He observes. In this maqām (spiritual station), the servant attains the oceans of the unseen, the secret of those who have been in the past and of those who will be in the future. Among the things whose secrets the servant attains in this maqām are the following: He discovers his own ḥāl (spiritual state) and the degree of his love, sees the maqāms (spiritual stations) that the servants will reach, and observes their changes from state to state at the boundary of eternity. (Küt, II, 76)
Maḥabba (love) is an honorable ḥāl (spiritual state) in which Allah Most High bears witness that it is a virtue for the servant and declares that He loves His servant. Accordingly, the Real (al-Ḥaqq), Glorified is He, "He loves His servant, and the servant loves Allah Most High" (al-Māʾida, 5/54) has been described thus. In the language of the scholars, maḥabba means irāda (will). However, what the Sufis mean by maḥabba is not irāda. For irāda does not pertain to the Pre-eternal. But from irāda here, the meaning of drawing near to Allah and honoring Him can be understood. (Qushayrī, 156)
Wherever there is maḥabba, there is taste (dhawq); wherever there is ḥaqīqa (inner reality), there is dahsha (awe). (From Abū ʿAlī) I heard from Dakkāk: Love (ʿishq) is to exceed the bounds in love. Just as the Real (al-Ḥaqq), Glorified is He, cannot be described by exceeding the bounds, so too He cannot be described by ʿishq. If the love of all creatures were gathered in one person, the maḥabba of this person would not reach the maḥabba that is due to the Real, Glorified is He.
For a servant in this ḥāl (spiritual state), it cannot be said that he has exceeded the bounds in his love for Allah. For this reason, just as it cannot be said that the Real, Glorified is He, is in love with His servant, so too it cannot be said that the servant is in love with Allah regarding His attribute. For this reason, ʿishq (passionate love) has been rejected. It is not possible for the Real to be described as being in love with the servant, nor for the servant to be described as being in love with the Real. (Qushayrī, 157)
Maḥabba is to incline toward something with all your being, then to prefer it over yourself, your spirit (rūḥ), and your wealth, to conform to it both inwardly and outwardly, and to recognize your own deficiency in your love for it. (Qushayrī, 158)
It has been said: Maḥabba, in terms of its linguistic meaning, is derived from the word 'ḥabba.' The seeds sown in the earth are called ḥabba. Since ḥubba (love) is the essence of life, it has been given this name. Likewise, iḥabb is the root of the plant. Just as the seed falls to the ground, is buried in the soil, rain falls upon it, the sun shines, cold and hot weather pass over it, yet the seed does not change with the passage of time; when its time comes, it grows, blossoms, and bears fruit—so too, when love settles in the qalb (the heart), it does not change with presence and absence, with trial and tribulation, with ease and delight, with separation and reunion.
It is also said that maḥabba derives from hibb, which means a cup full of water. For when maḥabba fills the qalb, there remains no room for anyone other than the Maḥbūb (the Beloved, i.e., Allah); one thinks only of Him. (Hujwīrī, 365)
In the language of the scholars, maḥabba has been used in various ways. The first is this: Maḥabba is to desire the beloved (maḥbūb) without the stability of the nafs (the lower self), inclination, caprice, desire, the qalb's wish, or intimacy. None of these meanings can pertain to the Pre-eternal Being (Allah). These mentioned meanings may be spoken of among created beings, in relation to one another and of the same kind for their own kind. But Allah Most High is exalted above all these.
Secondly, maḥabba means ihsān (spiritual excellence) and Allah's choosing, granting the servant the degree of walāya's kamāl (perfection), and bestowing various honors upon His servant.
Thirdly, it is Allah's praising His servant in a beautiful way. (Hujwīrī, 366-367)
Among the Sufis, Samnūn Muḥibb, who had his own path regarding maḥabba, said: The foundation of the path to Allah is maḥabba, and the root of all ḥāl (spiritual states) and maqāms (spiritual stations) is the degrees of maḥabba. All the degrees and stations that the seeker attains disappear, but maḥabba is outside of this. No maqām or degree can reach this level. All the shaykhs agree with Samnūn on this matter, but (in order to prevent misunderstandings) they wished to keep the path of maḥabbatullāh (love of Allah) hidden and used other terms instead of the term maḥabba.
This great shaykh (Samnūn) says: For the ascetics, maḥabba is more manifest than mujāhada (spiritual struggle). For the repentant (tāʾibīn), maḥabba is more present than lamentation and wailing... (Hujwīrī, 370)
Sehl ʿAbdullah (Tustarī) said: Maḥabba is to be intertwined with acts of obedience and to be opposed to acts of disobedience. For the stronger love is in the qalb, the easier the command of the beloved becomes for the lover. This statement is a refutation of some heretics who say, "The servant reaches such a level in love that obedience is no longer incumbent upon him." As long as the servant is of sound mind, the obligations of the Law (taklīf) do not cease for him, so this claim is impossible. (Hujwīrī, 374)
Allah Most High has said: "Allah will bring forth a people whom He loves and who love Him." (al-Māʾida, 5/54) Maḥabba is the love of the qalb in the matter of ihsān (spiritual excellence), which lies between himma (spiritual aspiration) and intimacy, and is an obstacle to loneliness. Maḥabba is the beginning of the valley of fanāʾ (annihilation in God), a passage from which one enters the stations of maḥw (obliteration). Maḥw is another station. The foremost of the ʿawāmm (the commoners) and the laggards among the khawāṣṣ (the elect) reach it. Those outside of this are inclined to seek substitutes.
Maḥabba is the sign of this (Sufi) community, the title of the path.