Love is
"a diverse set of positive feelings and powerful emotional and mental
states." Love is also defined as "a complex set of feelings that
gives rise to numerous actions and thoughts woven with powerful emotions that
govern and control a person's being and senses, making them desire to protect
the person or thing they love." They feel deep affection, intimacy, and
compassion towards it, respecting, preserving, and being mindful of its
feelings. They desire to make it happy and protect it from any threat or danger
that might harm it in any way. Love is not limited to human love; one may love
a pet, providing it with care and affection and striving to protect and
preserve it. It can also be associated with a personal, internal feeling such
as freedom, independence, self-identity, or self-love, for example."
Love
expresses human virtues such as kindness, altruism, working towards the
happiness of others, and achieving the common good. The expressions of love
range from the highest moral virtues to the best of everyday habits. This
diversity is evident in the difference between the love for a mother or sister,
the love for a spouse, and the love for food or drink, a painting, a collection
of artwork, or an artifact from bygone eras. Greek philosophers identified five
types of love: love for family, love for a friend, romantic love, love for a
guest, and love for God. Modern authors have distinguished other types of love,
such as unconditional love, love to the point of infatuation and obsession,
self-love, and flattering love. There is also the love of principles and goals,
an impersonal love stemming from strong religious, political, and intellectual
convictions.
Love is an
innate human instinct, and it can be a blessing or a curse for the lover. If it
is within the bounds of what God has permitted, then it is all good; if it is
within the bounds of what God has forbidden, then it is all evil. Love takes
many different forms in the Holy Quran. Among these forms is God's love for His
servants who cultivate good character. With great qualities, such as
benevolence,piety, purification, repentance, justice, patience, reliance, and
striving in His cause, for God: “Allah loves the doers of good” (Surat Al-Baqarah: 1195). And “Allahloves those who are
Al-Muttaqun (the pious —seeV. 2:2).”
(Al-Imran: 76), And “Truly, Allah loves those who turn unto Him in repentance and loves those
who purify themselves (by taking a bath and cleaning and washing thoroughly
their private parts, and bodiesfor their prayers, etc.).” (Surat Al-Baqarah: 222), and“Allah loves those who deal
with equity” (Surat Al-Mumtahanah: 8),
“and “Allahloves As-Sabirin (the patient ones, eetc.).” Surat Al-Imran: 146),
Aand“Allah loves
those who put their trust (in Him).”
(Surat Al-Imran: 59). And “Verily, Allah loves those who fight in His Cause in rows (ranks) as if
they were a solid structure.” (Surat
As-Saff: 4). And God's love for certain individuals makes them beloved among
people. An example of this love is God's love for our master Moses, peace be
upon him, as God Almighty ssays, "Allahsaid:, 'Youare granted your request, O Musa
((Moses)!'"36 "And indeed We conferred a ffavoron you another time
(before). 37 "When We inspired your mother with that which We inspired. 38
"Saying: 'Put him (the child) into the Tabut (a box or a case or a chest)
and put it into the river (Nile), then the river shall cast it up on the bank,
and there, an enemy of Mine and an enemy of his shall take hhim. And I endued
you with love from Me, in order that you may be brought up under My Eye,”(Surat Ta-Ha: 36-39). And the love of those who follow
the Messenger, for following the path of guidance and truth, as in the words of
God Almighty: “Say
(O Muhammad SAW to mankind): "If you (really) love AAllah,then follow me
((i.e.,accept Islamic Mmonotheism andfollow the Quran and the SSunnah),
andAllah will love you and forgive you of your sins. And Allah is
Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."’”
(Surat Al Imran: 31). And to give precedence to the love of the Messenger of
God over the love of anything else in His saying: “Say: If your fathers, your
sons, your brothers, your wives, your kindred, the wealth that you have gained,
the commerce in which you fear a decline, and the dwellings in which you
ddelight aredearer to you than Allah and His MMessenger andstriving hard and
fighting in His Cause, then wait until Allah brings about His Decision
(torment). And Allah guides not the people who are Al-Fasiqun (the rebellious,
disobedient to Allah).” (Surat
At-Tawbah: 24). True believers love God with the love of those who taste the
sweetness of ffaith andthe love of those who enjoy His great favor, His
beautiful forgiveness, and the vastness of His mercy, as stated in His words: “And of mankind are some who
take (for worship) others besides Allah as rivals (to Allah). They love them as
they love Allah. But those who bbelieve loveAllah more (than anything else). If
oonly thosewho do wrong could ssee whenthey will see the ttorment thatall power
belongs to Allah and that Allah is Sseverein punishment.” (Surat Al-Baqarah: 165). The Quran clarifies that the
foundation of a righteous family is the love between husband and wife, as
stated in the words of God Almighty: “And among His Signs is this, that He created for you
wives from among yourselves, that you may find repose in them, and He has put
between you affection and mercy. Verily, in that are indeed signs for a people
who reflect.” (Surat Ar-Rum: 21). And
the love of a mother for her children, as in the words of God Almighty: “And the heart of the mother
of Musa (Moses) became empty [from every thought, except the thought of Musa
(Moses)]. She was very near to ddisclosinghis (case (i.e.,the child is her
sson) hadWwenot strengthened her heart (with Ffaith)so that she might remain as
one of the believers.” (Surat
Al-Qasas: 10). Another example of love in the Quran is the love of the Ansar
(Helpers) for their brothers, the Muhajirun (Emigrants), a love manifested in word
and deed, as in the words of God Almighty: “And those who, before them, had homes (in Al-Madinah)
and had adopted the Faith, love those who emigrate to them, and have no
jealousy in their breasts for that which they have been given (from the booty
of Bani An-Nadir), and give them (emigrants) preference over themselves, even
though they were in need of that. And whosoever is saved from his own
covetousness, such are they who will be the successful.” (Surat Al-Hashr: 9); and the love of bbenefit,
likethe love of something that is beneficial, and this applies to everything
that a person loves or is made beloved to him from the matters of religion and
the world, and the greatest thing that is made beloved to him is faith: “And know that among you is
the Messenger of Allah. If he were to obey you in much of the matter, you would
be in difficulty, but Allah has endeared to you the faith and has made it
pleasing in your hearts and has made hateful to you disbelief, ddefiance,and
disobedience. Those are the [rightly] guided.” (Surat Al-Hujurat: 7). The most grievous and arduous form of love for
the soul is the love of worldly desires, as Allah Almighty says: “Beautified for men is the
love of things they ccovet:women, children, much oold and silver (wealth), branded
beautiful horses, ccattle,and well-tilled land. This is the pleasure of the
present world's llife,but Allah has the excellent return (Paradise with flowing
rivers, etc.) with Him.” (Surat Al
Imran: 14), and He says: “And you love wealth with immense love”
(Al-Fajr: 20), and He says: “It is not Al-Birr (piety, righteousness, and each and every act of
obedience to Allah, etc.) that you turn your faces towards east and (or) west
(in prayers); but Al-Birr is (the quality of) the one who believes in Allah, the
Last Day, the Angels, the BBook, andthe Prophets and gives his wealth, in spite
of love for it, to the kinsfolk, to the orphans, ao Al-Masakin (the poor), ao
the wayfarer, and to those who ask, and to set slaves free, performs As-Salat
(Iqamat-as-Salat), and gives the Zakat, and who fulfill their covenant when
they make it, and who are As-Sabirin (the patient ones, etc.) in extreme
poverty and ailment (disease) and at the time of fighting (during the battles).
Such are the people of the ttruth,and they are Al-Muttaqun (pious —seeV. 22:2).
Surat Al-Baqarah: 177), and His saying: “And they give ffood,
inispiteof their love for it (or for the love of Him), to Miskin (poor), the
orphan, and the captive” (Surat
Al-Insan: 8), and His saying: “And he said, ‘Alas! I did love the good (these horses) instead of
remembering my Lord (in my 'Asr prayer) till the time was over and (the sun)
had hidden in the veil (of night)."
(Surat Sad: 32), and His saying, “And indeed he is, in love of wealth, intense.” (Surat Al-Adiyat: 8). Just as the Quran speaks of
love within its legitimate framework, that love which creates tranquility and
strengthens the bond of affection and mercy between those who love each other;
He also spoke about love outside the institution of marriage, that love that
becomes a curse rather than a blessing and stirs up corruption in the soul and
in the land and societal scandals, as in the words of God. Almighty: “And women in the city said,
‘The wife of Al-'Aziz is seeking to seduce her (slave) young man; indeed, she
loves him violently; verily, we see her in plain error’” (Surat Yusuf: 30). The verses of the Qur’an warned
against some aspects of harmful love, which is a person’s love for what brings
him evil and harm in his religion and his worldly life. God Almighty said,
“Jihad
(holy fighting in Allah's cause) is ordained for you (Muslims) though you
dislike it, and it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and
that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows, but you do not know.” (Surat Al-Baqarah: 216).
The
Prophet's Sunnah addressed the feelings of love in all their diversity and
variety, and the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, was
the example and role model in all forms of love. The Prophetic tradition affirmed
the love of a man for his wife as an act of mercy and loyalty, as stated by the
Mother of the Believers, Aisha, may God be pleased with her: “I was never
jealous of any of the Prophet’s wives, may God bless him and grant him peace,
as I was of Khadija, even though I never saw her. But the Prophet, may God
bless him and grant him peace, often mentioned her, and sometimes he would
slaughter a sheep, cut it into pieces, and send it to Khadija’s friends. I
would sometimes say to him, ‘It is as if there was no other woman in the world
but Khadija!’ And he would reply, ‘She is the only one who is truly devoted to
her.’” She was, and she was, and I had a child with her” (Narrator: Aisha,
Mother of the Believers; Source: Sahih al-Bukhari); and the love of a brother
for his brother as he loves for himself in the saying of the Messenger of God,
may God bless him and grant him peace: “None of you truly believes until he
loves for his brother what he loves for himself” (Narrator: Anas bin Malik;
Source: Sahih al-Bukhari); and the love of believers for one another for the
sake of God in the saying of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant
him peace: “By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, you will not enter Paradise until
you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I not
guide you to something that, if you do it, you will love one another? Spread
peace among yourselves” (Narrator: Abu Hurairah; Source: Sahih Ibn Majah). The
Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbids a believer from
cursing another believer, even if the latter is disobedient, because we cannot
know the extent of the disobedient person's love for God and His Messenger.
This is illustrated in the words of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be
upon him): "There was a man during the time of the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) named Abdullah, nicknamed 'Donkey,' who used to make the
Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) laugh. The Prophet (peace
and blessings be upon him) had punished him for drinking alcohol. One day, he
was brought before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he was
ordered to be punished again. A man from the group said, 'O God, curse him! How
often he is brought here!' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said,
'“You curse him, but by God, I did not know that he loved God and His
Messenger.” (Narrator: Umar ibn al-Khattab; Source: Sahih al-Bukhari). The
Sunnah of the Prophet urged believers to declare their love for one another in
order to build a cohesive society, as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon
him, said, “If one of you loves his brother, let him go to his house and tell
him that he loves him for the sake of God.” (Narrated by Abu Dharr al-Ghifari;
Source: Al-Jami’ al-Saghir). Marriage is the best of all good things for those
who love each other, and it is the bond of chastity that God has made lawful.
This is based on what was narrated from our Prophet, peace and blessings be
upon him: “A man came to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and
said, ‘We have an orphan girl who has been proposed to by a poor man and a
wealthy man, and she loves the poor man, and we love the wealthy man.’ The
Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “There is nothing better for those
who love each other than marriage.” (Narrated by Ibn Abbas; Source: Sunan Ibn
Majah). That is, there is no remedy for those who love each other except to
unite in a lawful marriage.
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