All perfect praise is due to Allaah; I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad is His Slave and Messenger; may Allaah send salutations upon him and exalt his mention, as well as that of his family and all his companions.
Our talk today is about a great deed of the heart which is the foundation for all other deeds - it is concerning the love of Allaah. If the relationship between love, fear and hope is to be likened to a bird, then love is the head of the bird while fear and hope are its two wings. A slave of Allaah heads towards Him by means of his love, fear and hope.
Love is the rank for which people compete; they long to learn about what it entails and they yearn to attain it; it is the provision for the hearts; the food of the souls; the joy of people's lives; the illumination of their minds; the foremost objective in life and the essence of existence.
Love of Allaah is life itself, and to be deprived of it entails a terrible death; it is the light without which one would sail in a sea of darkness; it is the cure without which one's heart will be overwhelmed by a multitude of diseases; it is the joy without which one will remain in permanent grief; it is the essence of faith and deeds, without which they become like a soulless body.
It is the means without which people will never reach their destination nor attain their place in Paradise; it is the means with which people reach their beloved (i.e., Allaah). If people can achieve this honour in both this life and the Hereafter, then they have attained the true joy and happiness.
We are talking about the love of Allaah for His slave, which is in itself a great bounty that only those who know the names and attributes of Allaah will realise the value of and appreciate fully.