Within Sufi spirituality, love and devotion are understood as the very heart of the path, both the motive force and the goal toward which the seeker moves. Love is seen as the fundamental power that draws the soul toward God, transforming ordinary, self-centered attachment into a purified orientation sometimes described as true or divine love. This love is not merely an emotion but a mode of knowing and being, through which the seeker enters an intimate relationship with the Divine Beloved. Sufi teachings often speak of stages of love, moving from attachment to the world and the ego toward love of God and, ultimately, the station of being loved by God. In this way, love becomes the principle of spiritual realization, the means by which the seeker’s inner life is reordered around the presence of the Divine.

Devotion functions as the disciplined embodiment of this love, giving it concrete form in practice and conduct. Central among these practices is dhikr, the remembrance of God, in which divine names, Qur’anic verses, and prayers are recited with longing and attentiveness so that the heart may be softened and purified. In many Sufi settings, poetry, music, and forms of ritual audition or dance are employed to awaken and deepen the sense of yearning for the Beloved, sometimes leading to states of spiritual ecstasy. Service to others is also understood as an expression of devotion, since those who are loved by God are called to manifest compassion, humility, and generosity in their dealings with creation. Through such practices, devotion gradually turns the seeker away from worldly attachments and toward a sustained awareness of the Divine.

The relationship with a spiritual guide, or shaykh, is another arena in which love and devotion are cultivated and tested. Reverence for the guide is regarded as an extension of love for God and the Prophet, providing a living example of how divine love can be embodied in character and action. By submitting to the guidance of such a teacher, the disciple learns to relinquish pride and self-will, allowing love to reshape the ego’s habitual patterns. Over time, this process is said to lead toward fana, the annihilation of the separate self in God, and baqa, abiding in God, where the seeker’s will is harmonized with the divine will. In this perspective, love and devotion are not peripheral sentiments but the very means by which the human being is transformed and drawn into deeper union with the Divine.