An Arabian from a village asked Amirul Mukminin 'Ali bin Abi Thalib (r.a.)
about the standards of the lovers of Allah. 'Ali said, "The lowest lover
status is when a person looks at his obedience as insignificant and looks at
his sins as mammoth. He thinks that no one will receive worse punishment than
him, be it in this world or in the hereafter." Hearing this, the Arabian
fainted. When he recovered, he asked, "Are there other standards above that?"
'Ali replied, "Yes. 70 other standards."
The Standards of Love
Love has its standards. There is love which is insecure and weak, which almost
cannot be felt by its owner. There is love which fills the heart of a servant;
no free time is spared for activities other than dzikrullah. There is love
which cannot be appeased by prayers, dzikrullah and good deeds, no matter how
much is being done.
Imam Shadiq (r.a.) in one of his du'as said:
" Dear Allah,
my hunger for Your Love
does not make me full,
my thirst for Your Love
does not make me satisfied,
how i yearn for The One who protects me
without me being able to see Him. "
Imam Ali bin Al-Husain (r.a.) in his munajah:
" Ilahi,
the self that You have strengthened
with Your Will,
will You reduce to insignificance
with Your expulsion?
the heart already tied with Your Love,
will You burn with the flames of Your fire?
"
True love is the binding power of love and hope. Imam Ali Zainal Abidin (r.a.)
in his du'a al-ashar, which he taught to Hamzah Al-Tsimali, said:
" Dear Allah
if You chase me away,
i will remain firm before Your Door
and i will not stop begging You,
as i've learnt of Your Kindness
and Your Compassion
and the expanse of Your Mercy,
who else should a servant come to
if not his Master?
who else should a servant turn to
if not his Creator?
Dear Allah
if You tie me up with chains
and You hold back Your Mercy against me
before the eyes of Your witnesses,
if You cast away my modesty
before the eyes of Your servants,
and command me into hell,
and You separate me
from those who have served You well,
never, never will i stop hoping
and never will i stop pleading
for Your Forgiveness,
Your Love will never leave my heart. "
This is an expression of love and hope so pure, which is uttered by a lover to
his Beloved. Even as he is engulfed in hellfire, love and hope bind in the
heart of the servant, pleading for the Mercy of his God and begging Him to
save him from punishment.
Another astounding illustration of love is reflected in the du'a of Kumail bin
Ziyad, taught by Imam Ali (r.a.):
" Dear Allah,
my Guide and Protector,
if You leave me standing
in the middle of earth's inhabitants,
i will cry
with the tears of those who preserve hope.
i will scream
with the anguish of those who are helpless.
i will not stop calling for You,
wherever You may be.
Dear Guardian of all mukminin,
Dear Destination of hopes of all 'arifin,
Dear Beloved of the lovers of truth,
Dear God, the Creator of the universe,
You are Most Worthy of all praises.
will You listen, Ya Ilahi
to the voice of Your servant who is confined
because of his disobedience,
who is tormented with Your punishments
because of his defiance,
who is expelled to hell
because of sins and vice?
he pleads with You,
hoping for Your Mercy
he calls out to You
with the tongue of those who acknowledge Your Oneness,
he trusts in Your Name, in Your Divinity.
Dear Allah
how can he remain in sufferance
when he hopes for Your Compassion
how can hell hurt him
when he prays for Your Attention
how can the flames burn him
when You hear his pleading voice
and You see his pain
how can the raging fires swallow him
when You know his weaknesses
how can he struggle in it
when You recognize his sincerity
how can Zabaniah hurl him down
when he calls out, 'Ya Robbi!'
how can he beg for Your Help
and You only ignore him?
no!
that is not what i think of You
it will never be that way with You
towards Your faithful servants,
only kindness and mercy
will You grant them, i am certain.
with confidence i dare say,
if not because of Your Decision
to punish those who disobey You,
and Your Decision
to punish those who oppose You,
surely You would have created all fires cool and calm
there would not have been
a dwelling place for anyone in it
but, You are Most Knowledgeable. "
The above du'aa` depicts a servant being confined in the rage of hellfire. The
servant does not merely give up. Although he is propelled by Zabaniah into
hell and has to face punishments, he still comes before Allah with pleas,
tears and hopes.
When Imam Ali prayed before Allah, he seemed like a child who has not
discovered his world; his love for his mother is the wall he leans on and a
place he relishes. Each time he is trapped in a problem or dangerous
situation, he relies on his mother for help. If he does wrong and feels he
will be punished by his mother, he will try to seek help from another trusted
person for protection. However, he will never obtain the same security he
receives from his mother. Eventually, he goes back to his mother.
Imam Ali learnt to rely on Allah and seek His Help at all times. When he felt
that Allah was punishing him, he had not the slightest doubt to immediately
turn back to Allah in asking for help.
Imam Ali Zainal Abidin taught Hamzah Al-Tsimali the following du'a:
" this is me, Dear Allah
seeking shelter in Your Mercy.
i've so often avoided You
but to You only, have i returned. "
~ extracted & translated by jannah
from the Indonesian version (edited by K.H. Jalaluddin Rakhmat)
of 'Al-Hubb Al-Ilahiy Fi Ad'iyah Ahl Al-Bayt'
by Shaikh Muhammad Mahdi Al-Ashify