To meet the demands of faith, it is not enough to worship and obey Allah. Rather, worship and obedience should be tempered with genuine love for Allah. For without love, worship and obedience may degenerate into hypocrisy, which is not acceptable to Allah. He does not stand in need of any of our deeds. On the contrary, He accepts only those deeds that are done exclusively for Him and are characterized with a strong love for Him. Love for Him should surpass one’s love for other worldly things. The Qur’an sets the following standard:
(Say: If it be that your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your mates, or your kindred; the wealth that ye have gained; the commerce in which ye fear a decline: or the dwellings in which ye 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.) (At-Tawbah 9:24)
We should count Allah's blessings that Allah bestowed on us. Our lives and our health are all Allah's creations. Our physical forms, our families, our friends and relatives, these are all blessings that most of us who enjoy them take for granted. We do not count them among our blessings. Our chance to aspire to stronger faith and more virtue is, again, Allah's favor upon us. Our love for Allah and for His Messenger is Allah's blessing.
We should remind ourselves of the fact that Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) conveyed to us Allah's Message. We should study his biography and recount the terrible suffering he had to bear, and the tremendous dedication he showed in convey that message. His patience, forbearance, and striving was all so that he could convey to us what would guide us to our own salvation – and, by Allah's grace, to Allah's eternal reward.
If we look at what Allah has created, the complexity and perfection of natural laws, we can get some appreciation of the magnificence of the Creator. Allah is All-Powerful. At the same time, He is just. We know He will never wrong any of us.
When we look at our own behavior, we see our shortcomings. We do not do justice to our Lord and Creator. Nevertheless, He has mercy on us. He does not punish us for our transgressions, but continues to give us more chances, more opportunities to turn to Him in repentance. Indeed, Allah loves those who are penitent. He loves those who purify themselves.
Glory be to Allah! We should consider how weak we are before our Lord. He is All-Powerful, yet we disobey Him. We flaunt His commands. In His mercy, he gives us more time, and loves it when we finally return to Him. This is how merciful He is.
Allah has no need for us. Yet, look at how He describes his welcome of us when we turn to Him.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) related to us that Allah says: "I am as My servant thinks of Me. I am with him when he remembers Me. If he remembers Me within himself, I mention him within Myself. If he mentions me before company, I mention him before a greater company. If he draws near to Me a handspan, I draw near to him an arm's length. If he draws near to Me an arm's length, I come near to him the distance of outspread arms. If he comes to Me walking, I come to him running. [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (6856) and Sahîh Muslim (4832)]
Allah is so happy when His servant repents – He is as happy as a man who is wandering in a barren wasteland after waking from a nap to find his steed had wandered off with all his food and provisions. Then, after the heat and his thirst become severe, he falls asleep in the same place and wakes to find his steed standing before him.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (6308) and Sahîh Muslim (2744)]
We can feel deep concern that he Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) for us from the following Hadith, where he (pbuh) said: "The parable of myself and the people is that of a man who lit a fire. When it illuminated its surroundings, the moths and other creatures which are attracted to light began to fall into it. He began to pull them out of the fire, but they overwhelmed him and continued to fall into it. I am the one pulling you away from the fire, but you keep going headlong into it." [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (6002)]
Allah is no doubt invisible; yet His manifestations are too evident. Man observes these all around himself. Each object of nature—be it the clouds, winds, rivers and mountains—points to Allah’s existence. Birds sing in praise of Him and trees share this hymn. His signs are embedded in each and every particle of dust and in every leaf. Far from being hidden, Allah is manifest, evident everywhere.
Hearts, as they mature, come to love whomever is merciful and kind towards them. So how much greater is their love for Him from Whom all kindness springs!
If one reflects on what he loves, one finds Allah (Almighty), the Lord of the universe, and His Glory and perfection in everything he loves.
Let us proudly said to the world, "I love Allah and His Messenger (pbuh) more than anybody else".
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