and the meaning of "his heart softens for me" is that it calms and inclines towards me with affection and love. And Allāh knows best. This is only achieved through sincere adherence to him (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) rather than anyone else among humans, because Allāh, the Exalted, made this alone a sign of His love, as He said: *"Say, [O Muḥammad], 'If you love Allāh, then follow me, [so] Allāh will love you and forgive you your sins.'"* (Āl ʿImrān, 3:31). Has the time not come for those who claim to love him (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) in their speeches and songs to return to holding onto this true love that leads to the love of Allāh, the Exalted, and not be like the one about whom the poet said: "You disobey Allāh while you outwardly show His love; this, by your life, is a marvelous contradiction. If your love were true, you would obey Him; indeed, the lover is obedient to the one he loves."

"O people! Purchase yourselves from Allāh with what belongs to Allāh. If one of you is stingy to give his wealth to the people, let him begin with himself and give charity to himself; let him eat and clothe himself from what Allāh, the Mighty and Majestic, has provided." It was recorded by al-Kharāʾiṭī in "Makārim al-Akhlāq," where he said (p. 54): Ḥammād ibn al-Ḥasan al-Warrāq narrated to us, Ḥibbān ibn Hilāl narrated to us, Sulaym ibn Ḥayyān narrated to us, Ḥumayd ibn Hilāl narrated to us from Abū Qatādah in a marfūʿ manner. I said: This isnād is authentic; all its men are trustworthy, the men of Muslim, except for Sulaym ibn Ḥayyān, and he is trustworthy as al-Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar said in "al-Taqrīb." It has a corroborating report from the ḥadīth of Anas (raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu) mentioned in "Muntakhab Kanz al-ʿUmmāl" (2/219), and he said: "It was narrated by al-Bayhaqī in 'al-Shuʿab,' al-Daylamī, and Ibn al-Najjār." Ibn Ḥajar said in "al-Aṭrāf": "The isnād is clean, and I have not seen anyone who authenticated it."