Dear teacher, the divine love that takes shape in our hearts is like a small patch of cloud. It may be affected by events such as the sun’s rays, which turn it into vapor, or by any number of other forces that cause it to disappear. Then we must begin again, making a fresh effort to form another small cloud. But the divine love in the heart of the Noble Prophet—may God’s blessings and peace be upon him—was like a vast, rain-laden cloud stretching across the entire sky, ready at any moment to pour down in the finest way, so that all creation might benefit from its blessings while it remained full of rain. How can we bring our little cloud to resemble that blessed, rain-bearing Muhammadan cloud, benefit from this immense Muhammadan grace, and transform our own divine love into the Prophet’s Muhammadan love?
How Can We Keep Divine Love Alive in Our Hearts?
The essence and first answer at a glance (60-word summary)
To keep divine love alive in the heart, we must nurture it through obedience and devotion to God, and by following the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as our example in worship. Following the Messenger of God (PBUH) helps us become Muhammadan in character and connect with the vast current of divine love, allowing us to experience true love.
Answer by Master Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat)
Teacher and researcher in the intellectual tradition of wisdom and the Ahl al-Bayt | Soroush Bamdadān Cultural CenterWe must strive to become beloved by God. The key lies solely in obedience and devotion to Him—but that obedience must bear the imprint of Muhammad. In other words, by taking the Noble Messenger of God, حضرت رسول اکرم صلی الله علیه و آله و سلم, as our model, we should make our acts of worship resemble his.
Divine love is thus strengthened and intensified through following the Messenger and the Guardian of God.
Āl ʿImrān 3:31: قل إن کنتم تحبون الله فاتبعونی یحببکم الله و یغفر لکم ذنوبکم و الله غفور رحیم
Say, “If you love God, follow me; God will love you and forgive your sins. God is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
In other words, the secret to strengthening and deepening divine love is to connect to the vast network of God’s love. A person need only become connected to the “Beloved of God” to experience true love. The key to that connection is following him.
Following the Messenger of God صلی الله علیه و آله وسلم is a way of becoming Muhammad-like.
و من سره أن یعلم أن الله یحبه فلیعمل بطاعه الله و لیتبعنا أ لم یسمع قول الله عز و جل لنبیه ص قل إن کنتم تحبون الله فاتبعونی یحببکم الله و یغفر لکم ذنوبکم
و الله لا یطیع الله عبد أبدا إلا أدخل الله علیه فی طاعته اتباعنا و لا و الله لا یتبعنا عبد أبدا إلا أحبه الله و لا و الله لا یدع أحد اتباعنا أبدا إلا أبغضنا و لا و الله لا یبغضنا أحد أبدا إلا عصى الله و من مات عاصیا لله أخزاه الله و أکبه على وجهه فی النار و الحمد لله رب العالمین*.
Al-Kāfī (Islamic edition), vol. 8, p. 14
Imam Ṣādiq علیه السلام said: Whoever wishes to know whether God loves him should obey God and follow us. Have they not heard God’s words, mighty and exalted is He, to His Prophet (PBUH): “Say, ‘If you love God, follow me; God will love you and forgive your sins’” (Sūrat Āl ʿImrān, verse 31)?
By God, no servant ever obeys God without God making the following of us part of that obedience. And by God, no servant ever follows us without God loving him. By God, no one ever abandons following us without hating us. And by God, no one ever hates us without disobeying God. Whoever dies in disobedience to God, God will disgrace him and cast him face-first into the Fire. Praise belongs to God, Lord of the worlds.
قال الله تعالى- الأخلاء یومئذ بعضهم لبعض عدو إلا المتقین لأن أصل الحب التبری عن سوى المحبوب و قال أمیر المؤمنین ع إن أطیب شیء فی الجنه و ألذه حب الله و الحب فی الله و الحمد لله قال الله عز و جل- و آخر دعواهم أن الحمد لله رب العالمین و ذلک أنهم إذا عاینوا ما فی الجنه من النعیم هاجت المحبه فی قلوبهم فینادون عند ذلک و الحمد لله رب العالمین
Miṣbāḥ al-Sharīʿa, p. 195
God Most High says: “On that Day, friends will become enemies of one another, except the God-fearing.” For the root and essence of love lies in turning away from all but the Beloved, and in seeing no fault, however small, in the Beloved.
Amīr al-Muʾminīn said: “The purest and most delightful thing enjoyed in Paradise is love for God, love for God’s sake, and praise and thanksgiving to the Lord Most High.” God Most High says: “Their final prayer will be: ‘Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds.’” Indeed, when the people of Paradise behold its blessings, delights, and abundant joys, divine love stirs and surges within their hearts. Then they proclaim their praise and thanksgiving to the Lord Most High.