ABSTRACT
Against the deniers of sacred love, he states that the Muslim community agrees unanimously (mujmi'a) that the love for God and His messenger is an obligation (fart;f). 7 Hence, how can God oblige people to carry out what does not exist? Moreover, how can one interpret love to mean obedience, while obedience follows love?8 The Qur'an (5.54) attests to the existence of love: ' ... God will assuredly bring a people He loves, and who love Him ... ' Another verse (2.165) teaches not only the existence of love, but also its different ranks: ' ... But those that believe love God more ardently .. .'9 AI-Ghazali is satisfied with citing only two verses, and he does not develop a discussion beyond his statement that these two verses prove both the existence of love for God and its various degrees. In addition he cites traditions according to which this love is a prerequisite for belief in God,10 an obligation imposed by the Prophet, a cause of meeting God in the afterlife, and a cause of happiness. A few statements of Jesus and some ~Ufis stressing the value of love for God follow. 11 It seems that al-Ghazali does not ascribe much significance to these traditions and statements - for him these are only a kind of formal introduction - for they are a plain thing (amr ?ahir). Moreover, these do not even serve as points of departure for further discussion. Because the real meaning of love is hidden, the core of his presentation is to find it (tabqiq).12 However, in the course of his discussion he sometimes cites traditions as corroboration for his arguments.
