Wisdom Corner - Love: The Mystic Way

By: Muhammad Haris

Love in the words of Ghazali (R.A) is the dynamic force of direct contemplation of Divine attributes manifest under the aspect of limitations in the universe – the phenomenal world of multi forms and colours. Love can prove an incentive for kindling the fire in the soul in order that the Divine Endowments are released within, igniting the power, the ability and passion to understand, affirm, and appreciate the Beauty of Good Work.

Rumi speaks about ardent Love, quoting Hassan of Basra (728 AD) regarding God: 

“When My servant devotes himself to praise and recollection of ME and takes delight in it, he loves Me and I love him” 

[Ashikani (he loves me) wa (and) ashiktuhu (I love him)].

Love and ardent love are attributes of God; fear is an attribute of the slave of lust and appetite. Love has five hundred wings, and every wing reaches from above the empyreen to beneath the earth.

Empyreen is the highest heaven, where pure element of fire was supposed to subsist.

Rumi on love, in the words of God: 

“I want burning, burning, kindle the fire of love in thy soul, burn all thought and expression away”

“O Moses! They that know the convention are one sort, they whose soul burn are of another. Religion of love is apart from all religions, lovers of God have no religion but God alone.”

In my opinion, love is beneficence, benevolence, blessing, empathy, compassion, favour, forbearance, forgiveness, generosity and grace, kindness, listening, mercy, munificence, service and sympathy.

Lex Hixon in his book “The Heart of Koran” quotes:

“The Prophet says that I am the dream key to the dream lock of the dream Door, that opens into the treasure of (Divine) Love, that alone is not a dream.”