Love Story

“What has he found who has lost God?
And what has he lost who has found God?” 
― Ibn ‘Ata’ Allah Al-Iskandari

On this beautiful Friday of the 14th of February, don’t forget that the reality of this life is that it is your love story with God. One of His most beautiful names is Al Wadud, The Most Loving. God tells us in the Quran:  “Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds – the Most Merciful will appoint for them wud.” 19:96 Wud meaning love. Unlike Hub and Ishq which two other types of love in arabic, Wud is a love that is manifest and apparent.

We are taught to fear Allah, but perhaps not the right type of fear. Its supposed to be the type of fear out of love. The fear that we could disappoint Allah subhana wata alaa. The fear that we could draw further from Him through our mistakes and sins. One of my favorite names after Al Waddud is At Tawab, the acceptor of repentance. T-w-b coming from the root to return. Allah is waiting for us to return to Him. Life is just a love story between you and Allah. Life is a story about how you discover He loves you and you discovering your love for Him.

For the believer it is falling in Love with Al Waddud, and in turn loving everything that He loves. Its loving the most beloved of God, The Prophet Muhammad salallahu alayhi wasalam and following his way. Following Habib Allah, the Beloved of God because we want to become more beloved by God. Imitation of our Prophet is in reality trying to imitate the love he had for God and hoping we are given a love resembling it.

“The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, but in both are good.”  (Sahih Muslim) I am a weak believer trying my best to be a strong believer, because who doesn’t want to be more beloved by God. I am the struggler and the one that constantly forget.  I don’t despair because I am Insan, a human being, where the root is related to nisyan, forgetfulness. Its through our nature of forgetfulness that we are to remember, which is the best act a servant can do: dhikr is the remembrance of Allah. This is why I bought up two of my favorite names because I seek His love and seek to be loved by Him, but I know how short I come in my endeavor, but I remember that Allah is also At Tawab, the acceptor of return.

Like a home where the door is always unlocked. Like a home where the door is always open. But no, as long as I am alive, there is no door, only a doorway to return to. Allah is At Tawab, awaiting my return, always ready to accept me. When the world rejects me, when I sin against myself, it’s okay. I don’t have to beat myself up, Allah is is At Tawab. The Prophets, peace be upon them, sometimes made mistakes, were caused to forget, but they always returned. Wasn’t our father Adam, peace be upon him, created for that purpose?

Allah created the world. The whole universe and what is beyond those limits. The seven heavens. He created the rivers that flow and the clouds that cover the sky nourishing the Earth before I was ever born. Gave me two loving parents to care for me when I was helpless and then raised me to learn of His names so when I would grow up and feel helpless again, I would know I always will have help. Help from the Creator of the Worlds. Who placed me in a world for my use. “We put full trust in Allah” Love is the means and the ends. It is my goal, attaining His love and pleasure, be a beautiful worship slave inspired and manifested by Love. Manifest love. It is the means by which I set across this path, empowered and support by his mercy and love.

His Love and Mercy  is my beginning and I pray that it is my end. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajioon. To God we belong and to Him we return. No love in our lives should compare to the love we have for the Creator of All Loves and Lovers. This is not the story of  Majnun and Layla, or Romeo and Juliet, but a story of a forgetful and lowly slave and His beneficent and ever merciful Lord. Oh Allah you created me, I am your servant, all praise and all thanks belongs to You, it is only by your mercy that I am able to worship you and there is no greater gift than your guidance and making You known to me. The very utterance of your name is greater than receiving the whole world and I am thankful and praise You for being able to thank and praise You.

Alhamdillahi rabbil alimeen. All praise and thanks is due to Allah, the Lord of the World.