The most beautiful and the most elevated love we can experience is the love for the One our hearts were created to love, the One that creation was brought into existence to adore. This love is the love for Allah. It is your highest aspiration.

You know this, but do you feel it? Do you still feel there’s something missing deep inside you? Do you feel true in your love for Allah? If not, what exactly is it that pulls you away from loving Him?

It’s time to for you to learn three secrets about loving Allah, to find out how your love for Him can increase your productivity, and to boost yourself with some practical tips on to make your heart love Allah.

In this week’s central ayah, Allah al-Wadood, the Most Loving, tells us: They love them as they [should] love Allah. But those who believe are stronger in love for Allah. [Quran, 2:165]

How strong is your love for Allah?

Secret #1:  Worship is not burdensome.

One day a sister asked a shaykh: How come men never have a “rest” from praying, while women do? The shaykh said: “Worship is not so burdensome and difficult that the Muslim needs to have a rest from it. Rather it is an act of love and veneration of Allah, may He be exalted.”

SubhanAllah— the perfection of the Beloved, the One we love, is enough to make our heads spin! One of the salaf said: “Loving Him motivates me in such a way that is even stronger than His commands.”
Here’s the secret:  love for Him, true love connected to the perfection of His Being, is the best and strongest motive for acts of worship. Worship isn’t burdensome when you do it out of love!

Secret #2: You can worship Him from your heart.

If we find that we don’t love Allah from our hearts, it’s because we don’t know Him. Can you imagine what He has prepared in Jannah? Can you imagine being able to see Him and be with Him?

Now back to earth. Why are you here? Stop and think; Allah gives the answer in His Book: illaa li ya’budun, meaning: that they may worship Me.

But how can you worship Him if you don’t know Him? This is called ma’rifah. How often do we say: I want to study Islam, but I don’t know where to start? Here’s the answer.
The scholars before us said: ‘awwalu waajibun ‘alaa al ‘abdihi ma’rifatu’llaahi bi al tawheedi, meaning: “the first duty upon a person is to know Allah via His Oneness.”

So here’s the secret: the first step toward loving Allah from your heart is to learn about Him!

Secret #3: There’s a formula for complete happiness.

Normally we love things because of the way those things make us feel, right? Now Who is the One Who gave us everything we have, the One Who gave us people to love? Allah says: And whatever you have of favor – it is from Alla . Then when adversity touches you, to Him you cry for help. [Quran, 16:53].

Ibn Taymiyyah said: The more the servant loves his Master, the less he will love other objects and they will decrease in number. The less the servant loves his Master, the more he will love other objects and they will increase in number. [Majmoo-ul-Fataawaa, 1/94]

Here’s the secret: your heart will only find complete happiness in loving Allah and seeking to do what pleases Him!

Let’s face the fact, which slave is more productive— a slave working for one master with full focus or the slave trying to work for many masters at the same time?

Two Ways To Make Your Heart Love Allah (Ramadan Prep)

Now you’ve learned three secrets on how important loving Allah is for yourself; this will boost your will to pray and do good deeds, because you’ll do it out of love. It’s the best and first knowledge you should seek, and it’s the only way for your own heart in its quest for satisfaction. Now, how can you make your heart love Him?

Here are two of the 10 ways Ibn al Qayyim described in Madarij-us-Saalikeen  to develop your love for your Lord. And guess what? They’re also two excellent ways for you to prepare for Ramadan.

1.  Recitation Of The Quran With Reflection
Understand the Quran’s meanings and what’s intended by it. This also enables you to know Allah using His own words!

Tip: go here and choose 50% of the Quran.
I advise everyone who hasn’t done so yet to finish this course before Ramadan so you can benefit from it in your taraweeh prayers and fill your heart with love for The Greatest. If you finished 50%, push yourself to do the 70% course— it will change your life forever, in shaa Allah!

2. The Heart’s Comprehension Of His Names And Attributes
Witnessing them and having knowledge of them, to immerse yourself in the garden of knowledge. Whoever knows Allah by His Names and Attributes and Actions will, no doubt, love Him!

Tip: go to the Names of Allah series here.
Be ready to be mesmerized by the beautiful knowledge and unique action points on how you can actually live by these names. You won’t find these practical tips collected like this anywhere else!

Homework: Make Dua for the Ultimate Love!

The Prophet salallaahu ‘alauhi wa sallam narrated this dua in a hasan (good) hadeeth in Tirmidhi and Ahmad:

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ حُبَّكَ وَحُبَّ مَنْ يُحِبُّكَ وَحُبَّ عَمَلٍ يُقَرِّبُنِي إِلَى حُبِّكَ

Allāhumma Innī As’aluka Ḥubbaka Wa Ḥubba Man Yuḥibbuka Wa Ḥubba cAmalin Yuqarribunī Ilā Ḥubbika. (O Allah, I ask You for Your Love, and the love of whoever loves You, and the love of deeds that will bring me closer to Your Love.)

Our homework is to learn and use this dua to ask for Allah’s love in all its forms!

Praying you will benefit,

Khawlah bint Yahya ~ United Kingdom

THE AYAH JOURNAL, Qur’an & Productivity is a global project with the exciting goal of inspiring every Muslim worldwide to open the Qur’an every day, pick one ayah, and apply it to one’s own life by making acting on the ayah your mission for the day. Let’s bring back the message of the Qur’an to our daily lives! Check www.ayahjournal.com and follow us on www.facebook.com/ayahjournal for vibrant Qur’an & Productivity tips.