Eternally Longing for Allah

Imam Al Ghazali on longing for Allah, Ihya Ulum al-Din^[1]
The original text - slightly edited, footnotes by the web editor.

The blessings and peace of Allah on the Prophet ﷺ, his Family, and his Companions.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

مَنْ أحَبَّ لِقَاءَ اللهِ أَحَبَّ اللهُ لِقَاءهُ، وَمَنْ كَرِهَ لِقَاءَ اللهِ كَرِهَ اللهُ لِقَاءهُ

“Whoever loves to meet Allah, Allah loves to meet him.”^[3]
Narrated by ‘Ā'ishah, in Muslim and Bukhari 6508

Every beloved in his concealment must become an object of longing, and Allah is the only true Beloved.

Longing (إِشْتِيَاق) is inconceivable except,
for something that is perceptible in one aspect while remaining imperceptible in another.

He who does not see a person, or hear him described, cannot conceive a longing for him;
if he does not perceive his perfection, he does not long for him.

In order for there to be Longing,
there must be a perceptible aspect and an imperceptible aspect, because he who perceives his beloved fully does not long for him.

For example, a man whose beloved is absent but in whose heart an image remains, longs to complete that image by direct sight.
Longing denotes an inner yearning to perfect imagination.

Another example is of one who sees only a part of the beloved, such as the hair or only the eyes, he then longs to complete his view.

Both of these aspects are conceivable for Allah, the gnostic^[2] stands behind a fine veils that is not fully transparent; it is blemished by the specks of vain imaginings.

In this world all mental representation
produces images and similitudes of all knowable objects.
This acts as a blemish for the gnostic; worldly distractions adhere to them.

Complete clarity comes about through perfect direct vision, but this happens only in the hereafter.
This must necessitate longing: it is the farthest point which gnostics love most.

This is one of the two types of longing, the second is in terms to the Divine secrets.

Know that this longing shall never cease,
for it is beyond the bounds of human capacity to fully comprehend the Divine mysteries, the essence of Allah, His Attributes, and His actions.

Thus, the yearning remains eternal, unquenched even in the Hereafter.

Rather than fading, it intensifies and ascends, becoming a longing suffused with joy, love, and sacred awe. For Paradise is not a static reward, but an everlasting state of bliss, where pleasures are ever renewed, and blessings ever increased.

Such sublime contemplation is not for all, but for those who, in this life, laid a firm foundation, steadfast in faith, sincere in deed, and alive with divine remembrance.

For the path to eternal wonder begins here,
where the soul is cultivated and nearness to the Divine is sown.

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