Assalam alaikum,
In Ayat 31 of Surat Al-Imran of the Holy Qur'an (3:31), Allah, Azzah Wa Jallah, says:--
"SAY: IF YOU LOVE ALLAH, THEN FOLLOW ME. ALLAH WILL LOVE YOU
AND FORGIVE YOU YOUR SINS."
This Ayat is an order on our obligation to believe in, obey and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, and to leave what contradicts it in words or deeds (qawlan wa fi'ilin).
For Sidi Ibn Arabi, may Allah be Merciful to him, following the Prophet, peace be upon him, [Ittiba'al-Nabiy], is not only the condition sine quo non which governs the quest for Allah from the onset; it is also, and above all, the ONLY way of access to the higher degree of Sainthood/Wilayah.
When Allah, Tabaraka Wa Ta'ala, reveals Himself in the mirror of your heart, your mirror reflects Him only to the degree of its capacity and according to its ability; persevere in the faith and the following of the Prophet in front of you as a mirror, for the manifestation of Allah in the mirror of the Prophet is the most perfect, the most righteous and the most beautiful.... persist in following him and imitating him and do not walk in any place where you don't see the trace of your Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallama.
In Ayat 31 of Surat Al-Imran of the Holy Qur'an (3:31), Allah, Azzah Wa Jallah, says:--
"SAY: IF YOU LOVE ALLAH, THEN FOLLOW ME. ALLAH WILL LOVE YOU
AND FORGIVE YOU YOUR SINS."
This Ayat is an order on our obligation to believe in, obey and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, and to leave what contradicts it in words or deeds (qawlan wa fi'ilin).
For Sidi Ibn Arabi, may Allah be Merciful to him, following the Prophet, peace be upon him, [Ittiba'al-Nabiy], is not only the condition sine quo non which governs the quest for Allah from the onset; it is also, and above all, the ONLY way of access to the higher degree of Sainthood/Wilayah.
When Allah, Tabaraka Wa Ta'ala, reveals Himself in the mirror of your heart, your mirror reflects Him only to the degree of its capacity and according to its ability; persevere in the faith and the following of the Prophet in front of you as a mirror, for the manifestation of Allah in the mirror of the Prophet is the most perfect, the most righteous and the most beautiful.... persist in following him and imitating him and do not walk in any place where you don't see the trace of your Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallama.