[deermealec]

Do You Love Allah?


There is a famous poem in Arabic where the poet says that you claim to love Allah and you express Allah’s love but at the same time you disobey him. By Allah, this is a very strange thing indeed! If your love for Allah was true, you would obey him because one who claims love for another, always follows him, obeys him and that is amongst people. You express your love for Allah, the Creator, and yet at the same time you quite blatantly disobey Him and also claim that you love Him.

Thus, the love of Allah عز وجل and His Rasool صلى الله عليه وسلم is not as simple as saying ‘I love Allah, I love His messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم’ rather the proof of that love is in our actions. Whenever we are tested by Allah, are we inclined towards the akhirah (hereafter) or towards the dunya (worldly life)? When the test comes, are we inclined towards Allah and His messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم and their ways or the dunya?


Spiritual Deterioration


Man naturally deteriorates in spirituality over time. This is because no effort is required for this to happen. When a person is not doing any good, he falls into this state of decline. It is not that a person sins then a person becomes bad and only then declines in spirituality. Rather, if a person does not do anything, neither good nor bad, then a person’s spirituality will still deteriorate and will naturally fall and become more and more distant from Allah سبحانه وتعالى. Sinning only increases the rate of deterioration.

In Surah al Asr, Allah سبحانه وتعالى swears upon time:

وَالْعَصْرِ

إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ

By time
Indeed man is in a great and constant state of loss
[Surah al Asr 103:1-2]

The translation for this ayah is not just that man is in a great state of loss but that man is in a great and perpetual, recurring state of loss. This means man is in a state of loss for every moment of his existence. This is not just a simple loss but a great loss indeed because for every moment of his existence from the time of birth to the time of death man deteriorates.

إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ
Except those who practice good deeds and who counsel one another to the truth and patience.
[Surah al Asr 103:3]

The only way to arrest this natural decline is by practicing and preaching good deeds which in turn strengthen imaan (faith). This ensures a rise in spirituality and checks the decline.

Always remember that spirituality can easily be lost – climbing is difficult but falling is easy. Consolidate what you have i.e. fardh and sunnah acts of ibadah and take things slowly with patience and perseverance.