BinteShafi
Left long ago
Nurturing Love for Allah
Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah
There are ten causes which instill love for Allah and strengthen it:
Firstly: reciting the Qur’an with reflection, so as to understand its meanings and what is intended; rather like contemplating a text which one has committed to memory and wishes to explore so that the author’s intent may be duly understood.
Secondly: drawing closer to Allah by performing superogatory (nawåfil) acts of devotion, after the obligatory ones. This will lead one to the ranks of al-ma˙b¥biyyah - those who are loved by Allah, after [reaching the station of] love of Allah.
Thirdly: continual remembrance (dhikr) of Allah in all circumstances, with the tongue; the heart;one’s deeds; and one’s spiritual state. A person’s love for Allah will be commensurate with one’s remembrance of Him.
Fourthly: preferring His love over one’s own when overcome with desires, and ascending to reach His love even if the ascent be difficult.
Fifthly: the heart’s realisation of the Divine Names and Attributes; witnessing them, knowing them, and immersing oneself in the gardens of their doctrine and gnosis. Whosoever knows Allah by His Names, Attributes and Actions will, without doubt, love Him. ...
Sixthly: acknowledging Allah’s generosity, kindness, munificence and bounty: seen and unseen; for these are an invitation to loving Him.
Seventhly - and this is the profoundest of them: standing before Allah with a heart utterly humbled and dejected (inkisår al-qalb); there being no other words or expressions that can fully describe this meaning.
Eighthly: being alone with Him at the time of the Divine Descent to intimately commune with Him, recite His Word, be totally devoted to Him, while manifesting the manners of servitude before Him. Then to seal this all with seeking His forgiveness and repenting to Him.
Ninethly: attending the sittings of the truthful lovers of Allah so as to glean the choicest offerings of their speech, as one selects the best fruits; and not to speak unless there is an overriding benefit in doing so, and that you know that in doing so there will be an increase in your spiritual state as well
as a benefit for others.
Tenthly: keeping at bay everything that may alienate the heart from its Lord; Mighty and Majestic is He. With these ten ways the lover will arrive at the station of love, and enter upon the Beloved. The crux of all this lies in two matters: preparing the soul for this affair, and opening the eye of spiritual insight (‘ayn al-basirah). And with Allah is the enabling grace.
Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah
There are ten causes which instill love for Allah and strengthen it:
Firstly: reciting the Qur’an with reflection, so as to understand its meanings and what is intended; rather like contemplating a text which one has committed to memory and wishes to explore so that the author’s intent may be duly understood.
Secondly: drawing closer to Allah by performing superogatory (nawåfil) acts of devotion, after the obligatory ones. This will lead one to the ranks of al-ma˙b¥biyyah - those who are loved by Allah, after [reaching the station of] love of Allah.
Thirdly: continual remembrance (dhikr) of Allah in all circumstances, with the tongue; the heart;one’s deeds; and one’s spiritual state. A person’s love for Allah will be commensurate with one’s remembrance of Him.
Fourthly: preferring His love over one’s own when overcome with desires, and ascending to reach His love even if the ascent be difficult.
Fifthly: the heart’s realisation of the Divine Names and Attributes; witnessing them, knowing them, and immersing oneself in the gardens of their doctrine and gnosis. Whosoever knows Allah by His Names, Attributes and Actions will, without doubt, love Him. ...
Sixthly: acknowledging Allah’s generosity, kindness, munificence and bounty: seen and unseen; for these are an invitation to loving Him.
Seventhly - and this is the profoundest of them: standing before Allah with a heart utterly humbled and dejected (inkisår al-qalb); there being no other words or expressions that can fully describe this meaning.
Eighthly: being alone with Him at the time of the Divine Descent to intimately commune with Him, recite His Word, be totally devoted to Him, while manifesting the manners of servitude before Him. Then to seal this all with seeking His forgiveness and repenting to Him.
Ninethly: attending the sittings of the truthful lovers of Allah so as to glean the choicest offerings of their speech, as one selects the best fruits; and not to speak unless there is an overriding benefit in doing so, and that you know that in doing so there will be an increase in your spiritual state as well
as a benefit for others.
Tenthly: keeping at bay everything that may alienate the heart from its Lord; Mighty and Majestic is He. With these ten ways the lover will arrive at the station of love, and enter upon the Beloved. The crux of all this lies in two matters: preparing the soul for this affair, and opening the eye of spiritual insight (‘ayn al-basirah). And with Allah is the enabling grace.
