Allah is addressing our hearts because He knows it is our hearts that listen and not our ears, and our hearts are the vessel to which Allah addresses us. Allah is asking us 'All those people that you are concerned about, did they create you? Give you rizq? Heal you? Love you?' No-one loves a person more than Allah loves him. No-one gives you substenance more than Allah gives you. So why do you concern yourself for other creatures, while you are surrounded and covered by the kindness and blessings of Allah. Are you deaf to this inner voice inside your heart?' May Allah make us all hear the speech of light! Ameen!
The purpose of Imam Ghazali saying this is not so we lose concern about people and stop caring, but the imams saying just as we are concerned about other people and wear nice clothing; rather we should be more concerned about Allah than other people. We know Allah is providing all of these blessings, so hence we know Allah deserves more concern in our hearts.
How can we perfect this interaction with people and at the same time having a connection of the heart with Allah?
This comes with intention. For example, when we dress and meet people in our daily lives, we make our intention in our hearts that we are doing this in accordance to Allah's obligation and the Prophets Sunnah, to display on ourselves the blessings of Allah. Hence we can praise Him and thank Him for the blessings he has given us. So everyone wears clothes, but we should add the intention that we are following the commands of Allah in covering our naked bodies, and following the Sunnah of the Prophet- are daily actions are now being converted! We will receive the contentment of Allah. Also we will receive the respect of people. This respect will not just be for this world, but also it will be in the hereafter and in all stations we visit when we pass away. If a person is connected to Allah in this life, this connection will never be severed; it'll stay with you as you pass through all stations, such as in the grave etc.
If you were to glorify Allah in your heart, Allah will glorify your position in the hearts of other people. At the same time if you were not concerned with the state of your heart, similarly, Allah will make other people not concerned with you in their hearts. To practise this means we should leave this gathering with the concern of Allah in our hearts and be concerned with the state of our hearts, then we will always have taqwa (piety) in our hearts.
The purpose of Imam Ghazali saying this is not so we lose concern about people and stop caring, but the imams saying just as we are concerned about other people and wear nice clothing; rather we should be more concerned about Allah than other people. We know Allah is providing all of these blessings, so hence we know Allah deserves more concern in our hearts.
How can we perfect this interaction with people and at the same time having a connection of the heart with Allah?
This comes with intention. For example, when we dress and meet people in our daily lives, we make our intention in our hearts that we are doing this in accordance to Allah's obligation and the Prophets Sunnah, to display on ourselves the blessings of Allah. Hence we can praise Him and thank Him for the blessings he has given us. So everyone wears clothes, but we should add the intention that we are following the commands of Allah in covering our naked bodies, and following the Sunnah of the Prophet- are daily actions are now being converted! We will receive the contentment of Allah. Also we will receive the respect of people. This respect will not just be for this world, but also it will be in the hereafter and in all stations we visit when we pass away. If a person is connected to Allah in this life, this connection will never be severed; it'll stay with you as you pass through all stations, such as in the grave etc.
If you were to glorify Allah in your heart, Allah will glorify your position in the hearts of other people. At the same time if you were not concerned with the state of your heart, similarly, Allah will make other people not concerned with you in their hearts. To practise this means we should leave this gathering with the concern of Allah in our hearts and be concerned with the state of our hearts, then we will always have taqwa (piety) in our hearts.