There is something inside us that drives us to strive and move. Powerful forces push us to act, in our mornings and in our evenings, as if we are searching for something we long for. There is something deep within us that we need. Yes, we move throughout our day for many reasons. We may be striving for success. We may want to feel strong. We may long for distinction. We may desire to appear beautiful and perfect in the eyes of those around us. But have we ever asked ourselves about the true nature of our motives? What lies behind our actions? Do we desire these things for their own sake? Or are they a means to fulfill deeper needs hidden within us, inside us, in the depth of our depths? I asked myself again and again. Then I searched and examined. I felt that we desire something else. Something beyond success, distinction, and beauty. Something that these achievements bring to us. I saw that much of our striving comes from wanting to feel accepted. We act because we thirst for appreciation. We excel because we desire love. We want to feel loved, and we want to give love in return. For our souls cannot rest except through love. They are thirsty for love, and nothing quenches them except love. Ah, I feel the heart of every human being longing for love, calling out: “Where are you, O love? Where can I find you? I need you, and I see no happiness without you. Comfort me, O love. Tell me where I can find you, for I am tired of running and searching and striving for your sake.” How often I see in people’s eyes the thirst of their hearts for you, O love. How deeply I feel their need for peace and happiness. I now hear a gentle whisper, a tender call, murmured by the heart of a human being speaking to love: “I searched for you, O love, among people. And whenever I thought I had reached you or felt a trace of you, you would disappear. All I found was an illusion. Tell me, O love. I am exhausted. I am close to losing hope that I will ever find you.” Love heard the heart’s call and answered: “You want me so your heart can beat? Your soul longs for me to live? Yes, for I am the essence of happiness and the purpose of existence. Whoever finds me has arrived, and whoever loses me becomes constricted and loses his life and effort.” Love continued: “You search for me among people? Perhaps one day you will find me there. But you will never find my true essence. What you will find is only a faint glow of me, shining at times and fading at others. People love you for themselves, not for you. They may hurt you while you try to do good for them. They may deprive you or withhold from you. They may misunderstand you and cause you sorrow. And in those moments my glow fades.” “Well then, tell me, O love. Where do I find you? Tell me and bring me peace,” the heart asked with longing. Love answered: “You want to enjoy me through a human being? Yes, if that relationship is lawful you will find a form of me, otherwise your heart will burn after the initial warmth. You will find me through lawful love, yet even then I will shine at times and dim at others. Human beings make mistakes. Weakness touches them. They cannot bring benefit to themselves nor repel harm from themselves, so how can they bring it to you or repel it from you? You may not find them with you one day. You may not find them for you every day. For they are human, and weakness is woven into their nature.” “Then where do I find you, O love? I am weary from seeking you,” the heart sighed. Love replied: “O heart, you will find me. Yes, you will find me. And you will find my true essence, not my fleeting shadows. You will find me when you taste true beauty. I will move within your depths when you behold perfection. I will shine between your ribs when you witness true goodness. But remember, I will not remain or settle within you unless you taste eternal beauty that never fades, perfection untouched by weakness or deficiency, and goodness that never ceases.” The heart said: “O love, I want you. I want you to come, to move, to shine within my depths. You are my life, my longing, my joy. Guide me to the path of your dwelling place. Guide me so I may find you and be happy.” O heart, contemplate. Love said: “O heart, have you reflected upon yourself? Have you contemplated your states? If you truly saw yourself, you would know your Lord, and love would flow through you. For love is closer to you than your own heartbeat!” I depend on Your power and Your care. “O heart, awaken. O heart, attach yourself to the One who created you and cares for you, in your days and in your nights. He strengthens you. He illuminates your path with understanding. By His provision you live and continue, and without Him you fade and vanish. Your life is through Him. Your return is to Him. O my Lord, how deeply I love You, the One by whom I live and in whose Hands all my affairs rest.” How delightful is Your goodness. “O heart, pay attention. O heart, reflect. With every sip of water that quenches your ribs, with every delicious bite that satisfies your hunger, with every recovery after illness, with every mercy after pain, see Allah’s giving enveloping you, and His love filling you. O my Lord, how I love You, You who feed me, give me drink, care for me, and heal me. Yes, I love You and I love You. Day and night I live in the sweetness of Your generosity and goodness.” My Lord, I sleep and then awaken, and I find Your mercy preceded my awareness. My soul returns flowing through my limbs, my consciousness is restored, and my emotions are renewed with hope. I breathe in the promise of goodness. I rise and strive through Your mercy, I move through my day through Your care, a human being honored by You beyond measure, my soul a breath from the Spirit of Allah. How tender is Your care. How Your generosity is renewed every day. I adore Your deep compassion. Sometimes I feel burden overwhelming my being, discouragement shaking my core. Then You send me, my Lord, a glad tiding that lifts my sorrow, or a gentle hand that wipes away my sadness, or even sleep that lightens my heaviness, and I awaken to find my worries diminished and small, replaced by a smile of hope glowing in my heart. How delicate is Your closeness. How great is Your care. I love You and I love Your comfort and Your profound tenderness. I make mistakes, and You are patient with me and forgive much. I persist, and You bring me back to You with a trial that purifies me from my wrongdoing and raises my rank and station. Life becomes burdensome, so I flee to You and call upon You. Then You take charge of my affairs, and You decree for me what is good. Wisdom and Mercy are woven into Your decrees. Glory be to You. How just is Your judgment. How great is Your help. How sweet is Your tenderness even in hardship. I shine with Your love when I see compassion and love in the hearts of those around me. I am full of flaws, yet You show people only my strengths and talents. How gentle is Your covering. How generous is Your giving. I love You for the magnificence of Your tenderness. I became attached to Your eternal beauty. My heart longs to taste beauty, to fill my senses and soul with its sweetness. My heart becomes attached to…