The Disease of Desires and Passionate Love

The Disease of Desires and Passionate Love - Printable Version

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The Disease of Desires and Passionate Love - poly_blessings - 03-26-2007

The Disease of Desires and Passionate Love

Shaykh ul-Islaam ibn Taymiyyah rahimahullaah

Extracted from "Diseases of the Hearts & their Cures"

Compiled by Ibraaheem bin `Abdullaah al-Haazimee

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Miserliness and jealousy are sicknesses that lead to the soul hating

that which would benefit it, and its loving that which would harm it.

This is why jealousy was mentioned alongside hatred and resentment in

the preceding ahaadeeth. As for the sickness of desire and passionate

love then this is the soul loving that which would harm it and

coupled with this is its hatred of that which would benefit it.

Passionate love is a psychological sickness, and when its effects

become noticeable on the body, it becomes a sickness that afflicts

the mind also. Either by afflicting the mind by the likes of

melancholy, or afflicting the body through weakness and emaciation.

But the purpose here is to discuss its affect on the heart, for

passionate love is the fundament that makes the soul covet that which

would harm it, similar is the one weak of body who covets that which

harms it, and if he is not satiated by that then he is grieved, and

if he is satiated then his sickness increases. The same applies to

the heart afflicted with this love, for it is harmed by its

connection to the loved, either by seeing, touching, hearing, even

think about it. And if he were to curb the love then the heart is

hurt and grieved by this, and if he given is to the desire then the

sickness becomes stronger and becomes a means through which the

grievance is increased.

In the hadeeth there occurs, "Indeed Allaah shelters His believing

servant from the world just as one of you shelter your sick ones from

food and drink (that would harm them)." [1]

In the hadeeth concerning the saving of Moosa reported by Wahb[2],

which is recorded by Imaam Ahmad in az-Zuhd, "Allaah says: `Indeed I

drive away My friends from the delights of this world and its

opulence and comfort just as the compassionate shepherd drives away

his camel from the dangerous grazing lands. And indeed I make them

avoid its tranquility and livelihood, just as the compassionate

shepherd makes his camel to avoid the resting-places wherein it would

be easy prey. This is not because I consider them to be

insignificant, but so that they may complete their portion of My

Kindness in safety and abundance, the delights of the world will not

attract him and neither would desires overcome him.'"

Therefore the only cure for the sick lies in his removing the

sickness by removing this blameworthy love from his heart.

People are divided into two opinions concerning passionate love: One

group says that if falls into the category of intentions and wishes,

this being the famous opinion. Another groups says that it falls into

the category of imagination and fantasies and that it is a corruption

of the imagination since it causes one to depict the one who is loved

in other than his true reality. This group went on to say: "And this

is why Allaah has not been described with passionate love (ishk) and

neither that He passionately loves (ya'shik) because He is far

removed from this, and one cannot be praised who has these corrupt

thoughts."

As for the first group, then from them are those who said: "He is

described with passionate love (ishk) because it is a complete and

perfect love and Allaah loves (yuhib)." And it is reported in the

narration of `Abdul Waahid bin Zayd that He said, "The servant will

always continue to draw closer to me, loving Me and I loving him

(A'shiquhoo) ." This is the saying of some of the Soofis but the

majority do not apply this word to Allaah, because passionate love is

a love exceeding the proper bounds, as for the Love of Allaah then it

has no end and cannot exceed the proper bounds. Passionate love is to

be considered blameworthy without any exceptions, it is not to be

praised when it is directed towards the Creator or created because it

is a love that exceeds the proper bounds.

This is also true because the word `passionate love' is only employed

with regards to a man loving a woman or child (or vice versa), it is

not employed in things such as the love of one's family, property or

status, just as it is not employed with regards to the love of the

Prophets and the righteous. Commonly, you will find this word being

mentioned alongside a forbidden action, such as loving the woman who

is not lawful for him, or loving a child joined with the unlawful

glance and touch and other such unlawful actions.

As for the love of a man for his wife or slave-girl which leads him

out of the folds of justice such that he does unlawful things for her

and leaves what is obligatory – as commonly happens – even to the

extent that he may oppress his son born of his old wife due to this

love of his new wife, or to the extent that he will do things to keep

her happy that would harm his religion and worldly life. For example

his singling her out for inheritance that she does not deserve, or

that he gives her family authority and property that exceeds the

limits set by Allaah, or he goes to excesses in spending on her, or

he makes unlawful things possible for her which harms his religion

and worldly life. This passionate love is forbidden with regards to

one who is permissible for him, so how would it be with regards for

one who has passionate love for someone who is unlawful or with

regards to two men? For this contains a corruption the extent of

which none can assess except the Lord of the servants; it is a

sickness that corrupts the religion and objectives of the one who

possesses it, then it corrupts his intelligence and then his body.

Allaah, the Most High, says,

Then do not be soft in speech, lest in whose heart is a disease

should be moved with desire, but speak in an honourable manner.[3]

There are some whose hearts contain the disease of desire and whose

perceptions are only skin deep. When the object of the desire

submits, the sickness is satiated, and this satiation strengthens the

desire and pursuit of the object and hence strengthens the sickness.

This is in contrast to the one whose objective is not met, for this

failure results in removing the satiation that would strengthen the

sickness and thereby the desire is weakened as is the love. This is

because the person definitely intends that there be action

accompanying his desire, for otherwise all his desire would be is

just whisperings of the soul, unless there is some speech or looking

accompanying this.

As for the one who is afflicted with this passionate love but holds

back and is patient, then indeed Allaah will reward him for his

taqwaa as occurs in the hadeeth: "That the one who passionately loves

someone yet holds back, conceals this and is patient, then dies you

this, will be a martyr." [4] This hadeeth is known to be the report

of Yahya al-Qataat from Mujaahid from Ibn `Abbaas from the Prophet

sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam but it is problematic and such a

hadeeth is not to be depended upon.

But it is known from the evidences of the Sharee`ah that if one were

to hold back from performing that which is unlawful, be it looking,

speaking or acting, and he conceals this and does not articulate it

so as not to fall into that which is prohibited and he is patient in

his obedience to Allaah and keeping away from disobedience to Allaah,

despite the pain that his heart feels due to passionate love,

(similar to the case of the one who is patient through a calamity),

then indeed this person would gain the same reward as those who have

feared Allaah and been patient.

Verily, he who fears Allaah and is patient, then surely Allaah makes

not the reward of the doers of good to be lost.[5]

This holds true for the disease of envy and all other sicknesses that

afflict the heart. So when the soul pursues that which would anger

Allaah, and the person prevents himself from this, fearing Allaah,

then he is included in His saying,

But as for him who feared the standing before His Lord, and

restrained himself from impure evil desires, and lusts. Verily,

Paradise will be his abode.[6]

When the soul loves something, it will do all that it can to attain

it, so the one who does this out of having a blameworthy love or

hatred then this action of his would be sinful. For example his

hating a person due to envying him and thereby harming whosoever is

linked to that person – either by preventing his rights or by showing

them enmity, or his doing something that is commanded by Allaah but

he does it due to his desires and not for the sake of Allaah.

These types of sicknesses are commonly found in the heart. The person

can hate something and due to this hate, love a great many things due

to mere whims and fancies. As one poet affected by this said,

"For the sake of a Sudanese girl he loved Sudan to the point that he

loved the black dogs due to his love of her".

So he loved a black girl, and therefore loved all types of black even

the blackness of dogs! All of this is a sickness in the heart with

regards to its imagination, fantasies and desires. We ask Allaah that

He eliminate all of the illnesses from our hearts, and we seek refuge

with Allaah from evil manners, desires and sicknesses.

The heart has only been created for the worship of Allaah, and this

is the natural disposition (fitrah) upon which Allaah created His

servants as the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said, "Every

new-born child is born upon the natural disposition and it is his

parents that make him a Jew, Christian or a Magian, as an animal

produces a perfect young animal, do you see any part of its body

amputated?" Then Aboo Hurayrah, radiyallaahu `anhu, said, recite if

you wish the saying of Allaah,

The Fitrah of Allaah with which He has created mankind. No change is

there in the creation of Allaah.[7] [Reported by al-Bukhaaree and

Muslim].

So Allaah has made the natural disposition of His servants to love

Him and worship Him Alone, so if the natural disposition was to be

left as it is without corrupting it, then it would be cognizant of

Allaah, loving Him Alone; but the natural disposition does become

corrupted due to the sickness of the heart – such as the parents

making it a Jew or a Christian – even though this be by the Will and

Predecree of Allaah, just like the body is altered by amputation. But

even after this it is possible for the heart to return to the natural

disposition if Allaah makes this easy for the one who does his utmost

to return it to the natural disposition.

The Messengers were sent to affirm and re-establish the natural

disposition and to perfect it, not to alter it. So when the heart

loves Allaah Alone, making the religion sincerely for Him, it will

not be tried with this passionate love (directed to him) his love of

Allaah Alone, making the religion sincerely for him, did not allow

him to be overcome by this, rather Allaah said,

Thus it was, that We might turn away from him evil and illegal sexual

intercourse. Surely he was one of Our chosen, guided slaves.[8]

As for the wife of al-`Azeez, it was because she was and her nation

were polytheists that she was afflicted with passionate love. No one,

and no one is afflicted with passionate love except that this

diminishes his singling out Allaah Alone for worship and his faith.

The heart that repents to Allaah, fearing Him, has two routes by

which it can remove this passionate love:

1) Repenting to Allaah and loving Him, for indeed this is more

satisfying and purer than anything else, and nothing will be left to

love along side Allaah.

2) Fearing Allaah, for indeed fear is the opposite of passionate love

and removes it.

So everyone who loves something, with passion or otherwise, then this

love can be removed by loving that which is more beloved to compete

with it.[9] This love can also be removed by fearing the occurrence

of a harm that is more hateful to one than leaving this love. So when

Allaah is more beloved to the servant than anything else, and more

feared by him than anything else, then he will not fall into

passionate love or find any love that would compete with his love of

Allaah, except in the case of negligence or at a time when this love

and fear has become weak by his leaving some of the obligatory duties

and by performing some of the prohibited actions. For indeed faith

increases with obedience and decreases with disobedience, so each

time a servant obeys Allaah out of love and fear, and leaves a

prohibited action out of love and fear, his love and fear becomes

stronger, and any love or fear of anything else besides Allaah will

disappear from his heart.

The same is true for the sickness of the body: for the health of the

body is preserved by the same, and the sickness is repressed by the

opposite. The correctness of the faith in the heart is preserved by

its like, meaning that which would breed faith in the heart from the

beneficial knowledge and righteous action for these are its

nourishment as occurs in the hadeeth of Ibn Mas`ood, reported as his

saying and as a hadeeth of the Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa

sallam, "Indeed every host loves that people come to his table

spread, and indeed the table spread of Allaah is the Qur'aan."

So the Qur'aan is the table spread of Allaah.

From those things that nourish the heart are supplication at the end

of the night, the times of Adhaan and Iqaamah, in his prostration, at

the ends of the prayers[10] – add to this repentance. For indeed the

one who repents to Allaah and then in turn Allaah forgives him, He

will then give him enjoyment for an appointed time. That he takes to

reciting the reported adhkaar for the day and at the time he sleeps.

That he bears with patience what he is enticed with that would divert

him from all of this, than Allaah will immediately aid him with a

spirit from Him and write faith in his heart. That he be eager to

complete the obligatory duties such as the five prayers inwardly and

outwardly for they are the pillars of the religion. That his words of

recourse be `laa hawla wa laa quwwata illaa billaahi'[11] for by them

the heavy burdens can be born, horrors can be overcome, and the

servant be lifted up the supplication and seeking help from Allaah,

for the servant will be answered as long as he is not hasty,

saying: "I have supplicated and supplicated but I have not been

answered."[12] That he should know that help comes with patience,

that relief comes after anxiety and distress, that after every period

of difficulty there follows a period a period of ease.[13] That he

knows that no prophet or one less than him was rewarded with a good

end except as a result of his being patient.

And all praise and thanks are due to Allaah, the Lord of Creation. To

Him belongs praise and grace for guiding us to Islaam and the Sunnah,

a praise that would suffice His favours to us outwardly and inwardly,

as in required for the nobility of His Face and might of His

Magnificence. Abundant Peace and Blessings be upon our master,

Muhammad sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, and upon his family,

Companions, his wives – the mothers of the believers, and all those

that follow them in good until the Day of Judgement.

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FOOTNOTES:

[1] A similar hadeeth to this reported by al-Bayhaqee and it is a

da`eef hadeeth. (Refer to Fayd al-Qadeer).

[2] Wahb ibn Munabbih is a noble taabi`ee, but this hadeeth is

reported from him directly to the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa

sallam and is not authentic.

[3] Soorah al-Ahzaab (33):32.

[4] A da`eef hadeeth. Refer to the discussion concerning its

inauthenticity in al-Jawaab al-Kaafee and Rawdah al-Muhibbeen of Ibn

al-Qayyim and Silsilah ad-Da`eefah of al-Albaanee.

[5] Soorah Yoosuf (12):90.

[6] Soorah an-Naazi`aat (79):40-41.

[7] Soorah ar-Room (30):30.

[8] Soorah Yoosuf (12):24.

[9] Refer to Rawdah al-Muhibbeen of Ibn al-Qayyim for he has a

beautiful discussion concerning this.

[10] These are the times in which Allaah answers the supplications,

there are authentic ahaadeeth concerning these.

[11] The Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said, "indeed it is a

treasure from the treasures of paradise." Reported by al-Bukhaaree

and Muslim from the hadeeth of Aboo Moosa al-Ash`aree.

[12] Reported by Muslim

[13] A hasan hadeeth reported by Ahmad and at-Tirmidhee from the

hadeeth of Ibn `Abbaas

The Disease of Desires and Passionate Love - Muslimah - 03-26-2007

Bismillah

Jazaki Allah khairan sister for this post.

The Disease of Desires and Passionate Love - poly_blessings - 03-26-2007

wa iyaaki ukhti. love to pass the knowledge on alhamdulillah!!!

The Disease of Desires and Passionate Love - muslimah_min_fhalesteen - 03-27-2007

Asalamu Alaikum

Jazkallah Khairen for the post poly blessing mashallah a very good read.

Take care of urselves and deen

Salam