“Return to the origin of your origin.” These profound words by Rumi have been occupying my thoughts all week. For me, this means returning to God. But how do we do this? Is it more than just prayer and remembrance?
When I hear this, I can’t help but correlate these words to the attributes of God. Return to mercy, for God is the most merciful (Ar-Rahman). Return to forgiveness, for God is the Forgiving (Al-Ghaffar) and the Forgiver (Al-‘Afu). Return to nourishing, for God is the Nourisher (Al Muqit). Return to generosity, for God is the Generous (Al-Karim).
However, at the center of all of this is love. Love brings us closer to our origin. Closer to God. It opens our hearts to being merciful, generous, nurturing, and forgiving. It does not tolerate hatred, stinginess, or harshness. It is not a limited commodity but a naturally renewing energy which sustains us and nourishes our soul . It is the natural state of our soul and, when we return to it, we return to God, the Loving One (Al-Wadud).