The Relationship Between Religion and Love: An Overview

Abstract

Love—expressed in the Qur'an as "mahabbah," or deep heartfelt affection— is one of the most fundamental concepts of the religion. It spans a wide spectrum, including love for Allah, love for His Rasul, love among believers, and love for humanity as a whole. Religion is a phenomenon that can only be lived through love. The sign of love for Allah is wishing to reach Allah from the heart and waging jihad against one's own nafs (soul) to reach Allah the Almighty. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, "The small jihads are over, now we are turning to the great jihad; it is the jihad waged against the nafs (soul)." This struggle with the nafs is the struggle of love against hatred and enmity. In our study, we examine the different dimensions of love for Allah in the light of the Holy Qur'an and hadiths, and open a door to how to attain love.