The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said, “Whoever possesses the following three qualities will have the sweetness of faith.”
- The one to whom Allah and His Prophets become dearer than anyone else.
- The one who loves a person and he loves him only for the sake of Allah.
- The one who hates to revert to atheism (disbelief) as he hates to be thrown into the fire.” (Bukhari:16)
Allah has used the word “love” as a central figure in Islam. We all know that the true meaning of love is complete sacrifice, and also letting go of your ego to be happy for your loved ones in the time of their own happiness.
The Sufis are the best example in this regard. They devote their time to the sake of Allah’s love without any expectation or complaint. Why do they do so?
It is because before our birth, we have taken a promise to love Allah more than anyone else.
Allah further said: Allah will surely ascertain who are the believers and who are the hypocrites.
So, as Allah has sent us into this world to prove this claim, when we love our families, be it your wife, mother, father and children, it shouldn’t distract you from loving Allah.
We should think of this as a triangle, because when we break this triangle and love someone else more than Allah, then we get frustrated and depressed because we lack the strength to attain the true love of Allah.
In the same way, Allah said what means I will surely test you just to check if you truly love Me or not.
That’s why Abu Huraira narrated that Allah’s Messenger said, “If Allah wants to do good to somebody, He afflicts him with trials.”
Because in difficult times, we get to know who is honest and who truly loves us. So, in our difficult times, we get this opportunity to prove our claim of loving Allah more than anyone else.
And remember, this opportunity is not given to every person except Allah’s favourite ones.
So hold firmly to the rope of Allah, which is actually a rope of love. (Al Imran: 103).
As Muslims, have we ever truly and honestly claimed that “O my Allah, I love You more than anyone else and I am happy for Your will in my life, irrespective of the problems and trials You have put me in.
Or is our worldly relationships dearer to us than Allah? Think of it for a moment.
The Messenger of Allah said: “It used to be from the supplication of Allah, indeed that I ask You for Your love and the love of those who love You, and for the action that will cause me to attain Your love.
O Allah, make Your love more beloved to me than myself and my family.“
