Allah’s Beloved Ones

Rasulullah (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) referred to us as his beloved ones when once addressed the Companions. He asked:

“When will I meet my Beloved Ones?”

The Companions asked,

“Are we not your Beloved Ones?”

Rasulullah (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said:

“You are my Companions, while those who will believe in me after me (after my demise) without having seen me, are my beloved ones and I eagerly await to meet them.” (Kanzul Ummaal; Vol 14, Page 51, 52)

In other words, we are the ones who have brought faith in him without having seen him. May the eternal blessings and salutations of Allah be upon our Beloved Nabi (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), who referred to us as his beloved ones and expressed the desire to meet us.

Generally, the term 'beloved' is used when expressing love for the creation and when we express love for Allah Ta'ala then the term intense love should be used in addition to beloved. In other words, Allah is our Beloved whom we love more than anything else.

If these two factors are absent from our love for Him, then we shall fail to obey Him wholly and totally. Our love for Allah should outweigh our love for our relatives, our family, our lives and our hearts. Rasulullah (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) asked for that love in the following words:

“O Allah Ta'ala! Let me love you more than my life, my family and cold water.” (Reported by Tirmidhi Shareef; Vol 2, Page 187)

Just as cold water is extremely beloved to a very thirsty person; let my love for you be more than that. From this we learn what the limits and boundaries of love are, as taught to us by Rasulullah (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam)

Haji Imdaadullah Muhajir (rahmatullah ‘alaih) Makki composed some couplets along the same lines and recited them us he clung to the ghilaaf (cloth) of the Ka'bah:

“Just as a thirsty person loves (desires) water,

Let my thirst for You O Allah, be greater!”

A thirsty person experiences great pleasure and satisfaction when the cold water quenches his thirst and flows down his parched and dry throat. Similarly, the lovers of Allah experience great pleasure when they utter the name of Allah.

Maulana Jalaluddeen Rumi (rahmatullah ‘alaih) said in his Mathnawi:   

“When my tongue utters the name of Allah,

Then every hair on my body is turned into an ocean of honey.”