Inclination towards beauty, benevolence, and perfection with a spiritual pleasure.

“Love is the cause of the universe’s existence, the bond between all things, and the light and life of the universe. Since we are the most comprehensive fruit of existence, a love so overflowing that it can invade the universe has been included in that fruit’s heart (its seed or core). One who deserves such an infinite love can only be one with infinite perfection.”¹⁾

“Mahabba means fondness, tender and kind feelings, preference, and love. Love that affects and invades one’s feelings is called passion; love that is so deep and irresistible that it burns for union is called fervor and enthusiasm. Sufis have defined love as the relation of the heart with the Truly Beloved One, the irresistible desire felt for Him, the struggle to comply with His will or commandments in all acts and thoughts, and the state of being enraptured and intoxicated without “sobriety” until the time of union or re-union. These definitions can be summed up as “standing” in the Presence of God, as being freed from all transient relationships and worries.

“True love means that a lover is set wholly on the Beloved, is always and inwardly with Him, and never has any other desire or wish. The heart of a person who has such a degree of love always beats with a new contemplation for the Beloved at every moment. His or her imagination always travels in His mysterious climate, his or her feelings receive new messages from Him at every moment, his or her will takes wings with these messages, and he or she passionately desires to meet Him.”²⁾

“Love is the essence of being. God Almighty has created the existence as an expression of love to His Divine Essence. He has created man as an index, essence and vital element of these vast realms. But this is a sacred and exonerated love. It is not like our love. Our love is either an expression of weakness and inclinations that we cannot control, or it is an emotion that has become a part of our nature and character. None of these can be attributed to the Divine Essence. Therefore, to declare that God is free from any defect, we say that He has created existence as an expression of an exonerated, sacred and exempted love.”³⁾

Compassion

Enthusiasm

M. Fethullah Gülen, Toward a Global Civilization of Love and Tolerance

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