Concept of Love in Religions

Love is an important element in a person's life and his religious belief. Sufis think that love is the secret of human existence and the creation of the universe. Because it is reported that Allah Almighty said: “I was a hidden treasure. I loved that I was known, that's why I created the creatures and gave them blessings. They also knew me.” With this word, God Almighty informs us about Himself. Allah Almighty created love with His own self. This love is undoubtedly the reason for the emergence of all existing beings.

In one verse, God Almighty says, "I created humans and jinn only so that they might worship Me" (The Kingdom, 67/2). Worshiping Allah is the perfection of obedience and submission to God.

Worship actually has love. Because in a verse, God Almighty wants His Messenger to address as follows: “Say: If you truly love Allah, follow me so that Allah will love you and forgive your sins. Because Allah is very merciful and forgiving.” (Al Imran, 3/31) Accordingly, the basis of worshiping Allah is the love of Allah.

The great Islamic scholar and Sufi Davud al-Kayseri (1262, 1350) says the following in his book "Ledunni Knowledge and True Love":

“Love is the result of knowledge. Therefore, knowledge is more priority and important than love. Loving God means knowing Him fully and serving Him as required. Loving other beings means protecting their existence and rights. In order for love not to be so-called dry love, it is necessary to show the results of true love. Then, true love is, in the final analysis, selfless love. This is love for God.”

"O you who believe, whoever among you turns back from his religion, know that Allah will replace them with a people whom Allah loves and they love Allah." (The Table, 5/54)

According to this verse, the absence of love is made the reason for apostasy. In another verse in the Holy Quran, love and faith are connected as follows:

“Believers' love for Allah is a stronger love.” (Al-Baqarah, 2/165)

Comparative Religions Expert Prof. Dr. Din Muhammed says the following in his book "Sufism and Mysticism":

“Islam has given importance to love and explained to Muslims how to build their lives on love, the goals of love and the means by which these goals will be achieved. He did this with the verses of the Quran and the Prophetic sunnah. When we analyze Islamic virtues, good moral characteristics and Sufi positions such as repentance, patience, asceticism and sincerity, we see that love is the basis and lifeblood of all of these concepts. According to Sufis, love is the beginning and the end. Every position and situation in the ascension of the human soul and its journey to God are nothing but manifestations of love."

Love is at the basis of every religious understanding. Since love is a fundamental element in religious life and spiritual progress in all religions, they have been interested in love and tried to explain it. However, there is a difference between Islam and other religions when it comes to love. These differences will be discussed below.

Concept of Love in Judaism

Judaism is similar to Islam in talking about love based on its religious texts. Jewish mystics developed this concept as a basis for their religious experience. But this ultimately led to an esotericism that Judaism rejected.

Among Jewish mystics, religious experience has become pure gnosticism (a mystical philosophy that rejects all religions except Christianity). In other words, while talking about integration with God, which is the goal of love, it also aims to obtain secret esoteric knowledge. But they did not mean by this integration what those who follow Hinduism mean by integration. While the Hindus seek true unity between man and God, the Jewish mystics, especially the Kabbalists, mean by this the forgetting of the self and a form of immersion in God. Kabbalah did not take Jewish religious texts into account with their apparent meaning, on the contrary, it read esoteric meanings in them. Jewish religious people rejected them, and furthermore, although Kabbalists insisted that they were Jews, they fell outside the religious framework and became an ignored minority.

This means; true religious experience, which comes close to Islamic Sufism, has not found fertile ground in Judaism. This further deepened Judaism in its material aspect. Kabbalah could not have a positive impact on Judaism due to its esoteric gnostic tendency. Therefore, it can be said that love has lost its way at the level of spiritual experience in Judaism.

Concept of Love in Christianity

Love plays a major role in the spiritual and doctrinal structure of Christianity. However, love in Christianity, far from reason, logic and the sharia, which represents the summary of God's will and showing people the right path; It is presented to justify doctrinal principles such as crucifixion, atonement, sacrifice, God's incarnation and the trinity theory based on them. Christian theology, from its early period, after declaring the theory of Paul that Christianity is a universal religion and has the salvation theory, he felt the real crisis represented by the theory of the trinity. Both the first theologians and those who came later tried to find an interpretation that explained this difficult and inextricable concept to people's minds. The meaning of the words “God is love” in the Gospel of Matthew is that God, because of His great love, forgave Adam the original sin he committed against God, which his children then inherited. The wrath of the Lord continued until the time of the appearance of the Messiah.

According to Paul, God showed his anger towards human beings and punished them by sending prophets with the law that included commands about what should and should not be done. But His great love wanted to help humanity atone for a sin that they could not bear. Because the sin committed against God requires an atonement equal to the degree of God's rank. Human power is not enough for him. Therefore, here, divine love required God to incarnate and appear in the form of Christ in order to make vicarious atonement for human beings and to be freed from original sin and become clean and sinless.

On this subject, Prof. Dr. Din Muhammed says the following in his book "Sufism and Mysticism":

“Human beings are not required to worship after God's incarnation because Sharia law and divine responsibilities represent the period of divine wrath. They need only accept this divine gift represented in the atonement and incarnation and have faith in Christ's sacrifice for the salvation of mankind. This is why in Paul's letter to the Galatians is said "The spiritual law (sharia) is a curse, and by the law no one is justified." It is emphasized that salvation is only through faith in Christ. Therefore, he declared war on circumcision as a symbol of the Spiritual Law.

As mentioned before, love here; It was presented to justify beliefs such as crucifixion, sacrifice, atonement, and incarnation, and was also used to justify the eternal existence of Christ in that love requires two parties, the loving and the loved. It is inconceivable that God has been blessed with this love from eternity without a lover to whom this love is directed. This necessary lover is none other than Christ. It follows that the son, Christ, has existed with God the Father from eternity.

Early theologians continued to consider love in this way. However, this does not prevent us from saying that a systematic priestly life emerged in Christianity from the 12th century onwards, the basis of which was abandoning the world and thinking about Christ and his sufferings, and that spiritual experience whose basis was love and whose goal was integration with the holy trinity began to be talked about.

During this period, spiritual systems and schools such as the Franciscans and Dominicans emerged, as well as ascetic and clerical figures who talked about love or a spiritual life based on love, called for morality, and wanted to unite with God.

The culmination of this orientation is seen in the religious experience of the German Echart in the 13th century and the Spanish Mother Teresa and John of the Cross in the 17th century. Their experience, as understood from their own writings and what has been written about them, is a Christian Gnostic experience that aims to learn the secret of the trinity through unification. Therefore, mysticism has been defined as monotheistic love (love that results in unity between the lover and the beloved) or experiential knowledge about God obtained through experiential wisdom.”

According to these, a big difference between love in Islam and Christianity emerges. Love in Christianity is gnostic and is a secret theology that tries to understand the truth of the trinity through the clerical life built on monotheistic love. This is what is known in contemporary writings as Christian mysticism. Aside from the mental possibilities/impossibilities and intellectual problems revealed by the issue of love, we can say that love in Christianity is a concept that does not have a meaning that can be accepted by science and by the mind. In the end, it leads to immorality.

Concept of Love in Hinduism and Buddhism

Hinduism talks about love through the term “Bhakti” and Buddhism through the term “Karuna”. However, in both religions, although love requires compliance with moral rules, it serves nothing other than reaching the highest goal determined as "Nirvana". Therefore, we can say that love in the Islamic religious experience is a unique practical concept and has no equivalent in other religions. For this reason, we find it strange that some orientalists think that Islam, especially the Sufis, takes the idea of love from Christianity.

We should also pay attention to this point: Leaving aside the principles and goals of love, all religions are in agreement regarding its symptoms and appearances. Therefore, this alliance in its symptoms and appearances does not mean an alliance in the truth or in the foundations on which love is built and the goals it pursues.

Those Who Pervert the Concept of Love in Islam

Enemies of Islam use some people to publish books to achieve their goal of destroying and perverting Islam. In these books, attempts are made to denigrate Islam by perverting the understanding of love in Islam. The authors of these books keep their identities secret. There is no information about their CV in their books. No information is given about where these people received education. These books are published only so that a lot of nonsense against Islam can harm people's beliefs. Muslims should be vigilant against these people and books and should not be deceived by their black propaganda. They should learn their knowledge about Islam from the books of Sunni scholars.

Below, we will discuss some quotes from the books of people who try to distort the understanding of love in Islam and try to explain how unrealistic their claims and slanders are.

1) According to them, "The first and last God is the Divine Mind". They claim that they do not accept Allah Almighty as God and that their god is reason.

Sunni scholars have proven many times how perverted and wrong this idea is. However, since the aim of these people is to alienate people from Islam, they do not listen to this evidence. By publishing books many times in the direction they say, they are trying to fulfill the duties given to them by global imperialism and from which they receive benefits in return.

2) According to them, it is not possible to love something like God or Allah. Because, according to them, it is not possible to love a living creature that cannot be seen or perceived. People behave lovelessly with the simple rules of religion. So people have forgotten who they are.

According to this understanding, love has no spiritual side. Love is only a material thing. This is a feature that turns humans into animals. What they want is to dull the spiritual side of man and turn him into a purely material being. This is what global imperialism wants. Thus, human communities can be easily exploited. The fact that they are like a herd of animals will make it easier to manage them. This is what is wanted and targeted. But this will not be what they want. Because Allah protects Islam and Muslims. He will eliminate the tribes that abandoned their religion and replace them with tribes that love Allah. This is the ruling of the 54th verse of Surah Al-Maidah. This will happen whether the unbelievers want it or not.

“O you who believe! Whoever among you turns back from his religion should know that Allah will soon bring a people who love Allah and are loved by Allah. They are gentle towards believers, and honorable and severe towards unbelievers. They strive hard in the way of Allah and do not fear the condemnation of any critic. This is a blessing from God. He gives it to whomever He wishes. Allah is the possessor of great bestowal and knows everything very well.” (Maide, 5/54)

3) According to them, the basic understanding of Islam is a perfect religion of suffering and strife. Islam ignores the human mind. A person devoid of love is a faith-based structure.

It is explained by many verses and hadiths that this view is wrong. Good and evil were created side by side in worldly life. These are for the test of man. That's why there is no peace in the world. People were created in distress (The City, 90/4). However, the Sunni Islamic scholars explain the reason for this very well. In such an environment, in order for a person to attain happiness in the afterlife, he must be on the side of goodness and against evil. Love is also a kindness. That's why Islam has always praised love. According to the verse (Al Imran, 3/31), we must follow the sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh) in order for Allah to love us. This is part of the world test. Whoever follows the sunnah of the Prophet will attain happiness both in this world and the hereafter. Allah Almighty gives guarantees to people in this regard.

“Be aware that there is no fear on the friends of Allah, nor do they grieve.” (Jonah, 10/62)

What the enemies of Islam say are completely wrong. There is no intentional suffering and lack of love in Islam. Those who say these are enemies of Islam who knowingly want to denigrate Islam. They really don't like people. They cooperate with global imperialism to exploit people and gain world benefits in return. Alas! What a state of heedlessness they are in. As a result of what they did, their worldly life will be darkened and they will not be able to find peace, and they will be disappointed in the afterlife.

“As for those who disbelieve, I will punish them severely in this world and in the hereafter. And they will have no helpers.” (Al Imran, 3/56)

4) According to them, all wars fought in the name of Islam were fought for loot and robbery. Muslims tortured the captives greatly and killed them. This shows what a wild and loveless mood swings Muslims are in.

Those who slander the religion of Islam ignore the actions of the Global Capital they serve. In case of war, people have to protect their own existence and has to kill the enemy. This is true for all people. However, Islam foresees the emergence of legitimate conditions for war. It is not desired to harm anyone's property, life and honor where he stands. Our Prophet (pbuh) ordered his soldiers many times not to kill women, children and animals. In Islam, tit for tat is essential. It is permissible to kill people who come towards you to kill you. This is the most important principle of living. Islam has never ordered war without facing danger. The expansion of the Ottomans in the Balkans was due to the fact that the people there saw them as a threat to the Ottomans. Because Christians organized many crusades and attacked to destroy Muslims. This danger exists for every period of history. For this reason, Muslims fought to capture regions that would create a danger to them. However, after winning the war, he did not oppress the local people and even mobilized the power of the state for their development. There is nothing inhumane or contrary to the concept of love here. Those who are the servants of Zionist imperialism and who publish books to denigrate Islam and say "There is no love in it" should look at what Israel is doing in Palestine. Let them look at the attacks and oppression committed by the USA and European countries against Muslim countries and countries in Africa. The enemies of Islam and the servants of global imperialism, who do not take these actions into consideration, claim that there is no love for humanity in Islam, using the wars waged only by Muslims as an excuse. Which of the actions of global imperialism includes the concept of love?

Muslims did not oppress people in the lands they ruled for centuries. They implemented the commandments of Islam and made their administrations their own. These states have stated this fact many times. States in the Middle East, North Africa and the Balkans lived in peace and security for centuries under Muslim rule. However, when the Muslim rule ended in these lands and non-Muslim states came to power, they were subjected to all kinds of oppression and exploitation. The enemies of Islam, who ignore these facts and serve the project of global imperialism to destroy Islam, will not be able to eliminate Islam no matter how hard they try. Islam will rise again and rule the world with love and justice.

We explained how this would happen in our previous articles. Now let's repeat. World War III will break out by 2040. During this period, the Islamic state will be established again in Turkey. Verse 54 of Surah Al-Maidah guarantees this to us. Between 2040 and 2060, Muslim states will continue to fight to dominate the world. Eventually, the state of Israel in the Middle East will be destroyed by war. In 2060, Muslims will dominate the world again. Those who are enemies of Islam should memorize this information thoroughly. If they live until this date, they will see these. They may hope that they will be forgiven if they repent and embrace Islam. Otherwise, these people will be forced to live in complete disappointment, that is, hell, in their afterlife. This will ultimately be a reward for what they have done with their own hands.

“Any calamity that befalls you is because of what you have earned with your own hands. However, Allah still forgives most of them.” (The Consultaion, 42/30)

“As for those who disbelieve, I will punish them severely in this world and in the hereafter. And they will have no helpers.” (Al Imran, 3/56)

5) Some so-called sectarian enemies of Islam are trying to degenerate the basic beliefs and worship of Islam by using the concept of love. According to them, Allah does not need the worship of His servants. Therefore, it is enough for Muslims to love Allah. There is no need for them to perform acts of worship such as prayer or fasting. Efforts have been made to spread these ideas among Muslims for years. Those who do this do not comply with the principles set by Islam in any way. Not only do they not perform religious duties such as prayer and fasting, but their women dress revealingly and immodestly. Men and women sit on each other and sing hymns. They think in this way they will gain Allah's consent. Alas!

Some of these people are deliberately responsible for the project of destroying Islam. These people try to lead other people out of Islam by leading the sects and communities they founded. In return, they certainly provide financial benefits.

Most of them have a Mevlevi appearance. They constantly commemorate Hazrat Mevlana and Yunus Emre. But they do not take into account the lives and advice of these two important Sufis. What kind of recklessness? The behavior of these people will cause them to be disappointed in both worlds.

People who follow these people like to follow the things they recommend to them. Because it is difficult to their souls to pray and wear the hijab, they think that loving Allah is enough for them. Alas! What kind of ignorance? This people will understand the truth one day, but it will be too late.

Enemies of Islam have been using sects to pervert the religion of Islam for years. But their impact is now diminishing. Thanks to the criticism of Ahl as-Sunnah scholars, Muslims see the truth and stay away from these enemies of religion. It is certain that the enemies of Islam will not be successful. Allah will protect his religion. One day people will understand that the only salvation is in Islam.

"There is no doubt that We sent down the Quran, and of course We will protect it." (Hijr, 15/9)

Let's finish our article with Yunus Emre's love poems about Allah and Muhammad (pbuh). Maybe the enemies of Islam will get some inspiration from these poems, put themselves in order and start on the path of salvation.

Plead to Allah

If you love me wholeheartedly,

Beg, servant, beg God.

If you wish to achieve your goal,

Beg, servant, beg God.

Beg, brother, beg,

Aren't you there with a black face?

If you are the Ummah, to the Prophet,

Beg, servant, beg God.

Wake up from sleep at night,

Let there be hidden secrets,

He who says Allah will not be deprived,

Beg, servant, beg God.

Get to know yourself, get to know yourself.

Why did God create you?

What will happen to you, Anubeni?

Beg, servant, beg God.

Yunus, make the trouble happen,

Walk, the wish of the goal,

Both moan and cry,

Beg, servant, beg God.

Muhammad (pbuh)

May my life be sacrificed for your path,