The Prophet’s (s.a.w.) Love of Allah (s.w.t.) was His Life

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ 

Shaykh Tu’sun Bayrak al-Jirrahi wrote, in “Reflections on Love”, adapted from Futuhat al-Makkiyah, of Shaykh Muhyi ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ibn ‘Arabi (q.s.), that the Prophet’s (s.a.w.) love for his Lord was his life. 

The one who reads and understands the Qur’an certainly learns.  But only the one who applies the knowledge to life takes the right steps on the path to Truth.  It is not sufficient to read the Qur’an in daylight and by lamplight at night.  One should read oneself in the light of the Qur’an, for the Truth may be found only in oneself.  Sayyidatina ‘Aishah bint Abu Bakr (r.a.) said that the Prophet (s.a.w.), “is the living Qur’an.”  But to seek the perfection of our Prophet (s.a.w.) in the sentences of ahadits is insufficient. We should seek it in ourselves. 

Our Prophet (s.a.w.) has been Sent as a mercy upon the universe.  Do we have that sense of love, compassion, care for all of Allah’s (s.w.t.) Creation around us?  Do we understand that to serve Allah (s.w.t.) is to serve His Creation?  Are we ready to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of the welfare of our community?  We are mu’minin, believers; we are Muslims and our closeness to Allah (s.w.t.) is measured to the extent that we find in the Qur’an and the ahadits, aspects of the Prophet (s.a.w.) in ourselves.  Our Prophet (s.a.w.) is the Beloved of Allah (s.w.t.); to be worthy of Allah’s (s.w.t.) Love, a Muslim must assume the character of, must try and inherit the perfection of His Beloved. 

The beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) said, “Swalah is the mi’raj of my ummah,” referring not, to the five daily prayers, but rather the continuous swalati da’imun, the continuous worship, remembrance, heedfulness, the whole life of the true mu’min.  This mi’raj is only possible for the one who turns the mirror of his heart to Allah (s.w.t.) with the hope that His Love will be reflected in it, with the hope of seeing Him in that mirror, the hope that his heart will become His Home, as He Promises that, “He does not fit into the heavens and the worlds He has Created, but He will fit into the heart of His faithful servant.” 

But who could be like the Beloved of Allah (s.a.w.), to be so loved by Allah (s.w.t.)?  His love for his Lord was his life; he had no eye to look at anything else except his Beloved, no face to turn anywhere else except towards Him, no words except in praise of Him, no moment without remembrance of Him.  His prayer was, “O my beloved, do not let me be alone with myself even for a blink of the eye!”  And his Lord Accepted his prayer, and Rendered him selfless.