Quran Garden

Session 368

Chapter 3

Verse 31

Say: "If you love God, follow me, and God will love you and forgive you your sins; God is most forgiving, most merciful." (Chapter 3: Verse 31)

After reading this verse, we understand that some people must have claimed to love God, but their actions did not support what they said.  In other words, they did not follow God's teachings or the example of our beloved Muhammad.  Allah brought us into existence and provided for us, and that is a great blessing.  He also sent us a clear system to manage our lives.  He does not benefit when we follow His teachings; the benefit is all ours, which is also a great blessing. 

If you go out and buy a new car, one of the first things the dealer will show you where the owner's manual is kept.  In it, the engineers who designed the car wrote instructions on how to properly use, maintain, and safely drive the car.  These instructions are for your benefit as the car owner and not for the benefit of the engineers who designed it.  If you ignore the owner's manual's advice, you will ruin your car in the long run.  Taking your car in for maintenance service may seem like a burden at times, but it ensures that it will run smoothly for decades. 

God, the all-knowledgeable, the all-wise, created you, then sent prophets and scriptures to show you how to care for yourself.  God's teachings may seem like a burden at times, but they are a great blessing.  They are for your benefit, not for the benefit of God.  Had the Almighty not given us a clear system to guard our movements in life with "do" and "do not do," we would have been totally corrupted.  We love our Lord not only because He created and provided for us but also because He blessed us with is gthe obligations of faith. 

Our creation and obligations show God's love for us.  In return, we should show our love for Him.  It is not enough for you to thank God for all the material blessings He gave you; you should also show appreciation by implementing His teachings.  Many people find religious obligations difficult, so they neglect them.  But, in reality, they are only neglecting to care for themselves.  God says:

But as for him who turns away from My remembrance, he will live a suffocated life, and We will raise him up blind on the Day of Resurrection. (20:124)

And in another chapter:

And do not be like those who forgot God, so He made them forget themselves. Such people are the transgressors. (59:19)

Allah loves those who know the value of religion.  If you claim to love God because He brought you to life and gave you so much bounty, but find yourself too busy or too proud to pray, then you have disregarded half of God's bounty.  The blessing of religious obligations is not any less than the blessing of life and provision.  Provision is food for the body, and religion is food for the soul.   

Let's look at the two sides of love between God and His servants.  Love, as you know, is the fondness of the heart. God's love is expressed through forgiveness and increased blessings.  And when love comes from the servant, it shows through obedience.  Your love for God should be evident from your actions.  

Here we should take a moment to distinguish between emotional love and mental love.  Allah is fair, and He does not ask you to do something outside your control.  What is the difference between mental love and emotional love? Emotional love is out of your control, while mental love is something you manage.  Perhaps this is best explained with an example.  A father loves his son even if he is unintelligent, disabled, or lazy.  He loves him with all his heart.  The father may mentally dislike his son's stupidity.  He may mentally reject his son's disability or wish that he would be a productive member of society, yet he loves him dearly.  When this father sees the neighbor's son succeeding in school, doing well athletically, and excelling at his job, he may mentally love these traits, yet he does not feel any emotional connection with the neighbor's son.  In fact, when the father has some free time, he would rather spend it with his lazy son.  That is the difference between love coming from the mind and from the heart. 

Allah wants you to start with mental love because it is under your control.  Ask yourself, "What would my life be like if I neglect God's teachings? What would the world look like without God's mercy? How would history unfold if we removed all the teachings of the prophets and messengers?" This is the sound of reason, and the love of reason follows.  It should be your starting point.  Given time, love will become transcendent to involve emotions as well, but emotions are not required. 

When you are sick, don't you wonder how your life would be without that awfully-tasting drug?  Would you prefer that medical science did not exist? Of course not! You appreciate this bitter medicine and, when you start feeling better, you run around recommending it to your friends.   

Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was sitting with his companions.  He turned to them and said, "None of you will truly believe until I am more beloved to him or her than his children, parents, and all humanity."  Omar ibn Al-Khattab, may God be please with him, was silent for a moment.  He thought about the Prophet's words, then replied, "How would it make sense to love you more than one's self? I love you more than my children.  I love you more than all I own, but more than myself... that is difficult!" Omar was sincere in his faith, and he expressed his concern to the Prophet.  Prophet Muhammad repeated, "None of you will truly believe until I am more beloved to him or her than his children, parents, and all humanity."  Again, all were silent!  The Prophet repeated yet again, "None of you will truly believe until I am more beloved to him or her than his children, parents, and all humanity."  Omar realized that, since this was a mandate of faith, it must be the love under one's control, which is the mental love of reason.  Omar said, "Now, O Messenger of God?" The Prophet said with a smile, "Now, O Omar," as if he were reading Omar's thoughts. 

This brings us back to the verse, "If you love God, follow me, and God will love you."  Take note that Prophet Muhammad did not say, "If you love God, then listen to me;" he, peace be upon him, said, "If you love God, follow me" because following someone means modeling their behavior.  If you love God, you should look into what the Messenger did and then do the same.  God says:

Indeed, you have in God's Messenger an excellent example to follow for whoever looks forward to God and the Last Day and remembers and mentions God much. (33:21)

The proof of your sincerity in love is to follow the example of our beloved Muhammad, even when matters are difficult.  Remember: your love for God does not benefit Him at all, but His love for you brings marvelous blessings.  

Another important lesson from the phrase "If you love God, follow me, and God will love you" is that Allah did not differentiate between loving and following His teachings on the one hand and loving and following the example of Prophet Muhammad on the other.  No one can separate between the Messenger and the Almighty because the Prophet, peace be upon him, is the trusted carrier of God's message.

The verse continues with "God will love you and forgive you your sins." This is one of the wonderful fruits of God's love.  Human-made law is rarely retroactive.  When a law is passed, it usually applies from that point in time forward.  On the other hand, Allah will forgive your sins, even those you did before you followed His teachings.  Once you implement the mandate of faith, God will forgive what you have done in the past and spare you the punishment.  Indeed, "God is most forgiving, most merciful."