The Heart is Solely the Presence of Allah
The human heart is the unique place where the Exalted God most loves to manifest Himself, created as His own presence (nazargâh). Therefore, in Islamic ethics and Sufi depth, absolute love for anything other than Allah (masiva) is not permitted within the heart. Abdülkadir Geylani (q.s.) states that Allah is very “Girous” (jealous) and does not tolerate a heart created for Him to be subservient to transient beings, wealth or status. When a servant becomes excessively attached to a mortal being or worldly gain, that false love turns into an idol occupying the heart. The Most High intervenes with “Divine jealousy” (Gayret-i İlahiye) to break these idols that steal the love which is His right.
The Beloved Servant Deprived of the World
If Allah loves a servant and chooses him for His spiritual closeness, He does not allow that servant to fully immerse himself in worldly pleasures. “He does not entrust his beloved servants with the world.” When greed for the world begins to sprout in the heart of His beloved servant, Allah immediately sends a calamity, illness or loss to uproot it from its roots. Geylani (q.s.) explains the Sufi secret of the verse, “We had forbidden him all other nursing mothers before this” (Qasas, 12), referring to the event where Prophet Musa’s (a.s.) mother did not allow him to suckle any woman’s milk except hers: All tenderness and pleasure from all beings other than Allah are spiritually forbidden for the heart of a servant who truly loves Him. Divine effort thus sets a barrier against false loves entering the servant’s heart.
Broken Idols and Awakening
The Most High kneads His beloved servant’s heart with difficulties solely to dedicate it to Himself. Geylani (q.s.) says, “Divine effort protected me from all evil,” emphasizing that the losses and sorrows befalling a person are actually a divine act of compassion that saves him from a great calamity (shirk). When the servant sees the people he relied upon, his possessions or positions abandoning him, the false idols in his heart are destroyed.
The Reward of Purified Love
When the heart is completely cleansed of worldly expectations, people’s praise and demonic desires and filled only with the love of Allah, the servant attains indescribable peace. “Allah Ta’ala does not abandon one who loves Him for even a moment… Their hearts eternally remember Him and are present before Him.” A believer who only loves Allah also loves all created beings in the universe simply because they are “His creations.” This purified love delivers humanity from the pain of temporary separations in this world and transports it to an unparalleled security (the station of closeness – unsiyet) where Allah is with him every moment.