I love you.

By Shaykh Sikander Ziad Hashmi

“I love you.”

It’s a sentence most of us have probably used at one time or another, though we probably don’t want elaborate on the context we’ve used it in.

But hey, what’s wrong with love?

Love is one of the central human emotions. We all experience love for someone or something, to varying degrees, at one time or another. Most of the time, when we think of love, it brings a warm, fuzzy, and sometimes naughty feeling – the type that makes us feel that nothing in the world matters, with the exception of our beloved.

We are often hushed up and reluctant to discuss love with anyone, except for maybe our close friends. But if we think about it, love isn’t something bad. In fact, it too is a blessing of Allah. Think: if there was no love in the world, every single person would fight everyone else. There would be no peace and happiness. The world would be a terrible place without love.

One of the strongest (if not the strongest) bonds of love are between family members. Thus, Allah has made all believers brothers (and sisters). That’s why we should try to love all Muslims as our brothers and sisters.

Allah (SW) has said:

"The believers are nothing else than brothers (in Islâmic religion)." (Quran, 49:10)

Love is natural. It enters the heart and leaves at will, and we don’t have much control over it. While we don’t have control over love, we do possess control over the actions it can lead us to.

In essence, love is good, but it is the actions that result from it that are of concern.

As with anything, there is a certain limit and transgressing the limit turns the good into bad. For instance, praying Salah is a good thing. No Muslim disputes this fact. However, if one prays Nafl (non-obligatory) Salah all night and misses Fajr (a Fardh or obligatory Salah) in the morning, then his praying Nafl all night becomes something bad. Likewise, if a man spends all day praying and doesn’t provide ample food, clothing, and shelter for his wife and children, then his praying all day becomes bad.

To be continued