LOVE OF GOD
The Quran says: “Remembrance of God gives one’s heart peace of mind”. (13:28) This means that it is only the love of God which can give man peace of mind in the real sense.
The strongest human feeling or emotion is that of love. When man makes something his foremost concern, it naturally happens that a feeling of love becomes associated with that thing. In religious terminology, this is called “deification”. The thing one loves the most is one’s deity or the object of one’s worship, whether or not one utters this word.
Faith in God is for man to discover God to the extent of loving Him more than anything else. The Quran says that “those who believe love God most.” (2:165) This means that one who loves God the most has made God his object of worship.
Genuine love for God will find expression in many ways. Even uttering such words as praise, thanksgiving, and remembrance, as we find in the Quran, also expresses our love for God. It would be right to say that Alhamdulillah, Praise be to God, signifies love for God. Praising God means loving God. Gratitude to God also means loving God. Remembering God also indicates a strong love and affection for God.
The Quran says: “Remembrance of God gives one’s heart peace of mind”. (13:28) This means, moreover, that it is only the love of God which can give man peace of mind in the real sense.
Belief in God begins with the discovery of God. In the Quran, this discovery is called maarifah, or the realization of God. When the realization of God becomes part and parcel of one’s existence in the real sense, all those high and noble manifestations expressed in such words as love, gratitude, and remembrance of God come into evidence.
Love of God is a part of faith. This has been a part of the teachings of many revealed religions. For example, in the Bible, it is stated in both the Old Testament as well as in the New Testament that:
‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind.’ (Matthew, 22:37; Deuteronomy, 6:5)
Love of God is not something mysterious. On the contrary, it is the highest degree of acknowledgement of God. When a person discovers God, becomes aware of God’s blessings, and realizes that his existence and entire life are replete with God’s blessings, a strong affection wells up within his heart. This strong affection is called the love of God.
To love God is to love the Sustainer of the Universe. Such love is an emotional relationship and brings about a revolution within the human personality. Love of God produces many elevated human qualities, for example, positive thinking, well-wishing for others, trust, courage, and so on.
In relation to God, love is the highest degree of discovery; with reference to man, it means developing human-friendly behaviour. Calling people to God with well-wishing is also a manifestation of the love of God.
When anyone establishes a relationship with God which is imbued with love, he naturally has a strong urge to convey the message of God to the people so that none of God’s servants is deprived of the eternal mercy of their Lord.
