We absorb the qualities of those we associate with. Not only those around us in the external world but anyone who occupies our thoughts becomes an internal companion shaping our character.
Islam teaches that to remember God is to accompany Him. The more we accompany Him, the more we begin to acquire His Attributes—namely the virtues. In other words, we awaken to our own divine nature. The Last Prophet ﷺ said,
"God Most High possesses one hundred and seventeen Attributes. Whoever acquires one of them enters Paradise"
(Source: al-Hakim. Validated Hadith.
Narrated by Uthman ibn Affan رضي الله عنه
Source: The Spiritual Teachings of the Prophet by Fons Vitae)
The Sufis say,
"Acquire the Attributes of Allah"
"Those mindful of the here-below acquire lowly and base qualities.
Those mindful of the Most High acquire lofty and divine qualities."
- Unknown
"You are your thoughts" - Rumi
"The mind is everything. What you think, you become" - Gautama Buddha
The Awakening Analogy
Consider a son who spends ample time with his honorable father. Over time, he naturally absorbs the father’s beautiful qualities which already exist within the child as latent potential. Even if the father passed away when the child was young, constant remembrance of him can still stir the same awakening.
We are connected to our parents through blood, but we are connected to the Divine through our spirit (ruh). The spirit is our true identity and the noblest part of us. Yet it lies dormant until the remembrance of God revives it.
“And do not be like those who forgot God, so He caused them to forget themselves...”
— Quran (59:19)
The Sufis describe the Perfected Human Being (al insan al kamil) as one in whom God contemplates His own Attributes—thereby fulfilling the very purpose of creation.
Poem
'O Man, I know the root of your sickness.
You have forgotten who you are.
You are like a child of the Most Noble King.
Royal blood runs through your veins.
You were exiled from His Kingdom.
Yet you shall return when summoned.
His presence dwells within you.
But what shall preserve His scent amid the stench of exile?
Recollection of your Native Homeland and the Glorious King.
"Remembrance is presence with the One remembered."
Awaken through Recollection’
Additional Reflections
The soul must show even greater reverence to God than a child shows to a noble father, for God is the Most High. Reverence, servanthood and humility are the proper etiquette of the soul before its Lord.
Humility is not itself among the Divine Attributes, yet it is the basis upon which they all emerge within the soul. The ego must lower itself for the Divine virtues to manifest. Just as a diver must descend into the depths of the ocean to reach the pearls concealed upon its floor, so too must the soul descend ever deeper into humility to uncover the Divine treasures hidden within. The treasures of the spirit are not attained through self-exaltation, but through self-effacement. The lower the ego descends, the higher the spirit may rise and fully manifest the Divine Qualities.
* Only the human being - among all creation - is capable of knowing and reflecting all of the Divine Attributes and Names.
"And He [God] taught Adam all the Names.."
- Quran 2.31
* We should clarify that certain Divine Attributes apply only to the Lord and not the servant.
* Most commentators agree on ninety nine Divine Attributes even if there are hadith which suggest otherwise.
* Obviously, man can only manifest the Divine Names/Attributes in a very limited way but the fact that he is able to reflect each one makes him/her unique. Everything else in creation - from inanimate objects to angels - can only manifest certain Divine Names/Attributes. A mountain can reflect something of the Divine majesty. A plant has traces of life and will. A tree reflects something of the Divine generosity with its fruit and shade. An animal is seeing, hearing, loving etc. All of these are Divine Attributes and Names mentioned in the Quran and manifested throughout creation. They are symbols of Archetypes.
References
1. Sahih al-Bukhari 7405 and Sahih Muslim 2675
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