This kind of listening brings profound spiritual experiences, noble inward delights, increased knowledge, and great spiritual states that no discourse can encompass and no book contain, just as reflecting upon the Quran and understanding it brings an increase in knowledge and faith beyond description.
Something that deserves careful attention is that Allah, Glorified is He, says in His Book:
“Say, ‘If you love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you.’”
Some of the early generations said that certain people in the Prophet’s time, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, claimed to love Allah, so Allah revealed this verse:
“Say, ‘If you love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you’”—to the end of the verse.
He thus made clear that loving Him entails following the Messenger, and that following the Messenger brings about Allah’s love for His servant. This is a love by which Allah has tested those who claim to love Him, for claims and confusion abound in this matter.
Thus, it is related that when people discussed the subject of love in the presence of Dhū al-Nūn al-Misrī, he said, “Stop discussing this subject, lest people’s souls hear of it and lay claim to it.”
One of them said, “Whoever worships Allah out of love alone is a heretic; whoever worships Allah out of fear alone is a Harūrī; whoever worships Him out of hope alone is a Murji’ite; and whoever worships Him with love, fear, and hope is a believer who affirms Allah’s oneness.”
This is because love alone gives souls free rein, allowing them to indulge their desires unless restrained by reverent fear of Allah. It went so far that the Jews and Christians said:
“We are Allah’s children and His beloved.”
Among those who claim to love Allah, one finds violations of the revealed Law that are not found among those who fear Him. This is why He coupled love with reverent fear in His words: