Archive for category: God and His Attributes

Allah’s (swt) affection for people doesn’t mean what is normally understood from this concept; because it entails deficiencies that Allah (swt) is pure of and theology has proven false.  What Allah’s (swt) affection for others truly means is that this affection stems from His love for Himself.  Allah loves His own actions and since His creations are the results of His actions, He loves them as well.
Different things that draw Allah’s (swt) affection have been mentioned in the Quran, namely: patience, taqwa, repentance, generosity, purity, and jihad and struggle. If one obtains these virtues, Allah (swt) will be affectionate towards him.

Allah’s (swt) affection for His servants

Love is an existential relationship in which one of its most important causes is the love of oneself that can be found in everyone.  Even Allah (swt) is aware of His own essence and attributes and loves Himself because of them, as He does His creations, because they are all His doings and actions that stem from His essence.
The affection Allah (swt) has for His servants isn’t the normal affection that people might think and are acquainted with because what such affection necessitates is for Allah (swt) to undergo some certain feelings and react to things, and Allah (swt) is too high and faultless to be such.  So what Allah’s (swt) love comes from, is His love for Himself, as we are His actions and doings. What is meant by Allah (swt) loving Himself is that He comprehends and understands goodness. It is Allah’s (swt) awareness to His own beauty that makes Him show affection, and since it is His essence that He is aware of and completely comprehends that makes Him beloved (so from one perspective He loves, and from another perspective He is beloved). Also, since His actions aren’t separate from His essence and are one with it, they are also loved by Him, meaning that He loves His actions, and since His creations are the results of His actions, He has affection for them as well. [1]
Therefore, all things in this world are loved by Allah (swt) the Almighty. What we are asking of here though, is His affection for man in its special meaning, as will be clarified as we go on with this article.
In order to find out how we can be subject to Allah’s (swt) affection and what the way is to reach this rank, it is necessary to first get familiar with those who Allah (swt) is affectionate towards, so that we can learn from them what they did to reach such a rank so that we can take the same steps as well.
The Quran speaks of individuals who Allah (swt) was affectionate towards, namely:

Allah is Affectionate to those who are Patient and steadfast [2]

Allah indeed loves the God wary [3]

Indeed Allah loves those who trust in Him [4]

Indeed Allah loves the penitent and He loves those who keep clean [5]

 Allah Is Affectionate to the good-doers [6]

Indeed Allah loves those who fight in His way [7]

Allah is Affectionate to those who judge according to justice [8]

These were some of those whom Allah (swt) loves.
What it means for Allah (swt) to love His servant is that He removes the veils that cover his heart so that he can see Allah (swt) with his heart’s eyes, enabling him to reach ranks of closeness to Him. This decision on Allah’s (swt) behalf is what is considered His love towards him.  In other words, Allah’s (swt) love for His servant is the cleansing of his heart from everything other than Him and from all obstacles that stand between him and Allah (swt). [9]
The urafa (those who have reached high levels of nearness to Allah (swt)) believe that Allah’s (swt) affection for his servants has two forms:
1- Initial affection out of favor and grace which Allah (swt) grants to some of His servants, empowering them to achieve obedience of their lord.
2- A secondary or deserved affection that is the fruit of obedience and obtaining praiseworthy attributes that Allah (swt) likes and this is accomplished through one of two ways:
a) Qurbul-Nawafil (Nearness through mustahabb acts)
b) Qurbul-Fara’idh (Nearness through wajib acts) [10]
Clearly, one of the signs of Allah’s (swt) love for a servant is that he/she succeeds in obeying the lord by performing wajib and refraining from haram acts.

Ways of obtaining Allah’s love

1- The first step in achieving such a matter is to purify the heart of the love of this world and all things attached to it in an effort to reach Allah (swt). Such can never be accomplished unless one pushes the love of everything other than Allah (swt) out of the heart; the reason being that man’s heart is like a container that doesn’t have the capacity of accepting anything unless it has been emptied of all other contents. At the same time, Allah (swt) hasn’t given anyone two hearts (so that one can encompass all worldly desires and the other contains the love of Allah (swt)).[11]  The prophet of Islam (pbuh) says:

The love of this life and world and the love of Allah (swt) cannot gather in one heart together [at the same time]).

Clearly, if Allah (swt) is loved by a person, Allah (swt) will also love him.

2- Patience and steadfastness during hardship, bitter times, tragedies, etc. is another way of getting nearer to Allah (swt) which the Quran and Ahlul-Bayt have emphasized on dramatically.  This is why the urafa have considered those who bear the virtue of patience to be loved by Allah (swt). [13]

3- Following and obeying the prophet (pbuh) because of the verse of:

(Say, if you love Allah (swt), follow me [the prophet] and Allah (swt) will love you too)

is also another way of reaching nearness.[15]

In clarification of the relationship between obeying the prophet (pbuh) and the nearness of Allah (swt), Ibn Arabi says:

“The reason why Allah (swt) considers the obedience of the prophet (pbuh) a means of drawing attention and love is that he is the reflection and manifestation of Allah (swt) in the “mirror” of this world.”[16]

Therefore, from Ibn Arabi’s point of view, no one can be loved by Allah (swt) unless he follows the prophet (pbuh), because the prophet (pbuh) is also in complete obedience of Allah (swt). So, the key in drawing Allah’s (swt) love both in the prophet (pbuh) and in his followers is obedience.  It is obedience that makes the difference. [17]

4- Jihad and fighting in the way of Allah (swt) is yet another way of drawing Allah’s (swt) love. Those who struggle and fight in the way of Allah (swt) are truly loved by Him and Allah (swt) gives them His very special attention; because they have sacrificed their most dearest things for His and Islam’s sake.  They are present in all battles between good and evil, whether it is in physical battles or cultural ones against the enemies of Islam.  They are like dams that stand in the way of Shaytan and anything that wants to harm Islam; they don’t allow Allah’s (swt) religion to be threatened, and as a result of all these efforts and sacrifice, Allah (swt) loves them.

5- Tawbah or repentance; meaning to be sorry and regretful regarding one’s sins and moving towards and taking refuge in Allah’s (swt) endless grace and mercy, also draws Allah’s (swt) affection. Repentance makes the servant of Allah (swt) draw closer to Him, opening the doors of mercy to him.  When one repents, he becomes Allah’s (swt) friend and loved one.
The author of Tafsir Rahnama says:

“One of the reasons why the love of Allah (swt) towards the righteous and those who repent has been pointed to is to encourage them to repent and be righteous. [18]

6- Those who donate and give charity: Giving charity is also a means of drawing Allah’s (swt) love. In reality, giving charity shows one’s gratitude regarding the divine blessings he/she has and is a form of obedience as well. [19]

7- Faith and good deeds are another way as well, because divine rewards and salvation are all contingent upon faith and good deeds. Therefore, faith that isn’t accompanied by good deeds will not entail divine love and salvation.

8- Generosity and kindness also have an effect on drawing Allah’s (swt) affection. [22]

9- Purity: After expressing some forms of worship, such as wudhu, tayammum and ghusl, Allah (swt) discloses the reasoning behind them, which is that He wants us to become pure:

Allah does not desire to put you to hardship, but He desires to purify you.  [23]

Therefore, all commands that Allah (swt) issues, regardless of what the subject of those commands are, are issued for the purpose of purifying our hearts and souls. [24]

Ayatullah Javadi Amoli says:

“When it is said that Allah (swt) loves those who trust in Him, or those who act justly with others and so on, what the truth of the matter is that He loves the trust itself and loves justice and righteousness, hence the love for those who possess these virtues. [25]

Of course there are always chances that one who trusts in Allah (swt) or possesses the virtue of patience also possesses bad attributes that Allah (swt) doesn’t like, nevertheless, his good attributes will remain loved by Allah (swt). Nevertheless, one can transcend such a degree (where Allah (swt) only loves his attributes instead of the person himself) and reach a level in which Allah (swt) loves the person himself instead of only his attributes, and that is by achieving all levels of perfection and not wanting anything but Allah (swt) himself. When such takes place, one’s essence is beloved to Allah (swt), and his attributes are loved subsequently. [26]
When this happens and Allah (swt) has affection for a person himself, not just for his attributes, the whole universe will have affection for that person, because the universe follows Allah (swt) in His will. This rank is one of the highest one can achieve. The significance of Allah’s (swt) affection for a person far surpasses the significance of one’s affection for Allah (swt). [27]
If Allah (swt) is affectionate towards somenone, his actions will be Allah’s (swt) actions, his words will be Allah’s (swt), etc. and traits of Allah (swt) will manifest in him.  In the famous hadith of “Qurbul-Nawafil”, the prophet of Islam (pbuh) says that Allah (swt) says:

Nothing brings one closer to me than performing what I have obliged him to do, and he continues to draw nearer to me through mustahabb acts until I love him; if he ever reaches a point where I truly love him, I will become his tongue that he speaks with out of my special grace, I will become his sight in which he sees with out of my special grace. 

it is on this basis that the speech of the believer who is loved by Allah (swt) becomes like it is the speech of Allah (swt) himself.[28]
Also, when Allah (swt) becomes affectionate towards someone, He falls in love with him, as a hadith by the prophet (pbuh) says:
29

When Allah (swt) becomes affectionate of someone, He makes that person fall in love with Him, in addition to Allah (swt) loving him as well.  Then Allah (swt) goes on to say: “O servant of mine!  You are in love with me, and I also love you, whether you like it or not!”

To sum it all up, there are various ways of reaching a point in which Allah (swt) becomes affectionate towards one, which can all be summarized in doing what Allah (swt) has obliged and refraining from what he has prohibited.

———————–
[1] Mohammad Reza Kashefi, A’ine Mehrvarzi, pp. 99-102; Ibn Sina, Resaleye Eshq, pp. 4-6.
[2] Ale-Imran:146.
{وَاللهُ يُحِبُّ الصَّابِرِينَ}
[3] Ale-Imran:76.
{فَإِنَّ اللهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَّقِينَ}
[4] Ale-Imran:159.
{إِنَّ اللهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَوَكِّلِينَ}
[5] Baqarah:222.
{إِنَّ اللهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِينَ وَيُحِبُّ الْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ}
[6] Baqarah:195.
{إِنَّ اللهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ}
[7] Saff:4.
{إِنَّ اللهَ يُحِبُّ الَّذِينَ يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِهِ}
[8] Ma’idah:42.
{إِنَّ اللهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُقْسِطِينَ}
[9] Seyyid Abdullah Shubbar, Kitabul-Akhlaq (translation), pp. 412-413.
[10] Fatemeh Tabatabai, Sukhane Eshq, p. 171.
[11] Seyyid Abdullah Shubbar, Kitabul-Akhlaq (translation), 414.
[12] Mohammad Rey Shahri, Mizanul-Hikmah, vol. 2, p. 228.
حب الدنيا و حب الله لا يجتمعان في قلب واحد
[13] Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi, Futuhat Makkiyyah, vol. 2, p. 337.
[14] Ale-Imran:31.
قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللهُ
[15] Al-Mizan (translation), vol. 5, p. 633.
[16] Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi, Futuhat Makkiyyah, vol. 2, p. 336.
[17] Fatemeh Tabatabai, Sukhane Eshq, p. 171.
[18] Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Tafsir Rahnama, vol. 7, p. 486.
[19] Ibid, vol. 2, p. 274.
[20] Ale-Imran:57.
[21] Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Tafsir Rahnama, vol. 2, p. 463.
[22] Baqarah:195.
[23] Ma’idah:6.
مَا يُرِيدُ اللهُ لِيَجْعَلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْ حَرَجٍ وَلَكِن يُرِيدُ لِيُطَهَّرَكُمْ
[24] Abdullah Javadi Amoli, Hekmate Ebadat, pp. 86-87.
[25] Abdullah Javadi Amoli, Fetrat dar Quran, vol. 12, p. 254.
[26] Ibid, p. 256.
[27] Ibid, p. 254.
[28] Fatemeh Tabatabai, Sokhane Eshq, p. 278.
[29] Ibid, p. 34.
اذا احب الله عبداً عشقه و عشق عليه، فيقول عبدي انت عاشقي و محبي و انا عاشق لک و محب لک، ان اردت او لم ترد
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a) His ability to create called for Him to create.
b) The order of creation is one based on aim and wisdom.
c) The ultimate goal and aim of creating all things, is the emergence of man; the reason being that everything has been created for his purpose and he is the most noble of all creatures, as his creator is the most noble of all creators.
d) Since God (swt) is the Transcendent and All-Sufficient, being of no need to anything or anyone whatsoever, the purpose of creation, regardless of what it is, is surely only to the benefit of man himself.
e) The main purpose of creating man, is for him to reach the climax of perfection, true prosperity and salvation, and to find way to the realm of Malakut; all of which can only be accomplished through acquaintance, knowledge, servitude and worship that comes from awareness towards the Lord.

It has been proven that each and every one of Allah’s (swt) names and qualities, both the ones that are one with His essence (as a result of the “simplicity” of his existence), such as His knowledge, power, eternity, ownership and authority, and the ones that have to do with what He does (such as lordship, creatorship, mercy and will) which are also known as His “qualities of action”, are all qualities that He possesses through which He is continuously bestowing His grace and mercy. One of those qualities, which is the quality of creatorship, calls for Him to continuously create, for “Every day He is engaged in some work.” [1]
Another matter that must be paid attention to is that Allah (swt) is the All-Wise and none of His actions are pointless, therefore it can be concluded that the order of creation has no defects and is one with aims and goals; aims that are in line with high divine goals.
According to the Quran, the creator of all creatures didn’t create them in falseness and neither as a means of play and entertainment, but His creation was on the basis of truth and even the smallest particles in this world are following an important goal and none of them are idle and pointless.

Of course, it must be noted that the main and ultimate goal for all of creation, was the creation of man and to be frank, Allah (swt) created everything in order to create man, and that is the meaning of being the most noble of all creatures. The same goes with man’s creator; He is the most noble of all creators, because there is no one like Him in the entire universe. In a “qudsi” hadith it has been stated: “Oh son of Adam, I have created everything for you and created you for myself.” [2]

Having mentioned these few introductory points, we will begin the main discussion:
No matter what the purpose of creation is, one thing is for sure, and that is that it is solely to the benefit of man himself, not to the benefit of Allah (swt), for he is the All-Sufficient and Transcendent and it is man and all other creatures who are in true need of Him.

“O mankind! You are the ones who stand in need of Allah, and Allah He is the All-sufficient, the All-laudable” [3]

“And Moses said, “If you should disbelieve, you and whoever is on the earth entirely – indeed, Allah is Free of need and Praiseworthy.” [4]

In his famous sermon of Hamam, Imam Ali (as) says:

“Allah the Immaculate was in no need of the obedience and servitude of His servants when creating them and was immune to their disobedience, because the sinning of sinners does Him no harm and the obedience of the obedient does Him no good or benefit [5] (and the true reason for why He has ordered everyone to obey Him and forbidden them from disobedience, is their own benefit).

Concerning the goal behind man’s creation, various statements can be found in the Quran, each pointing to one of the dimensions of this goal; verses such as:

“I did not create the jinn and the humans except that they may worship Me” [6],

“He, who created death and life that He may test you [to see] which of you is best in his/her actions” [7] (a test mixed with growth and training, resulting in man’s development and  perfection),

and

“Had your Lord wished, He would have made mankind one community; but they continue to differ, except those on whom your Lord has mercy and that is why He created them” [8].

As you can see, the common word that can be found in all of these statements and others is the growth, development and perfection of man. Therefore one can conclude that the main purpose and final goal for the creation of man, is for him to reach the peak of perfection and salvation and to obtain the highest human qualities, which all depend on his knowledge, servitude and worship of Allah (swt) mixed with his insight on Allah’s (swt) high rank and that it is He who is the only one who deserves to be worshipped, for “Ubudiyyah (the servitude/worship of Allah (swt)) is a valuable gem whose inside is rububiyyah (lordship).” [9], and whosoever possesses this rububiyyah, will have dominion over all things other than Allah (swt).

In a hadith by Imam Sadiq (as) we read that: “Imam Husein (as) approached his companions and said:

“Allah (swt) the immaculate didn’t create His servants except for them to know Him, when they know Him, they worship Him, and when they worship Him, they become free of worshipping anyone other than Him.” [10]

———————–
[1] Rahman:29.
[2] يابن آدم خلقت الاشياء لأجلک و خلقتک لأجلي
Al-Manhajul-Qawi, vol.5, p.516; Ilmul-Yaqin, vol.1, p.381.
[3] Fatir:15.
[4] Ibrahim:8.
[5] اما بعد، فإن الله سبحانه و تعالي خلق الخلق حين خلقهم غنياً عن طاعتهم، آمناً من معصيتهم، لأنه لاتضره معصية من عصاه ، و لاتنفعه طاعة من أطاعه
Nahjul-Balaghah, Sermon of Hamam.
[6] Dhariyat:56.
[7] Mulk:2.
[8] Hud:118-119.
[9] العبودية جوهرة کنهها الربوبية
Misbahul-Shari’ah fi Haqiqatil-Ubudiyyah.
[10] ان الله عزوجل ما خلق العباد الا ليعرفوه، فإذا عرفوه عبدوه، فإذا عبدوه استغنوا بعبادته عن عبادة من سواه
Ilalul-Sharaye’, quoted by Al-Mizan, vol.18, p.423.
——————————

Essentially, picturing God and moving towards embodying and picturing God is wrong, because God isn’t physical and cannot be pictured or imagined. God is a reality and at the same time, in all realities. He is One, but not like any other thing. He is present everywhere, and sees everything, but cannot be imagined or pictured.  Man can only see Him with the eyes of the heart, not by picturing Him.

Our narrations tell us that some would come to the imams and ask about how the knowledge of God is. They would reply: “This is wrong, don’t go after these things.” Therefore, we shouldn’t go after picturing God and this is not a straight path. One should strive to develop a strong and intimate relationship with Him and find Him in his heart. The times when we have a good spiritual feeling, or when our heart is broken, or our attention is drawn to Him, are all times of special connection to Him. We must know the value of these precious moments. Of course, Allah is always by our side and with us; it is us who forget Him.

The claim and presupposition in this question is that God does the act of which He is capable and if there is an act which He does not have the power to do, He uses certain means to carry them out and achieve His ends. However, since we know that God is All-Powerful, it is unacceptable to say that He carries out His task using any means. Whoever claims that God does an act through the means, his claim is void and totally unacceptable because such a claim implies God’s powerlessness.

Such an argument is incorrect and the fallacy used in it is very conspicuous because we see very clearly that many things in the world serve as causes for other things while they themselves are in need of other causes. Thus, they do not have an independent existence of their own. Denying such a clear principle amounts to skepticism, and there is no one to reject the permeation of such a principle in his daily life.

The fact that God, the Almighty, conducts the affairs of the world by way of certain causes does not in any way mean that He Himself is unable to do them. That is because the causes and whatever attached to them do not have any existence of their own. In fact, their existence is pure dependence on God. Therefore, God’s actions irrespective of whether they are related to this world or to the unseen matters are conducted through their special causes which on the whole imply God’s wisdom not any deficiency in His essence.

As we see in nature, human needs are fulfilled through their natural causes (causes which are not independent in themselves) in the same way as the spiritual matters are conducted through their special causes. We know that some of the divine actions are done through the angels with God’s permission. This is not in contradiction with God’s power and authority. If no cause were supposed to come into existence, even dependently (dependence in causality), then no being would have existed other than God. That is because it would not have been possible for any being other than God to exist. That is because the existence of every other being is derivative or relative as compared to the real existent.

The universe and whatever is in it are the manifestations and epiphany of God’s power. He is Powerful over all things but divine power does not mean that God’s actions are done without their special causes. In fact, God, the Sublime, has created the universe on the basis of wisdom and every unseen or seen, visible and invisible, creational and worldly act takes place through its special cause. The angels, for instance, are tasked to conduct many affairs of this world. Also, in the physical world, every natural phenomenon has its special natural cause. For example, if a person feels hungry, he needs food to eat. Although every matter ends up in God and ‘there is neither strength nor power except through Allah'[1], the food and water in the natural life is a means for survival. These and all other similar instances do not mean that God is powerless to do an action without an intermediary. In fact, it means that man’s material needs are fulfilled through their material causes. Additionally, doing an action through these means does not mean that whoever uses these means has committed a polytheistic act and denied the One God. Indeed, if he considers them as independent causes, he can be regarded a polytheist. The same meaning is applicable to spiritual causes including guidance, conveyance of spiritual graces etc.

Therefore, the principle of causation and the fact that everything comes into being through its special cause are so clear that they do not require any reasoning. Given this fact, it is an accepted belief in the religion of Ahlul-Bayt (a.s.) that God has not relegated the affairs of this world to their natural causes. There is no doubt that every single cause is a way through which God’s will is implemented and materialized. Even those actions which a human being does of his free will take place only when they are willed by God. No one acts independently of God because there is no independent and fully effective cause other than God. Whoever at any level believes in the effectiveness and independence of other causes is a polytheist according to Islamic beliefs.

Based on the foregoing explanation, God’s actions are always done through their causes which are not independent and which are under the effect of God’s power and will. In this general principle, there is no difference between material causes such as fire which burns and unseen or spiritual causes like the causality of the angels who contrive the affairs of the world and also between volitional actions and non-volitional actions. This is the meaning of complete monotheism (Tawhid) not the nullification or invalidation of the principle of causation and volition.

When it comes to the belief in Tawassol or mediation of an Imam or a perfect human being or a saint – in Shiite religion or in any other religions – what is important to be mentioned in the first place and which should be the basis for this attitude is that the need for an Imam, guide and intermediary does not require self-consciousness towards it. We know that all human beings are naturally inclined to look for a perfect human being so as to symbolize him or to find the truth which he has lost through love of him and tawassol to him. A perfect human being is named “Imam” in Shia religion.

The Holy Quran says:

O you who have believed, fear Allah and seek the means [of nearness] to Him and strive in His cause that you may succeed. [2]

In reality, this verse guides those believers who truly believe in God and worship him sincerely. The verse implies that piety and nearness to God is easier to achieve through its means and causes.

The next point to mention and that should be kept into account is that Tawassol (invocation) and seeking the help of the Prophet (s) or the Imam (a.s.) never means that they act independently of God. Similarly, none of the causes existing in this universe should be considered as effective independently of God, or else it would be shirk (polytheistic). Generally speaking, there are some Muslims who, as the Quran says, have not attained the status of perfect faith [3] and a real monotheist. Perhaps, such people may, while relying on material causes, associate a partner for God.

Also, when it comes to spiritual causes such as doing good deeds, availing oneself of a guide and instructor, turning to the Prophet and divine leaders and love of them which is the topic under discussion, it should be said that if these are to be considered as causes, they can be effective to the degree of an individual’s belief in the One God and to the amount of his sincerity and love of Him.

Therefore, the principle of monotheism in Islam is an unquestionable principle but the point is that these same causes and our sincere spiritual deeds acquaint us with the reality of monotheism. True belief in the One God is not achievable by mere claim; one cannot be a monotheist and still consider other causes as independent and resort to them with such an attitude and in some other cases criticize to the effect that paying attention to the Imam, prophet and saint is dichotomous with God’s power and monotheism. The fact is that, a perfect human being in practice is considered to be a basic element [rukn] of monotheism because a perfect man is one who does not consider himself a real existent; he is the symbol of being a monotheist. In fact, the claim of being a monotheist, if it is to be assessed practically in a divine scale, does not fit anyone other than a perfect human being. Insofar as a Muslim does not detach himself from everything, he is a polytheist (in a relative term though) and his belief in God is imperfect. Therefore, the argument about monotheism (Tawhid) is one thing and its actualization is another. The Quran says:

“And most of them believe not in Allah without associating (other as partners) with Him!” [4]

[1]لاحول ولا قوّة الا بالله
[2] Al-Maedah, 35
{يا أَيُّهَا الَّذينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللهَ وَ ابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسيلَةَ}
[3] “The dwellers of the desert say: We believe. Say: You do not believe but say, We submit; and faith has not yet entered into your hearts.” [Al-Hujuraat: 14]
[4] Yusuf, 106
{وَ ما يُؤْمِنُ أَکْثَرُهُمْ بِاللهِ إِلاَّ وَ هُمْ مُشْرِکُونَ}