Love is not a mere emotional or physical affection but is also considered a transformative force on the path of spiritual realisation. A common theme noticed amongst Sufi writings is that love completely overrides their beings. This could be due to Sufis being profound thinkers and philosophers, and so the amount of times and depth that they think about their beloved and the extent of their love and what it means, is beyond what the normal person thinks about. As Abu Bakr al-Shibli says that Love is called Muhabbat because it obliterates everything from the heart except the Beloved.
Data Ali bin Uthman al-Hujweri mentions three uses of Love by the Ulama:
- Love is a passion, a fire and urge for the homologous beloved in the heart of the lover. This yearning is not applicable to God, but for Humans.
- Love connotes Divine Grace and Benevolence, which He confers on His Awliya. Special blessings and favours of love to gain perfection and sainthood.
- Praise of the man of God in lieu of his good deeds.
Harith al-Muhasibi, Junaid and Sayyid Hujweri, along with scholars of the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jam’aat are of the opinion that love of God for man is another name for His extreme kindness, mercy and favour to him.
The love for God is the name of an urge in the heart that he remains absorbed in His remembrance, severs connections with the world, clears his mind of all desires other than God and desires to gain His nearness. According to al-Hujweri, man’s love for God is not the same type of love as a human’s love for human beings. In the latter, the lover wants to win the other over and possess the object of his love, while in the former, man wants to surrender himself to his Beloved and annihilates himself completely (fana fi Allah) and eventually subsists (baqa bi Allah).
Some love God for His bounties and gifts, however the Sufis regard these as veils. God’s bounties should serve as a means to an end which is God Himself. Shaykh Samnun al-Muhib adds that love is the only means of gaining Divine Nearness. He also holds the opinion that love for humans is fraught with decline and dangers, while love for God is immune from such perils and the road of love is open for all to tread upon.
Love is ingrained in the very nature of man. It is a force than cannot be subdued or suppressed by effort. Love cannot be described by the word love - It is a feeling and feelings cannot be expressed by words. Love is a Divine Gift and not achieved by effort.
How to reconcile the two in a modern world?
For an individual to love another individual, it cannot be for something that the individual receives from that individual (veils), but rather for that individual itself. Even that will not suffice, the individual will have to possess knowledge of that individual in relation to God, that God created this individual and has placed this individual in my life out of His Mercy and Kindness. Love for God overrides the individual such that God is his hearing in which he hears, God is his seeing in which he sees (Hadith Qudsi in Bukhari). Therefore, love of God and love of others for God, are true kinds of love.
Who you perhaps were thinking of whilst reading this may reflect the inclinations of your heart. I believe this account of love aligns with al-Hujweri and a Sufi account.
God knows best.