Some Means of Attaining Allāh’s Love

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Adherence to The Authentic Sunnah of The Messenger

Allah said:

قُلۡ إِن كُنتُمۡ تُحِبُّونَ ٱللَّهَ فَٱتَّبِعُونِى يُحۡبِبۡكُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَيَغۡفِرۡ لَكُمۡ ذُنُوبَكُمۡ‌ۗ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ۬

Say (O Muhammad to mankind): If you (really) love Allah then follow me, Allah will love you and forgive you of your sins. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful]. [Surah Aal Imraan Ayah 31]

This Ayah is conveyed to everyone who claims to love Allah, whilst he is not one who truly follows Allaah’s Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, by obeying the Prophet’s command and keeping away from what he has forbidden. Therefore, unless the person truly follows the Messenger, then indeed he is not truthful in his claim. (1)

Allah, The Most High, also said:

قُلۡ أَطِيعُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَٱلرَّسُولَ‌ۖ فَإِن تَوَلَّوۡاْ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلۡكَـٰفِرِينَ

Say (O Muhammad): “Obey Allah and the Messenger (Muhammad)”. But if they turn away, then Allah does not like the disbelievers]: Meaning: Say O Messenger to the people: “Obey Allaah by following His Book (i.e. the Qur’aan), and obey the Messenger by following his Sunnah -whether you were present during his lifetime or present after he has passed away. [Surah Aali Imraan Ayah 32] (2)

Allah said:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تُقَدِّمُوا بَيْنَ يَدَيِ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ ۖ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ

O you who believe! Do not put (yourselves) forward before Allah and His Messenger, and fear Allah. Verily! Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَرْفَعُوا أَصْوَاتَكُمْ فَوْقَ صَوْتِ النَّبِيِّ

O you who believe! Raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet.. Al-Hujuraat Aayaat 1 & 2]

When it is the case that Allah forbade them from giving precedence to themselves over the Messenger, then which type of giving precedence to oneself over the Messenger can be worse than giving precedence to one’s intellect over the revelation he was sent with? Many of the pious predecessors stated regarding this Aayah, “Do not say anything about the religion until the Messenger speaks and do not act until he commands you”.

The Most Disobedient Person Amongst The People Is That One Who Gives Precedence to His Intellect Or The Intellect of Another Person Over The Revelation

The most disobedient person amongst the people and the most severe with regards to giving precedence to him over the Messenger is that one who gives precedence to his intellect or the intellect of another person over the revelation the Messenger was sent with. And when it is the case that Allah has indeed forbidden them from raising their voices above the voice of the Messenger, then how about raising their intellects above the statements of the Messenger and the revelation he came with?! (3)

Deeds That Will Earn a Person Allaah’s Love

Recitation of the Qur’aan, reflecting upon it, seeking to understand its meaning and what is required from that. (a) Seeking to get close to Allah through the supererogatory acts of worship after fulfilling the obligations. (b) Constant remembrance of Allah in all situations. (c) Giving precedence to what Allah loves over what you love when you find yourself in a state in which evil desires are about to gain the upper hand. (d) The heart paying attention to the Names and Attributes of Allah and seeking the knowledge related to them. (e) Recalling Allaah’s benignity and kindness. (f) The heart’s feeling of complete submission, humility, servitude and need in the presence of Allah. (g) Worship during the last third of the night when Allah descends. (h) Sitting with the truthful people. (i) Distance from every reason that will come between your heart and Allah. (j) (4)

Footnotes:

Footnote a: listen to “Seeking Cure with the Quran – by Shaikh Abdulilah Lahmami [may Allah preserve him]:

Seeking Cure with the Quraan – Abdulilah Lahmami

Footnote b: From Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Allāh, the Exalted, says, “Whoever shows enmity to a friend of Mine, I shall be at war with him. My servant does not draw near to Me with anything more loved by Me than the religious duties I have obligated upon him, and My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory deeds until I love him. When I love him I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant him it.” https://www.nawawis40hadith.com/nw/hadith/38/the-awliy%C4%81%CA%BE-of-all%C4%81h

Footnote c: https://salafidawahmanchester.com/2021/08/10/the-intent-behind-dhikr-by-imaam-ibnul-qayyim/
https://salafidawahmanchester.com/2019/11/16/seven-tremendous-benefits-of-dhikr-by-shaikh-abdur-razzaaq-al-badr-hafidhahullaah/

Footnote d: https://salafidawahmanchester.com/2020/10/13/purification-of-the-heart-can-only-be-attained-through-giving-precedence-to-allaah-over-desires/

Footnote e: https://www.salafisounds.com/the-names-attributes-of-allaah-by-abu-talhah-dawood-burbank/ – by Shaikh Abu Talhah [may Allaah have mercy upon him and his wife]

Footnote f: https://salafidawahmanchester.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Fed-up-or-Bored-With-a-Blessing.pdf

Footnote g: https://salafidawahmanchester.com/2021/08/26/destructive-self-sufficiency-and-the-two-types-of-neediness/

Footnote h: Shaikh Abu Iyaad [may Allah preserve him] stated that Shaykh ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah [may Allah have mercy upon him] gives a lengthy explanation of this – which is another of the doubts of the Jahmiyyah – in his book “Sharh Hadeeth in-Nuzool”, towards the end of it (p.320 onwards), and the essence of it is is that this question only arises when it is presumed that the kaifiyyah of Allaah’s Descent is like the descent of created beings, for when you presume that, then this doubt arises. So as Imaam Malik said, as mentioned by Br. Moosaa, regarding Istiwaa and as Abu Ja’far at-Tirmidhi (the faqih of Bagdhad, d. 295H) said,as mentioned by ad-Dhahabi in al-Uluww (p. 231), regarding the nuzool: quote: the Nuzool is ma’qool (understood), and the kayf is majhool (unknown), to have faith in it is obligatory and asking about it is an innovation. And in summary, we hold that:

– Allah descends without Him leaving the Throne, He remains above the Throne

– Allah descends without coming under or beneath the heaven – and as the Salaf said to the Jahmiyyah who raised such doubts in relation to the nuzool, “We believe in a Lord who does whatever He wills”

– To all people in all parts of the earth, alongside the variation in the night and day, Allaah’s descent is for them during the last third of their night – and we are not able to understand the kaifiyyah of that – just like we are not able to understand the kaifiyyah of how Allah will do the hisaab (accounting) of all the people at the same time.

Ibn Taymiyyah says, “As for the nuzool that is not of the type of the nuzool of the (created) bodies of the servants, then it is not impossible that it occurs at the same time for a great number of the creation … and this is like His reckoning of His servants on the Day of Judgement, He will reckon all of them within a single hour, and all of them will be alone with Him, just like a man is alone with the moon on a clear night, and He will make him affirm his sins, and that one being reckoned will not see that He is reckoning others besides him” (p.334)

And then Ibn Taymiyyah brings ahaadeeth in this regard, and he also mentions the hadeeth of Allah responding ot the servant when he recites al-Fatihah in the prayer, so Allah says, “My servant praised me” and so on, and this is to every one who prays, at the same time, and likewise Allah sees everyone all at the same time, and he provides for everyone all at the same time, so likewise, the nuzool – if we remove that presumption of “kayf” that is prohibited which is that the nuzool is like that of the created bodies – then we are not subject to this doubt, and then we are able to affirm it for Allah without tashbeeh and tamtheel and without any caution in that.

And in all of this there is sufficiency for the believer who affirms what Allah affirmed for Himself without takyeef and without ta’teel and without tamtheel. [salafitalk.net]

Sifatun Nuzool [Allaah’s Descent To The Lowest Heaven (In a Way That Befits His Majesty) During The Last Third of The Night]: https://salafidawahmanchester.com/2011/08/28/sifatun-nuzool-allaahs-descent-to-the-lowest-heaven-during-the-last-third-of-the-night/

Footnote i: Abu Huraira reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “A man is upon the religion of his best friend, so let one of you look at whom he befriends.” [Tirmidhee 2378] Muhammad Ibn Munkadir used to say, ”A righteous companion is better than loneliness & loneliness is better than an evil companion.” [Bahjatul Majaalis 1/48′ by Ibn Abdul Barr]

Footnote j: https://salafidawahmanchester.com/2020/03/28/o-you-who-believe-answer-allaah-and-the-messenger-when-he-calls-you-to-that-which-will-give-you-life/

1: (Tafseer Al-Muyassar).

2: (Tafseer Al-Muyassar).

3:Al-Waabil as-Sayyib’ by Imaam Ibnul Qayyim’ page 21). slightly paraphrased

4: Source: An Madaarij As-Saalikeen 2/218-219. Publisher: Daar Al-Manaar. 1st Edition 1424AH. 2003.