Labib Mahfuj Chisty
As simple as the word love sounds in Bengali, it hides an immense depth, mystery and a very subtle wave of self-awareness. It is a kind of inner intense attraction born in the human heart, which reaches the center of the soul by touching the body. Sufis call this love Ishq. However, this Ishq is an unearthly love. It is a divine attempt to unite the soul and the Supreme Soul. In the language of Sufis — Ishq Haqiqi, that is, love for Allah, the love that discovers one’s true self only by completely losing oneself.
- Love for Allah: The Mystery of Fitrat
In Sufi philosophy, it is said that Allah Almighty has created man with such a nature or fitrat, in which there is a natural attraction to Allah.
Hadith Qudsi: I was a hidden treasure, I wanted someone to know me; So I created. O Allah, the Creator, and there is no one but Allah, the Exalted. Here the word ‘knows’ is not just knowledge, but a mixed feeling of love and appreciation — this is love. Man loves Allah because that light-magnetic attraction is transmitted within him. That attraction draws man to prayer, remembrance, weeping, and solitude. - Remembrance of the source of the soul
The Sufis say that the soul of man came from the Lawh al-Mahfuz. In the world of the worlds, we were in the presence of Allah. At that time Allah asked: Alasthu birabbikum? Am I not your Lord? We said: Nay, indeed. (Surah al-A’raf, 7:172). The memory of this yes is stored deep in the heart. This memory, this eternal love — attracts man to Allah. This attraction is the root of love. - Types of Love: From Magical to Real
The Sufis divide Ishq into two:
Ishq Magical (metaphorical love): Love for worldly love, love for men and women, nature or music.
Ishq Haqiqi (true love): Love for Allah.
Ishq Magical love sometimes leads to Ishq Haqiqi, if the soul is awakened in it. Hazrat Rabia Basri (RA) once said: O Allah! I do not fear you for Hell, nor do I love you for Paradise. I love you because you are worthy of love. This pure love is the coating of ‘Ishq Haqiqi’. - Ishq – a temperature, a state
Regarding the origin of the word ‘Ishq’, the Sufis say that it comes from the Arabic word ashaka, which means a twisted vine of a tree, which once clings to something, does not let go until it dries. Similarly, once ‘Ishq’ enters the heart, it grips the soul in such a way that the person forgets himself and gets lost in the meditation of the beloved. It is a mental state, a state that can be understood, not explained. - Why do people love Allah?
According to the Sufis, people love Allah for five reasons:
Attraction to the light of Allah – a luminous attraction to that light deep in the heart.
Kindness and mercy – people love the source of His kindness.
Knowledge and understanding – the more Allah is known, the deeper the love becomes.
The search for happiness – the root of all happiness is contact with the Supreme Being.
Creative relationship – Allah is our Creator; the nature of creation is to love Him.
- Hazrat Maulana Rumi’s theory of love
Maulana Rumi says: The intoxication of your love has taken me to a place where I am not I, and you are not you. Only love survives, I-you all fade away. Every ghazal of Rumi is the cry of a loving soul, whose language is music and rhythm.
- Love and Self-Immolation: Fana and Baka
In the Sufi path, love does not mean just emotion, but the rebirth of the soul. The lover gradually fades away — he dissolves himself in the beloved. That is when Baka billah, becoming permanent in Allah, comes. Fana fillah — losing oneself in the love of Allah. Hazrat Bayazid Bustami said: I was immersed in the ocean, that ocean was not me. - Quran and Love
The Quran says: Innallaha yuhibbul mutawakkilin – Allah loves those who trust. Yuhibbuhum wa yuhibbunah – He loves them and they love Him (Surah Maidah: 54). Here it is understood that love is not only for the servant — Allah also loves His loving servants. - The Love of the Prophet (PBUH)
Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) was the perfect embodiment of love. He was ‘Habibullah’, the beloved of Allah. He would stand up and cry all night, just because of love. The prayers of the Prophet were the cries of a lover: O Allah, I am not satisfied with your remembrance, my thirst is not quenched by your love. - Love Poetry of Rabia Basri
In the poetry of Hazrat Rabia Basri (RA), we see the prayer of a lover: O Allah! If I love you out of fear of Hell, then burn me. And if I love you out of hope of Paradise, then deprive me of Paradise. But if I love you only out of love for you, then do not take your light away from me. - Love and Music: Sama and Qawwali
For Sufis, Sama (music) is the invisible language of love. Qawwali, raga, darbari – these are the waves of the loving soul. As Rumi says: Every string of the sitar cries, because it is wounded by love. - Conclusion: The ultimate worship of the soul
Love does not end. When one love is complete, another love begins. This path has no end, just as God has no limits. Man loves God, because this love is the true meaning of his existence. And for the Sufis, the ultimate destination of life is only one – Ishq billah, li-ishqillah, min-ishqillah. Love for God, love in the love of God, love through God. This path is difficult, but one who has once been burned in this fire cannot return. He is burned to ashes in love, and with those ashes he draws the image of the name of God.