Transcription
What’s up with you and this phone? Or you can no longer sleep without the sound of shelling? I want to check on my son. The phone has been off for hours. It's not usual for him. This is the first time.
Where's your son? You said you were alone. I sent him away to his uncle. On his own? Yes, on his own. What was I supposed to do? I wasn't allowed to leave with him. I had to send him alone. The one I love the most in this world, I had to send him away. What was I supposed to do? To keep him? Maybe I should have kept him here. But if I had kept him, he could have died with the ones who died. He would have died like his father. He would have died with his brother or his grandfather. But maybe I should have kept him with me. My sweetheart. I know my son. He can't sleep without me. He can't eat without me. Maybe I shouldn't have sent him away. But what was I supposed to do? Adam, my love. I miss you, my son.
Be patient sister. Take it easy, It's okay. May God reassure you about him. Be patient. God willing, it will all be good. Take it easy sister. Believe me sister. If anyone loves your son more than you do, It's God. Whatever God has decreed is beneficial. And whatever God has written is good. Be patient. God willing everything will be okay. Yes, Allah is sufficient. At least your heart is at ease about him. That he is safe. That he is away from the bombing. The explosion and the devastation.
Does Allah love everyone? It's a question that makes people uncomfortable, but the answer is more nuanced than a simple yes or no. Allah doesn't love the persistent sinner and the striving good doer in the same way, but He loves good for you and He loves repentance from you. So we need to change how we phrase this. Instead of saying, "Allah loves the sinners," say, "Allah loves the repenters." That way you don't belittle the sin or cheapen His love, but you also don't make a person hopeless thinking they can never reach Allah's love because of their past sins. It's your present sins that serve as barriers, not your past. And if you're repenting, then know that divine love doesn't expire with failure. Shu'ayb عليه السلام said to his people, وَاسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوبُوا إِلَيْهِ إِنَّ رَبِّي رَحِيمٌ وَدُودٌ. "Seek your Lord's forgiveness, then turn back to Him. Indeed, my Lord is merciful and loving." Notice how he says, "Rabbakum," your Lord, and then he says, "Rabbi," my Lord. As if to say, follow the way I follow, and then you'll experience His love the way I experience His love, because it's not for free. And Allah says, قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ Say, "If you truly love Allah, then follow me, and Allah will love you back and forgive your sins. So Allah's love is expensive and unique, but not inaccessible.
Allah's name is Al-Wadud, the Loving. But there's a difference in our tradition between hubb and wud. Hubb can be a mere feeling of love. Wud is love translated into action. We're more used to the word habib, which also means beloved one. Al-Wadud is the one who loves and acts upon His love. And when Allah 'azza wa jall loves you, it never stops at just feelings. He announces that love throughout the heavens. He calls Jibreel 'alayhis salam and says, يَا جِبْرِيلُ إِنِّي أُحِبُّ فُلَانًا I love so-and-so. So love them as well. So Jibreel loves that person too. And then Jibreel announces it to the angels in the heavens, and then they love you too. And then that love descends to the earth. And it's like the current of love runs from the throne of Ar-Rahman through the angels of light into the lives of people you may not have even met yet. Wud is to love someone and then to constantly look for them and do what they love for them. He is Al-Wadud, the one who loves and acts upon His love. And His messenger is Al-Habib, ﷺ, the most beloved who was always seeking His Lord's pleasure. So when you follow Al-Habib, you enter into the circle of Al-Wadud. And just like no one else loves you like Allah, no one else deserves to be loved the way you love Allah. وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَتَّخِذُ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ أَنْدَادًا يُحِبُّونَهُمْ كَحُبِّ اللَّهِ From those who take partners beside their Lord are those who love them the way they should love Allah. Because that can translate into preference. If you love someone or something equally to Allah, then you will conform to what it wants of you. And that's called shirk al-mahabbah, associating partners in love, because love itself can become a false idol. Al-Wadud is willing to love, but you have to be loyal in that love. And you're not asking Allah for an empty love. You're asking Him for a transformative one. Hence the beautiful du'a of the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi wasallam, اللهم إني أَسْأَلُكَ حُبَّكَ وَحُبَّ مَنْ يُحِبُّكَ وَحُبَّ كُلِّ عَمَلٍ يُقَرِّبُنِي إِلَى حُبِّكَ O Allah, I ask You for Your love and the love of those who love You and the love of every deed that brings me nearer to Your love. سُمِّيَتِ الْمَحَبَّةُ لِأَنَّهَا تَمْحُو مِنَ الْقَلْبِ مَا سِوَى الْمَحْبُوبِ It's called mahabbah, love, because it erases from the heart everything other than the object of Your love. So His love overwhelms your heart in a way that makes the hate or the hardship of this world bearable. إِذَا صَحَّ مِنْكَ الْوُدُّ فَالْكُلُّ هَيِّنٌ فَكُلُّ الَّذِي فَوْقَ التُّرَابِ تُرَابٌ If I have Your love, then everything else is easy because everything above the dirt is dirt itself.
I will never forget this young girl in France who, when hijab was banned in schools, she shaved her head. And then as she was being interviewed, this teenage girl says these beautiful words, "If being ugly in the sight of the creation means being beautiful in the sight of the Creator, then it's worth it." Where do you think that spiritual clarity comes from? And can you imagine Al-Wadud looking at her at that moment and then the conversation that must have happened in the heavens if she was sincere in what she said? And at night, when you rise from the comfort of your bed and maybe even from your beloved spouse, just to stand before Him, Allah turns to His angels and says, انظروا إلى عبدي Look at My servant. ترك فراشه ولحافه من بين أهله وحبه فقام للصلاة رغبة فيما عندي ومخافة مما عندي. He left his bed and his comfort and his family and his beloved yearning for what is with Me and fearing what is with Me. That's Al-Wadud loving you back, announcing your name in the heavens for the simplest act of love on earth. And think about it. If Al-Wadud loves the repentant sinner so much and rejoices for him, how much more do you think He loves the striving worshipper? والله يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ Allah loves the good-doers, but Allah Himself is Al-Muhsin, the ultimate good-doer. Ihsan means doing more than what's expected of you, outmatching every good. And Allah will never let you outdo Him in good to Him or anyone else. So imagine for your half-distracted prayers, your fasting from just before sunrise to sunset that sometimes ends with feasting, your charity that didn't sting too much, He gives you Jannah in return. He takes your one dollar and He turns it into mountains of gold. The tasbih that barely cost you a breath earns you a palace in Jannah. That's Him being Muhsin to you for what you do between you and Him. And when it involves being a Muhsin to others, Allah Azza wa Jalla even rewards more. The Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi wasallam, said that a man from the nations before you was called to account in the hereafter. Nothing good was found with him except that he would overlook people's loans and he would relieve debt. So Allah said, نَحْنُ أَحَقُّ بِذَلِكَ مِنْهُ. We are more worthy of this leniency than him. So overlook all of his sins. And the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi wasallam, said, whoever simply cancels a transaction with his brother or sister because they regretted it, so someone agrees to purchase something from you, but they quickly regret it, and now you're not bound to release them from that transaction, but you say, you know what? Don't worry about it. The Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi wasallam, said, for that, Allah will cancel his mistakes on the Day of Judgment. So if it's in the realm of relieving someone or helping them from a place of Ihsan, Al-Muhsin will meet it with so much more in this life and the next. The Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi wasallam, said, whoever relieves a Muslim of a burden from the burdens of this world, Allah will relieve him of a burden from His burdens on the Day of Judgment. And whoever eases a difficulty in this world, Allah will grant him ease from a difficulty in this world and in the Hereafter. And whoever covers the faults of his Muslim brother or sister, Allah will cover his faults in this life and in the Hereafter. Allah is engaged in helping His servant so long as His servant is engaged in helping his brother. And your ihsan can sometimes come in the smallest extra details because al-Muhsin pays attention to the smallest things that you do for Him and then rewards it unimaginably. Now imagine something far bigger than those small deeds, like freeing someone from slavery. The Prophet, ﷺ, said, "Whoever frees a believing slave, then Allah will free every part of his body from the fire. So the same way that you freed that person from captivity, Allah frees you from eternal captivity. Now this ihsan isn't even limited to acts of kindness to humans. Remember that lifelong sinner who gave water to a dog and Allah forgave them for all of their sins? But for what? You gave water to a dog, not Allah. But Allah is grateful to you for taking care of one of His creation with the blessing that He provided for you in the first place.
And this unveils the next layer. Allah is Shākir, appreciative, just as He is Ghafūr, forgiving, and He has the capacity of forgiveness and gratitude that is unimaginable. And for the smallest single act of kindness, He rewards in the most incredible of ways. But His name is also ash-Shakūr, the most appreciative. And just as al-Ghafūr forgives beyond measure, ash-Shakūr rewards beyond measure. Now what's the difference between shukr and ihsān? Ihsān is more general in that you may show it to someone who did nothing for you, like overlooking a shortcoming or holding a door for a stranger or picking up a piece of garbage from in front of someone's house. But shukr is specifically how you show appreciation for good. So al-muhsin won't be outmatched in the extra effort that goes beyond what's deserved. And ash-Shakūr will not be outmatched in thanking someone for any good that they put forth. And as He appreciates even your smallest deed, think about how many humans deny the most significant good done to them. إِنَّا هَدَيْنَاهُ السَّبِيلَ إِمَّا شَاكِرًا وَإِمَّا كَفُورًا. Verily, We have guided him to the path, either he is shākir, grateful, or intensely ungrateful. Iblīs said, وَلَا تَجِدُ أَكْثَرَهُمْ شَاكِرِينَ. And you will find that the majority of them are indeed ungrateful. And Iblis specifically said that he could disconnect you from prayer by making you ungrateful. Think about it. People are not willing to pray five times a day. You realize how ungrateful that is to Allah? He provides for you day and night, and you can't even spare a few minutes for Him to say thank you. And He used the term shakir, basic gratitude to describe human beings, not even shakoor, which is the higher, more intensive form. At least let them be shakir and not kafoor, not intensely ungrateful. But then look at the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi wasallam, when he was asked why he prays not just five times a day, but so much extra at night that his feet swell up. And the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi wasallam, has already been forgiven for all of his sins. And he replied, ﷺ, أَفَلَا أَكُونُ عَبْدًا شَكُورًا Shall I not be an extremely grateful servant? He wanted to do even more. And Allah says, لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ If you are grateful, then I will increase you even more. And there's another thing about being grateful to Him. When you realize His blessings upon you, you're increased in your love towards Him. And the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi wasallam, said, أَحِبُّوا اللَّهَ أَحِبُّوا اللَّهَ لِمَا يَغْدُوكُمْ مِنْ نِعَمِهِ Love Allah for the blessings that He provides for you. But here's the thing. Those blessings can be provided out of love for you or despite His not loving you. Just like we said about divine aid and nasr. The Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi wasallam, said, إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُعْطِي الدُّنْيَا لِمَنْ يُحِبُّ وَمَنْ لَا يُحِبُّ وَلَا يُعْطِي الْإِيمَانَ إِلَّا مَنْ أَحَبَّ Allah gives of this world to those He loves and those He doesn't love. But He only gives iman, faith, to those whom He loves. He begins by loving you enough to guide you. And then He loves you again when you love Him back through repentance. And then He loves you most when gratitude transforms your worship from bare minimum obligation to extra loving devotion. And the extra He may give you may not just be extra reward, but extra in regards to your relationship with Him.
يَا وَدُودُ Love me even after I falter, and let Your love reach me through every mercy I overlook. Teach me to love You more than what You give, and to find sweetness in every test that draws me closer to Your love. Announce Your love for me in the heavens until I hear that announcement myself in paradise. Surround me with it in everything around me, and let me feel it deep inside myself. يَا مُحْسِنُ You perfect everything You touch. Make me one of those who do good because You do good. Guide me to the ways of good in every single one of my dealings. Then let my deeds of excellence to others be a reflection of Your unmatched perfection. يَا شَكُورُ For every small effort I make, reward me beyond measure. Let me never grow tired of thanking You and never forget that gratitude itself is a gift from You. Accept from me what is broken and multiply it until it becomes whole. وَلِلَّهِ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَىٰ فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا.