Love Can Be Found Within – Abdur Rahman’s Corner
Peace, one and all…
Rajab is, it seems, a month of re- orientation, a time to re-examine our intentions and re-assess our direction of travel. It has, therefore, been beautiful to sit with this prophetic prayer:
Allahumma arzuqni hubbaka wa hubba man yuhibbuka wal-‘amal alladhi yuqarribuni ila hubbika.
O Allah! Grant me Your love, the love of those who love You, and actions that will bring me closer to Your love.
What this heart gleans from this prayer is that love of and for God is the true aim of the spiritual path. Love is a prism through which we can see the world. It can become the world itself, the very plane of existence we inhabit. Love can become our starting point and the home we return to: ‘Surely to Allah we belong and to Him we will return’, as the Quran puts it (2:156).
I was listening to Happy Feelings recently, a song by Maze, one of my favourite bands. The lyrics begin with the words: ‘I’ve got myself, to remind me of love’. As I listened, it became clear that if I want to know if I am loved, I have but to look within. I have but to look at my life and see all of the things God has given me, all the possibilities for growth. My very soul is testament to divine care and attention. The Quran points to this in the following ayah:
سَنُرِيهِمْ ءَايَـٰتِنَا فِى ٱلْـَٔافَاقِ وَفِىٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُ ٱلْحَقُّ ۗ أَوَلَمْ يَكْفِ بِرَبِّكَ أَنَّهُۥ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ شَهِيدٌ ٥٣
We will show them Our signs in the universe and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that this ˹Quran˺ is the truth. Is it not enough that your Lord is a Witness over all things?’ (Quran 41:53)
If that is true up to this very moment, it must also be true moving forward. Allah has a plan for me, a beautiful destiny. Love is thus my origin and my ultimate destination.
Love can become a space we inhabit, it can become the land in which we make our home. A loving heart is a heart made whole, it is the qalbun salim.
May the hearts of the lovers be opened.
