What do we love more?

Allah states the following in the chapter of at-Takathur:

“The mutual rivalry for piling up (the good things of this world) diverts you (from the more serious things)- Until ye visit the graves” (at-Takathur, 102/1-2)

Allah’s special slaves and His saints, who are perfect people who have attained the happiness of loving Him and His Messenger more than their own souls, do not pursue the goal of increasing their worldly possessions. If Allah gives them worldly possessions, they do not get committed to them and they do not accumulate them; they spend them in a way that will please Allah and His beloved one. Those slaves become happy with the deeds that lead them to the love of Allah, not with the ephemeral, temporary beings that cannot lead them to eternity.

We need to call ourselves to account and find answers to the following questions:

What and whom do I really love the most? If the verbal answer is “Allah and His Messenger”, what do I do for this love?

Did I spend most of my life obtaining worldly possessions, which I cannot put in my shroud, pursuing and loving worldly possessions and being happy with them, or did I manage to separate my heart from them and seek happiness in the love of Allah and His Messenger though I was busy with worldly things due to my duty?

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) stated the following:

“A person who does not love Allah and me more than his own soul, wealth and family cannot be a (real and sincere) believer.” 

Do we love Allah and His Messenger more than our own souls?

If our answer to this question is “yes”, how do we spend our life, how do we earn our wealth and for what do we spend them?

We need to ask those questions and be interested in the target of our love because our Lord states the following:

“Say: If it be that your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your mates, or your kindred; the wealth that ye have gained; the commerce in which ye fear a decline: or the dwellings in which ye delight - are dearer to you than Allah, or His Messenger, or the striving in His cause;- then wait until Allah brings about His decision: and Allah guides not the rebellious. (at-Tawba, 9/24)

“Say: "If ye do love Allah, Follow me: Allah will love you and forgive you your sins: For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.".” (Aal-i Imran, 3/31).

It is a great happiness and a great blessing for us that Allah says He loves the Prophet (pbuh) and gives us an opportunity to attain this sacred love. That is, if we follow the path of His beloved one, adopt his ethics, and try to be like him in everything except what is peculiar to him, Allah will love us.

There were those who had wealth among the Companions of Allah's beloved one but when a request to spend their wealth in the way of Allah reached them, they gave half, an important part and even all of their wealth, proving whom and what they loved the most.

There were many companions who lost their lives, hands and feet in order to protect the Prophet at times of peace and war.

According to the people of sufism, Allah created other things because of His love to the Prophet; Allah’s love to the Prophet when there was no created thing is “the truth of Muhammadiyya”. The aim of being in the way of sufism is to get one’s share from that love.

May Allah protect us from shirk in love!