Loving the Soul That Will Return to Him

During this blessed month of Ramadan, I find myself reflecting on the love I hold for my own soul. Not in the way the world defines self-love—something tied to appearances, accomplishments, or the validation of others—but in the way that truly matters: the way Allah sees me. The way I will one day stand before Him, with nothing but the weight of my deeds and the state of my heart.

How often do I truly consider my soul? The one thing that will return to Allah, the one part of me that is eternal. I care for my body, my reputation, my relationships—but what about the essence of who I am? The soul that whispers for remembrance, that longs for closeness to its Creator, that either grows in light or is left to wither in neglect.

How many of my daily actions nourish my soul, and how many starve it? How often do I pause and ask: Is this bringing me closer to Allah? Is this deepening the love between my soul and its Maker?

Self-love, I realize, is not about indulgence or fleeting pleasure; it is about tending to my soul with the same care and gentleness that I would extend to someone I cherish. It is about aligning my actions with what benefits me in the truest sense—what purifies my heart, what strengthens my connection with Allah, what fills me with peace beyond this world.

It is about forgiving myself as I would hope for His forgiveness, being patient with my growth as He is patient with me, and striving to be better, not for the eyes of others, but for the gaze of the One who sees all.

And in this, I have come to understand that true love—love for others, love for the world—must begin here.

How can I pour from a vessel that is empty? How can I offer love when I have not nurtured the part of me that is meant to love? And more profoundly, how can I claim to love Allah if I do not love what He has created within me? If I neglect the soul that He shaped with His own hands, the heart that He infused with life?

To love myself is to love Allah. To love Allah is to return to myself. In Him, I find me. And in Ramadan, in these sacred moments of stillness and reflection, I am reminded:

The more I nurture my soul, the closer I am to Him. And the closer I am to Him, the more love I have to give.