Shaykh Hammad Mustfa al-Madani al-Qadri explains how to nurture a Divine relationship with Allah

Those who embark on the journey of love and affection often encounter trials and pains. They have to lose something to gain something. Unfortunately, we desire these states, conditions, and stations, but we are not willing to make the sacrifices necessary to attain them.

Shaykh Hammad Mustafa Al-Madani Al-Qadri made these remarks while addressing the participants of the special training session on the 7th day of the city of retreat, focusing on the topic of "Relationship with Allah through various paths of love and longing."

Shaykh Hammad mentioned that the message of Sheikh ul-Islam is that life should only be spent seeking the pleasure of Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him). Shaykh ul-Islam says that Allah, the Lord of Majesty, is proactive in His love for His servants, whereas the love of the servants for God is reactive. Allah peeks into the heart of His servant to see if there is purity and cleanliness, if there is any desire, pursuit, or wish besides Him. As long as all desires are not eliminated from the heart, the glory of Allah, the Lord of Majesty, does not manifest itself in it.

The young scholar said that true lovers and enthusiasts become independent of the world, its people, and their desires. When the realm of love becomes apparent, the claim of love becomes true, and its properties become pure, then a person is no longer concerned with the outcome. Then it becomes such that whether “You bestow or withhold is Your prerogative, O Beloved! We prostrate at Your threshold.

He said that our relationship with the Almighty is so weak and feeble that if we receive a blessing, we become happy, and if a blessing is taken away, we become dissatisfied. Whereas the essence of the relationship of the people of Allah, the Lord of Creation, is not in need of any purpose or gift; the foundation of their relationship is only the pleasure of the Divine.

He said that we also need to cultivate this state and quality in our hearts. The friends of Allah mention this quality and state as if they are witnessing it, and we need to create this state in our lives so that Allah is remembered in such a way that it seems as if we are beholding Allah, and if we do not have the readiness to see, then it should be kept in mind that He is seeing us.

Shaykh Hammad Mustafa mentioned that Imam Abu Sa'ad Nishapuri, in his book "Tazhib al-Asrar," states that someone asked the of son of Hazrat Ali Al-Murtaza (may Allah be pleased with him), "Have you seen your Lord?" Imam Ja'far Al-Sadiq replied, "I am not such a person that I worship a Lord who I do not see."