4. Muhabbat — Love
محبت
Dear friends! The fourth foundational principle of Islam is Muhabbat — Love. This is expressed most beautifully in the following Quranic verse:
فَسَوْفَ يَأْتِي اللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍ يُحِبُّهُمْ وَيُحِبُّونَهُ
"Then Allah will bring forth a people He loves and who love Him." (Al-Ma'idah, 5:54) — That is, Allah Most High will raise up people who love Allah and whom Allah loves. This is one expression of this theme.
And in another place:
إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَ أَخَوَيْكُمْ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ
"Indeed, the believers are brothers. So make peace between your brothers, and fear Allah so that you may receive mercy." (Al-Hujurat, 49:10) — That is, the believers are all brothers — make peace among your brothers, and be reconciled with one another.
In the hadith tradition, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "When Allah created all of creation, He wrote in a book that is with Him above the Throne: My mercy prevails over My wrath." (Bukhari and Muslim)
عَنْهُ قَال سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ الرَّحْمَةَ مِائَةَ جُزْءٍ وَأَمْسَكَ عِنْدَهُ تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ جُزْءًا وَأَنزَلَ فِي الْأَرْضِ جُزْءًا وَاحِدًا فَبِذَٰلِكَ الْجُزْءِ يَتَرَاحَمُ الْخَلَائِقُ حَتَّى تَرْفَعَ الدَّابَّةُ حَافِرَهَا عَنْ وَلَدِهَا خَشْيَةً أَن تُصِيبَهُ
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say: "Allah divided mercy into one hundred parts. He retained ninety-nine parts with Himself, and sent down one part to the earth. By that one part all creatures show mercy to one another — to the point that an animal lifts its hoof away from its young fearing it might harm it." (Bukhari and Muslim)
Dear friends! Love is the foundation of the entire world. Without love the world could not exist. Love is not limited — if it were removed from the world, the world would become a heap of dust. It is in love that one finds the earth and the heavens truly alive, and it is love that gives meaning to all striving and endeavor. Love appears in various forms in the world — in the attraction between different elements, in magnetism, in the pull of gravity — always drawing things toward their companions. Love appears in the bond of parent and child, in the attachment of friends, in the care of a shepherd for his flock.
Dear friends! Some people say that love has a base motive — that it exists because of some benefit to oneself. No one truly cares about another person. Some say: 'Love is a beautiful name for selfishness.' Some say: a parent loves children because children are their comfort in old age. The husband loves the wife — the wife is his companion. The friend loves the friend because the friend is useful to him. Ultimately, every love serves oneself. But look at this more carefully:
"From other hearts, my complaint is to my Lord — I have come to seek the love of my own self. Whatever love there is — it is not true love." (Hasrat Siddiqui)
Some people say that love is a shower that comes from the sky and makes everything thirsty. We have seen this with our own eyes: a certain gentleman had a wife who died — and this wife was his companion and helper for many years. For three days after her death the man kept a crow nearby without eating or drinking and then himself died. The love between them was exhausted — so completely had the beloved been intertwined with the heart.
Dear friends! Brothers call one another brothers. Sisters call one another sisters. Only your own child is truly your child — and only your wife is truly your wife. Big ones and small ones — all have some family member they truly love. The wife is the center of love — the wife is the peace and comfort of the heart.
In the world, especially in society, love is an inner thing. Man alone cannot live without love for others. The tailor does his work, the carpenter does his work, the farmer does his work. Everyone helps one another. In all the activities of Islam, love and mutual cooperation are visible. Islam declares: look at all of creation and you will see that everything is based on mutual cooperation — one helps the other. The word 'human being' (insan) contains within itself the word 'uns' (companionship) — the origin of humanity is in companionship. If there is no companionship in a person, he is not truly human. Companionship is the essence of man:
"Companionship is the essence of man — without companionship, humanity is impossible." (Hasrat Siddiqui)
Dear friends! Islam is a foundational principle and that principle is Love.