إدريس عبدالله
_9 _April _2015هـ الموافق 9-04-2015م, 12:41 AM
Love is an innate character in man and most if not all living organisms, just like hate happiness, sadness and so on. For its goodness and positive impact on the individual and the society, Islam has taken its very seriously and encouraged its followers to nurture, cultivate and imbibe it. The Prophet of Islam may Allah's peace and benedictions be upon him so much stressed on the need to inculcate, live and show love to one another to the extent that he tied ones faith and thus gaining entrance into the gardens of paradise to it. He said, "None of you will enter Paradise until you (truly and sincerely) believe, and none of you will (truly and sincerely) believe until you love yourselves…" In another tradition of his, he peace be upon him said, "None of you is a true believer until he loves for his brother that which he loves himself".
Meanwhile, love could be of variant types and of different dimensions. It could be love of God and because of Him, it could be the love of intimacy one has for his spouse, likewise it could the love of intimacy, mercy and pity one has for his children, et cetera. Below is a dissection of some types of love and how far Islam has gone in entrenching, fostering and encouraging it:
The love of Allah and His prophet:
This for Muslims is an integral part of faith, and an obligation every sincere Muslim must live up to. loving Allah and His Messenger entails putting their commandments ahead of any other, placing the will and pleasure of God even before that oneself talk less of any other creature.
To this extent, there are several traditions of the Prophet peace be upon him which include that narrated by Anas ibn Malik who said that the Prophet of Allah peace be upon him said, "No one of you has attained true iman (faith) unless and until I become most beloved to him than his parents, children and all mankind".
The love of one's spouse:
This in a natural desire embedded in man's creation to love and e want to be with the opposite sex. A man would love to have a wife to bear children for him and ease his natural desire for a woman. He loves her because she is the mother of his children, he loves her because she takes care of his basic needs at home, care and cater for the children and jealously safeguards his home. He loves her because she satisfies his conjugal desires, but mind you, the Prophet has warned us to go for a spouse not just because of her beauty but most importantly, for her religiosity and piety. The Prophet peace be upon him is narrated to have said,
" And of His signs is that He created for you, of yourselves, spouses, that you (may) find rest in them, and he has made between you amity and mercy. Surely in that are indeed signs for a people who meditate". (Q30:21).
So, as a spouse you are to show love to your wife always as Allah has made it a nature in us. And whenever the love tends to fade for whatever reason, in so far as it has nothing to do with the sins, then the man should show her mercy as taught by the Qur'an. The Prophet peace be upon him was very fond of his wife Aaishah, the only wife he married as a young virgin girl, while the rest of his wives were either widows or divorced. Notwithstanding this fact he loved and cared for all of them without an exception, and treated them justly in discharging his matrimonial obligations towards them. He, peace be upon him was once asked who was the most beloved person to him, and he replied, "Aaishah", his wife!
The love for Allah's law and commandments:
Allah says, "But those who disbelieve - for them is misery, and He will waste their deeds. That is because they disliked what Allah revealed, so He rendered worthless their deeds. (Q47:8-9)
So, one is supposed to, as a matter of obligation love the divine revelation, the Qur’an and the prophets traditions and practices.
The love of one's relatives and kinsmen:
The bond of kinship is highly revered in Islam. It is a natural phenomenon to love one's kinsmen and relatives for the obvious reasons and benefits thereof. Hence, Allah the Almighty stressed the need to foster the bond of kinship and rebuked that who doesn't respect that bond. Allah says,
"So would you perhaps, if you turned away, cause corruption on earth and sever your [ties of] relationship? Those [who do so] are the ones that Allah has cursed, so He deafened them and blinded their vision". (Q47:22-23).
So, Allah described those who severe their ties of kinship along side with those who cause corruption on earth, and went further to curse them.
Other faces of love preached and advocated by Islam include;
i. Love for Allah's sake and for His course. The Prophet peace be upon him has promised those that fall under this category to be under the shade of Allah in the Day when there will not be shades except that provided by Him.
ii. Love for ones neighbors. In this regards the Prophet was narrated to have said that the arc angel Jibril peace be upon him kept advising him regarding his neighbors until he thought that the neighbor would be made to have a share in the inheritance.
iii. Love for the poor and for doing good deeds. The holy prophet is narrated to have said,
"O Allah, I ask you to (aid me to) do good things and leave evil things, and love the poor…"
The love for one's nation or country. It is not against Islamic to love and be patriotic to one's nation within the tenets and provisions of Islam. The Prophet had missed Makkah for a long time and when he came back to it on the day of the great conquest, when Makkah fell and came under the Muslim rule, je said addressing Makkah, "How nice and beloved a country you are to me! If not that my people sent me out I would have not lived in another land other than you."
May Allah make us among those who promote love; the love for Allah and His Messenger, the love for the Qur'an and Hadith and their commandments and rules, the love of our spouses and children and the love of mankind and Allah's creatures generally.
Meanwhile, love could be of variant types and of different dimensions. It could be love of God and because of Him, it could be the love of intimacy one has for his spouse, likewise it could the love of intimacy, mercy and pity one has for his children, et cetera. Below is a dissection of some types of love and how far Islam has gone in entrenching, fostering and encouraging it:
The love of Allah and His prophet:
This for Muslims is an integral part of faith, and an obligation every sincere Muslim must live up to. loving Allah and His Messenger entails putting their commandments ahead of any other, placing the will and pleasure of God even before that oneself talk less of any other creature.
To this extent, there are several traditions of the Prophet peace be upon him which include that narrated by Anas ibn Malik who said that the Prophet of Allah peace be upon him said, "No one of you has attained true iman (faith) unless and until I become most beloved to him than his parents, children and all mankind".
The love of one's spouse:
This in a natural desire embedded in man's creation to love and e want to be with the opposite sex. A man would love to have a wife to bear children for him and ease his natural desire for a woman. He loves her because she is the mother of his children, he loves her because she takes care of his basic needs at home, care and cater for the children and jealously safeguards his home. He loves her because she satisfies his conjugal desires, but mind you, the Prophet has warned us to go for a spouse not just because of her beauty but most importantly, for her religiosity and piety. The Prophet peace be upon him is narrated to have said,
" And of His signs is that He created for you, of yourselves, spouses, that you (may) find rest in them, and he has made between you amity and mercy. Surely in that are indeed signs for a people who meditate". (Q30:21).
So, as a spouse you are to show love to your wife always as Allah has made it a nature in us. And whenever the love tends to fade for whatever reason, in so far as it has nothing to do with the sins, then the man should show her mercy as taught by the Qur'an. The Prophet peace be upon him was very fond of his wife Aaishah, the only wife he married as a young virgin girl, while the rest of his wives were either widows or divorced. Notwithstanding this fact he loved and cared for all of them without an exception, and treated them justly in discharging his matrimonial obligations towards them. He, peace be upon him was once asked who was the most beloved person to him, and he replied, "Aaishah", his wife!
The love for Allah's law and commandments:
Allah says, "But those who disbelieve - for them is misery, and He will waste their deeds. That is because they disliked what Allah revealed, so He rendered worthless their deeds. (Q47:8-9)
So, one is supposed to, as a matter of obligation love the divine revelation, the Qur’an and the prophets traditions and practices.
The love of one's relatives and kinsmen:
The bond of kinship is highly revered in Islam. It is a natural phenomenon to love one's kinsmen and relatives for the obvious reasons and benefits thereof. Hence, Allah the Almighty stressed the need to foster the bond of kinship and rebuked that who doesn't respect that bond. Allah says,
"So would you perhaps, if you turned away, cause corruption on earth and sever your [ties of] relationship? Those [who do so] are the ones that Allah has cursed, so He deafened them and blinded their vision". (Q47:22-23).
So, Allah described those who severe their ties of kinship along side with those who cause corruption on earth, and went further to curse them.
Other faces of love preached and advocated by Islam include;
i. Love for Allah's sake and for His course. The Prophet peace be upon him has promised those that fall under this category to be under the shade of Allah in the Day when there will not be shades except that provided by Him.
ii. Love for ones neighbors. In this regards the Prophet was narrated to have said that the arc angel Jibril peace be upon him kept advising him regarding his neighbors until he thought that the neighbor would be made to have a share in the inheritance.
iii. Love for the poor and for doing good deeds. The holy prophet is narrated to have said,
"O Allah, I ask you to (aid me to) do good things and leave evil things, and love the poor…"
The love for one's nation or country. It is not against Islamic to love and be patriotic to one's nation within the tenets and provisions of Islam. The Prophet had missed Makkah for a long time and when he came back to it on the day of the great conquest, when Makkah fell and came under the Muslim rule, je said addressing Makkah, "How nice and beloved a country you are to me! If not that my people sent me out I would have not lived in another land other than you."
May Allah make us among those who promote love; the love for Allah and His Messenger, the love for the Qur'an and Hadith and their commandments and rules, the love of our spouses and children and the love of mankind and Allah's creatures generally.