The Key to the Love of Allah
قُلْ اِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللّٰهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِى يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللّٰهُSay: ‘If you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you, forgive your sins, and Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.’ — The Quran 3:31
This noble verse emphatically proclaims how important and indispensable it is to follow the SunnahThe sayings, actions, and approvals of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) that serve as a model for Muslims. of the Prophet (saw)Sallallāhu alayhi wa sallam (Peace and blessings be upon him). Indeed, among the forms of reasoning found in traditional logic, it presents one of the strongest types of conditional argument, in which either the affirmation or the negation of the conclusion follows directly from the stated condition.
For example, the following proposition is often used to illustrate this form of reasoning:
“If the sun rises, then it is daytime.”
From this proposition, both affirmative and negative conclusions may be drawn with certainty.
Affirmative conclusion: The sun has risen; therefore, it is daytime.
Negative conclusion: It is not daytime; therefore, the sun has not risen.
In the same way, the noble verse declares: “If you truly love Allah, then follow HabībullāhThe Beloved of Allah; a title of our Prophet Muhammed (pbuh). (saw)Sallallāhu alayhi wa sallam (Peace and blessings be upon him), the Beloved of Allah. If you do not follow him (saw)Sallallāhu alayhi wa sallam (Peace and blessings be upon him), it means that you do not truly love Allah.” In other words, genuine love for Allah necessarily requires following the SunnahThe sayings, actions, and approvals of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) that serve as a model for Muslims. of HabībullāhThe Beloved of Allah; a title of our Prophet Muhammed (pbuh)..
Indeed, whoever believes in Allah will certainly obey Him. And among all the paths of obedience, the most acceptable, the most upright, and the shortest is undoubtedly the path shown and followed by HabībullāhThe Beloved of Allah; a title of our Prophet Muhammed (pbuh)..
It is both necessary and self-evident that Allah, Who has filled the universe with an abundance of blessings and displays the splendour of His generosity throughout creation, expects conscious beings to show gratitude for those blessings.
Likewise, Allah, Who has adorned the universe with wondrous works of art and governs all things with infinite wisdom, will undoubtedly appoint from among conscious beings an exceptional individual to receive His commands and prohibitions, convey them to others, and serve as an imam and guide for His servants.
Moreover, Allah, Who possesses infinite perfection and beauty and has adorned the universe with countless manifestations of His beauty and perfection, will surely appoint a person who serves as the most comprehensive and perfect manifestation of the beauty, perfection, names, and artistry that He loves and wishes to display. Naturally, He will grant that person the most perfect state of servitude and present it as an example for all to follow, encouraging others to emulate him so that those noble qualities may become manifest in them as well.
In short, love for Allah requires and leads to following the SunnahThe sayings, actions, and approvals of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) that serve as a model for Muslims. of the Prophet (saw)Sallallāhu alayhi wa sallam (Peace and blessings be upon him). Blessed is the one who abundantly adheres to the SunnahThe sayings, actions, and approvals of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) that serve as a model for Muslims., and woe to the one who belittles the SunnahThe sayings, actions, and approvals of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) that serve as a model for Muslims. of the Prophet and turns instead to bidahA religious innovation not prescribed by the Qur’an or the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh).