The Importance Of Love For Allah And Its Profession In Ramadan

There are five pillars of Islam that stand as imperative obligations upon a Muslim to profess and act upon in order to be a Muslim. Although, every Muslim abides by to these pillars, however, those who do it from pure love of Allah Almighty are the ones who are Muslims in true sense and fulfill these obligation in a worthy manner.

In the month of Ramadan, where the ambiance is all about serenity, peace, love and Holiness, it is the best time to profess one’s love for Allah Almighty. The lines below discuss in detail what the love for Allah Almighty, its imperativeness and how a Muslim can profess and express it in the month of Ramadan.

It Lies In The Obeying Of Prophet (PBUH):

Love needs to be demonstrated, therefore, in order to demonstrate love one needs an example of some sort by following which one can do and say the things that embody love. In this regard, for a Muslim the best example there is to represent the love for Allah Almighty is obeying Prophet (PBUH). Regarding this matter, Allah Almighty says in Quran:

“Say (O Muhammad (PBUH) to mankind): “If you (really) love Allah then follow me (i.e. accept Islamic monotheism, follow the Quran and Sunnah), Allah will love you and forgive you of your sins. And Allah is Of-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (3:31)

From this ayah, it is clear that in order to love Allah Almighty, a Muslim has to profess that love by following the Sunnah of Prophet (PBUH). Moreover, another factor that this ayah highlights is the fact that loving Allah by following the Sunnah of Prophet (PBUH) is not a one way street, rather Allah Almighty also reciprocates by loving and forgiving that person. Ergo, the love of Allah lies in obedience of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

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Love of Allah Is Above All:

The obedience of Prophet (PBUH) is an expression of love for Allah, however, as far as the intensity and magnitude of love for Allah is concerned, it needs to be above everything that a human can love and adore. In Quran, Allah Almighty says:

“Say: If it be that your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your mates, or your kindred; the wealth that you have gained; the commerce in which you fear a decline: or the dwellings in which you (seek) delight – are dearer to you than Allah, or His Messenger, or the striving in His cause: then wait until Allah brings about His decision: and Allah guides not the rebellious.” (9:24)

 In this ayah, Allah Almighty broadly mentions all the worldly delights and possessions that a human can possibly go for and consequently the love of these possessions leading to a person forgetting his or her love for Allah Almighty. In the ayah, Allah Almighty regards such people as rebellious and thus impervious to guidance. Ergo, if a Muslim is to remain on the true path and keep on receiving guidance from Allah, then he or she needs to take the love of Allah and place it above all kinds of love for material things whether it be wealth or relatives.

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The Essence of Faith:

As discussed earlier, the love for Allah Almighty is the essence of faith. It is the presence of this faith that makes a person enjoy the true faith and be able to practice faith with all the religious zest and passion. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said in one of His hadiths:

“Whoever possesses the following three qualities will taste the sweetness (delight) of faith: the one to whom Allah and His Messenger become dearer than anything else, the one who loves a person and he loves him only for Allah’s sake, and whoever hates to revert to disbelief, after Allah has saved him from it, as he hates to be thrown into fire.” (Sahih)

From this hadith also it becomes clear that the love of Allah Almighty is the essence of faith and by loving Allah Almighty and doing things which lovers do, like loving others whom the Lover loves and hating what the Lover forbids are the things that allow a Muslim to taste the sweetness of faith. Therefore, from this hadiht it can be deduced, that if there is not the profession of love of Allah, then there can be faith but it will be missing all the delight and joy that it would have if it were complemented by the Love for Allah.

Professing Love Of Allah In Ramadan:

Ramadan is the best chance that a Muslim can get pertaining to professing love to Allah Almighty. The act of fasting in itself is the profession of love for Allah, as a Muslim refrains from eating and drinking just because Allah Almighty has ordered it. Moreover, the month creates such an ambiance in which a Muslim indulges in all the acts that are loved by Allah Almighty and are Holy in every aspect. The lines below give some acts, which a Muslim can undertake in order to profess love of Allah Almighty.

Quran Recitation:

Hence in Ramadan and with focus on Quran teachings a Muslim can find the way to express the love for Allah in addition to receiving the reward for quran recitation. Quran is the word of Allah, it contains the commandments of Allah, it contains the blessings of Allah, it is full with examples by reading which a Muslim can try to understand the kind of Love Allah has for His creation and how a Muslim should also strive in His way and praise Him as well. Besides the covert and over messages that Quran gives pertaining to falling and progressing in love of Allah, it also provides a means of praising Allah with its simple recitation. Hence, in Ramadan by more Quran recitation a Muslim tries to express love for Allah in addition to earning reward.

Optional Prayer:

The regular obligatory prayers are mandatory upon Muslims, however, the ones who love Allah more and want to progress in this love and profess it go for optional prayers in Ramadan. These optional prayer provide a Muslim with the chance of making the most of this Holy month and spending it in worship and praise of Allah, thus taking a step further in expression of love.

Tasbeeh:

In addition to prayer and recitation of Quran that require specific allocated time, the Tasbeeh of Allah Almighty can be done anytime of the day, walking, sitting, lying down or doing anything. This Tasbeeh, primarily brings reward, however, it shows that a person remembers Allah Almighty all the time, which in other words is one of the forms of expressing love to Allah Almighty. Therefore, in Ramadan, try saying Tasbeeh all the time and make a habit of it.

Be Charitable:

In one o the aforementioned ayah of Quran, Allah Almighty mentions wealth as one of the things that a person might hold dearer than the love for Allah. Thus, if a Muslim is charitable and spends from the wealth given to him by Allah on people who don’t have wealth, then it shows that a person is willing to spend from his or her beloved thing in the name of Allah. In other words, by being charitable one proves that the love for Allah takes the lead over the love for wealth, hence, one of the best professions of love of Allah.

Dedicating Time For Allah:

When a person is in love with someone, the ultimate desire that a person has is to find some time alone with the lover so that there is no disturbance and one could cherish and express the love in the best manner. This opportunity of expressing love to Allah Almighty it is available to a Muslim in the month of Ramadan in the form of the Sunnah of Itikaaf. As per this Sunnah a Muslim spends last ten days of Ramadan in seclusion, where all a person does is praise and worship Allah Almighty. Ergo, a Muslim must make use of this opportunity and show his or her love to Allah Almighty in Itikaaf, which is only done for Him and for His love only.

Conclusion:

In a nutshell, the love for Allah Almighty is the essence of Islam. When a Muslim loves Allah Almighty, he or she starts viewing Islam from a new perspective. Moreover, the love for Allah does not need to be something that is limited to heart only, rather a Muslim must also work on its professing some major means of which are mentioned above in this writing.