or his position of authority, his homeland, his friend, a physical form, his horses, his garden, his gold, his silver, or any of his other possessions. Love begins with attachment, because the heart becomes attached to the beloved; then comes yearning, as the heart pours itself out toward the beloved; then consuming passion, which clings to the heart as a creditor clings to his debtor. It then becomes ardent love, until it reaches enslavement—meaning servitude; Taym Allāh means “servant of Allah.” The heart thus becomes a slave to the beloved, obedient and unable to depart from the beloved’s command. Many who are infatuated with physical forms have reached conditions well known to people: some have been driven to kill themselves and their beloved, or to disbelief and apostasy from Islam. Others have been driven to madness and the loss of reason, to abandoning such greatly cherished things as family, wealth, and authority, or to disease in their bodies and teeth.

Whoever says that love neither increases nor decreases has therefore made one of the most manifestly false claims. It is well known that people differ in their love for Allah more greatly than they differ in their love for anything else. He, glorified is He, took Abraham as an intimate friend, and He also took Muhammad as an intimate friend, as is widely reported from him that he said:

“Were I to take an intimate friend from among the people of the earth, I would take Abū Bakr as an intimate friend. But your companion is Allah’s intimate friend.”

He meant himself, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. He also said:

“Allah has taken me as an intimate friend just as He took Abraham as an intimate friend.”

Intimate friendship is more specific than love in general. The prophets, peace be upon them, and the believers love Allah, and Allah loves them, as He said:

“Allah will bring forth a people whom He loves and who love Him,”

to the end of the verse. He, the Exalted, also said:

“But those who believe love Allah more intensely.”

Allah has stated that He loves those who are mindful of Him, loves those who act justly, loves those who continually repent, loves those who purify themselves, and loves