friends of Allah; the youngest among whom was Junaid Baghdadi (ra). In
that gathering, there was a discussion on the subject of 'Love for
Allah' and as to who is the lover of Allah. Many of them expressed
their views on the subject, but Junaid (ra)kept quiet. He was
pressedto say something.
With his head bowed down and tears in his eyes, he said, "The lover
ofAllah is he who forgets his own self, remains engagedin Allah's
remembrance with due regard to all its requirements; sees Allah with
the eyes of his heart, which is burnt by the heat of Allah's fear;
Allah's remembrance affects him like a cup of wine, he speaks the word
of Allah as if All-Mighty Allah speaks through his mouth;if he moves,
he does so under the command of Allah; he gets peace of mind only
through the obedience of Allah; and when such a stage is reached, his
eating, drinking, sleeping, awakening and, in short, all his actions
are for the pleasure of Allah; he neither pays heed to the worldly
customs, nor does he attach any importance to unfriendly criticism by
people."
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