Islam

2000 Islam and Love Love is an important aspect of Islam. In the Sufi Path of Love, written by Rumi, Love is the central theme. Rumi speaks a lot

about love and its branches and ramifications. According to Rumi, Love ddominateds most of the Sufi way of life. In a translation of Sufi Path of Love written by William C. Chittuck, Sufi says: "No matter what I say to explain and elucidate Love, shame overcomes me when I come to Love itself. Love cannot be contained within our speaking or listening/ Love is an ocean whose depths cannot be plumbed.... Love cannot be found in erudition and science, books and pages. Whatever is duscussed by people- That is not the way of lovers. Whatever you have said or heard is the shell; The kernel of Love is a mystery that cannot be divulged." Chittuck's translation of this is that Love cannot be explained in words but that it must be felt to be understood. There is not possible way that you can tell someone what love is or write it down to someone so the person may understand. To Rumi, If love isn't felt, then the person will not truly know what love is. To understand the Islamic conception of Love, you must know the Koran's defenition of the term. The Prophet Muhammad once said, "God is beautiful, and He loves beauty." It can be also defined like this: "If something is beautiful, it is worthy of love." In the Vision Of Islam, it says that that whenever God is said to love something, the object of his love are human beings but his love aren't for all human beings. His love is for those who do things and have traits that are beautiful. Some verses in the Koran that prove this are: "Do what is beautiful! Surely God loves those who do what is beautiful." " Whoso fulfills his covenant and is wary of God- surely God loves the god-wary." "Truly God loves those who repent, and He loves those who cleanse themselves." " Trust in God. God loves those who have trust.: "Make things wholesome among them equitably, and be just. Surely God loves the just." One of the most important things about the Koran's use of the word love is that God's love is always for humans and to nothing else. In the translation of Sufi Path of Love, Rumi tells us that God is the source of all love. The question that is asked also, however, is God really love? God is love but he is also other attributes as well. He is also Mercy, Knowledge, Life, Power, and Will. He possesses all these things not just one. So even though He is Love, He does not let it exhaust his reality. Rumi also says that Love is desire and need. Yet God is beyond all need. In the Koran, it says that God said, "I desire to be known, so I created the world." Also, God's love for exhibiting the Hidden Treasure through the prophets and saints was the motivation in His creation of the universe. Everything that happens on Earth is because of the original Love. In a verse of the Koran, it says that God wants people to love him and that their love for him follows up upon his love for them. That quote is this: "O you who have faith, should any of you turn back on your religon, God will bring a people whom He loves and who love him, who are humble toward the faithful and disdainful toward the truth-concealers, who struggle in the path of God and fear not the blame of any blamer. That is God's bounty,- He gives it to whomsoever He will. He is All-embracing, All-knowing."