Love is a gift from The Creator for His creation. It is put into the hearts of humankind and brings joy to the soul. Love is the reason life continues to blossom. It is, for the human experience; a feeling of deep affection that may inspire commitment and sacrifice. The highest form of love is to love Allah s.w.t. Everything that we do in this world should be aligned with the intention to attain Allah’s pleasure. Allah says:

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَتَّخِذُ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ أَندَادًا يُحِبُّونَهُمْ كَحُبِّ اللَّهِ ۖ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَشَدُّ حُبًّا لِّلَّه

“Still, there are some who take others as Allah’s equal—they love them as they should love Allah—but the believers love Allah even more.” (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:165)

Our love of Allah is the basis of our worship, and our fear and hope are like two wings that propel us along the straight path toward our final destination. The highest level of love is to find delight in the one whom you love while in seclusion with Him. We should make dua for everything including his love. The best guidance is the guidance of Rasulullah. Allah says:

قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

Say, “If you love Allah, then follow Allah will love you and He will forgive for you your sins. And Allah (is) Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Surah Al-Imran 3:31)

Love for the sake of Allah is attaching your heart to Allah and being kind and gentle to His creation. It’s loving those who bring you closer to Allah. Love for the sake of Allah means you want the best for your loved ones and you want them to be the best they can be. A sign of loving someone is that you want others to know about your beloved. When you love someone, you find yourself thinking about them often.

Here are some signs of Allah’s love distancing oneself from others:

1. Love Allah is a special reward reserved in the Hereafter
2. Love Allah must be accompanied by fear and hope
3. Love Allah, you get the chance to repent your sins
4. Love Allah gives you a chance to do good things
5. Love in the cause of Allah in times of difficulty
6. Love Allah and thank the blessings of Allah
7. Love Allah and dislike your wrong deeds
8. Love Allah is greater than that anything
9. Love Allah that He deserves from us
10. Love others for God’s sake
11. Love Allah reaches all people
12. Love Allah and ask for in this life
13. Love is part of the essence of Allah
14. Love Allah and get your needs fulfilled
15. Love Allah is also obedience to His Law
16. Love Allah is happiness and success in life
17. Love Allah keeps evil things away from you
18. Love Allah is the root and essence of Tawheed
19. Love Allah is a blessing we should not take for granted
20. Love Allah is the driving force that motivates us to obey

Allah loves the repentant slave, who constantly turns back to Him, knowing He is the All-Forgiving, Most-Forgiving, the Acceptor of Repentance, the Pardoner. No matter how often one repeats a sin, and no matter how grave the sin is, one should constantly turn back to Allah. Love of Allah the Almighty requires us to know and do what Allah loves. Allah says:

وَإِن تَعُدُّوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ لَا تُحْصُوهَا ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

“And if you should count the favours of Allah, you would never be able to number them. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” (Surah An-Nahl, 16:18)

Tell Allah everything as you do with your best friend. Share your fears, your worries, your dreams, your goals, your passions and anything else that matters to you. When you express your vulnerability to Allah, you begin to develop this unwavering conviction, that no matter what happens, Allah will be enough for you. We ask Allah to grant us His love, and the love of those who love Him.

The love of Allah manifests itself through these signs:

• If you find yourself in constant mention of Allah in your thoughts 
• If you love someone, you’ll find yourself learning more
• If you feel the nourishment of hearts and souls
• If you keep spirits of faith and good deeds
• If you hold fast to the book of Allah
• If you are humble towards the believers
• If you do good deeds with proper intentions
• If you have sincere love for those whom Allah loves
• If you find yourself on the constant reproach of your soul
• If you keep supporting MuslimMatters for the sake of Allah

Being tested. Calamities and disasters are a test for a person, and this is a sign that Allah loves him because this is like medicine: even though it is bitter, still, you offer the medicine, despite its bitterness, to the one whom you love; and Allah’s is the highest description. Reading the Quran shouldn’t be a burden, it should be a pleasure, guidance, cure, relief, and transformative experience.

Here are some of the verses in the Quran which tell us about love and compassion:

• “And Allah loves the steadfast.” (Al Imran: 146)
• “Allah loves those who are patient.” (Quran 3:145)
• “Verily with hardship, there is a relief.” (Quran 96:6)
•  “Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly.” (Al-Maida: 42)
• “Serve Allah, being sincere to Him in obedience.” (Quran 39:2)
• “Be good. Verily, Allah loves those who are good.” (Quran 2:195)
• “But sufficient is your Lord as a Guide and Helper.” (Quran 25: 31)
• “And put your trust in Allah, if you are believers indeed.” (Quran 5:23)
• “Nothing shall ever happen to us except what Allah has ordained for us.” (Quran 9:51)

If Allah loves you, do not ask about the good that you will attain and the virtue that you will acquire, it is sufficient for you to know that you are the beloved of Allah. Allah loves when a slave purifies himself from impurities, both major and minor. Being pure also includes being pure from shirk and sinfulness etc. No one can truly help you until you truly seek Allah Himself.

Here are some qualities favoured by Allah:

1. Repentance: “Indeed Allah loves those who are constantly repentant.” (Quran 2:222)
2. Purification: “Indeed, Allah loves those who are constantly repentant and loves those who purify themselves.” (Quran 2:222)
3. God-consciousness: “Indeed, Allah loves the righteous [who fear Him].” (Quran 09:04)
4. Goodness and perfecting our good deeds: “And Allah loves the doers of good.” (Quran 3:134)
5. Trust in Allah: “Indeed, Allah loves those who rely [upon Him] on”. (Quran 3:159)
6. Justice: “Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly.” (Quran 05:42)
7. Patience: “And Allah loves the steadfast.” (Quran 03:146)

We should strive to be good to others so that we can attain the love of Allah. Doing good in Islam is not limited to these four points, as there are many, many ways to do good. We ask Allah to help us to please Him. We are drawn to a realization of God’s love for us and leading a life of gratitude, which reflects our deep adoration and devotion to God. Allah says:

فَآتَاهُمُ اللَّهُ ثَوَابَ الدُّنْيَا وَحُسْنَ ثَوَابِ الْآخِرَةِ وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ

“So Allah rewarded them (in) the world and good reward (in) the Hereafter. And Allah loves the good-doers.” (Surah Al-Imran 3:148)

Love is the driving force for humans to make any forward movement toward a goal that involves the heart.  Allah has promised good in this life and the next towards those who put their trust in Him, the true believers never lose hope in Him and are always satisfied with His decision of their affairs. Invest your efforts in the journey but let go of your attachment to the outcome. You plant the seed and let Allah grow the tree. Allah says:

وَلَا تُجَادِلْ عَنِ الَّذِينَ يَخْتَانُونَ أَنفُسَهُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ مَن كَانَ خَوَّانًا أَثِيمًا

“And (do) not argue for those who deceive themselves. Indeed, Allah (does) not love (the one) who is treacherous (and) sinful.” (Surah An-Nisa` 4:107)

Our love for Allah can be expressed by how much we seek knowledge about Him and Islam. Learn more about what Allah says in the Quran. Try to count everything good in your life, and everything that seemed bad but turned out to be good. All that is from Allah. The fact that you are Muslim. May Allah the Almighty guide us all to obey Him and obey His Messenger Muhammad PBUH and obey those He has commanded us to obey in line with His orders.