Mahabbah, Part 2
Intuition and the Criteria of Loving Allah
Love is about human intuition. The feeling of love is not determined by social level or race — it is universal. There is no absolute criterion for love. What is clear is that love for Allah, or the coming of Allah’s love to human beings, is completely dependent on masyiatullah — Allah’s will.
Imam Ibn ‘Athaillah, when asked about Mahabbah, answered: “It is a branch that grows in the heart and then develops and bears fruit according to the level of intelligence.” This relates to how one expresses love. Someone who is intelligent will be better able to express their love than someone with below-average intelligence. Or in experiencing love, someone with higher intelligence will certainly have more mature thoughts than someone below them. This can also happen due to differences in language ability. A poet is certainly more poetic and touching in expressing love than someone who rarely works with language.
Levels of Love in Language and Philosophy
When the natural inclination (mahabbah) is quite strong, it is called shobabah — an outpouring of love, because of the total pouring out of affection. When the inclination grows stronger, it is called ghoram — a steady love born of certainty. When it becomes even stronger, it is called ‘isq — love that goes beyond limits. When stronger still, it is called syagaf, because it reaches the syaghaful qalb — the innermost layer of the heart, driven from within.
Three Categories of Lovers of Allah
Know that those who love Allah (muhibbin) consist of three groups:
- The common people (awam) — those who love Allah Ta’ala in order to attain His goodness.
- The special ones (khawwash) — their love is sincere, pure, and free from any mixtures or ulterior motives.
- The most special ones (khawwasul-khawwash) — their love is described as a deep longing, through which the one who longs is themselves erased when the Beloved they long for becomes manifest.
Excerpted from the book Tanwirul Qulub.
