Every Beauty is a Blessing from Allah SWT

This is for those who love Allah SWT.

We need to work together and harder to nurture the soul of each individual.

Every beauty is a blessing from our Lord and a reflection of His infinite beauty. For this reason, every conscious, thinking person should thank Allah with great gratitude and love, for He owns all of this beauty. Allah informs us that all of His creations contain many proofs on which people should reflect:

    And also the things of varying colors He has created for you in the earth. There is certainly a sign in that for people who pay heed. (Surat an-Nahl, 13)

Allah has created people in such a way that they enjoy being loved and loving others, and are pleased with friendships and closeness. To be with those who live by the Qur’an morals, and to have fulfilling friendships and love with them is, for each believer, more enjoyable than many other blessings.

One of the most important characteristics of the Muslims living in Paradise will be their ability to love, just as they did on Earth, all of the prophets, those pious believers who strove in the path of Allah, and all of the Muslims who lived in the past.

Love of Allah (God) causes one to enjoy life more fully. It causes the Muslim to realize that Allah (God) is the only non-changing reality. He is the Sure Reality and Truth (al-Haqqa).

Throughout their life, everyone wants to be with those who they love, rely on, and are close to. Many of Allah’s blessings and their true meanings can only be found in an environment where true love and friendship exist.

The most beautiful, the most sincere, the most elevated and the most exalted kind of love is most certainly the love of the One Whom hearts were created to love, and for Whom creation was brought into existence to adore. Allah is the One to who hearts turn in love, exhalation and glorification, humility, submission and worship. Such worship cannot be directed towards other than Him. It is the perfection of love accompanied by complete submission and humility. Allah is loved for His own sake in every respect. All except Him are loved for the love they give in return. All the revealed Books, and the message of all the Prophets, bear witness to the love that is due towards Him, as does the natural impulse He has created in all His servants, the intellect He has given them, and the blessings He has poured on them.

Hearts, as they mature, come to love whoever is merciful and kind towards them. So how much greater is their love for Him from Whom all kindness springs!

“Yet there are men who take (for worship) others besides Allah, as equal (with Allah): They love them as they should love Allah. But those of Faith are overflowing in their love for Allah.” (Quran 2:165)

Hence, faith is first mentioned as a necessary component of achieving Love for Allah (God). It is misplaced when feelings for created things, or beings, causes a diversion from focusing on the Conscious Reality that created all. The Conscious Reality that sustains all. Faith is the decision of the believer to worship that which is unseen and useable in this life.

      

Thus while there is a divine love (rafah, rahmah) which embraces everything there is another, warmer, type of love (hub) that Allah (God) gives to some but not to others. That Allah (God) is selective in giving this warmest love is necessary idea found in every religion. It really amounts to a distinction between good and evil. If Allah (God) treated everybody in a completely identical manner, regardless of his character and conduct, then the distinction between good and evil, which is essential to all religions, would become meaningless. Consequently there is no basis for the criticism by some people that the Quranic conception of Allah SWT God's love is defective because the Qur'an says that Allah (God) does not love people with certain bad qualities such as unjustness, boastfulness, lawlessness.

The Qur'an does not say that Allah (God) hates these people, only that He does not love them with a warm love (hub); the question of the availability of the universal type of divine love (rahmah) is left in the Qur'an open for all people in the world.

Let us note some further points about the Quranic concept of Allah (God's) hub.

    * It is clear from the Quranic verses referred to above that the distinguishing marks of those who received Allah (God's) hub are certain qualities or traits -- trust in Allah (God), justness, patience etc. Adherence to a code of law given by Islam is not stressed in this connection.

    * The Qur'an says that those who follow the Prophet receive Allah (God's) hub (3:31) but it stops at this positive statement and does not say anywhere that those who do not follow the Prophet will not receive Allah SWT (God)'s hub, thus leaving the possibility in principle that followers of other religions may acquire the qualities and conduct that earn man the love of Allah (God). But the Qur'an does say that those righteous believers in other faiths who accept Islam will have their portion of divine love doubled (57:28). This is because Allah God has a special love for the Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) and his mission represents the primary means in our age for the realization of divine purpose in history, so that to follow him is more than to acquire faith and good qualities.

    * Although a man with good qualities of heart and conduct receives divine love, he does not do so because of his qualities. For like every other good thing that happens to a man (4:79), good qualities of heart and conduct are themselves ultimately a gift from Allah SWT( God) and are not acquired by man on his own. When in numerous places the Qur'an says that Allah  (God) guides or admits into His own rahmah whom He Wills, the meaning is that the act that puts man on the path of Allah SWT (God) and His love is initiated by Allah (God). This idea comes out especially clearly in the following passage:

          This (Qur'an) is a reminder. So let everyone who wills, take a way to the Lord. But you will not will, unless wills God. Surely, Allah SWT (God) is full of knowledge and wisdom. He admits to His rahmah who He wills; but for the wrongdoers He has prepared a grievous penalty." (76:29-31; see also 81:27-29, 42:8)

    * To the extent that the Qur'an relates the reception of divine love with acquisition of certain qualities of heart and conduct (even if that relation is not of simple cause and effect), we can say that according to the Qur'an divine love is purposive, for qualities can become relevant only for serving a purpose. Thus Allah (God’s) love should not be thought of as simply a sentimental person-to-person relationship, but a creative force which operates to realize an End.

The Coming of the Prophet as the Supreme Act of Divine Love

    "And We have not sent you (O Muhammad) except as an act of love (rahmah) to all the worlds." (21:107)

The love of Allah SWT (God) alluded to here -rahmah- is, as we saw above, Allah (God's) universal love, one that is said in the Qur'an to embrace everything (40:7). Out of this love for His creation (or all the worlds) and in particular all humankind, Allah (God) sent the Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam). This act is the greatest initiative of Allah (God's) universal love: the Qur'an does not describe any other single divine act as "rahmah to all the worlds". The act is a perpetual one: it continues through the words of the Qur'an and the example of the Prophet. People can respond to this divine initiative by opening their hearts to the words of the Qur'an and by following the revelatory example of the Prophet.

If they do so, greater blessings will follow; in particular Allah (God) will receive them in His more special, warmer love - hub or wudda (see Qur'an 3:31; 11:90 which have already been quoted above.)

This act of divine love works to reconcile all humanity with Allah (God) and bind them together in a close relationship of love through the educative and inculcate effect of miraculously chosen words that are still accessible to everybody; and often a relationship built on the basis of proper education is far more secure than one based on a totally incomprehensible mystical belief founded on a myth.

 But man can fall out in sin and when he does so he is like a person in a ditch who needs a rope to hold on to and get out. Often people are not aware that they are in a ditch of sin. But Allah SWT (God) shows His mercy and sends down His revelation, which not only makes people aware of their situation, but also provides a rope to hold on to and get out of that situation. Allah (God) has been so merciful that He has been sending such revelations in all ages and among ALL nations. Our age is the final age in which He has sent the Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu alaihi Wasallam) as grace to all the worlds. In its nature the coming of the Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu alaihi Wasallam) is not different from the expressions of divine love through earlier revelations but in its scope it is the greatest such expression.

Suffering does come into the Islamic picture of prophetic work but in the following way: the primary function of the prophets is to point to "the signs of Allah SWT (God)" which enable man to turn to Allah SWT (God); educate him and incline him towards good actions and turn him away from bad ones; and enable him to receive Allah (God's) forgiveness and grace. This is a work that meets resistance from the very people whom the prophets want to lead to their Lord and to their salvation, and as a result the prophets have to struggle and suffer; some of them even had to die for their mission. Their suffering or death is for the sake of others, but it does not by itself lift the burden of people's sins. It is their whole work - teaching and example, of which patient suffering for others is a part - that has the effect of leading people to Allah SWT (God) and to salvation.

In Islam, Allah SWT (God) does not and need not become what He is not - a man - to show His love. Just as a man who loves dogs, cats or horses need not become one of these animals to show his love for them but can in other ways effectively demonstrate to them any amount of his love, so also Allah SWT (God) Almighty can and does show His great love to man without becoming man. Indeed in true love, it is essential, as it is often observed, that both partners maintain their identities. For one partner in love to try to assume the identity of the other is the sign of extreme insecurity such as is not consistent with love and for him to want the other partner to become like himself is not love of the other person but of himself. In the Islamic conception of love between man and Allah SWT (God) the two maintain their identities. Man remains fully man a created being, and Allah SWT (God) remains what He is and the love between them is not worse for that.

In Hadith, where we often find Quranic ideas elaborated, the personal character of the relationship between man and Allah SWT (God) is depicted forcefully in many traditions. For example:

     The Prophet is reported to have said: "The love of Allah (God) for His creatures is seventy times greater than that of a mother for her child".

     "If one goes one step towards Allah (God), Allah SWT (God) comes two steps towards such a one; if one goes walking towards Allah (God), Allah God comes running to him." [so here we see that it's the 'self' that needs to use its free will to take the initiative. This is part of its development and ascends in this existence.]

     When a sinner repents Allah (God) is overjoyed. One tradition likens Allah (God's) joy to that of a man who was traveling alone in a desert on a camel. He sleeps for the night and when he gets up he finds his camel missing. He searches for his beast for hours, during which time the sun warms up the desert and thirst and hunger bring the man close to extinction. Finally, he becomes exhausted and gives up the search; but just then he sees the camel walking towards him with all the water, food and other provisions. The happiness of Allah SWT (God) when a sinner returns to Him is like the happiness of this traveler at the moment when he sees his lost camel (Muslim).

     In another tradition Allah SWT (God) is represented as saying:

          "Nothing brings men near to me like the performance of that which I made obligatory upon them, and through supererogatory acts. My servant (i.e. man) comes even nearer to me until I love him. When I have bestowed My love on him, I became (as if) his hearing with which he hears, his sight with which he sees, his tongue with which he speaks, his hand with which he grasps, and his feet with which he walks" (al-Bukhari, ).

The Quranic verses and prophetic traditions cited above show -- and there are many, many more such verses and traditions -- that there is no justification in the criticism that the Muslim Allah (God) [and there's only one Reality, Muslims worship the same Allah (God) that is the Allah (God) of Adam A.S. and Abraham A.S..] is a very remote Being, incapable of showing a warm personal love to His creatures.

Ibn al-Qayyim   

                       

Ibn al-Qayyim mentioned ten causes that result in Allah's love for His slave and the slave's love for his Lord. [These ten are:]

First, reciting the Qur'an while pondering over its meanings and what is meant by it.

Second:, getting closer to Allah by performing voluntary deeds after completing obligatory deeds. This is as is stated in a Hadith Qudsi: "My slave continues getting closer to me by performing voluntary deeds until I love him." [Al-Bukhari]

Third: continual remembrance of Allah under all circumstances, with one's tongue, heart and actions. The extent of one's love of Allah is determined by this.

Fourth, giving precedence to what He loves over what you love when you are overtaken by your desires.

Fifth, the heart being avid of Allah's Names, and Attributes and the heart roaming in that garden of knowledge.

Sixth, observing Allah's kindness, goodness and bounties, both hidden and open.

Seventh, and this is the most wonderful, the heart being soft, subdued and meek before Allah.

Eighth, being alone with Allah during the time when the Lord descends during the last portion of the night while reading His Book and ending that by asking for forgiveness and repenting.

Ninth, sitting with the beloved and sincere, benefiting from the most fruitful of their speech. And not to speak unless speaking is more beneficial and you know that it will improve your state and be beneficial to others.

Tenth: remaining away from every cause that comes between the heart and Allah.

These ten causes take the lovers to the station of true love and bring them to their Beloved.

         

................As Allah informs us, loneliness and a lack of friendship are specific to Hell:

    He did not believe in Allah the Magnificent, nor did he urge the feeding of the poor. Therefore, here today he has no friend. (Surat al-Haqqa, 33-35)

Every believer who loves and respects Allah and who strives to please Him, enriches the world with goodness. Whoever loves Allah also loves His creations, feels compassion and mercy for them, and wants to protect them by bringing more goodness and beauty into the world. Allah’s messengers, the most excellent and moral people in the world, always invited their people toward love and closeness to each other and to Allah.

The true source of love in the believers’ hearts is their profound love of Allah. Believers love Allah greatly and, at every moment, strive to gain His love and good pleasure.

We need to work together and harder to nurture the soul of each individual and spread the message of peace, understanding, and love. The world cannot exist without these. We should cherish each other and help regenerate the world with care and kindness instead of war and destruction.  "What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal."

May Allah make our efforts sincere and keep us all on the straight path...........

Feel free to Share the information here with everyone you know,

And earn Sawab-e-Jariya...May Allah swt make it a source of Sawab-e-Jariya for u and me .Ameen

P.S.: "Have fun praying don’t forget to make dua for me...

Do you love your creator? Love your fellow-beings first.

Prophet Muhammad - “Do you love your creator? Love your fellow-beings first.”
Islam is not a way of life that is complex or difficult. Rather it is the human being who practices Islam who often makes it difficult-and then, complexity overtakes him so that eventually he is unable to cope with even the simplest of tasks. That it is possible for every person to understand and practice Islam is assured by the following three principles:

Firstly, the basic beliefs contain no mystery and are therefore easy to comprehend. Every tenet in Islam is subject to analysis and inquiry. Moreover, Islam does not present stumbling blocks to the mind. Islam does not present concepts or ideas which the intellect cannot grasp. Even the simplest of minds can understand its basic beliefs. It is therefore not surprising that its beliefs are universal.

I am only a humble Follower of Muhammad, Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon him; an ordinary Muslim, not, the Manager, of The Ordained. I am a Witness, a Believer, and an humble Follower of the Truth, of my Prophet's stated words. Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon Muhammad.

I am also, consciously aware of the Fact, that I can only Present, my Understanding, in greatest humility ... For my understanding, is limited to, my limited Mental, and Intellectual Capacities; nevertheless, the Understanding, has to be presented regardless of the Constraints and restraints, within my Faithful Understanding, of the Master's Profound words.

What are we doing? Why do we keep hurting each other? We have everything to lose by not openly accepting the responsibility of love and cleaning up the mess we have made. For those of you who speak of a new heavens and earth... I believe that a loving parent would tell us something like this... "You may have a new heavens and new earth when you clean up the one you have". It will be just like new and this is what we have right now. You may see me in all things when you love each other. Love is a gift and a responsibility!

What is Love? We believe love is a verb. We believe it is constantly growing and changing just like us. Yet we are aware that we always have love. Love is for everyone!  We just need to cultivate love and choose loving actions. In the spirit of clear communication, make no mistake that we have a very specific definition of what love is. You may or may not agree, but this is the process that we believe love goes through and grows from. These specific elements of love are what we believe everyone is equally entitled to and equally responsible for.

Praising (Thanking) Allah

[14. Surah Ibrahim : Ayah 7]

"And when your Lord made it known: If you are grateful, I would certainly give to you more, and if you are ungrateful, My chastisement is truly severe."

My Lord! grant me that I should be grateful for Thy favor which Thou hast bestowed on me and on my parents, and that I should do good such as Thou art pleased with, and make me enter, by Thy mercy, into Thy servants, the good ones.

Famous statement that "the poor will always be with you (us)", is not a divine comment on the status quo. It is an exhortation to do your utmost to alleviate the suffering of your fellow human beings, through continuous action and commitment to basic principles of human rights and social justice. In short, preferential treatment of the poor,
 It's about showing compassion. It's about utilizing your spiritual compass that allows you to help someone rather than belittle them when they are down. Because whether you agree or disagree, we're really all in this together.

Too often the trend in our society is for people to be separated from one other, to be cut off from the great mass of humanity, and in doing so to be dehumanized a little bit more with each step.

Cars have taken us off the streets, where we used to greet each other and stop to chat. Cubicles have taken away a bit of the humanity in working, as have factories and even computers to some extent. Television has planted us firmly in our living rooms, instead of out with other people. Even movie theaters, where many people get together, cut us off from true conversation because we’re staring at a big screen.

And while I’m not railing against any of these inventions (except perhaps the cubicle), what we must guard against is the tendency of that individuality to have us focused on ourselves to the exclusion of our fellow human beings. The tendency towards selfishness rather than giving, on helping ourselves rather than helping our brothers and sisters in humanity.

I’m not saying we’re all like that, but it can happen, if we’re not careful.

So strike back against the selfishness and greed of our modern world, and help out a fellow human being today. Not next month, but today.

Helping a fellow human being, while it can be inconvenient, has a few humble advantages:

   1. It makes you feel better about yourself;
   2. It connects you with another person, at least for a moment, if not for life;
   3. It improves the life of another, at least a little;
   4. It makes the world a better place, one little step at a time;
   5. And if that kindness is passed on, it can multiply, and multiply.

So take just a few minutes today, and do a kindness for another person. It can be something small or the start of something big. Ask them to pay it forward. Put a smile on someone’s face.

If you can't be content with what you have received, be thankful for what you have escaped.

Loving

Patient, kind, truthful, unselfish, trusting, humble, faithful, believing, hopeful, and enduring, not jealous, boastful, arrogant, rude, selfish, or angry. True love seeks the win-win. Love protects us from our sense of failure, while encouraging us to keep going. Love does not turn and remain silent in the face of harmful and destructive behaviors, but remains true to its truth, even risking suffering.  Love is showing diligence in pursuit of moral excellence. When you have knowledge, show self-control and perseverance. In perseverance, show love and awareness of your fellow human being. Be diligent and persevere in loving yourself, loving others, loving all living beings. Love is still the answer.  We need to show it more then ever, because the world needs more…

We are worthy of happiness when we learn to give it to ourselves and others. If we do not find ourselves worthy of love, when we are presented with the opportunity to share love with others, we will quickly become like a well that has dried up. Give as you wish to receive and pay attention to giving away what you do not have.

Find a way to love self and you will gain the ability to love others. Learn to love others and we will gain the ability to love all life and recognize how we are all connected to one another and all life.  We are all at the banquet of life and we all sit at this earth table with the same sun, moon and stars above. We breathe the same air and all as fellow human beings.  Let us not take more then we give nor try to keep what is only in our care for a time. We are changing each other and our future fellow human beings every day by what we do and what we don't do!

Do not take pride in someone else's fall from grace. If you find yourself delighted, even if you won't admit this to anyone, then you have some soul-searching to do. It's ok to be disappointed, but at the same time, be prayerful for anyone who stumbles.

 It's important to be mindful of the self-defeating crab mentality. You are bringing a negative spirit into your space when you root for others to fail. Compare the human race to your family. If you cheer, or are happy when someone in your immediate family has a difficult time in life, even if it's by their own doing, you become part of the problem, rather than the solution. It works the same way collectively, with the human race because of our spiritual connection to one another. We are all connected; all branches of the same tree.

Instead of shaking your head in disgust or telling others, "I told you so, he's no good, he's a cheater, and he’s a dog." Just say a silent prayer for all parties involved and move on with your life. Especially if you do not know the individual on a personal level. Say a prayer for those involved. If we were to do this on a collective level you would be amazed at what transpires on a global scale.

Prophet Muhammad (saw):-From morning until night and from night until morning
keep your heart free from malice towards anyone.

"…Do not render vain your deeds by a reminder of your generosity and annoying the people to whom you have given assistance or help purely for the sake of God."
— The Holy Quran, 2:264

Prophet Muhammad (saw):- A perfect Muslim is one from whose tongue and hands mankind is safe

Meditation in God is my capital.
Reason and sound logic is the root of my existence.
Love is the foundation of my existence.
Enthusiasm is the vehicle of my life.
Contemplation of Allah is my companion.
Faith is the source of my power.
Sorrow is my friend.
Knowledge is my weapon.
Patience is my clothing and virtue.
Submission to the Divine Will is my pride.
Truth is my salvation.
Worship is my habit.
And in prayer lies the coolness of my eye and my peace of mind.

"Sure! A relationship with the Almighty is not impossible. We must realize that one's approach to the Presence of Almighty Being, who is absolutely unseen, is possible by means of fortification of spiritual power via one's complete faith in His Self-reliant Being."
Difficulties are opportunities to better things; they are stepping stones to greater experience. Perhaps someday you will be thankful for some temporary failure in a particular direction. When one door closes, another always opens.

If you see something happening and you can help you are honour bound as a fellow human being to help,' he said.
"Blessed are those that can give without remembering and receive without forgetting." -

-"So hasten towards all that is good". (2:148)

 -"And march forth in the way (which leads to) forgiveness from your Rubb, and for Jannah as wide as are the heavens and the earth, prepared for Al-Muttaqun (the pious)". (3:133)

 From Hadith:

- 87. Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Be prompt in doing good deeds (before you are overtaken) by turbulence which would be like a part of the dark night. A man would be a believer in the morning and turn to disbelief in the evening, or he would be a believer in the evening and turn
disbeliever in the morning, and would sell his Faith for worldly goods.'' [Muslim].

Commentary: This Hadith tells that the Day of  Resurrection will be preceded by a long chain of calamities. Because of the rush of these calamities, religion and Faith will loose their value in people. There will be a race for wealth, so much so that people would not hesitate to compromise their religion and Faith to acquire wealth. People will rapidly change their faces. This is what actually happening. In this situation true believers are exhorted to adhere strictly to Faith and perform noble deeds without delay.


'You are the servant, He is the Master. Prayers come from you, answers come from Him. Abstinence comes from you, protection comes from Him. Repentance comes from you, acceptance comes from Him. Go towards him walking, He will come to you running.'

It shows the love that can exist between the believer and Allah(swt)


Feel free to Share the information here with everyone you know,
And earn Sawab-e-Jariya..May Allah swt make it a source of Sawab-e-Jariya for You and me .Ameen.

P.S.: "Have fun praying    don’t forget to make dua for me
.

Warm Personal Love

The guidance of Islam is the guidance of love. The innate, natural and ancient religion that is Islam is the religion of love. The Prophet (puh) came to guide us to love and to make clear the love that is at the core of all religion. Our purpose as human beings is to consciously manifest Allah ' s love in our lives. This is the most significant meaning of Khilafa and Ibada that can bring purpose to us and transform our lives. When we reflect upon the history of the Prophet (puh) and the spread of his message we will realize that Islam could not have taken root in the world without the love that filled the heart of the Prophet and was clearly manifest in his way of relating and interacting with people that brought out their own deep and profound love for him. Without this mutual and abiding love, none of us would be here today. Without this love Islam would not have been possible.

A man once came to the Prophet (puh) and asked him about the hereafter. The Prophet asked him, “ And what have you prepared for that time? ” The man replied, “ Nothing, except that I love Allah and I love you. ” The Prophet (puh) answered him, “ You are with the ones you love. ”

The Qur'an uses several words for the term "love" with different shades of meaning. If all these words -- rafah, rahmah, wudda, hub, etc. -- are translated as "love", then this word is of very frequent occurrence in the Qur'an, appearing on average about once in every 15 aya'h (communications; verses). Even the word hub, which is most commonly translated as love, occurs in application to God so frequently in the Qur'an that it is hardly justified to say that Islam knows only greatness of God, not His love.

God's Universal Love (rafah, rahmah, rabubiyyah)

The various words used in the Qur'an for God's love can be divided into two categories: those that relate to universal manifestation of divine love and those that refer to a special love reserved for the righteous.

God's love in its universal manifestation is generally referred to in the Qur'an under the terms rafah and rahmah. Rafah can be translated as compassion, kindness or pity, while rahmah is usually rendered as grace, love, blessing or mercy. About God's rahmah the Qur'an says that it encompasses all things:

    My punishment I inflict upon whom I will but My rahmah embraces all things... (7:156)

    O our Sustainer! You embrace all things within (Your) rahmah and knowledge. (40:7)

These verses reveal that while divine punishment is an act of God's will directed towards some purpose, love or rahmah s, as it were, His nature, His normal attitude towards men and other creatures. So it is said in 6:12, 15 that God "has enjoined upon Himself (the rule) of rahmah". It is possible to include in "all things" that are under the embrace of God's rahmah even those people who are punished, so that even divine punishment can be said to proceed in some way from rahmah. [It's through punishments and afflictions do we realize that we have crossed the natural boundaries of our existence. This, in turn, brings about a sense of awareness and self-knowledge, which in turn enables one to return to the middle and the balanced path where there is contentment and peace.]

For humans, God's rahmah and rafah are manifested, for example, in His abundant forgiveness and in the creation of the environment in which humans live, an environment that they can use to their great benefit (22:65; 30:50 etc.). They are also manifested in the revelations sent by God through His messengers (2:154; 11:17; 11:53), [as through this Divine guidance, we come to know God and the natural boundaries He has created within which there is a maximum chance for our spiritual growth].

The coming of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is especially a manifestation of God's rahmah and rafah (57:9; 6:155). He came as rahmat-al-lil-alamin (grace to all nations) and the revelation he brought is rahmah for all those who believe (10:57; 17:82 etc.).

Concrete manifestations of rahmah and rafah gives rise to two oft-repeated "names" or attributes of God: Rahman and Rahim. Both names are intensive forms derived from rahmah, signifying "Most Gracious or Compassionate", but there seems to be a difference in the shade of meaning. Rahim emphasizes divine love as it responds to man's deeds when they have occurred or his needs when they have arisen; for example, God's patience, long suffering and forgiveness given to man after he has been sinning or His responding to the prayer of a man who has been suffering. The name Rahman, on the other hand, stresses love and grace that flows from God independently of what man does, such as God's love and grace which is manifested in His creating man or sending the Prophet for humankind or in His putting some of humankind on the right path, in any of which acts human beings played absolutely no part.

Another attribute of God which relates to God's love is Rabb. This is a difficult word to translate. The cognate verb is used in 17:24 for the care that a child receives from his parents and this provides the best starting point for understanding the idea. God as Rabb  is He who is ultimately responsible even for the care our parents give us and Who, of course, provides us with a great many other things which parents do not or cannot. In other words, God's whole role in bringing us into existence, in sustaining our existence and in our growth and development in various aspects, comes under the term Rabb. In English we can do justice to the term by using several such words as Sustainer, Cherisher, Developer. Rabb also includes the idea of having a just claim to the possession of a thing and of having authority over it. In this sense it can be translated as Lord.

Since all the roles that an ideal father plays in relation to his children -- providing for their material and psychological needs, giving necessary guidance to them so that they can grow up into mature adults, and assuming for these purposes authority as the master of the household -- are included in the word Rabb, the Qur'anic term includes the best of the senses in which the New Testament sometimes refers to God as Abba, Father.

But Rabb is preferable to Abba because of two reasons:

    * it properly indicates that God's role as creator, supporter, provider, cherisher, guide and lord is far superior to that of a father, and

    * many individuals may not have had a very good experience with their fathers -- if, for example, they were criminals, or alcoholics, or cruel, or suffer from other serious weaknesses -- and in such individuals the term "Father" may not evoke the best of images and feelings, so that instead of endearing God to them the term may contribute to blocking the development of a close relationship with Him.

God's Special Love in Islam (hub, mahabbah, wudda)

In addition to rafah, rahmah and rabb the Qur'an also uses hub, mahabbah, and wuddu to refer to God's love. In general, these words signify a more personal and warmer manifestation of divine love than do the other words we have considered above. Mahabbah of God was operative, for example in the safe upbringing of Moses among his enemies, and in His raising him to great spiritual and moral heights:

    I cast over you (O Moses) the garment of love (mahabbah) from Me and (this) in order that you may be reared under My care (literally "eye") (20:39)

Hub and Wudda are available to the faithful:

    On those who have faith and do good will the Most Gracious One (Rahman) bestow love (wudda)." (19:96)

    Say, (O My Prophet to the people), "if you love God, follow me, (and) God will love you (hub) and forgive you your sins; for God is oft-forgiving, most merciful." (3:31)

Wudda gives rise to God's name Al-Wadud (Loving One) (11:90; 85:14).

Hub is available to those:

    * who repent (2:222)
    * who do good (2:195; 5:13)
    * who are just (5:42; 49:9)
    * who persevere in patience (3:145)
    * who fight for His cause (61:4)
    * who love cleanliness (61:4)
    * who put their trust in Him (3:158)

and so on. But it is not available to:

    * the conceited, boastful man (2:190)
    * the mischievous disturbers of peace (28:77)
    * the unjust (42:40)
    * the extravagant (6:142)
    * the supercilious (16:23)
    * the transgressors (2:190)

and so on.

Thus while there is a divine love (rafah, rahmah) which embraces everything there is another, warmer, type of love (hub) that God gives to some but not to others. That God is selective in giving this warmest love is necessary idea found in every religion. It really amounts to a distinction between good and evil. If God treated everybody in a completely identical manner, regardless of his character and conduct, then the distinction between good and evil, which is essential to all religions, would become meaningless. Consequently there is no basis for the criticism by some people that the Qur'anic conception of God's love is defective because the Qur'an says that God does not love people with certain bad qualities such as unjustness, boastfulness, lawlessness.

The Qur'an does not say that God hates these people, only that He does not love them with a warm love (hub); the question of the availability of the universal type of divine love (rahmah) is left in the Qur'an open for all people in the world.

Let us note some further points about the Qur'anic concept of God's hub.

    * It is clear from the Qur'anic verses referred to above that the distinguishing marks of those who received God's hub are certain qualities or traits -- trust in God, justness, patience etc. Adherence to a code of law given by Islam is not stressed in this connection.

    * The Qur'an says that those who follow the Prophet receive God's hub (3:31) but it stops at this positive statement and does not say anywhere that those who do not follow the Prophet will not receive God's hub, thus leaving the possibility in principle that followers of other religions may acquire the qualities and conduct that earn man the love of God. But the Qur'an does say that those righteous believers in other faiths who accept Islam will have their portion of divine love doubled (57:28). This is because God has a special love for the Prophet Muhammad and his mission represents the primary means in our age for the realization of divine purpose in history, so that to follow him is more than to acquire faith and good qualities.

    * Although a man with good qualities of heart and conduct receives divine love, he does not do so because of his qualities. For like every other good thing that happens to a man (4:79), good qualities of heart and conduct are themselves ultimately a gift from God and are not acquired by man on his own. When in numerous places the Qur'an says that God guides or admits into His own rahmah whom He Wills, the meaning is that the act that puts man on the path of God and His love is initiated by God. This idea comes out especially clearly in the following passage:

          This (Qur'an) is a reminder. So let everyone who wills, take a way to the Lord. But you will not will, unless wills God. Surely, God is full of knowledge and wisdom. He admits to His rahmah who He wills; but for the wrongdoers He has prepared a grievous penalty." (76:29-31; see also 81:27-29, 42:8)

    * To the extent that the Qur'an relates the reception of divine love with acquisition of certain qualities of heart and conduct (even if that relation is not of simple cause and effect), we can say that according to the Qur'an divine love is purposive, for qualities can become relevant only for serving a purpose. Thus God's love should not be thought of as simply a sentimental person-to-person relationship, but a creative force which operates to realize an End.

The Coming of the Prophet as the Supreme Act of Divine Love

One objection against the Islamic conception of God's love is that it does not present us with some great expression in history of divine love which can in turn evoke the response of love in man towards God. For example, one writer (John Gilchrist) states: "Indeed the Qur'an often appeals to that which is visible in nature as a proof of God's existence and character... But apart from this the Qur'an tells really nothing of the depth of God's love towards men outside of that which can be discovered in nature. It does not disclose any great act of love in the history of God's dealings with men which should cause the response of heartfelt love towards him in return. To put it in a nutshell, there is no definite expression of love in the the heart of God towards men in the Qur'an. No proof of deep affection towards mankind is given at all".

The writer has in mind here the Christian belief that God manifested His love by coming as a man and being sacrificed for the sins of man, and is noticing a lack in Islam of the idea of a similarly dramatic manifestation of divine love. Now while it is true that there is no place in Islam for anything like the idea of the necessity of God becoming man and being slaughtered to show His love, the idea of a great act of divine love in history, for the whole of humankind is present in Islam. In one significant verse the Qur'an presents the coming of the Prophet of Islam as just such an act:

    "And We have not sent you (O Muhammad) except as an act of love (rahmah) to all the worlds." (21:107)

The love of God alluded to here -rahmah- is, as we saw above, God's universal love, one that is said in the Qur'an to embrace everything (40:7). Out of this love for His creation (or all the worlds) and in particular all humankind, God sent the Prophet Muhammad. This act is the greatest initiative of God's universal love: the Qur'an does not describe any other single divine act as "rahmah to all the worlds". The act is a perpetual one: it continues through the words of the Qur'an and the example of the Prophet. People can respond to this divine initiative by opening their hearts to the words of the Qur'an and by following the revelatory example of the Prophet.

If they do so, greater blessings will follow; in particular God will receive them in His more special, warmer love - hub or wudda (see Qur'an 3:31; 11:90 which have already been quoted above.)

This act of divine love works to reconcile all humanity with God and bind them together in a close relationship of love through the educative and inculcative effect of miraculously chosen words that are still accessible to everybody; and often a relationship built on the basis of proper education is far more secure than one based on a totally incomprehensible mystical belief founded on a myth.

According to Islam, God's love and mercy have always been available to him, from the creation of Adam through his rise to consciousness until the Last Day for humanity in this temporary, yet purposive, existence. But man can fall out in sin and when he does so he is like a person in a ditch who needs a rope to hold on to and get out. Often people are not aware that they are in a ditch of sin. But God shows His mercy and sends down His revelation, which not only makes people aware of their situation, but also provides a rope to hold on to and get out of that situation. God has been so merciful that He has been sending such revelations in all ages and among ALL nations. Our age is the final age in which He has sent the Prophet Muhammad as grace to all the worlds. In its nature the coming of the Prophet Muhammad is not different from the expressions of divine love through earlier revelations but in its scope it is the greatest such expression.

Suffering does come into the Islamic picture of prophetic work but in the following way: the primary function of the prophets is to point to "the signs of God" which enable man to turn to God; educate him and incline him towards good actions and turn him away from bad ones; and enable him to receive God's forgiveness and grace. This is a work that meets resistance from the very people whom the prophets want to lead to their Lord and to their salvation, and as a result the prophets have to struggle and suffer; some of them even had to die for their mission. Their suffering or death is for the sake of others, but it does not by itself lift the burden of people's sins. It is their whole work - teaching and example, of which patient suffering for others is a part - that has the effect of leading people to God and to salvation.

In Islam, God does not and need not become what He is not - a man - to show His love. Just as a man who loves dogs, cats or horses need not become one of these animals to show his love for them but can in other ways effectively demonstrate to them any amount of his love, so also God Almighty can and does show His great love to man without becoming man. Indeed in true love, it is essential, as it is often observed, that both partners maintain their identities. For one partner in love to try to assume the identity of the other is the sign of extreme insecurity such as is not consistent with love and for him to want the other partner to become like himself is not love of the other person but of himself. In the Islamic conception of love between man and God the two maintain their identities. Man remains fully man a created being, and God remains what He is and the love between them is not worse for that.

In Hadith, where we often find Qur'anic ideas elaborated, the personal character of the relationship between man and God is depicted forcefully in many traditions. For example:

    * The Prophet is reported to have said: "The love of God for His creatures is seventy times greater than that of a mother for her child".

    * "If one goes one step towards God, God comes two steps towards such a one; if one goes walking towards God, God comes running to him." [so here we see that it's the 'self' that needs to use its free will to take the initiative. This is part of its development and ascend in this existence.]

    * When a sinner repents God is overjoyed. One tradition likens God's joy to that of a man who was traveling alone in a desert on a camel. He sleeps for the night and when he gets up he finds his camel missing. He searches for his beast for hours, during which time the sun warms up the desert and thirst and hunger bring the man close to extinction. Finally, he becomes exhausted and gives up the search; but just then he sees the camel walking towards him with all the water, food and other provisions. The happiness of God when a sinner returns to Him is like the happiness of this traveler at the moment when he sees his lost camel (Muslim sahih reproduced in Mishkat al-Masabih, Book IV, chap. 3).

    * In another tradition God is represented as saying:

          "Nothing brings men near to Me like the performance of that which I made obligatory upon them, and through supererogatory acts. My servant (i.e. man) comes even nearer to Me until I love him. When I have bestowed My love on him, I became (as if) his hearing with which he hears, his sight with which he sees, his tongue with which he speaks, his hand with which he grasps, and his feet with which he walks" (al-Bukhari, Sahih, Riqaq, 38, reproduced in Mishkat al-Masabih, Book 9, chap.2).

The Qur'anic verses and prophetic traditions cited above show -- and there are many, many more such verses and traditions -- that there is no justification in the criticism that the Muslim God [and there's only one Reality, Muslims worship the same God that is the God of Adam and Abraham.] is a very remote Being, incapable of showing a warm personal love to His creatures.