Episode 4 - Don't be a "Conditioned Lover"!

What do you think about the following group: It is a group of Muslims called (the Conditioned Lovers).. What does this group say about Allah –Exalted is He– in their dictionary? They say: "Allah –Glorified and Exalted is He– is the One who imposed existence upon us in this worldly life, imposed duties upon us, forbade us from prohibitions, and in His Hand is our happiness or misery. But our souls find some duties burdensome and desire some prohibitions, so we must deal with Allah in a balanced way, doing just enough of the duties to ensure the continuation of Allah's blessings upon us with the least burden on our souls, and doing –also– just enough of the prohibitions to fulfill our desires but without exposing ourselves to the cutting off of Allah's blessings or His punishment." Do you think the definition of the Conditioned Lovers for the relationship of man with his Lord is a sound one? Is this how one should submit himself and his emotions to Allah, Lord of the Worlds? Have you identified who the Conditioned Lovers are? In reality, they are many of the masses of the Islamic world, not saying it with their tongues, but the tongue of action is more eloquent than the tongue of speech! Indeed, you –as you read these words– may find yourself implicitly belonging to this group! There are traits in our souls whose danger becomes apparent when we diagnose them and express them with words that are neither conciliatory nor appeasing.. We may denounce and be surprised by them, but the bitter truth is that they exist in our souls to varying degrees. Therefore, let us delve into the analysis of the Conditioned Lover's psychology; to see if it is hidden within us, and to what extent? The Conditioned Lover boasts and experiments in his dealings with his Lord, Glorified and Exalted is He!.. He tries to reach a "balance point" where his desires are satisfied without the worldly blessings being cut off. If he adds to his life and includes in his "acquisitions" a sin and something of what Allah has forbidden, he waits: if Allah's blessings continue and punishment does not descend, he concludes that he is still within the balance point, and considers this prohibition one of his acquisitions! He satisfies his desire without cutting off the blessing. But if this sin leads to the cutting off of a blessing or the descent of punishment, he concludes that he has exceeded the balance point, and he returns to get rid of the prohibition, declaring a state of extreme alertness: supplication, weeping, pleading, striving, acts of worship.. Why?

Because he wants the return of blessings and the removal of harm.

{And when adversity touches man, he calls upon Us, whether lying on his side or sitting or standing. But when We remove the adversity from him, he passes on as if he had never called upon Us for that adversity that touched him.} [Yunus: 12].. So: he calls to his side or sitting or standing.. a supplication of one who wants the return of blessings.. {And when We bless man, he turns away and distances himself. And when evil touches him, he is of extensive supplication.} [Fussilat: 51] .. of extensive supplication.. a supplication of one who wants the return of blessings.

And the tragedy is that the Conditioned Lover's psychology "becomes ingrained" over time with this "balance" to the point that he settles in his mind that the blessings he is in are his "right" and that he deserves them: {And if We give him a mercy from Us after a hardship that has befallen him, he will surely say, 'This is for me.'} [Fussilat: 50] .. meaning I deserve this mercy, I deserve these blessings.

According to this "balance," the Conditioned Lover loves Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, as long as He can continue His blessings and remove harm –in his view– with this "balance" and the ebb and flow, so we called him (the Conditioned Lover), meaning he loves Allah –Glorified and Exalted is He– with a conditional love, conditional upon the continuation of blessings, conditional upon the continuation of worldly interests, especially since the Conditioned Lover's psychology rarely remembers the Hereafter! Imagine now what happens if the Conditioned Lover commits a sin and Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, tests him with what he dislikes, so the Conditioned Lover gets rid of this sin as usual and declares a state of extreme alertness: pleading, supplication, seeking forgiveness, acts of worship.. but Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, willed that the trial continue and intensify. A question will stir in the Conditioned Lover's psychology: (I have done what I was supposed to do, so why did Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, not do what was expected of Him?(

According to the habit of "balance" that has been ingrained in the Conditioned Lover's psychology, it is his "right" when he gets rid of the sin and strives in acts of worship that the trial is lifted and the "daily allowance" he takes from Allah –Glorified and Exalted is He– returns. If the opposite happens, his conditional love for Allah –Glorified and Exalted is He– will collapse! And it is no wonder that it collapses because it was built on the edge of a crumbling cliff, and was built upon a distorted understanding of the relationship of man with his Lord, Glorified and Exalted is He.

So on what should we build our love for Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, so that this love does not collapse at any moment of our lives? This is what we will know in the next station, by Allah's permission.

Summary of this station:

Look within yourself if you are a Conditioned Lover You condition your love for Allah upon the continuation of worldly blessings.