Chapter Introduction
Translation: [ Imam Al-Ghazali elaborated on this subject in his book entitled Ihya'a Ulum Al-Din (Revival of the Religious Sciences) ' Below is a quotation from this work hoping that it will benefit the reader on this topic
Translation: Love of Allah.
Translation: ' Allah only is worthy of Love
Translation: He that does not love Allah does this out if ignorance and failure to know Allah as He should be loved. Love of the Messenger of Allah is also ordered because it is an outcome of love for Allah. Love of the scholars and the pious is obligatory too, because the beloved one of the Beloved is beloved, the Messenger of the Beloved is beloved, and the beloved ones of the beloved are beloved. All this arises from loving the Source i.e. Allah. Thus, there is no real beloved one for the people of insight except Allah and no one deserves love except Him.
Translation: This can be attributed to five reasons, and the five reasons are combined in Allah's right to love. The individual reasons are granted to some people. They are actual in Allah's right to love, but they are only a mirage in other creatures ' right to love, as they are only metaphorical in people. Thus, the knowledgeable people know that real love should be for Allah because it entails loving none besides Allah.
The First Cause:
Man loves his self, life, perfection, and eternal existence. He hates death, imperfection, and what leads to imperfection. This is the nature of every living creature and it is not possible for man to give up such instinctive desires. This also entails a perfect love of Allah, because he that knows his self and his Lord, knows for certain that he is not living alone, rather that his existence and perfection is from Allah, to Allah, and for Allah.
Allah is his Originator and Sustainer. He grants man noble attributes and guides him to the means that lead to noble attributes. Thus, the servant has no existence except from Allah; but for Allah's bounty in creating him, he would not exist. He is perishable, except that Allah grants him life. But for Allah's will to perfect him, he would be imperfect.
In brief, there is no creature except that it stands in need of the Sustainer, the Living, and the Eternal, all else stands in need of Him. Thus, if the cognizant one loves his self he must love Him Who has originated him and granted him life and existence. He is the Creator, the Originator, the Eternal, and the Sustainer of every creature. It is He Who stands in no need of any creature.
So, if man does not love Allah, this is due to his ignorance of his self and his Lord. Love is the fruit of knowledge, and it dwindles, weakens, or strengthens proportionally with knowledge. For this reason, Al-Hasan A- Basri said: " He that knew his Lord loves Him, and he that loved life abstains from it. '
It cannot be imagined that man loves his self and then he does not love his Lord Who sustains him! It is well known that the one afflicted by the heat of the sun, loves shade. His love for the shade leads him to love the trees that provide him with the shade. It is obvious that all that existed is attributed to Allah, as the shade is attributed to the trees and light to the sun. All are signs of His Ability and all rely on Him for existence, as light is attributed to the sun and shade is attributed to the trees.
Thus, if man's love for his self is essential, his love for what helps him to live becomes essential too. The same applies to granting him long life, attributes, etc.
He who is deprived of this love is he who has involved his self in satisfying his lusts and is detracted from his Lord Who has created him. He has confined his sight to material lusts.
The Second Cause:
Man loves those who do good for him, such as giving him of their wealth, talking to him kindly, supporting him against his enemies, and protecting him from the evil people. This very fact necessitates that man should love Allah alone, if he knows that Allah is the One Who does good for him. The favors of Allah to His servants are too many to count. Allah says:
Translation: .... But if you count the favors of Allah, never will you be able to number them... * " (14:34)
Translation: Allah said:
Translation: " Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those who are with him are severe against the disbelievers, and merciful amongst themselves. You see them bowing and falling down in prostration (in prayer), seeking Bounty from Allah and (His) Good Pleasure. The mark of them (of their faith) is on their faces (foreheads) from the traces of prostration (during prayers). This is their description in the Torah. But their description in Al Injeel is like a (sown) seed which sends forth its shoot, then makes it strong, and then becomes thick and it stands straight on its stem, delighting the sowers, that He may enrage the disbelievers with them. Allah has promised those among them who believe (all those who follow Islamic Monotheism, the religion of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) until the Day of Resurrection) and do righteous good deeds, forgiveness, and a mighty reward (i.e. Paradise). * " (48:29) And
Translation: " And (it is also for) those who, before them had homes (in Madina) and had adopted Faith, love those who emigrated to them, and have no jealousy in their breasts for what they have been given (from Al Fay ' of Bano Al-Nadheer) and give them (emigrants) preference over themselves even though they were in need of that. And whosoever is saved from his own covetousness, such are they who will be the successful. * " (59: 9)