Being in Love!

This is part of (Munājāt al-Muḥibbīn – The Whispered Prayer of the Lovers), attributed to Imam ‘Ali ibn al-Ḥusayn Zayn al-‘Ābidīn (peace be upon him), the fourth Imam from the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them). This munājāt is one of the fifteen Whispered Prayers (Munājāt Khams ‘Ashar) These whispered prayers are deeply intimate, mystical, and emotionally rich, each expressing a particular spiritual state—like the whisper of the repentant (al-tāʾibīn), the fearful (al-khāʾifīn), the thankful (al-shākirīn), and here, the lovers (al-muḥibbīn).

Beautiful words recited, saying:

‎إِلٰهِي مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي ذَاقَ حَلاٰوَةَ مَحَبَّتِكَ فَرَامَ مِنْكَ بَدَلًا، وَ مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي أَنِسَ بِقُرْبِكَ فَابْتَغىٰ عَنْكَ حِوَلًا

My God, who can have tasted the sweetness of Your love, then wanted someone else in Your place? Who can have become intimate with Your nearness, then sought diversion from You

This is part of (Munājāt al-Muḥibbīn – The Whispered Prayer of the Lovers), attributed to Imam ‘Ali ibn al-Ḥusayn Zayn al-‘Ābidīn (peace be upon him), the fourth Imam from the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them).

This munājāt is one of the fifteen Whispered Prayers (Munājāt Khams ‘Ashar) These whispered prayers are deeply intimate, mystical, and emotionally rich, each expressing a particular spiritual state—like the whisper of the repentant (al-tāʾibīn), the fearful (al-khāʾifīn), the thankful (al-shākirīn), and here, the lovers (al-muḥibbīn).

This specific munājāt reveals the depth of the loving relationship between the servant and God. It is not centered around fear of punishment or hope for reward—but rather on a love so consuming and sincere that the lover wants nothing but nearness to the Beloved.

This is the language of the spiritual elite, those who seek God for His own sake, and who are in love with His presence, not just His gifts.

The central lines of this munājāt:

‎ إِلٰهِي مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي ذَاقَ حَلاٰوَةَ مَحَبَّتِكَ فَرَامَ مِنْكَ بَدَلًا، وَ مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي أَنِسَ بِقُرْبِكَ فَابْتَغىٰ عَنْكَ حِوَلًا

My God, who can have tasted the sweetness of Your love, then wanted someone else in Your place? Who can have become intimate with Your nearness, then sought diversion from You

This speaks from the depths of ‘ishq—divine love. Imam Zayn al-‘Ābidīn (peace be upon him) articulates here that once the soul truly tastes God’s love, the world loses its allure.

The relationship with God becomes so intimate and life-giving that the heart naturally refuses substitutes. It finds no replacement, no escape, and no satisfaction except in Him.

The munājāt then continues to pray:

‎إِلٰهِي فَاجْعَلْنَا مِمَّنِ اصْطَفَيْتَهُ لِقُرْبِكَ وَ وِلاٰيَتِكَ…

My God, make us of those whom You have chosen for Your nearness and friendship…

This is not just a hope—it’s a longing to be transformed. The servant wants to be remade by God’s love: to be sincere, to yearn, to be content, to be blessed with divine intimacy and ultimately His pleasure.

The kind of relationship the Imam is teaching us to seek is:

• Loving, not transactional

• Intimate, not distant

• Constant, not seasonal

• Transformative, not superficial

This is a love where the lover loses himself in the Beloved—not out of naivety, but out of knowledge (ma‘rifah) and trust. It is the kind of relationship where the soul becomes:

• Detached from the world but anchored in God’s presence

• Motivated not by fear, but by burning love and divine attraction

• Satisfied only by nearness, not by material or even spiritual rewards

School of Divine Love

Munājāt al-Muḥibbīn teaches us how to speak to God not as a distant ruler, but as a Beloved, a Companion, and the only true source of love. It echoes the same spiritual current found in the words of the Prophet’s family, especially Imam Ali (peace be upon him), who famously said:

‎ما عبدتُك خوفًا من نارك، ولا طمعًا في جنتك، ولكن وجدتك أهلًا للعبادة فعبدتك

I did not worship You out of fear of Your Fire, nor out of desire for Your Paradise, but because I found You worthy of worship, so I worshiped You.

The Munājāt al-Muḥibbīn invites every soul to enter this sacred space of love-based worship, to make God the center of one’s inner world, and to never be satisfied with anything less than divine nearness.