Foundational nature of love in Islam
History is replete with epic love stories that endure long after the lovers’ bones have turned to dust. From the oldest legends of gods falling in love with humans — Psyche and Cupid — to the most hypnotic Arabian night — Laila Majnu. These personalities and stories pervade everyone’s days and nights in some manner. Even now, epic love stories serve as the cornerstone of all literature and movies. In Greek mythology, Orpheus attempted to resurrect his deceased wife, Eurydice, from under the underworld. He fell short and vowed never to fall in love again. Majnu experienced a similar fate. These stories tell us about the love people in the past experienced and dealt with. The stories also offer a chance to learn from their pain, joy, and suffering and attempt to apply that knowledge to the relationship we have today. However, there is still a lot of misunderstanding about the most prevalent phenomenon in the entire universe, “love.”
What is the most straightforward way to define love? A 20th-century Indian philosopher, Jiddu Krishnamurti, defined love as a desire-pleasure-paradigm. That is, I will love someone who fulfils my needs; if they do not, I will not. Therefore, love is like a business transaction in the market. The transactional notion of love isn’t the most perfect or definitive. Is love about fulling our needs or is it about suffering? What does ideal love look like? What does love look like from the perspective of a divine being?
Many divine theologies are built on the idea of love and devotion to people, nature, and the universe. Buddhism encompasses the idea of nirvana or the means to attain enlightenment. In Christianity, at the ultimate level of creation, God gave up his son in an act of divine love, while both the Quran and Hinduism believe that their supreme beings are all-powerful and loving.
There is a saying in Islam that says, “You must first identify yourself to recognize God.” What is identity? It is a confluence of nature and nurture, the result of being born with an unchangeable genetic code and the influences and experiences one encounters as one matures through life. Or is it beyond that? The word “identity” conveys the idea of recognizing the ecstasy of everything one is bestowed with. Before loving, a person must first find and understand themselves as a wellspring of love. So, to speak, he should first love himself. Only then will he genuinely love (understand and cherish) others. Love and truth are nearly synonymous. They are undeniably intertwined, always seeking out and complimenting one another. This means we should be grateful for all we have and praise Allah. But the praise should be done not only by words but also by actions and verbs. All these are ways to gain piety, humility, and closeness to Allah. The Prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h said, “The best among you is the one who benefits people.”
Predicated on these hadith, we may infer that the notion of compassion and love in Islam is characterized by having empathy in the heart and serving the people. Indeed, Allah loves those who work for the public’s benefit. From the holy scripture of the Quran, Allah demonstrates that love is a gift (a preference) bestowed on mankind.
“And we have certainly honoured the children of Adam and carried them on land and sea and provided for them with good things and preferred them over much of what we have created, with [definite] preference.” (Allah, Surat Al-’Isra’ [17:70] — The Noble Qur’an — القرآن الكريم 2022)
In another place in the Quran, Allah reveals the cause of the creation of mankind.
“And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.” (Allah, Surat Al-’Isra’ [17:70] — The Noble Qur’an — القرآن الكريم 2022)
This shows that humanity is brought into this world with the responsibility of worshipping Allah on their shoulders. And Allah created this whole universe with love. This implies that there is a fundamental relationship between responsibility and love.
Humans can be classified into a plethora of social and moral categories. A person is always greater than the sum of his or her elements. They might be someone’s child, they might be someone’s spouse, they are a part of the social and ecological systems, and more than that, they are living thinking beings. These affiliations come with obligations that are laid on their correspondents. They can be either direct or implied. Concerning the relationship of spouses in the Quran, he said,
“And one of His signs is that He created for you spouses from among yourselves so that you may find comfort in them. And he has placed between you affection and mercy. Surely, these are signs for those who reflect. “ (Allah, Surah Ar-Rum — 21 — Quran.com 2022)
This illustrates that being a husband and wife places an obligation on their shoulders to take better care of each other’s needs. As a member of the community, you consume resources, which implies that you should pay taxes on time. All individuals who undertake their commitments, as well as the obligations of their affiliations in this world, are ideally nice people, and vice versa. The more you tend to complete assigned responsibilities and duties, the better you get.
Under the light of the above argument, a good person in the eyes of God is responsible. And fulfilling the responsibility is the same as glorifying the truth. And above all, we establish that truth and love are practically synonyms. That means the responsible person loves, or in other words, love and responsibility are two sides of the same coin. The way to love is to take responsibility.
All the many aspects and degrees of love in the universe are due to Allah being the Loving God, Master, and Sustainer, who bestows His limitless love on His creation continuously. That same love becomes the responsibility of that person, who gains happiness through it. The Prophet once said,
“On the Day of Resurrection, every person will be with the one whom they love.” (Sahih al-Bukhari).
A true God never favours only one side of a spectrum. Rather, in his divine justice, he holds all of the spheres together on a level playing field. You can love someone and also be loved by someone. But the parameters used to measure love and affection will remain the same, i.e., responsibility. As a man is accountable for earning resources to sustain the living standards and care for the family, the woman is responsible for supporting him through the challenges of life. If a citizen pays taxes, it is a moral debt to society that must be returned in some way. The degree of responsibility might vary from one to another, but the responsibility is universal. It is this universality in the measurement of conscience and love that makes it possible for people to be compatible.
The notion of love in the framework of duty instils mercy and tolerance in human nature. Mercy arises from the acceptance of responsibility, or simply from the realisation that we must bring comfort, and we no longer regard it as a hardship, but instead politely make it a part of our habit and daily routine. Like a child who grows up under the collective umbrella of parental love, one grows up to be a loving person. And when we recognise that it is solely our responsibility, we instil tolerance in our behaviour. If the same child pleaded for a toy, it is the parents’ responsibility to provide it, because they are the parents. They are the ones who have made the effort to bring up their child in love and tenderness.
These two characteristics are heavenly. In the 99 names of Allah, there is “al-Rahim,” meaning “the merciful,” and “Al Haleem,” meaning “to be forbearing, mild, lenient.” These two characteristics are the projection of love. In Surah Araf, Allah said,
“[…] My mercy has encompassed everything […].” (Allah, Surah Al-A’raf — 156 — Quran.com 2022)
This means the love of God and his blessings are for everyone who believes in him or not; Allah loves everyone. This means the love of God is unconditional and omnipresent. In Surah Hud Allah said,
“And there is no creature on earth but that Allah provides, and He knows its place of dwelling and place of storage. All is in a clear register. “ (Allah, Surah Hud — 6 — Quran.com 2022)
Under the light of this verse, Allah is responsible for the nurture of every living thing in the entire universe. Allah loves every living thing in the entire universe because he is responsible for them. This shows that divine love is for everyone.
According to the Quran and Hadith, love is a heavenly trait. It is about the provision and demand for essentials. If you love someone, you must fulfil those commitments as well as the right to demand that your needs be met. Love is the most fundamental power by which Allah created and sustains the universe. Love is the cause and effect of everything. Love is the universal translator that makes everyone understand each other. And above all, love is the only power that can save mankind from itself.
References
Allah, T. (610). Surah Hud — 6 — Quran.com. Quran.com. https://quran.com/11:6?font=indopak&translations=131%2C20.
Allah, T. (610). Surah Al-A’raf — 156 — Quran.com. Quran.com. https://quran.com/7/156?translations=167,206,20,47.
Allah, T. (610). Surah Ar-Rum — 21 — Quran.com. Quran.com. https://quran.com/30/21?translations=18,19,20,95,17,21,22,85,34,84,101.
Allah, T. (610). Surah Adh-Dhariyat — 56 — Quran.com. Quran.com. https://quran.com/51/56.
Allah, T. (610 ). Surat Al-’Isra’ [17:70] — The Noble Qur’an — القرآن الكريم. Surat Al-’Isra’ [17:70] — The Noble Qur’an — القرآن الكريم. https://legacy.quran.com/17/70.
