Love of God

PRAISE BE TO GOD (ALHAMD-O-LILLAH) him of His blessings. This is the combination of love and fear which can be felt but cannot be expressed in words. This is the sign of a high level of realization, in which there is peace as well as agony. A high level of realization implies hope as well as fear. A high level of realization brings conviction as well as uncertainty. A high level of realization embraces closeness as well as distance. A high level of realization is a place where sometimes the believer is sure that he has reached his destination, while sometimes he is in doubt as to whether or not he is on his way to the right destination. At times he has this feeling that he has reached a full stop, while at other times, he is in doubt as to whether he is still at the stage of the comma. This feeling of love and fear is true realization, another name for which is maarifah. PRAISE BE TO GOD (ALHAMD-O-LILLAH) When man has an ocean of gratitude for God’s innumerable blessings, he spontaneously utters words of praise in universal acknowledgement. This is true Alhamd-o-lillah. The second verse of the Quran is, “Praise be to God, the Lord of the Universe.” (1:2) These are words which it takes but a moment to repeat. But if these words have to express true realization of God, their significance is so great that nothing can be greater. That is why, there is a Hadith which has this to say: “Alham du Lillah, fills up man’s balance (of good deeds) or scale of action.” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 223)