Exam Tips from Qur’anic and Prophetic Wisdom

بِسْــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Before the Exam

• Be mindful of Allah at all times, where ever you may be, and fear Him. It is not appropriate for you to consciously disobey your Lord but then expect Him to fulfil all your requests during your times of need.

• Be grateful. Allah says,

لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ

“If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in everything].” (Qur’ān 7:14)

• If you have an act of worship you're regular with (e.g. praying ‘Ishā’ in the masjid, reading Qur’ān for 30 minutes a day), don't give it up for exam study. You only succeed in your exams through the assistance of Allah, so what makes you think that prioritising study over His worship will get you over the line?

• Before sleeping, say Subḥān Allāh (How perfect Allah is!) 33x, al-Ḥamdu lillāh (Praise and thanks be to Allah!) 33x and Allāhu akbar (Allah is greatest!) 34x.

• Sleep early, and make sure you wake up for and pray Fajr, as well as the two sunnah rak‘ahs before it.

• Have a good, healthy, halal breakfast.

• Recite the dhikr for leaving the house:

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ، تَوَكَّلْتُ عَلَى اللَّهِ، وَلاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ

Bismillāh, tawakkaltu ‘ala Llāh, wa lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāh.

(In the name of Allah. I put my trust in Allah. There is no strength nor power except with Allah.)

• Don't forget to ask for your parents' du‘ā’, for their du‘ā’ for you is of great chance of being accepted.

• Offer at least two rak‘ahs (preferably, at least six rak‘ahs) of Ṣalāt al-Duḥā in the morning (from 7:30 a.m. onwards is a good time). Follow this up with sincere du‘ā’ to Allah, seeking His Help and Assistance.

• Be positive!

In the Exam Hall

• Do your exams in a state of wuḍū’.

• Begin with Bismillāh, for mentioning the name of Allah before any [permissible] action brings about blessing in it.

• Put in 100% effort, while at the same time placing your trust in Allah that He will bring your efforts to fruition. As the ḥadīth goes, “Strive to attain that which will benefit you and seek the help of Allah, and do not feel helpless.” (Narrated by Muslim)

• Remembering Allah (dhikr) dispels anxiety and tension. If something is too difficult for you, ask to Allah to make it easy for you.

• If you forget something during the exam, send ṣalawāt (prayers of blessing and mercy) upon the Prophet (ﷺ), for in sending ṣalawāt upon him lies a secret by which Allah aids the slave who does so. As the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Whoever ever sends ṣalawāt upon me once, Allah sends ṣalawāt upon him ten times.” (Narrated by Muslim) This can be done by saying, for example, “Allāhumma ṣalli ‘alā Muḥammad” (more complete versions are mentioned towards the bottom).

• Don't rush when answering, for the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “To take time is from Allah, and to be hasty is from the Shayṭān.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhī) Though at the same time, manage your time wisely!

• Cheating is ḥarām. Leave out the ḥarām and Allah will suffice you from His bounty. Whoever gives up a thing for the sake of Allah, Allah will compensate him with something better. (Don't let the fact that your exam supervisors are dodgy tempt you!)

After the Exam

• If you discover after the exam that you answered some questions incorrectly, take it as a lesson. Accept the will and decree of Allah, and don't fall prey to frustration and despair. Remember the ḥadīth of the Prophet (ﷺ), ‘If anything befalls you, do not say, “If only I had done such-and-such.” Rather say:

"قَدَرُ اللهِ وَمَا شَاءَ فَعَلَ"

“Qadaru -Llāhi wa mā shā’a fa‘al”

(“It is the decree of Allah, and He does what He wills"),

for saying "if only" opens the door for the Shayṭān.’ (Narrated by Muslim)

• Don't engage in the post-exam chatter of, “Oh, what did you write?” and, “Man, I wrote the wrong thing!” and, “I stuffed up cuz. I think TAFE's waiting for me now…” That's going to leave you in a bad psychological state which could affect your performance in your other exams. A more productive thing to do is to go home, do wuḍū’, pray two rak‘ahs and then make du‘ā’ to ask Allah to have the marker mark in your favour – after all, the marker's heart is in Allah's Hands, right?

• If things didn't go as you would've liked them to, keep in mind:

1) It's not the end of the world. Things could've gone worse. Would you prefer getting a bad exam mark or having an accident on the way to school that leaves you paralysed for life?

2) Allah tells us in the Qur’ān,

وَعَسَىٰٓ أَن تَكْرَهُوا۟ شَيْـًٔا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ ۖ وَعَسَىٰٓ أَن تُحِبُّوا۟ شَيْـًٔا وَهُوَ شَرٌّ لَّكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

“It may well be that you all hate something and it is actually better for you. It may well be that you all love something and it is actually worse for you. Allah knows. And you – you don't know!” (Qur’ān 2:216)

Some Du‘ā’s

رَبَّنَآ ءَاتِنَا فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِى ٱلْءَاخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ

Rabbanā ātinā fi -d-dunyā ḥasanatan wa fi -l-ākhirati ḥasanatan wa qinā ‘adhāba -n-nār

Our Lord! Grant us goodness in this world, goodness in the Hereafter, and save us from the punishment of Hellfire.

رَبِّ ٱشْرَحْ لِى صَدْرِى وَيَسِّرْ لِىٓ أَمْرِى

Rabbi -sh-raH lī ṣadrī wa yassir lī amrī

My Lord! Expand my chest for me (i.e. put my heart at peace for me), and make my matter easy for me.

اللَّهُمَّ لا سَهْلَ إلا ما جَعَلْتَهُ سَهْلاً وأنْتَ تَجْعَلُ الحَزَنَ إذا شِئْتَ سَهْلاً

Allāhumma lā sahla illā mā ja‘altahū sahlā, wa anta taj‘alu -l-ḥuzna idhā shi’ta sahlā

O Allah! There is no ease other than what You make easy! And You, when You will, turn sorrow to ease.

رَبِّ يَسِّرْ وَلَا تُعَسِّرْ، رَبِّ تَمِّمْ بِالْخَيْرِ

Rabbi yassir wa lā tu‘assir, rabbi tammim bi -l-khayr

My Lord! Make easy my affairs, and don't make them difficult. My Lord! Complete my affair with goodness.

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِهٖ وَصَحْبِهٖ وَسَلِّمْ

Allāhumma ṣalli ‘alā sayyidinā Muḥammadin, wa ‘alā ālihī wa ṣaḥbihī wa sallim

O Allah, send prayers and peace upon our master Muhammad, and upon his family and companions.

Also, the Ṣalāt al-Ibrāhīmiyyah that we say at the end of our daily ṣalāh.

From the best of du‘ā’s is the du‘ā’ that comes from your heart, in your own words. Remember, du‘ā’ outside ṣalāh doesn't need to be in Arabic.

وآخر دعوانا أن الحمد لله ربّ العالمين. وصلّى الله على سيّدنا محمّد وعلى آله وصحبه وسلّم.

Finding the Qiblah Using a Smartphone

بِسْــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Except for those of us who are still intimate enough with the beautiful signs of nature such as the Sun and the night stars (a sad rarity indeed of our "civilised" times!), most of us turn to our compasses – usually that of our smartphones – to help us find the qiblah direction. But are you doing it correctly?

One factor many people ignore when determining the qiblah direction with their phones is the fact that Earth has in fact two norths: a true north and a magnetic north. True north (a.k.a. geographic north) is the physical highest point on Planet Earth's surface, the geographic north pole, where the Earth's rotational axis meets the planet's surface – 0° N. Magnetic north, on the other hand, is the north pole of the Earth's magnetic axis. Now the Earth's magnetic axis isn't exactly aligned with the Earth's rotational axis, and so as a result,  magnetic north is angled slightly away from true north. Exactly how much magnetic north deviates from true north depends on where you are in the world and is described by the term "magnetic declination". And because the Earth's magnetic axis is continuously deviating ever-so-slighty away from Earth's rotational axis, the magnetic declination at any given location is likewise constantly changing.

So how does this affect your average Adam who's trying to figure out where the qiblah is using his compass? Well, your typical compass is aligned to magnetic north. However, your typical qiblah direction bearings are usually given in relation to true north. As such, if the Qiblah in your part of the world is at, say 277° (WNW), chances are that pointing your compass to 277° won't give you the accurate qiblah reading, as your compass is aligned to magnetic north, while the qiblah bearings that you're relying upon are based on true north.

Therefore, in order to solve the issue, one would need to find out the magnetic declination in one's location and then take that into account when trying to determine qiblah direction.

Taking Sydney, Australia as an example: the qiblah bearing there is about 277 degrees (WNW) with respect to true north. However, the magnetic declination there is about 12 degrees east (Source: http://www.magnetic-declination.com/). This means that in order to locate 277 degrees with respect to true north, you'll have to point your compass towards 277 minus 12 degrees, i.e. 265 degrees.

As such, if the magnetic declination at your location is easterly, then subtract the declination angle from whatever bearing you're trying to determine and point your compass to that. Whereas if the magnetic declination at your location is westerly, then add the declination angle to whatever bearing you're trying to determine and point your compass to that. For example, if the qiblah bearing at your location is 100° and the magnetic declination is 10° east, then to find the qiblah, point your compass to 100° − 10° = 90°. And if the qiblah bearing at your location is 100° and the magnetic declination is 10° west, then to find the qiblah, point your compass to 100° + 10° = 110°.

All this applies to your typical physical compass as well as your typical smartphone compass. However, there are smartphone compass apps that do give the option of displaying bearings with respect to true north. In such a case, there's no need to do all the above – just simply configure the settings to display bearings with respect to true north, turn your location services or phone GPS on (so that the app can determine the magnetic declination at your location), point your compass towards the qiblah direction, and you're done!

It's also worth noting that not all smartphones come with a proper compass built-in – those that don't will usually try to improvise using the phone's other sensors. As such, it's probably best to check your smartphone's specs to see whether you should even be using it as a compass to start with (especially for the purposes of the qiblah – it's your prayers that are at stake!).

وآخر دعوانا أن الحمد لله ربّ العالمين، وصلّى الله على سيّدنا محمّد وعلى آله وصحبه وسلّم

Seeking Divine Love?

Bismi llāh, wa l-ḥamdu lillāh, wa ṣ-ṣalātu wa s-salāmu ‘alā rasūli llāh, sayyidinā Muḥammadini bni ‘Abdi llāh, wa ‘alā ālihī wa ṣaḥbihī wa man wālāh. Wa ba‘d:

Many people ask: how can I attain the love of Allah and closeness to Him?

Allah Himself answers this question in numerous places in the Qur’ān when describing the attributes of those whom He loves.

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱسْتَعِينُوا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ وَٱلصَّلَوٰةِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلصَّٰبِرِينَ

“O you who believe! Seek help through steadfastness and prayer, for Allah is with the steadfast.” (Qur’ān 2:153)

وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ

“Yet be ever God-fearing, and know that God is with the God-fearing.” (Qur’ān 2:194)

وَأَحْسِنُوٓا۟ ۛ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ

“But do good, for Allah indeed loves those who do good.” (Qur’ān 2:195)

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلتَّوَّٰبِينَ وَيُحِبُّ ٱلْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ

“Allah indeed loves those who turn to Him, and He loves those who keep themselves clean.” (Qur’ān 2:222)

قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ ٱللَّهَ فَٱتَّبِعُونِى يُحْبِبْكُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

“Say (O Prophet), ‘If you love Allah, follow me, and Allah will love you and forgive you your sins; Allah is most forgiving, most merciful.’” (Qur’ān 3:31)

بَلَىٰ مَنْ أَوْفَىٰ بِعَهْدِهِۦ وَٱتَّقَىٰ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ

“Rather, whoever fulfils his covenant and fears Allah, [know that] Allah, indeed, loves the God-fearing.” (Qur’ān 3:76)

وَٱللَّهُ يُحِبُّ ٱلصَّٰبِرِينَ

“Allah loves those who are steadfast.” (Qur’ān 3:146)

فَإِذَا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُتَوَكِّلِينَ

“Then, when you have decided on a course of action, put your trust in Allah: Allah indeed loves those who put their trust in Him.” (Qur’ān 3:159)

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَن يَرْتَدَّ مِنكُمْ عَن دِينِهِۦ فَسَوْفَ يَأْتِى ٱللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍ يُحِبُّهُمْ وَيُحِبُّونَهُۥٓ أَذِلَّةٍ عَلَى ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَعِزَّةٍ عَلَى ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ يُجَـٰهِدُونَ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَلَا يَخَافُونَ لَوْمَةَ لَآئِمٍ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ فَضْلُ ٱللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ وَٰسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ

“O you who believe! If any of you go back on your faith, Allah will soon replace you with people He loves and who love Him, people who are humble towards the believers, hard on the unbelievers, and
who strive in Allah’s way without fearing anyone’s reproach. Such is Allah’s favour. He grants it to whomever He wills. Allah has endless bounty and knowledge.” (Qur’ān 5:54)

وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

“For Allah is assuredly with the believers.” (Qur’ān 8:19)

وَٱللَّهُ يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُطَّهِّرِينَ

“Allah loves those who seek to purify themselves.” (Qur’ān 9:108)

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّقَوا۟ وَّٱلَّذِينَ هُم مُّحْسِنُونَ

“Indeed, God is with those who are God-fearing and who excel in doing good.” (Qur’ān 16:128)

وَأَقْسِطُوٓا۟ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُقْسِطِينَ

“And be even-handed: Allah indeed loves those who are even-handed.” (Qur’ān 49:9)

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلَّذِينَ يُقَٰتِلُونَ فِى سَبِيلِهِۦ صَفًّا كَأَنَّهُم بُنْيَٰنٌ مَّرْصُوصٌ

Allah truly loves those who fight in solid lines for His cause, like a well-compacted wall.” (Qur’ān 61:4)

He also describes for us that which distance one from His love.

وَٱللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْفَسَادَ

“Allah does not like corruption.” (Qur’ān 2:205)

وَٱللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ كُلَّ كَفَّارٍ أَثِيمٍ

“Allah does not love the ungrateful sinner.” (Qur’ān 2:276)

قُلْ أَطِيعُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱلرَّسُولَ فَإِن تَوَلَّوْا۟ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ

“Say, ‘Obey Allah and the Messenger,’ but if they turn away, [know that] Allah does not love the unbelievers.” (Qur’ān 3:32)

وَٱللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ

“Allah does not love evildoers.” (Qur’ān 3:140)

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ مَن كَانَ مُخْتَالًا فَخُورًا ۝ ٱلَّذِينَ يَبْخَلُونَ وَيَأْمُرُونَ ٱلنَّاسَ بِٱلْبُخْلِ وَيَكْتُمُونَ مَآ ءَاتَىٰهُمُ ٱللَّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِۦ ۗ وَأَعْتَدْنَا لِلْكَـٰفِرِينَ عَذَابًا مُّهِينًا ۝ وَٱلَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَٰلَهُمْ رِئَآءَ ٱلنَّاسِ وَلَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَلَا بِٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ ۗ وَمَن يَكُنِ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ لَهُۥ قَرِينًا فَسَآءَ قَرِينًا ۝

“Allah indeed does not like arrogant, boastful people, who are miserly and order other people to be the same, hiding the bounty Allah has given them. We have prepared a humiliating torment for such ungrateful people. [Nor does He like those] who spend their wealth to show off, who do not believe in Him or the Last Day. Whoever has Satan as his companion has an evil companion!” (Qur’ān 4:36-38)

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ مَن كَانَ خَوَّانًا أَثِيمًا

“Allah indeed does not love anyone given to treachery and sin.” (Qur’ān 4:107)

لَّا يُحِبُّ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْجَهْرَ بِٱلسُّوٓءِ مِنَ ٱلْقَوْلِ إِلَّا مَن ظُلِمَ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ سَمِيعًا عَلِيمًا

“Allah does not like bad words to be made public unless someone has been wronged: He is all hearing and all knowing.” (Qur’ān 4:148)

وَٱللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُفْسِدِينَ

“Allah does not love those who corrupt.” (Qur’ān 5:64)

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تُحَرِّمُوا۟ طَيِّبَٰتِ مَآ أَحَلَّ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمْ وَلَا تَعْتَدُوٓا۟ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُعْتَدِينَ ۝ وَكُلُوا۟ مِمَّا رَزَقَكُمُ ٱللَّهُ حَلَٰلًا طَيِّبًا وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنتُم بِهِۦ مُؤْمِنُونَ

“O you who believe! Do not forbid the good things Allah has made lawful to you – do not exceed the limits: Allah indeed does not love those who exceed the limits – but eat the lawful and good things that Allah provides for you. And fear Allah, in whom you believe.” (Qur’ān 5:87-88)

يَٰبَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ خُذُوا۟ زِينَتَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ وَكُلُوا۟ وَٱشْرَبُوا۟ وَلَا تُسْرِفُوٓا۟ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُسْرِفِينَ

“Children of Adam, dress well whenever you are at worship, and eat and drink [as We have permitted] but do not be extravagant: indeed, He does not like extravagant people.” (Qur’ān 7:31)

ٱدْعُوا۟ رَبَّكُمْ تَضَرُّعًا وَخُفْيَةً إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُعْتَدِينَ وَلَا تُفْسِدُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ بَعْدَ إِصْلَٰحِهَا وَٱدْعُوهُ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا إِنَّ رَحْمَتَ ٱللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ مِّنَ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ

“Call on your Lord humbly and privately – He indeed does not like those who transgress His bounds: do not corrupt the earth after it has been set right – call on Him fearing and hoping. The mercy of Allah is close to those who do good.” (Qur’ān 7:55-56)

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْخَآئِنِينَ

“Allah indeed does not love the treacherous.” (Qur’ān 8:58)

إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُسْتَكْبِرِينَ

“He indeed does not love the arrogant.” (Qur’ān 16:23)

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ كُلَّ خَوَّانٍ كَفُورٍ

“Allah indeed does not love the unfaithful or the ungrateful.” (Qur’ān 22:38)

لَا تَفْرَحْ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْفَرِحِينَ

“Do not gloat, for Allah indeed does not like people who gloat.” (Qur’ān 28:76)

وَلَا تُصَعِّرْ خَدَّكَ لِلنَّاسِ وَلَا تَمْشِ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مَرَحًا إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ كُلَّ مُخْتَالٍ فَخُورٍ

“Do not turn your nose up at people, nor walk about the place arrogantly, for Allah indeed does not love anyone who is arrogant or boastful.” (Qur’ān 31:18)

وَٱللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ كُلَّ مُخْتَالٍ فَخُورٍ ۝ ٱلَّذِينَ يَبْخَلُونَ وَيَأْمُرُونَ ٱلنَّاسَ بِٱلْبُخْلِ

“Allah does not love the conceited, the boastful, those who are miserly, and who tell other people to be miserly.” (Qur’ān 57:23-24)

Furthermore, there is a ḥadīth qudsī in which Allah informs His slaves the of road to His Love and Closeness:

مَنْ عَادَى لِي وَلِيًّا فَقْد آذَنْتهُ بِالْحَرْبِ، وَمَا تَقَرَّبَ إلَيَّ عَبْدِي بِشَيْءٍ أَحَبَّ إلَيَّ مِمَّا افْتَرَضْتُهُ عَلَيْهِ، وَلَا يَزَالُ عَبْدِي يَتَقَرَّبُ إلَيَّ بِالنَّوَافِلِ حَتَّى أُحِبَّهُ، فَإِذَا أَحْبَبْتُهُ كُنْت سَمْعَهُ الَّذِي يَسْمَعُ بِهِ، وَبَصَرَهُ الَّذِي يُبْصِرُ بِهِ، وَيَدَهُ الَّتِي يَبْطِشُ بِهَا، وَرِجْلَهُ الَّتِي يَمْشِي بِهَا، وَلَئِنْ سَأَلَنِي لَأُعْطِيَنَّهُ، وَلَئِنْ اسْتَعَاذَنِي لَأُعِيذَنَّهُ

“Whoever shows enmity to a waliyy (close servant) of Mine, I declare war upon. My servant draws close to Me by nothing more beloved to Me than what I have made obligatory upon him. And My servant continues to draw close to Me by voluntary works until I love him. Then, when I love him, I become the hearing by which he hears; the seeing by which he sees; the hands by which he strikes; and the legs by which he walks. Were he to ask Me, I would indeed grant him. And were he to seek refuge in Me, I would indeed grant him refuge.” (Narrated by al-Bukhārī)

As such, the path to attaining Allah's Love and Closeness entails:

• First and foremost, fulfilling all of the obligations (farā’iḍ) He has ordained for us and refraining from that which He has prohibited (muḥarramāt) for us.
• Further adding on to the above by performing voluntary acts of obedience and virtue (nawāfil) for Him (it's foolish to prioritise the nawāfil over the farā’iḍ – that's just like placing salt, pepper, and sauce onto chips which are still frozen).
• Striving to attain the character traits of those whom Allah loves as described in His book. This entails constantly turning to Him in repentance, keeping oneself clean, following the sunnah, being patient, relying upon Allah, and so on.
• Striving to purify oneself of the character traits which Allah dislikes as described in His book. This entails purging one's heart of arrogance, boastfulness, treachery, ungratefulness, evil-doing and so on.

In simpler terms, it's by following the sharī‘ah, prioritising what it prioritises.

And what is the result? I become the hearing by which he hears; the seeing by which he sees; the hands by which he strikes; and the legs by which he walks. That is, Allah becomes the protector of our limbs and organs, such that our limbs and organs will only do that which is well-pleasing and beloved unto Him; our limbs and organs are protected from sin and all that which is unbecoming. Not only that: Were he to ask Me, I would indeed grant him. And were he to seek refuge in Me, I would indeed grant him refuge. How amazing! Allāhu akbar!

May Allah make us from His awliyā’ and people of His obedience.