Love and sacrifice

Sacrifice depends on the level of love that a person has. If a person makes enormous sacrifices for his children, it is because he loves his children a lot. And if he does not have the will to make a simple "move" for a stranger, it is due to lack of love.

Similarly, a person will accept to make sacrifices for Deen if he has love for Allah Ta’ala. The more he has that love, the more he will make sacrifices. The Sahabah-e-Kiraam (Radiyallahu Anhum) had a lot of love for Allah Ta’ala. That is why they have made a lot of sacrifices. On the contrary, they were happy to make sacrifices to such an extent that they considered giving their lives in the path of Allah Ta’ala as the greatest success.

It is Allah Ta’ala who deserves our love the most because it is He who has granted us all what we are enjoying in our lives. Thus, it is Allah Ta’ala who is deserving that we make all kinds of sacrifices for His pleasure.

The amount of sacrifices that a Muslim must be willing to make for the love of Allah Ta’ala, must be much more than the sacrifice that he can make for the one that he loves a lot.

A person will never dare to displease his own child to please the child of a stranger. His love and attachment to his child will prevent him from doing such a thing. How can a Muslim disobey the commandments of Allah Ta’ala for the pleasure of people? How can a Muslim authorise himself to neglect the Sunnah of Nabi (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) just to please him or to please others? If a person really loves Allah Ta’ala and His Rasul (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) the most, he will never have the courage to do so. It is a lack of love that makes him do what he should not do. And yet, a person must love Allah Ta’ala and His Rasul (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) the most in order to become a good Muslim. In the Qur’an-e-Kareem, Allah Ta’ala informs us that those who have Imaan have intense love for Allah Ta’ala.

Thus, what is essential is that we should instil love for Allah Ta’ala. To achieve this, we should do three things:

1. Meditate on the favours that Allah Ta’ala has bestowed upon us and is still giving us,

2. Take out some time to do Zikrullah. This will create Nur in the heart which, in turn, will develop the will to practice Deen,

3. Stay in the company of those who have Muhabbat for Allah Ta’ala. This will recharge our battery of Imaan that tends to weaken from time to time, due to the unfavourable environment.

 [English version of "L'amitié et sacrifice" – Al Jamiat – Vol.4 No.4]