Our Closeness to Allah

Our parents, relatives, friends, and family are all close to us; they always look out for and want the best for us. It is human nature to enjoy their companionship and interactions with them. To be among loved ones is the most satisfying. In reality, all the goodness and blessings in the universe belong to Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala). He is the One Who is forever taking care of us and is always in a close relationship with us. He is the One providing us with fulfillment and the joy of life. He never leaves us despite our numerous wrongdoings. For this reason, His closeness and love should be the highest priority for us.

In his book Ihyau Ulumi'd-Din, Imam Ghazali (quddisa sirruhu) narrates: “When asked about how she achieved such a high rank, the renowned female Sufi from Basrah, Rabia al-Adawiyyah (quddisa sirruhu) replied–by leaving idle and useless things and trying to form closeness to Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala).”

From such a pithy statement, it is evident that a person either forms closeness with Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) or with mortal, fleeting things whose existence will ultimately end. In fact, the word insan (human) means one that forms unsiyyah (closeness) or nisyan (one that forgets). As humans, the more we achieve intimacy with Allah, the less we show interest in worldly affairs, and the more we direct our hearts towards the world, the less we remember Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala).

The word 'uns' means getting used to or drawing closer to someone, becoming close, having a genial disposition, and achieving harmony. To have unsiyyah is to have the happiness and joy of filling one's heart with the love of Allah. It is to gain awareness that one is always together with Allah and find a feeling of serenity in their heart with this awareness.

It is natural to feel close to the ones you love and love the ones you feel close to. There is no weariness or dullness in unsiyyah (closeness); instead, there is intense fulfillment. One who loves the Rabb, the Creator of All, will always think of Him. Love of Allah and His words will always be present in their heart, both in the quiet of solitude and in crowded surroundings.

In other words, one who moves towards a closer relationship with Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) will always be with Him, regardless of whether they are physically alone or surrounded by people.

As one builds a close bond with Allah, it becomes more difficult to find peace in worldly things. They remember that the world we live in has an end, that it is a prison for the true believer. They can never fully feel assured until they enter Jannah, reach Allah, and see Him.

Ultimately, one cannot feel content or at peace till they form unsiyyah (closeness) to Allah.

The first dialogue, the first unsiyyah (closeness)

Our first dialogue, as mankind, was between our Creator and us—the first unsiyyah (closeness) formed in the realm of souls. Allah spoke to the souls and asked, “Am I not your Rabb (creator)?” and the souls answered: “Of course you are, we affirm...” (Al-A'raf, 172). For this reason, when asked how long one has been a Muslim, one replies: “Since qalu bala.”

Unfortunately, human beings do not recall the promise given at the Bazm-i Alast due to the disabling attributes of nisyan (lapse of memory). It is similar to how we forget our first spoken words and baby steps. However, our ability to talk is proof of our first words, and us walking is proof of our initial steps. Our parents are witnesses to these events. They describe to us what happened during those times and how they occurred, and we accept it as truth. Our Creator told us about our first words in the realm of souls. For this reason, dhikr (remembrance of Allah) means preserving our closeness to Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala), which started at the Bazm-i Alast, and keeping our initial promise. 

Those who do not want to remember their words in the realm of soulsand do not take notice of the reminders, sever their ties with Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) and fall into the realm of ghaflah. They will remember their Creator in the hereafter, but this remembrance will not benefit them.

We do not know when the end times will come, and perhaps we will be kept in the grave even longer than we are to live on earth. The akhirah is an endless existence. We will lose the eternal akhirah if our preference is towards this mortal world. If our choice is submitting to our Creator, we will have glad tidings both in the grave and the hereafter. Like the billions of people who have already passed to akhirah, the eight billion people currently living on earth will one day cease to exist. If one dies today, the first question they will be asked is, “Who is your Rabb (creator)?” For that reason, one needs to be prepared to answer this very crucial question accurately. The answer we will find ourselves able to give to the question of “Who is your Creator?” will depend on our priorities during our lives and with whom we built close relations in this world.

Three levels of closeness

To achieve the state of uns (closeness) to Allah, we need to learn of Him, try to form a relationship with Him, and contemplate the reflections of His beautiful names and attributes. Therefore, we need to remember our Creator and mention His names frequently. When a servant thinks of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala), Allah also thinks of the servant (Al-Baqarah, 152). We need to allocate time to think of Him and try building a state of unsiyyah. We need to read His words in the Qur’an and make every event a reason to pray to Him, and by doing so, speak to Him. We need to be together with our Creator by performing salah, for it is our union with Him.

The closeness of the servant to Allah (Al-Baqarah, 186) and Allah's nearness to His servants (Al-Mujadila, 7; Al-Hadid, 4; Al-Kahf, 16) are mentioned clearly in the Holy Qur’an. Our Creator is very close to us, but are we close to Him?

The process of achieving closeness to Allah unfolds in three levels. The first is a physical closeness achieved with sujud (prostrating) during salah and performing good deeds. The second one is the closeness through iman, also known as the closeness of the heart. The third is closeness achieved with ihsan (perfection) and muhabbah (passion, love), also known as the closeness of one's soul.

The process of Allah's closeness to His servants also manifests in three forms. Allah allows nearness to everyone at a general level, to mumins at a distinct level, and unique proximity to individuals at the level of muqarrabin. We each need to reflect on our level of closeness. We must perform nawafil (optional) acts of worship in addition to the obligatory ones to achieve nearness to our Creator.

In the famous hadith qudsi, the holy Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) says:

“Whoever harms a wali (friend of Allah) of Mine, I declare war upon him. My slave draws nearer to Me with nothing more beloved to Me than that which I have made obligatory upon him. And then My slave continues to draw near to Me with optional acts (nawafil) until I love him. And when I love him, I become the ear with which he hears, and the eye with which he sees, and the hand with which he smites, and the foot with which he walks. And if he seeks My protection, I will surely grant him My protection. And if he seeks My victory, I will surely grant him the victory.”

We must try to work towards such levels of nearness to our Creator as described in the hadith qudsi.

Using the best of names

If only we get to know our Creator, cherish the closeness, and find delight in it, we will be excited for and look forward to salah every time. If we continue to draw closer to our Creator, we will attain His akhlaq (characteristics and manners) and start noticing the reflections of His names. As we grow closer to Allah and continually mention His name “Ar-Rahman,” we will show mercy to all humankind. By mentioning His name “Al-Mu'min” frequently, we will inspire trust in others. His name “Al-Afuw” will make us more forgiving.

A person who gains the attributes of His name “As-Salam” can protect their heart and body from all types of evil deeds. They may become a source of peace for themselves and their surroundings. A person embracing the attributes of His name “Al-Hakim” will be accomplishing their daily deeds with contentment and live a life full of hikmah (wisdom). A person taking in the reflections of His name “Ar-Razzaq” will have no fear in their heart about rizq (sustenance). Their choice will always be to turn to the provider of the rizq rather than the rizq itself. A person who exemplifies the qualities of the name “As-Sattar” conceals the mistakes of others and makes no gossip. He never slanders a person, says anything libelous, or does anything to defame the person at fault in the eyes of others. A person who attains the attributes of His name “Al-Wahhab” and “Al-Karim” will always give without expecting anything in return, enjoy almsgiving, and always be generous. A person reciting the name “Al-Wadud” profusely and attaining a reflection of it has the attribute of loving unconditionally and being equally loved.

Who are we conversing with?

Conversing, also known as sohbat, is one of the ways to gain closeness. It is a way to share emotions and reduce ghaflah (obliviousness). It reduces one’s interest in worldly pursuits and allows purification of the soul, enabling us to gain a deeper affinity with Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala).

There are four types of sohbat (dialogue). The first one is dialogue with the friends of Allah, a source of healing for the heart and soul. The second is dialogue with religious friends and other Sufis, which is deemed nourishing. The third type of dialogue is with fasiq people and sinners, regarded as infectious. The final one is dialogue with non-believers and deniers of Allah. This type of conversation is considered to be poisonous. Therefore, it is critical who you are having your conversation with.

Our parents, relatives, friends, and family are all close to us; they always look out for and want the best for us. It is human nature to enjoy their companionship and interactions with them. To be among loved ones is the most satisfying. In reality, all the goodness and blessings in the universe belong to Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala). He is the One Who is forever taking care of us and is always in a close relationship with us. He is the One providing us with fulfillment and the joy of life. He never leaves us despite our numerous wrongdoings. For this reason, His closeness and love should be the highest priority for us.

Just as one feels fond of their invention, product, or work of art, Allah (jalla jalaluhu) similarly loves human beings as we are His creation. We must return in kind this love bestowed upon us by Allah; the love for our Creator should be the first and foremost to flow from our lips. Otherwise, Allah the Most Glorious warns us in the Qur'an:

"Say, O Prophet, "If your parents and children and siblings and spouses and extended family and the wealth you have acquired and the trade you fear will decline and the homes you cherish—if all these are more beloved to you than Allah and His Messenger and struggling in His Way, then wait until Allah brings about His Will. Allah does not guide the rebellious people." (At-Tawbah, 24).

Ashq and faithfulness

Ashq is an intense form of love, inspired and bestowed by Allah as all love is, but heightened to carry those devoted to it to the noble purpose of being with Allah as opposed to ordinary love. Ashq is the pinnacle of all love. It is the quickest way to form closeness with one’s beloved. An arif is always devoted to Allah and faithful to His love. Therefore, an arif pays attention to the meaning of the verses mentioned above and always desires to be with Allah. In addition to love, one must control their nafs because nafs gravitates towards every source of attraction it gazes upon. It continuously yearns for anything it finds appealing. Once the nafs sees something new and more desirable, it will abandon the previous object in its sight in favor of the newer, better one.

Here is an excellent example of this, taken from the anecdotes of a devout worshipper. An abid, a devout worshipper, was on his pilgrimage, traveling from Mina to Arafat, and saw a woman on the way. The woman was constantly reciting the name of Allah as she was walking. The abid was mesmerized by her and her apparent behavior. He decided to speak to her. He told her that she captivated him and stirred his feelings so much that his heart longed for her. She responded by saying, “there is someone more beautiful right behind you,” and the man looked behind but saw no one.

The woman replied: “Oh! You are a man of false intentions, untrue to your word. If you were really on a pilgrimage to Makkah for the sake of Allah and had faithful intentions, you would only be busy thinking of Allah. If you were truly a devout worshipper, you would try to draw closer to Allah and nothing else. And if you were really in love with me as you describe, you would not have looked behind,” and then quickly walked away.

As is evident from this story, even in the holiest of places, a person can easily forget Allah, incline towards worldly desires, and become ensnared by emotional attachment to the objects of these desires. Therefore, one should try not to fall into ghaflah regardless of the circumstances. To avoid disconnection from Allah, we should be constant in our dhikr of Him. Our Creator states:

“And do not be like those who forgot Allah, so He made them forget themselves. It is they who are truly rebellious.” (Al-Hashr, 19)

Even if we are unaware of Allah Almighty, Allah is not unaware of what we are doing (Al-Baqarah, 74; 85). Our beloved Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) never wanted to fall into ghaflah and lose his intimacy with Allah the Exalted, even for a moment. For this, He (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “O Allah, do not leave me to myself even for the blinking of an eye (a moment).” (Abu Dawud, Adab, 100), and to increase his closeness and spiritual peace, He (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) used to say: “O Bilal, recite iqamah (second call) for prayer: give us comfort by it.” (Abu Dawud, Adab, 86)

One who loves will always remember

One of the indications of closeness to Allah is to love Him and derive a heartfelt joy from remembering Him. It is to remember that He is always with us and to enjoy worshipping Him. It is to read the Holy Qur’an, the corpus of His divine words. It is to speak to Him.

One who says they love their aunt but never visits her and doesn't even say ‘hi’ on the phone would only be deemed to love their relative in name only. By the same token, it is doubtful to believe in one's love for Allah if one lets the covers of the Qur’an gather dust, doesn't read the words of Allah, and doesn’t speak to Him through His divine message.

If one enjoys forming unsiyyah with Allah, they will also enjoy occupying themselves with learning about the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and his hadiths. They will closely adhere to his sayings and teachings. If one declares their love of Allah, they must also love His awliya (friends of Allah) and show closenessto them. If one shows closeness to the awliya, they can renounce the harmful desires of their nafs (ego) and the devil, and they will strike the world from their heart.

The moment one allows their heart to be seized by worldly matters and evil acts, they will be dissociating themselves from Allah in direct proportion to their inclination towards the former. If one is close to Allah, they will not follow their nafs. They won't surrender to the bad desires of their nafs and instead will be fighting against it, knowing that there will never be a peaceful pact with it. They will not follow the path of evil and get deceived by this mortal world. When surrounded by other people, their heart will be connected to Allah Almighty, even if they are busy talking to others. They will consider it a terrible waste to spend time without contemplating Allah, lamenting such losses. They will never be tired of mentioning the name of their Creator or be bored of talking about Him. They will not be tired of fulfilling the orders of their beloved Rabb. They will love the created because of the Creator. They will not feverishly pursue material gain. They know that they live in a temporary world where what is built today will topple the next, and that the very nature of this existence is irrevocably disposed to come to an end.

A salik (a follower of Sufism) who attains the joy of closeness to Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) will know that all the pleasures of this world, except the love of Allah's Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and His friends, are destined to end with one's death. He will know that regardless of whom he loves, either they will leave him, or he will leave them behind.

Therefore, the state of uns (closeness) is formed either with the faani (worldly, ephemeral), or the one who is baqi (eternal). Allah is the only one who is baqi, and all the people and the world around us with all its contents are faani, mortal. One who chases after fanaa (extinction of existence)and chooses things that will come to an end will grow fond of fani (fleeting, ephemeral) things. One who chooses baqa (divine eternity), which is continual and unending, will in time be in love with Al-Baqi, who is none other than Allah the Eternal. One who wants to have constant unsiyyah with Him will try not to be deceived by worldly desires, which will inevitably end and therefore only waste their life; instead, they form unsiyyah with Allah, who is infinite and eternal.

Abdülhamid Eşmeli