The white dove, humming,
I wanna know what love is
I want you to show me
I wanna feel what love is
I know you can show me
Then she said, "Praise be to Allah by Whose Grace and Mercy, all good deeds have been accomplished. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), who was sent as a mercy to all the worlds, upon his household, companions, and his followers until the end of time.
O my brother and sisters, when the word "love" is mentioned, the human soul feels refreshed and quivers, enjoying noble emotions, and wafts of sweet perfume. The word 'Lover' also raises the soul of man above the sky, cleansing him with purified water, joining his beloved inside the circle of this perfume, and flying as if within a soft cloud.
There is an old saying, ’’Whoever tastes love, knows its value." Those who have tasted love and walked along its paths, will calls for it. Some people in this age of materialism, interpret love as a matter consisting of a lover and a bed. They have forgotten that there are other types of love such as love of Allah, love of His Messenger (ﷺ), love of parents, love of sons and daughters, love of brothers and sisters, and finally love for the sake of Allah, which is preferred above all material wealth. They have forgotten the types that are chaste and instead they chase after prohibited love that leads to adultery, either in brothels or in any open space like the promiscuous generations of today, who know neither modesty nor decency.
Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. There are a lot of opinions about love. One of it said that love is an intuition; a sense of the heart through which the hearts of the two lovers attract and relate together emotionally. It is also a deep- rooted, indispensable part of the nature of man. Sometimes it is controlled by one's will if a lover chooses the pure and chaste love and wills to live the life of those who are pious.
Islam, with its reality, which is represented in its nature, morality, and legislation, acknowledges the importance of love that is rooted in man’s entity. Allah said,According to this verse, love is classified into three types: high rank of love, middle rank of love, low rank of love. These types have existed and have been practiced throughout the whole world. Indeed, they will exist until the end of time.قُلْ اِنْ كَانَ اٰبَاۤؤُكُمْ وَاَبْنَاۤؤُكُمْ وَاِخْوَانُكُمْ وَاَزْوَاجُكُمْ وَعَشِيْرَتُكُمْ وَاَمْوَالُ ِۨاقْتَرَفْتُمُوْهَا وَتِجَارَةٌ تَخْشَوْنَ كَسَادَهَا وَمَسٰكِنُ تَرْضَوْنَهَآ اَحَبَّ اِلَيْكُمْ مِّنَ اللّٰهِ وَرَسُوْلِهٖ وَجِهَادٍ فِيْ سَبِيْلِهٖ فَتَرَبَّصُوْا حَتّٰى يَأْتِيَ اللّٰهُ بِاَمْرِهٖۗ وَاللّٰهُ لَا يَهْدِى الْقَوْمَ الْفٰسِقِيْنَ"Say, 'If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your relatives, wealth which you have obtained, commerce wherein you fear decline, and dwellings with which you are pleased are more beloved to you than Allah and His Messenger and jihad in His cause, then wait until Allah executes His command. And Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people.'" [QS. At-Tawbah (9):24]
The high-ranking love is the love of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, His Messenger (ﷺ), and striving in His way. Undoubtedly, love of Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ), and striving in His way is preferred, in the sight of pious men, above all other types of love, as love of Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ) is a requirement of faith and a condition of being a true Muslim. It is also the only way to support Allah's religion, spread the message of Islam and establish the edifice of Islam throughout the world.
Certainly the believer, who tastes the joys of belief, inclines more and more to the love of Allah, as he knows that Allah is the Most Glorified, the Most Great and the Most Perfect, no one can multiply or describe this perfection and glory. He also believes that divine law should be followed, because it is comprehensive and free from bias and imperfection. Therefore, he endeavors truthfully and determinedly to establish this law because he realizes that Allah is surely the Owner of the world and the Controller of all creation. This Owner manages His creatures’ affairs in the way He decides and chooses. Man as one of these creatures, submits to this Owner and Controller.
He also recognizes that Allah is All Knowing and so He legislates laws that are suitable for His creatures’ circumstances and interests. He is also sure that the Exalted Allah is Ever-Wise in His judgement. His wisdom means that He puts things in the right place to achieve interest and prevent loss. The believer also knows that Allah is the Only law-Giver and that man is absolutely incapable of enacting laws for himself because he is affected by his environment, emotion, sentiment, religion, bias, and the party which he follows.Since Almighty Allah alone is the only Owner, the Controller of mankind, the Omniscient, the Ever-Wise, and the Omnicompetent, the believer inclines with heart and soul to the love of Allah , and endeavors wholeheartedly and truthfully to carry out His orders. He believes that his personality will be incomplete unless he follows Allah’s guidance.
Undoubtedly, the believer who tastes the joys of belief, loves Allah's Rasuul (ﷺ). The believer finds in his personality the best example, because Allah described him (ﷺ) with this quality, which is represented in his deeds, sayings, and traditions. He regards him (ﷺ) as the ideal, since Allah preserved him (ﷺ) from error and sin. He also regards him (ﷺ) as having a magnificent character as Allah is He who gave him (ﷺ) this attribute.
It is natural for a believer to be attracted to the love of the Prophet (ﷺ) after he recognizes his (ﷺ) status in the side of Allah. He also loves him (ﷺ), because he finds him (ﷺ) the ideal human being and the best example. Therefore, he strives to follow his (ﷺ) way in all worldly and religious affairs, as his companions (رضى الله عنه) did during his lifetime. They loved him (ﷺ) so much that they felt sad if they did not see him (ﷺ).
Undoubtedly, the believers, who feel love of Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ), are attracted to the love of striving in Allah’s way, and protecting Islam despite any hardships and difficulties they might meet. The Believer is attracted to the love striving in His way or Jihad, since Allah created him along with other believers to bring people out from the worship of idols to the worship of Allah, from the temporary world to the permanent Hereafter, and from the injustice of other religions to the justice of Islam.
The word “Jihad” appears to have become the scariest word in the world these days. “Jihad” does not mean “to wage holy war,” or “to kill the infidel,” or “to commit terrorism.” The word “jihad” means “to struggle.” Our beloved Prophet (ﷺ) said the best jihad was to speak words of truth “in front of a tyrannical leader.” Not violence. Not terrorism. The Quran describes three types of jihad or struggles, the jihad against ourself, the jihad against Satan — which are called the greater jihads — and the jihad against an open enemy — known as the lesser jihad. Zero of them mean or permit terrorism.
The Quran clearly defines who is an “open enemy,” “Open enemy” is not our government, people of another faith or our fellow citizens. Instead, the Quran permits Muslims to fight in this lesser jihad when five strict conditions are met: self-defense; when they are being persecuted for their faith; have fled their homes and migrated to a different country to preserve peace; are targeted to be killed for their faith; and to protect universal religious freedom. So whatever our jihad, make it a true jihad of peace, education, and protection of people of all faiths.
The middle rank of love, is a sentiment of the heart and stems from psychological feelings reaching from a man whose heart relates with another e,g. the relation with religion, family, kinship, and friends. Affection, mercy, loyalty, and sympathy strengthen this relation. Through this type, believers come to love each other, parents love their children and vice versa, a husband loves his wife and vice versa, a person loves his relatives and vice versa, friends love each other...etc.
Islam regards this type of love as a noble and sublime feeling. However, it occupies a second rank after the love of Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ), because there is no other love equivalent to that of Allah, His Messenger (ﷺ) and striving in His way. In addition, love of Allah, His Messenger (ﷺ), and striving in His way holds great status and honor in the sight of Allah. Influences resulting from this type are as follows: without mutual love between the spouses, there is no family, no offspring, no care, no education, and no nurturing; without love being inculcated in the hearts of children, there are no parent-child relationships, no family coherence, and no cooperative relationships with relatives; without love, there are no social relations, no acquaintances, and no happiness among mankind.
Thus, middle love is necessary to achieve the interests of individuals and societies. It is not strange to find that Islamic teachings strengthen the love of parents to their children and vice versa, the love of a husband to his wife and vice versa, and the love of a man to his friends, relatives, and mankind in general.
Now, the question arises, "To what extent should middle love remain?" In this context, we have mentioned that middle love is a principle of Islamic law, because it strengthens the relations between individuals and groups. Consequently, this love should remain forever. Is there a religious reason or cause urging us to overcome or restrict this type of love?
As long as a Muslim is pious and righteous, he should not be boycotted. Consequently, as we know, there should not be any dispute, quarrel, or discord between two Muslims beyond three days. Islam mentioned this period so that they may regain their minds, become sincere towards each other, and shake hands. If a boycott goes beyond three days, a sin will have been committed.
Islam teaches us to advise and guide our colleagues and friends in private, calling them to the right path of belief, and showing them the consequences resulting from committing sins mid evil deeds. If he does not accept advice and guidance, the adviser should estrange his relation with him for the sake of Allah, just as he loved him for the sake of Allah, even if he is a relative or a friend. The Prophet (ﷺ) said,
“Indeed the strongest bond of faith is to love for the sake of Allah and hate for the sake of Allah.” [Musnad Ahmad, Hasan by Al-Albani]
