Ten Factors Which Bring About the Love of Allaah

 

الحمد لله رب العالمين، وصلى الله وسلم على نبينا محمد وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين، أما بعد

 

Shaikh ‘Abdur-Rahmaan bin Hasan Aal ash-Shaikh (rahimahullaah) stated when quoting Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullaah):

 

The factors which bring about love are ten:

 

The First: Recitation of the Qur’aan together with reflection and comprehension of its meanings and that which is intended by it.

 

The Second: Drawing close to Allaah, The Most High, by way of the supererogatory (deeds) after the obligatory ones.

 

The Third: Perpetuance in remembrance of Him in every situation, with the tongue and the heart, and through action and circumstance. Consequently his portion of love is in proportion to this.

 

The Fourth: Giving preference to that which He loves over that which you love at the time of the predominance of desires.

 

The Fifth: The hearts conducting a careful study of His Names and Attributes, and observation of them, and his roving (in his own way) in the garden of this understanding and its domains.

 

The Sixth: Observation of His Kindness and His Beneficence and His Bounties that are hidden and apparent.

 

The Seventh: And it is the most remarkable of them; the (humbled pious) despondency of the heart before Him.

 

The Eighth: Seclusion at the time of the divine descent[1] and to recite His Book, then to seal that with seeking forgiveness and repentance.

 

The Ninth: Sitting with the beloved and the truthful ones, and collecting the best parts of the fruits of their speech, and that you do not speak except when the advantageous benefit for speech is outweighing, and you know that in it is a furtherance of your circumstance as well as a benefit for other than you.
 

The Tenth: To stay away from every factor that would bring deflection between the heart and Allaah, The Mighty and Majestic.

 

So by way of these ten factors, the beloved ones will reach the levels of love, and they will enter upon The Beloved.

 

(Taken from: Fathul Majeed Sharh Kitaab at-Tawheed p.403, for the original reference refer to: Madaarij as-Saalikeen vol 3 p.18-19)

 

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[1] That is when there remains the last third of the night as occurs in the hadeeth of the descent, reported by Al-Bukhaaree (no.1145) and Muslim (no.758)