Al-Wadud Meaning
Al-Wadud (in Arabic: ٱلْوَدُودُ), the most loving and affectionate. He is faithful to his servants and shows them the purest love. He is the singular source of all love and kindness. The One who loves His believing servants, and His believing servants adore Him.
When was the last time you felt truly loved?
The love of Allah is limitless. Could you close your eyes and think about it? You can probably think of certain people as well as specific scenarios. And if someone were to ask you how you know you are loved, you would list the things the person does to express their love for you. If we find it hard to interpret acts of love, we usually doubt our relationship. When you can point out behavior that shows love, this kind of love is not called hubby in Arabic because hubby simply has a feeling of love.
This kind of love – one that is apparent and shown is called wud. Wud means to love and an expression of love through the act of giving, And Allah has Named Himself al-Wadud: The Affectionate. Allah specifically chose this word to show that Allah loves you and that He shows you He loves you. If we have been in the dark about this, it’s time to notice how Allah manifests His love for us, for you and me, precisely every day. Your heart will melt.
When Allah loves a servant
The Prophet ﷺ (PBUH)shows us some ways that Allah shows His love:
“When Allah loves someone, he calls to Jibreel’ alayhi salatu wassalam (may Allah be pleased with him) saying, ‘O Jibreel, I love such and such a person, so love him.”
Then Jibreel will call to the angels of the heavens.
“Allah loves such and such a person, so love him.’ And the angels will love [that person]. And then Allah will place acceptance on earth for that believer.”
(Bukhari and Muslim)
It would be enough for Allah to say that He loves a person; what more could someone want? But because Allah is Al-Wadud (the Affectionate) and Al-Kareem (the Most-Generous), He declares this love to the Angels, Which does not stay in the heavens but descends to the earth. Because Allah puts acceptance of this person in people’s hearts, What else does Allah tell us about His love?
The Prophet ﷺ said, “ALLAH, the Exalted, said:
“I will declare war against him, who treats a pious worshiper of Mine with hostility. And the most beloved thing with which My slave comes nearer to Me is what I have enjoined upon him; My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing Nawafil (voluntary prayers or doing extra deeds besides what is obligatory) until I love him, (so much so that) I become his hearing with which he hears, and his sight with which he sees, and his hand with which he strikes, and his leg with which he walks; and if he asks Me something, I will surely give him, and if he seeks My Protection (refuge), I will surely protect him”.
[Bukhari]
Allah is Merciful or Affectionate:
Sometimes, it is challenging to separate Allah being affectionate, Allah being merciful, And Allah being forgiving. Aren’t they all the same? Al-Ghazali states, “Its meaning [al-Wadud] is close to ‘the Merciful,’ but Mercy comes to one who receives Mercy, And the one who receives Mercy is needy and poor. So the Merciful’s actions presuppose one who is weak to receive Mercy, while the activities of the Loving-Kind [al-Wadud] do not require that.
Rather, bestowing favors from the outset results from a loving-kindness.” Look at Allah’s love for the Prophet ﷺ: in Makkah, after the revelation of a few surahs of the Qur’an, revelation stopped. The tribe of Quraish made fun of the Prophet, saying, “The Lord of Muhammad has left him.” So Allah revealed the verses,
وَٱلضُّحَىٰ
“By the morning brightness,
وَٱلَّيْلِ إِذَا سَجَىٰ
And [by] the night when it covers with darkness,
مَا وَدَّعَكَ رَبُّكَ وَمَا قَلَىٰ
Your Lord has not taken leave of you, [O Muhammad], nor has He detested [you].”
[Qur’an, 93:1-3]
Allah comforts the Prophet ﷺ with these words. And we, too, should take comfort – when you are on the right path, Allah will not leave you. He is with you, and He will comfort you.
So what’s your job now?
To truly feel Allah’s love in your life, take a few minutes to reflect. Think about how your parents cared for you as a child. You didn’t ask for it; it came when you were born. At the health and opportunities you got. Then have a quick look at the world around you, the beauty of nature. It didn’t have to be this way. The world could have been bland and ugly.
But there is so much beauty that only you can truly enjoy. Allah created us, and yet we worship other Gods that we make up. They may not be physical statues, but things like money or status. God blessed us with bounties, yet we attribute those blessings solely to people. Allah’s Mercy descends to us while our evil deeds ascend to Him, and still, He sends us gifts to bring us closer to Him, though He doesn’t need us. The Prophet ﷺ tells us that.
“Allah Almighty will stretch out His hand during the night, turning towards the one who did wrong during the day, and stretch out His hand during the day, turning towards the one who did wrong during the night, until the day the sun rises from the place it set.”
[Muslim]
ALLAH loves those who return to HIM!
So what’s your plan? Are you going to accept the love of ALLAH? Would you communicate with ALLAH by reciting Quran and remembering HIM frequently during the day?
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