Inspiration 11: Attaining Allah’s Love
Love of Allah, the Most Exalted, is acquired through two paths. One of them is a very difficult path that consists of lots of efforts, as has been narrated in the noble Qudsīḥadīth: “ . . . And my servant continues to draw near with superogatory works until I love him, and if I love him . . .” Thus (His love) increases with increasing one’s superogatory works. However, the word “until” (ḥatta) is suggestive of a prolonged period of time, while the word “if ” (fa idhā) indicates a level of uncertainty, meaning that after this prolonged period of performing superogatory works in abundance, one may still not attain to Allah’s love, the Most Exalted.
As for the easy path, it is clarified in the following Qudsīḥadīth: “My love is certainly due towards those who love for My sake, who gather for My sake, who visit each other for My sake, and who spend for My sake.” Notice here the word “due” (wajaba), which reflects a sense of immediacy and certainty.
In reality, however, all of creation is effortlessly beloved to Allah, for He did not love you, He would not have created you.
Notice His statement, the Most exalted, in the final portion of the first ḥadīth, “ . . . and if I love him, I become the hearing with which he hears, the vision with which he sees . . . ”
Given that all of creation does not hear except through Allah, and not His ear, and that it does not see except through Allah, and not His eye, since Allah is the hearing within the ear and the vision in eyes, this necessitates that the entire creation is beloved to Allah, as He has bestowed upon them their hearing and vision. This is indeed a simple equation: “If I love him, I become his hearing.”
And since Allah is the hearing of every living thing, then Allah loves all living things.