone is the root and essence of Tawheed. It is the principal for knowing Allah's Lordship and our servitude to Him; yet it is the pure worship. Tawheed is perfected only through our love for our Lord which much takes precedence over loving anything else and overwhelms it. Thus, loving Allah will be the source of every other love, happiness and success in life"[1]."   

•The need for loving Allah is greater than that of food, drink and marriage: Sheikh al-Islam ibn Taymiya (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "There is love in the hearts of humans for their Lord, the One they dedicate their worship to. This love is the essence of their hearts and nourishment of their souls. This is likewise their love for food, spouses; thus their life will be meaningful and consistent. Humans' need for their Lord is greater than their need for food. This is because if food is missed, the body will be weak, but losing the Lord, souls will be spoiled"[2].
 

Ibn al-Qayim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "Loving Allah is the life of hearts and nourishment of souls without which a heart will not feel happiness, blessings, success or life. If the heart misses the feeling of loving Allah, it will hurt more than losing one's eyesight, hearing, smelling, or ability to speak?! If one's heart is void of loving His Creator, Lord and the Truth it will be greatly dangerous than losing one's soul"[3].

•Loving Allah is a consolation at times of misfortunes. Ibn al-Qayim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "The one who truly loves Allah, His Lord, finds in His love what soothes his pains unlike others who do not have this in their hearts. This makes him as if he was gifted abnormal nature. An afflicted person in this case is strengthened through his love for his Lord and finds pleasure in all trials that His beloved Lord afflict him with. This is unlike material love which is tended to one's desires and whims. This is proved through one's sense and passion. Allah knows best."[4]

•Loving Allah greatly helps a person to abandon sins: ibn al-Qayim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "loving Allah is one of the great means that help a person refraining from committing sins and disobeying Allah's commands. This is because a person submits himself to the one he loves. The more the power of love increases in one's heart, the more he obeys his beloved [Allah]. Indeed, sins and disobedience spring from weak love. There is a difference between the one who abandons disobeying Allah out of fearing His server punishment and wrath and the one who refrains from sins out of loving His Lord and Master." Until he said: "A sincere lover of Allah has something that monitors his heart, love and all senses. Observing this monitor is the sign of true love. Here, it is worthy to mention that this pure love of Allah must be associated with glorifying and exalting Him and thus it instills haya' [modesty] and obedience in one's heart; otherwise, love will be only manifested in pleasure, remembering and longing. Consequently, a person may find love for Allah in his heart, yet it cannot prevent him from disobeying Him. Therefore, loving Allah must be associated with glorifying and exalting Him which is a great favor that Allah bestows upon whom He wishes."[5]

•Loving Allah prevents doubts: ibn al-Qayim said: "There is a great contradiction between love and doubts, just the same as between remembering Allah [dhikr] and negligence. A person who loves Allah is determined and firm in His belief. Doubts are the characteristics of those who are negligent and far from the path of Allah."[6]             
 

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[1] Al-Qawl As-Sadeed P. 110.

[2]Jani' al-Rasa'il by Ibn Taymya: 2/230.

[3]Al-Jawab al-Kafi: Pages 541-542.

[4]Madarig al-Salikeen 3/38.

[5] Tareek al-Hijratien pages 449-450.

[6]Madarig As-Salikeen 3/38.