Chapter VI: Love, Longing, Contentment
(12) God revealed to him: O Daud had those persons desirous of My love known how I remain anxious for them how I shower My favours on them, how I wish that they should give up sins, they would have surely died being attached to Me and their glands would have been cut off on account off their love for Me. O Daud, this is My wish in connection with those who work hard for Me. How anxious am I for those who advance towards Me? O Daud, when a man becomes independent of Me, he becomes more needy of Me than his other conditions. When a man turns away from Me, I feel more sympathy for him. When he returns to Me, he seems to Me to be good.
LOVE OF GOD FOR MAN
Know, O readers, that the Quran is a proof that God loves His servants. God says: He loves them and they also love Him. God says: God loves those who fight in a row in the way of God. God says: God loves the repentant and the pure. God says: Say, why shall not God punish you for your sins? The Prophet said: When
276 LOVE AND ATTACHMENT Vol-IV
God loves a man, sin does not touch him. He who repents for his sin, is as it were one who did not at all commit sin. Then he read this verses. 'Surely God loves those who repeats. The meaning is that when He loves him. He accepts his repentance before his death. His past sins though many do not do him any harm as past infidelity does not do any harm to one who accepts Islam. God forgives sins on account of love. He says: Say, if you love God, follow me. God will then love you and He will forgive you your sins.
The Prophet said: God gives the world to one whom He loves or does not love but He gives Iman to one whom He loves. The Prophet said: God raises him up who humbles himself for God. He humbles him who is insolent. God loves one who remembers Him much. The Prophet said that God said: When a servant advances towards Me by his additional divine service. I love him. When I love him, I become his eye with which he sees, I become his ears with which he ears'. The dear one is near God. This nearness means not the nearness of place but the nearness of attributes. The nearness of attributes means to be away from beastly or Satanic evils and to be endowed with the attributes of good conduct and character. Each man comes near God in proportion to his perfection. God loves a servant in such a way that He saves him from worldly engagements purifies his mind in such a way that he can see Him with his mind's eye. The meaning of men's love for God is his inclining towards perfection of which he was deprived before.
Question. God's love for His servant is doubtful. How can he know that he is an object of love of God?