LoveNotes: Part 2

Love and Images: Why are people so into IMAGES?

-because Allah created the human in perfection
-Surah at-Teen “Verily We created man of the best stature” (ayah 4)
-everything you see beautiful of mankind you will find it in Adam
-most beautiful creation = creation of Adam

* Our originality lies in perfection and beauty so we are always inherently in our very NATURE associated with perfection and beauty*

-that’s why we always associate beauty with perfection and vice versa
-Sheikh Yaser read a bunch of fairy tales before teaching this seminar and found out that seriously about 99% of all fairytales associate happiness with beauty.
-ie. Cinderella: they basically don’t even know each others’ names but fall in love and then get married: “Live happily ever after”

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”

-nowadays people make a standard for beauty!
-they have preconceived notions of what “beautiful” is according to their environments, surroundings, TV, etc.


In Ring of the Dove Imam Ibn Hazm points out universal signs about people who are in love

SIGNS YOU ARE IN LOVE:

( these are universal signs and not necessarily from an Islamic point of view or vice versa )

1) Eyes are wide open, they are smiling, looking towards the sky, not paying attention!
2) Talks too much about the beloved
3) When they are in presence of loved one, they give each other full attention
*if they are in a restaurant where there is full commotion, they will not notice!*
4) Lover usually hurries up to the spot where he knows he’ll meet loved one
5) Sudden confusion/excitement at mere sighting of loved one
6) Cheerfulness at finding each other in narrow spaces
7) To engage in a playful tug of war
-Ex: many times newlyweds do this: “honey, I will do the dishes”
-“no let me do them”
-“oh come ON! Let me do them please J “
-(you get the picture)
8) Staying “in touch” –Leaning sideways, staying in the lap/shoulder of the loved one, walking hand in hand, etc.
9) Testing each other
-sometimes opposite personalities of each other attract/are alike
-teasing one another
-testing each other because they want to see the reaction of the other
(random note: in love feeling: “I cannot live without him/her”)
10) people stop sleeping at night and dreaming during the day
11) wasting of the day
12) you will love/spend time with the beloved’s kith and kin (family) more than your own
13) Weeping/crying/getting very emotional

*you don’t have to have all of these signs to be in love, some people only show a few of them, etc. maybe none of these at all, but these are generalities*

All Muslim scholars will say the same thing:

--> Love is NATURAL
--> It is one of Allah’s signs, how would it be haram.
--> Love merely = HALAL

-Beautified for men is the love of things they covet; women, children, much of gold and silver (wealth), branded beautiful horses, cattle and well-tilled land. This is the pleasure of the present world's life; but Allah has the excellent return (Paradise with flowing rivers, etc.) with Him. (Aali Imran 3:14)

Ibn al Qayyim: for men to love women and for women to love men = no harm
--> it is a sign of Allah’s perfection
--> it is a favor upon mankind
-Surah ar-Room: “and among His signs is this…”

Ibn al Jawzi: Love shows a soft heart; if you don’t have feelings of love, you may be as hard as a rock

Arabic poetry:
-“If you don’t fall in love, go eat hay like a donkey”
-“you are nothing but a solid rock”

(many cultures/countries talk about love through poetry)

Ibn Al Qayyim: Beginning of love happens by choice, consequences of that decision come from force

--> Love starts with the eye: that’s why Allah told us to lower our gaze
-when love hits you it gets out of control

Obsession--> Love --> Test

-If you started it around in a haram way, it will end up haram
- if by force later, if you don’t rationalize love, gets out of control sometimes
- Some people are so desperate that they fall in love with everyone!

LOWER THY GAZE!!!!!