A goodly living, a beneficial life and the pleasure of the eye (all) lie in being tranquil and serene with the first (original) beloved (i.e., Allaah) and if the heart were to wander and traverse to all (other) beloved things, it would never be tranquil nor serene. Nor would it find the pleasure of the eye until it was tranquil and serene with its Deity, Lord and Protector, the One besides Whom there is no protector or intercessor. The (heart) does not have any self-sufficiency from Him (even) for the blinking of an eye.
As the poet has said:
Take your heart wherever you wish amongst the desires
There is no (real) love except for the first beloved
To how many places in the earth has a youth traversed
(Yet) his everlasting desire is always for the first
Book: The Path To Guidance
By ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah رحمه الله
Translated by: Aboo 'Iyaad Amjad Rafiq
Salafi Publications
Page: 32
