Love Without Return

Dr. Iyad Qunaybi

There are beautiful phrases that people say to each other: "I have been overwhelmed by your kindness... I will never forget your goodness as long as I live."

My heart towards my brother: "I love you, you have overwhelmed me with your kindness, I will never forget your goodness as long as I live, my love for you has reached the stage of no return! No matter what you do in the future, I will continue to love you, I do not deserve all of that from you! I will be loyal to you as long as I live."

"I feel shy towards your sincere love for me and your concern for me, I do not deserve all of that from you! I have nothing but to promise you that I will be loyal to you as long as I live."

I felt happiness and self-satisfaction as I thought about these phrases... then suddenly, a question occurred to me: Who deserves such phrases? Who deserves such phrases? Isn't it... Allah, the Most High?

We are loyal, affectionate, appreciative, tender-hearted, and sensitive.

I remember that once, these phrases echoed within me towards my elder brother, who has been kind to me all my life. When I fell into a difficult situation that distanced me from my family, he did not rest and did not taste peace. He devoted himself and strove in every direction to lift the injustice from me. He excelled in filling the void for my children. He would come to visit me burdened with worries, but still, he would control himself, put on a smile, choose his words, and recall good news to keep my morale high.

After one of his visits to me while I was away from my family, he smiled a farewell smile and said to me: "Take care of yourself. God willing, relief is near." I looked at him as he left me and went away, and those phrases began to echo in my mind.

Who overwhelms us with His kindness? Who proves His care for us and His honor towards us by making us Muslims, speaking to us with His words, guiding us to Himself, informing us of His attributes, enveloping us with His blessings at every moment, telling us about Paradise He has prepared for us, guiding us to its path, and endearing us with His words, blessings, and forgiveness?

These phrases echo in our hearts, flow from our tongues, and are reflected on our faces towards one who is kind to us time after time, not driven by worldly interests, but because his affection is sincere, his soul is noble, and his heart is vast.

When we live by these phrases and let them resonate in our minds, we also love and respect ourselves! Because it pleases us to

Your slips and His joy at our repentance.

How many times did you ask Allah and He gave you? How many times did you fall into distress and He saved you? How many years did He conceal your sins from people and show them your virtues? To how many hearts has He made you beloved? How many times did He save you from the joy of your enemies... even from trials? Isn't it pleasing to you that Allah has chosen you to be near Him in His abode of honor, so He desired to purify you to be worthy of this status? Instead of purifying you by fire, He tested you, made you good, and purified you?

Isn't all of this enough for us to remain loyal to Allah as long as we live?

Doesn't this care and honor make us feel shy before Him, the Most High? Will we always waver in our love for Him whenever He tests us with worldly trials? Will we always fail the test?

When will you say: "O Lord, You have overwhelmed me with Your kindness, I will never forget Your favor upon me as long as I live! O Lord! No matter what You decree for me, and no matter how You test me, I will love You, and my love for You will only increase. I will not allow anything to tarnish my love for You."

My brother, O one whom Allah has blessed with much in your past and present... but you will not remember the past and feel the present unless you are loyal and appreciative of the goodness... After this divine blessing, if your love for Allah has not reached the stage of no return, then when will it reach? And what will bring it there?

It is beautiful to be loyal, modest, grateful, affectionate, appreciative of kindness and gratitude with people... but the most beautiful, the most important, and the most deserving is to be thus with Allah, the Exalted, the Creator of mankind, who has been kind to us, not by our own merit, but by His grace, His mercy, His concealment of our faults, and His endearment of us to His creation.

So be thus with Allah... Love without return.