Love of God!
This is a life-changing question! What should a person do to have the constant presence of heart and to always see themselves in the presence of God in all their actions?
He must develop the reasons for loving God within himself. Man loves himself but does not love the one who has created him. Ultimately, he must do something to increase the love of God within himself.
In dhikr and rites and such, if someone has this goal in mind and wants to increase his love and closeness (to Allah), I think there is nothing easier than lots of Salawat.
He will understand how his love will increase when he sends Salawat with love. Very Much. But with the condition of belief and that he understands that this (sending Salawat) moves him toward his beloved. Indeed, God knows what is in these Salawat.
Hadith of Prophet Muhammad (s): “Whoever sends his salutation on me once, not a single iota of his sins remain.” The point is that the easiest thing to do amongst the various dhikr is probably Salawat.
However, gazing at the Ka’ba is worship, and this will also bring about love for Allah (mercy of Allah). Looking at the Quran, it is worship. The Quran is equivalent to the Imam al-Hujjah (sa).
Looking at it is like looking at Imam Zaman (aj). It is equal to looking at Imam Zaman (aj). Look at how much we neglect and ignore things that are this easy. There are those who ask to teach them tough acts of worship that have these types of things. No way. These acts of worship are a few phrases, such as looking/gazing and these things.
Looking at a believer is worship. Looking at a scholar is worship. We have all of these in our traditions. Looking at the Quran, it is worship. Looking at the Ka’ba is worship.
Personal letter from God
When we are in the presence of the Quran, when we recite the Quran, we should consider this as a letter from a close friend. And we should earnestly read the Qur’an like we would read a personal letter.
If you had a close friend who sent you a personal letter, how would you read that letter? You would read it frequently, and you would read it earnestly.
You would consider yourself the sole audience and the one being addressed, and you wouldn’t read other people’s stories in that letter.
Sometimes, another letter may reach us, and we read that letter. We only get information from this letter. For example, A wrote to B or Zayd wrote to Amr. It has nothing to do with us personally; we are just informed of the situation.
There are other times when a close and loving friend writes us a vital letter, which is a personal letter that others are not informed of. We would treat this like an important letter. We would read it repeatedly, and we would read it with sincerity. We would try to grasp its secrets.
Quran is also a letter like this that has come from a close friend. He is our Beloved, and we are also His lovers. And if He didn’t love us, He wouldn’t have sent us a personal letter. He wouldn’t have sent us the best, purest, most perfect Caliph (s).
There never was, and will never be, a human being superior to the Prophet (s). God sent us this messenger (s). And He has recounted the biography of our lives in this Qur’an.
When we study and recite the Qur’an, it is not a book of stories or history. It is a book of light and guidance. And it is not the story of others but the biography of our own lives.
In this context, we are completely listening to the words of God. And we also speak to Him. He is very close to us. He knows our secrets, and He is the trustworthy Confidant of our secrets. He will make us conscious and aware.
Rope of God
One of the wise sayings of the fourth Imam (a) Imam Sajjad, is this.
That if all the people who are living in the East and the West were to die. And I was left alone; I would not feel fear as long as the Qur’an was with me. And If I was under the protection of the Qur’an, and if I was with the Qur’an. And if this word of God was with me, it would not abandon me. I would not have a fear of anything.
When an Imam (a) says that if the Qur’an is with me, I am not afraid of being alone, he speaks Truth. Because the Qur’an is the word of Truth. The speaker of this word is God. On one side, words are tied to the speaker. On the other hand, they are tied to the hearer and listener.
If the speaker is God, the listener is a special servant of God. And if this bond of servitude connects the servant with God under the shade of listening to the word of Truth, that servant will be safe from all harm.
Imam Sajjad (a) said that the right of God over you is that you worship Him and no one else, do not worship except Him, and in this worship, be sincere.
Both worship and sincerity. If you are sincere of Truth, if in this servitude you do not associate any partner with him, and if you are a sincere servant of Allah, Allah will take care of all your affairs in this transitory world and the hereafter.
No harm will come to this believer. Because everything is in existence, and everyone is in existence. Everything is a creation of God and is under the power of Allah. No existent can do anything independently.
When you see that humanity becomes distanced from the path of happiness, it is because they fear suffering harm.
They believe that doing wrong things (sinning) will help them reach their goal. This might be because they aren’t aware of the right way, or they’re unsure if the right way will actually get them to their goal.
But if it becomes resolved for them that this is the right path and that traversing this correct path will take them to their destination, they will never do wrong (Major sins in Islam)—the cause of sinning, violations, and violating the path of duties.
It is not being familiar, not being aware, and not knowing the main aspects of religion. Once it becomes resolved for a believer that the word of God is with them, that God is speaking to them in the Qur’an.
And once it becomes resolved for them that this rope has been hung from above until a servant grabs hold of it, understands, and acts. And in the ray of light of finding, understanding, and acting, if they ascend, they will not have a fear of anything.
Because they have grabbed hold of a rope, and one end of this rope is in the hands of God. Suppose the Qur’an invites us to grab hold of the rope of God.
وَٱعۡتَصِمُواْ بِحَبۡلِ ٱللَّهِ جَمِيعٗا
Wa’tasimoo bi Hablil laahi jamee’anw
“And hold fast, all of you together, to the rope of Allah“
One of the best examples of the rope of God is this Word of God, the Qur’an. And if someone is with the Qur’an, and the Qur’an is also with them, they do not have fear of anything. Neither will they surrender to the inner enemy, which the desires, nor will they compromise with the external enemy, which is being a servant to other than God.
Neither are they obedient to the internal enemy nor followers of the external enemy because defeat is caused by fear.
The one who is afraid is shaken. And the one who is shaken loses. If a person is frightened, they are shaken. And the one who is shaken loses. But if someone has no fear, they stand up, and the one who stands up will be victorious.
Love of God: Become host of God
One of the beautiful ways you are introduced at certain times, such as in the month of Ramadan, is you are the guests of God. You are the guests of the All-Merciful.
Man, as a guest of God, wants a lot of things from Him. In the lands of Mecca, during the times of Hajj, you are also the guest of the All-Beneficient. It is not always that a man can become the guest of God.
There is a particular time for that, as the tradition says, “Certainly your lord has winds of mercy in the days of your time.” However, if Man is to become host to God, then there is no specific time.
It says, “Whenever you invite Him, I will come!” Hence, if anyone wants to become the guest of God, it is not always possible. There is a particular time, and that is the month of Ramadan, and there is a special place and time, and that is during Hajj and Umrah.
However, to become a host to God, to invite him, and God to become a guest, there is no particular time.
“I am with the people whose hearts are broken” (tradition).
Whenever your heart breaks, you can invite me. Only Allah knows how much this broken heart is worth! If we come across a minor tribulation, we may complain. This time is a great opportunity. You see, “I am with the people whose hearts are broken.” Why did Imam Hassan (a) say, “O the oppressed!”
This is why when Imam Husayn (a) in his last moments when he instructed Imam Sajjad (a) or when Imam Sajjad (a) in his last moments instructed Imam Baqir (a), all of them used “Lest you oppress someone who does not have anyone to resort to except God” for the reason that if it is a broken heart, he can invite a particular guest.
This is “I am with the people whose hearts are broken.” This is not a kissable book. It is in your hand. If you want to become a guest of mine, I have a lot of work. If you’re going to invite me, I will come every time.
Do this everyday
The Holy Prophet (S) has shared that each person should spend some time alone every day, whether it’s for 30 minutes, an hour, 10 minutes, or even just 5 minutes. During this time, it’s important to reflect on your actions and ask yourself, “What have I achieved today? What value have I added to my life in the past 24 hours?”
It’s common to wish for just one more moment of life at its end, to breathe, speak, or pray.
Therefore, it’s crucial to evaluate ourselves daily, to understand what we’ve truly gained from the day’s efforts. A story is told about a farmer who worked hard for 40 years, tending to his crops and saving his wheat. When he finally checked his storeroom, expecting to see the fruits of his labor, he found it empty. The cause?
A rat, symbolizing our unchecked desires and whims, which had been stealing his wheat all along. This teaches us that the problem often lies within. As the poet Rumi says, if there’s no rat, then where has all the wheat gone?
The Prophet (S) advises not to wait years or even days to reflect on our actions and their worth. Instead, we should do this daily, asking ourselves what we’ve accomplished. If we find joy in praise, it might mean we’re acting for our own ego.
If we’re motivated by small rewards, perhaps it’s money driving us. It’s important to question how much of what we do is for a higher purpose, how we’re helping others, and what we’re doing for God’s satisfaction. This daily reflection is our responsibility.
Thank You So much
Jazakallah! brother