Mahabbah
Definition
Mahabbah — love of God — is, for al-Ghazali, not a peripheral spiritual emotion but the central purpose of human existence and the heart of the entire path. He defines love philosophically: love is the inclination of the soul toward that which brings it pleasure; and since God alone is the source of all genuine beauty, goodness, and perfection, the fully awakened heart cannot but love God above everything else. Al-Ghazali argues that most people love God in a distorted or conditional way — loving Him because of His gifts, His protection, or their fear of His punishment — but that the true mahabbah of the spiritual elite is love of God for Himself alone, independent of what He gives or withholds. This unconditional love is the destination the entire Ihya exists to help the reader reach.
As understood in the classical tradition of Imam al-Ghazali and the scholars of his school.
Appears in
1 book in the library
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