Inspiration and Spirituality
How to Acquire the Love of Allah (SWT)
By: Kashif Naseem Dilkusha
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Some days ago, I was studying Sharah Al-Aqeeda Al-Wastiya with my sheikh, and upon reaching the topic of ‘Love of Allah’, my sheikh told me that a lot–if not all–of Muslims claim to love ALLAH (SWT); however the best Mu’min is the one who Allah loves in return.
My sheikh further quoted Shiekh Ibn Uthaymeen once saying that there are three ways to acquire the love of Allah (SWT) and this is indeed a great lesson for us all.
1. Pondering upon the blessings of Allah (SWT):
Just look around and observe the blessings which Allah (SWT) has showered upon each of us. Just imagine for a moment how things would be if we were to lose any of them. How would it be if we lost our eyesight? Can we even imagine how difficult it would be to move around without our legs? And the blessings of Allah (SWT) go on and on, too many to name.
I remember once during Jum’ah khutbah, the khateeb mentioned that a sick person had requested a du’aa for himself during Jum’ah prayer. The man asked the khateeb to make du’aa that Allah either cures him or grants him death! Obviously, the khateeb was shocked and asked him why? What is the reason for such a du’aa? The man responded:
“I have a problem with my eyes. I am unable to close them when I feel sleepy and so I have to force them closed with a tool, and this is very painful. Then, when I wake up and I want to open my eyes I cannot, and I have to force them open with another tool. It is so painful that I cannot bear this pain anymore! So please pray to Allah that He either grants me death or that He cures me!”
Have we ever considered how many similar blessings we have been granted by Allah (SWT) and have we taken a second to thank Allah for them?
So ponder and reflect upon the numerous blessings of Allah upon each of us and be grateful to Him and love Him for his countless favors. As Allah (SWT) mentions in the Qur’an:
وَإِن تَعُدُّواْ نِعۡمَتَ ٱللَّهِ لَا تُحۡصُوهَآۗ
“You cannot count my blessings if you want to.”
2. Love those acts which Allah (SWT) loves:
In Surah Al Baqarah, vs. 222 Allah (SWT) says:
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلتَّوَّٲبِينَ وَيُحِبُّ ٱلۡمُتَطَهِّرِينَ
“Truly, Allâh loves those who turn unto Him in repentance and loves those who purify themselves.”
Each of us, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, cleanses him/herself multiple times during the day, whether it is by taking a morning shower, brushing one’s teeth, washing our hands after using the bathroom, or washing our hands after touching something dirty. As a Muslim, we are further required to perform ablution before performing our prayers. However, one of the great favors of Allah upon us as Muslims is that if we even perform an everyday act with the intention of pleasing Allah, it is counted as an act of worship, and brings us closer to Allah. So, when purifying ourselves during the day, if we just make the intention that we are purifying ourselves because Allah loves those who purify themselves and we want Allah to love us, we – Insha Allah – will become one of those whom Allah (SWT) loves.
And the same is the case with all those other acts which Allah (SWT) loves, in light of the Quran and Sunnah.
3. Keeping the Tongue Wet with Dhikr:
Dhikr is another way of acquiring Allah’s love. However, we need to be cautious here and ensure that whenever we are doing Allah’s dhikr we should be doing it wholeheartedly and with complete focus.
There are two major mistakes people make while doing Dhikr of Allah:
- We do the dhikr without understanding the meaning of those Adhkaar.
- We do dhikr absent-mindedly, meaning our tongue is moving with Allah’s remembrance, but we don’t know when we began the dhikr or when we finished it.
Still, many scholars say that even if one makes the above mistakes in his/her dhikr, they will still be rewarded, but not with the same level of reward as someone who performed the dhikr consciously and with complete Ihsaan (Allahu A’lam).
Finally, I pray that Allah (SWT) grants each of us the tawfiq to act upon all the above mentioned ways of earning His love.
Ameen.
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shiney
June 16, 2011 at 12:54 AM
Jazakallah Khair for sharing these tips! They’re very helpful. May Allah (SWT) love us all and help us come close to Him. Ameen!
Here’s a related video-it’s very beneficial (with 10 tips to acquire Allah’s Love also Ibn al-Qayyim):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcilnHlTBvo
Aadil
June 16, 2011 at 7:31 AM
Jazak Allah Khair for the informative article. Could you please let me know what is that dua which is mentioned in the picture along with its translation? Thanks
Brother
June 16, 2011 at 3:24 PM
This du’a is found in a weak hadeeth, so it is not really authentic.
Du’a is something open though as long as you are asking for something permissible, so you can phrase your own du’a or use some of the ones that are authentic.
Amatullah
June 22, 2011 at 8:27 PM
You can memorize an authentic version of that duaa here: http://muslimmatters.org/2009/09/09/ramadan-duaa-series-best-of-both-worlds/
UmmSarah
June 16, 2011 at 9:04 AM
I often wonder, can we actually feel when Allah is loving us in return.
People may think that they are in high standing with Allah, but is there a way of knowing with some certainity where do we stand with Him.
shiney
July 3, 2011 at 5:03 AM
of course, one can never be sure if Allah is pleased with them or not but I think a good way of finding out is evaluating urself to see how much ur obeying Allah and how much ur not. Like there’s a hadith: “Allah is happy with the one whose father is happy with him and Allah is unhappy with the one whose father is unhappy with him.” So I guess if you know that ur parents are pleased with you (in the Islamic sense) or if ur married and your husband is pleased with you (also in the Islamic sense) then I guess that should give you a clue as to ur standing with Allah.
As for feeling the love, i think it varies from person to person but i personally think that sometimes you can feel it when Allah is happy with you.
Ayesha
June 16, 2011 at 9:39 AM
jazakAllahukhairan for the beneficial post…may I know which shaikh you are learning it from & from where?
Kashif Naseem Dilkusha
June 17, 2011 at 7:00 AM
I am learning in Karachi, Pakistan and my Sheikh name is Sheikh Abdul Wali, a graduate from Islamic University Madinah.
Ahmer raza
November 21, 2016 at 11:33 AM
from where Ayesha????
ahlam
June 16, 2011 at 1:07 PM
Mash’Allah,beautiful. Just when Ramadan’s round the corner! JazakAllahu Khairan.
ahlam
June 16, 2011 at 1:27 PM
For the translation of the Dua’ in the picture,may I attempt to give one:
”O Allah, I ask for Your Love and the Love of those who Love You, and the deeds which attain me Your Love.
O Allah, make Your Love more beloved to me than myself, and my wealth,and my family and cool water.”
Brother
June 16, 2011 at 3:26 PM
This du’a is found in a weak hadeeth, so it is not really authentic.
Du’a is something open though as long as you are asking for something permissible, so you can phrase your own du’a or use some of the ones that are authentic.
...
June 16, 2011 at 5:53 PM
If this dua’ is daef, there is still no problem in saying it akhi, so long as one does not think the Prophet (SAW) said it, or that the dua’ has a special status in it of itself – it will be like any dua’ which one makes up his/herself. wAllahu ‘alam
Brother
June 17, 2011 at 12:32 AM
There is nothing wrong in making this du’a every now and then, just like any other du’a, but if a person makes this du’a consistently and takes it as a regular habit or a sunnah, then it becomes closer to becoming an innovation rather than permissible. And why would anyone be consistent upon such a du’a instead of using the authentic ones from the sunnah if they did not think that this du’a had a special status? And the best of guidance is the guidance of the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him.
The reason why I indicated that it was weak is so that the brothers and sisters are aware of that and do not think that this du’a is from the sunnah or that it has a special status.
Kashif Naseem Dilkusha
June 17, 2011 at 7:02 AM
Jazak Allah khairan brother,
I didn’t know about it. Let me check again.
HFZ SP
June 16, 2011 at 5:57 PM
Am not a scholar let alone one of the difficult science of hadeeth but I would have thought a hadeeth is either authentic or false and thats it no in between. As for weak hadeeth being not really authentic, again am not sure.
Can one of the scholars of this amazing website clarify please.
Jazakallah
Brother
June 17, 2011 at 12:41 AM
I am not a scholar either but merely a student.
The degree of authenticity varies and there are different levels. A hadeeth might be Sahih and have the highest level of authenticity, or it might be hasan which although is not as authentic as Sahih but it is still acceptable. Or the hadeeth might not be authentic, and among inauthentic ahadeeth there are different levels as well, such as the fabricated which is false and a lie, and there is the weak which are the ones which have some deficiency in their chain(s). Even among the weak ahadeeth their level varies, and some are weaker than others, such as the very weak ones which might have a mjor deficiency as opposed to the ones that are weak but the weakness is of a lesser degree. So the degree of authenticty or lack thereof varies and comes in many different levels. But a weak hadeeth is not authentic, even though it might not be like a fabricated hadeeth which is a known lie.
Brother
June 16, 2011 at 3:31 PM
How to attain the love of Allah?
Allah tells us how in the Quran:
{Say, (O Muhammad, to mankind): If you love Allah, follow me, Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful} [3:31]
kishwar
June 17, 2011 at 2:43 AM
masaAllah a very good article
Salman
June 21, 2011 at 8:50 AM
Great Article..made affect instantly…did sajda shukr after reading about the man who had a problem with eyes..
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abdi
December 21, 2012 at 8:19 AM
O Allah forgive me and don’t be angry with me. O allah guide me and grant peace in my heart.“O Allah Sustain me with Your love and the love of one who loves You, and the love of that which will draw me near to Your love, and make Your love more dear to me than cool water.”
Pingback: Tafseer Al-Baqarah Ayaat 165 – 167 | Verse By Verse Qur'an Study Circle
yakubu chindo
November 23, 2015 at 4:50 PM
Jazakallahu khair
moon
November 21, 2016 at 9:53 AM
THANKS FOR A GREAT KNOWLEDGE. May Allah fulfill all ur desires.
Ahmer raza
November 21, 2016 at 11:29 AM
u r right moon that is great knowledge. you r true. good!!!!
Ahmer raza
November 21, 2016 at 11:31 AM
same as u i appreciate this artical.
Ahmer raza
November 21, 2016 at 11:35 AM
I appreciate that post. THANKS A LOT!!!!!!!