Love According to Islam
by Yousef Al Shamsi

Islam's view on love & marrige is an exact opposite of what many consider it to be.While common (mis) conception is that it is wrong to love someone & marrige is simply arranged since men & women should always be completely iscolated.

SHOULD MEN & WOMEN BE COMPLETELY SEPERATED?

It should be said,that whoever claims God ordered men & women to be completely seperated is a liar.The Quran makes no such absurd & unrealistic claim. A society which completely seperated men & women is an evil & ungodly society.It is impossible & extremely degrading to do so.

The Quran mentions many Islamic societies where men & women were not seperated. For example we learn from the story of Mary that the people of Israel asked her about her son Jesus. Had the people been completely iscolated how would they be able to ask her? There are many other stories of men & women being together like the story of Sheba & Solomon & Moses & the 2 Medanite girls.

"And when he came to the water of Madyan, he found on it a group of men watering, and he found besides them two women keeping back (their flocks). He said: What is the matter with you? They said: We cannot water until the shepherds take away (their sheep) from the water, and our father is a very old man. So he watered (their sheep) for them, then went back to the shade and said: My Sustainer! surely I stand in need of whatever good Thou mayest send down to me. Then one of the two women came to him walking bashfully. She said: My father invites you that he may give you the reward of your having watered for us. So when he came to him and gave to him the account, he said: Fear not, you are secure from the unjust people." (28:23-25)

WHAT IS THE QURANIC CONCEPT OF LOVE?

While there are many types of "loves" out there(love of a parent,love of a freind, love of a servant to his creator ect..) here we are talking about the deep emotional feeling a man may feel for a woman.

The Quran mentions this kind of love as a sign & blessing from God. We learn from the Quran that love is not an emotion that a man "learns" or "forces" but is something God sends. The Quran also describes true love as a place of tranquility & mercy.

And among his signs is this,that he has created for you mates among yourselves,that ye may dwell in truanquility with them,and he has put love and mercy between between you verily in that are signs for those who reflect