3Chapter Three WAYS TO BRING ABOUT THE LOVE OF ALLAAH

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, “Chapter: Waysthat bring about the Love (of Allaah) and necessitate it, and they areten in number.One: Recitation of the Qur’aan with reflection andunderstanding of its meanings and what is intended by it, as onereflects over a book which he has memorised and which he expounds sothat he may understand what its author intends from him.Two: Getting closer to Allaah with the supererogatory actsof worship, after the obligatory ones, for they will take him toanother level of love that comes after love.Three: Constant remembrance in every circumstance by thetongue, the heart, actions and (one’s) condition 20, so a person’s share of love is in accordance with his shareof this remembrance.Four: Preferring His love over your own when desires overcomeyou and climbing to reach His love, even if the ascent is difficult.Five: The heart’s comprehension of His Names and Attributes,witnessing them and having knowledge of them, to immerse himself in thegarden of this knowledge and its fundamental pillars. 21Whoever knows Allaah by His Names, Attributes and Actions, will, nodoubt, love Him. For this reason the deniers of His Attributes(Mu’attilah), Fir’awniyyah and Jahmiyyah are like highway robbers tothe hearts, (they come in between it and) between reaching the beloved(i.e., Allaah). 22 Six: Witnessing His generosity, His benevolence, His favoursand blessings, both hidden and open, for these things call to His love.Seven: And this is the most amazing of them all, the heart’stotal defeat and humility in front of Allaah, the Most High, and thereare no other words and considerations which give expression to thismeaning.Eight: Being alone at the Time of the Descent of Allaah 23for having private conversations with Him, reciting HisWords,investigating the heart, displaying the manners of servitude whilst infront of Him and then to seal all of that with seeking forgiveness andrepentance.Nine: Sitting with the truthful lovers (of Allaah) andgathering the good fruits (arising) from their speech, just as onepicks out the best of fruits, and that you do not speak except when thebenefit of the speech prevails and when you know that there is abetterment for you and benefit for others in it.Ten: Keeping distant from everything that comes between theheart and between Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic.So from these ten ways, the lovers will reach the (various) levels oflove and will enter upon the Beloved. And the chief and fundamentalprinciple behind all of this comprises two matters: preparing the soulfor this matter and opening the eye of keen insight/sure knowledge.”[Madaarijus-Saalikeen (3/17). 20 All of that being based uponwhat conforms to and is restricted bythe Messenger’s Sunnah and not upon what the astray Soofees invent andinnovate of misguidances and corrupt practices from their ownintellects, satanic whisperings and innovatory ejaculations of the mindand soul.Ibn al-Qayyim said, “He (i.e.,Shaikhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah) said, ‘And as for what many of the peopleof imaginations and foolishness say, ‘Haddathanee qalbee ‘an Rabbee'(meaning) ‘My heart informed me from my Lord-,then it is correct thathis heart informed him. However from whom? His devil or from His Lord?When he says, ‘My heart informed me from my Lord,’ he is ascribing thisinforming to someone about whom he does not know whether such a oneactually informed him or not. And this is a lie. And the muhaddath ofthis Ummah [(i.e., ‘Umar ibn al-Khatatab) in reference to the hadeethin Bukhaaree, “Indeed, in the nations before you there were people whowere inspired (muhaddathoon) and if there was one in this Nation itwould be ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab,”] never used to say this and thissaying (i.e., ‘My heart informed me from my Lord…’) was never utteredby him on a single day. Allaah protected him from saying that. In facthis scribe wrote one day, ‘This is what Allaah showed to the Chief ofthe Believers, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab.’ So he (Umar) said, ‘’No. Eraseit and write, ‘This is what Umar ibn al-Khattaab saw. If it is correctit is from Allaah and if it is wrong then it is from ‘Umar, and Allaahand His Messenger are free from it.’ And he said, ‘I speak about itwith my opinion. If it is correct it is from Allaah and if it is wrongit is from me and Shaytaan.’ So this is the saying of al-Muhaddath(i.e., Umar) who has the testification of the Messenger (r) and youwill see the one believing in the Divine Unionwith Allaah (Ittihaadee) and the one believing in the inclusionof Allaah in His creation or parts of His creation (Huloolee) and thelicentious unrestrained strayer giving rise to forgery saying, ‘Myheart has informed me from My Lord.’ So look at these two sayings (thatof ‘Umar and that of those claiming to receive knowledge of Allaahdirectly, from their hearts) and (look at) these two grades, those whosay both these sayings (i.e., ‘Umar and those making this claim) andthese two states (that of ‘Umar and of those besides him) and giveevery owner of a right his due right and do not make thecounterfeit/impostor and the sincere, one and the same thing.”Madaarijus-Saalikeen (1/64).21 Imaamat-Tirmidhee (d.279H) said, “Ithas been stated by more than one person from the People of Knowledgeabout such ahaadeeth, that there is no resemblance (tashbeeh) to theAttributes of Allaah, and our Lord, the Blessed and Most High,descends to the lowest heaven every night. So they say, ‘Affirm thesenarrations, have faith in them, do not deny them, nor ask how.’ Thelikes of this has been related from Maalik ibn Anas, Sufyaanath-Thawree, Ibn ‘Uyainah and ‘Abdullaah ibn al-Mubaarak, who all saidabout such ahaadeeth, ‘Leave them as they are, without asking how.’Such is the saying of the People of Knowledge from the Ahlus-Sunnahwal-Jamaa’ah. However, the Jahmiyyah oppose these narrations and say,‘This is resemblance (tashbeeh)!’ However, Allaah the Most High, hasmentioned in various places in His Book, the Attribute of Hand, Hearingand Seeing, but the Jahmiyyah interpret (make ta’weel) of these aayaat,explaining them in a way other than how they are explained by thePeople of Knowledge. They say, ‘Indeed, Allaah did not create Aadamwith His own Hand,’ they say that Hand means the Power of Allaah.”Sunan at-Tirmidhee (3/24).22 Al-HaafidhTaqiyud-Deen Aboo Muhammad‘Abdul-Ghaniyy al-Maqdisee (d.600H) (may Allaah have mercy on him)said, “And know, may Allaah have mercy upon you, that Islaam and itspeople are attacked and destroyed by three groupings.(i) A group who reject the hadeeth pertaining to the Attributes ofAllaah and who reject their narrators. They are more harmful to Islaamand its adherents than the Disbelievers.(ii) A group who speak with the authenticity of these hadeethand accept them, but they perform Ta’weel (figurative interpolation) ofthem. They are mightier in their harm than the first group. (iii) Andthe third group, those who avoid the above two sayings, and begin-as they claim to ‘purify’ (tanzeeh) Allaah from all imperfections butin fact they are liars, and this leads them to the very same above twosayings. So they are more harmful than the first two groups.”‘Aqeedatul-Haafidh ‘Abdul-Ghaniyy (p. 113)23 Fudailibn ‘Iyaad(d.187H) said, “When you hear the Jahmee say, ‘I disbelieve in a Lordthat Descends,’ say, ‘I believe in a Lord that does what He wills.”Sharh Usoolul-Itiqaad (no.775). Yahyaa ibn Ma’een (d. 233H) said, “Whenyou hear the Jahmee say, ‘I disbelieve in a Lord that Descends,’ thensay, ‘I believe in a Lord that does what He desires.’” SharhUsoolul-Itiqaad (no.776). Imaam Ahmad (d.241H) said, “He descends as Hewills, according to His Knowledge and Power and Greatness. Heencompasses everything with His Knowledge.” Sharh Usoolul-Itiqaad(no.777). Abul-Hasan Al-Ash’aree (d.324H) said, “And we believe in all of the narrations thatthe People of Narration have considered to be authentic concerning theDescent to the Lowest Heaven and that the Lord, the Mighty andMajestic, says, “Is there one asking? Is there one seekingforgiveness?” and the totality of what they quote and consider to beestablished, in opposition to the people of deviancy and misguidance.”Al-Ibaanah (p.60).