قد يصبح هذا ضربًا من الشرك، لأن قلب الإنسان قد يتخذ المحبوب، في بعض الأحوال، ندًّا لله ~؛ فيحبه كما يحب الله ~. أما من يكون حبه لمعشوقه أعظم من حبه لله ~، فهذا النوع من الحب لا يُغفر؛ إنه ضرب من الشرك، والله لا يغفر الشرك؛ بل يغفر لمن تاب، ويمحو عن قلبه كل صور الشرك (أي بالتوبة الخالصة). ومن علامات هذا الحب الشركي أن المفتون يؤثر رضا معشوقه على رضا ربه. فإذا تعارضت حقوق معشوقه مع حقوق ربه، قدّم حق معشوقه! وهذا حال كثير ممن لهم هوى محرم بالنساء، وهوى محرم بالنظر إلى صورهن ووجوههن. ضع شهوتهم المحرمة في كفة من الميزان، وضع إيمانهم بالتوحيد في الكفة الأخرى، ثم حاول أن تزن وزنًا عادلًا يرضي الله ~ ورسوله ﷺ. وكثير من هؤلاء يصرّحون علنًا بأنه لم يعد في قلوبهم موضع إلا لمعشوقهم. لهم ميل إلى معشوقهم أشد من ميلهم إلى خالقهم. وقد وهبوا كل حبهم وشغفهم لمعشوقهم، فلم يبق لهم شيء لعبادة الله، مع العلم بأن عبادة الله تقتضي كمال المحبة والخضوع. وعلاج هذه الحال المُهلكة أن يعلم أن البلاء بهذا الداء، المناقض للإيمان بالتوحيد، إنما يأتي من الجهل، ومن غفلة القلب عن ذكر الله ~. فعليه أولًا أن يتعلم توحيد الله وآياته، ثم يؤدي العبادات الظاهرة والباطنة، لتشغل قلبه بذكر الله ~ الدائم. وعليه أن يلجأ إلى الله ~ بالذل والخضوع، يطلب عونه، ليصرف عنه ذلك الداء. لا يوجد علاجٌ أفضل من الإخلاص لله ﷻ في جميع الأعمال. وهو العلاج الذي ذكره الله ﷻ حين قال: ﴿كَذَٰلِكَ لِنَصْرِفَ عَنْهُ السُّوءَ وَالْفَحْشَاءَ ۚ إِنَّهُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا الْمُخْلَصِينَ﴾. فقد أخبرنا الله ﷻ أنه صرف يوسف عليه السلام عن الفاحشة والزنا بسبب عبادته الخالصة لربه. وينبغي أن يُعلم أن اتباع الإسلام والعقل يُمكِّنان من تحقيق المصالح للفرد، ويزيلان أو يُقللان جميع أسباب الفساد. ومن المعلوم أن تعلُّق القلب بالنظر المحرم إلى النساء أو صورهن لا يحقق نفعًا دينيًا ولا دنيويًا، بل إن آثاره السيئة أكثر من أن تُحصى، ونذكر منها الجوانب التالية: أولًا: أن القلب يتعلق كليًا بمحبوبه، ويشغل عن محبة ربه ﷻ وذكره، فلا بد أن يغلب أحدهما الآخر إذا حاولا الاجتماع في قلب واحد. ثانيًا: أن القلب يتعذب بذلك، لأن من أحب شيئًا سوى الله ﷻ عُذِّب به. ثالثًا: أن القلب يصير أسيرًا في يد آسره الذي قد يُذلّه، والقلب السكران لا يشعر بذله. رابعًا: أن القلب يُشغل عن مصالحه الدينية والدنيوية. خامسًا: أن جميع أمراض الدنيا والآخرة تتسارع إلى القلب الذي استبدّ به الهوى، فإنه كلما اقترب من إشباع شهوته ابتعد عن ربه، فوقع في يد الشيطان. سادسًا: أنه إذا تملّك الهوى القلب، فسد العقل بوساوس شيطانية تتولد فيه. سابعًا: أن هذا المرض يؤدي إلى فساد الحواس، أو على الأقل بعضها، إذ إن فساد القلب يُفسد العينين والأذنين واللسان أيضًا، فلا تعود العينان ترى العيوب والنقائص في المحبوب. لا تُصغي الآذان إلى دعوة الإقلاع عن مثل هذه العادة المحرّمة، لأنّ مَن يُمارس النشاط لا يرى عيبَه؛ فحبُّه الجامح للشهوة يضع غشاوةً على عينيه. والشخص الوحيد الذي يدرك ذلك هو مَن كان يومًا منغمسًا فيه ثم أقلع عنه. ولهذا السبب كان الصحابة الذين دخلوا الإسلام بعد حياةٍ في الشرك أفضلَ من الذين وُلدوا في الإسلام. قال عمر بن الخطاب رضي الله عنه: «تُنقض عُرى الإسلام عروةً عروةً، يَنشأ فيها مَن لم يعرف الجاهلية». الثامن: العشق هو المحبة المفرِطة والشديدة؛ يستولي على قلب الإنسان ويبدأ باستعمال قواه الحيوانية والعقلية بعنف، حتى يقع هلاكه. وقد لوحظ بدقة في مسار العشق أنّ بدايته حلوة، ووسطه مليء بالقلق والهمّ، ونهايته الهلاك. وقد قال العلماء في بداية مثل هذا العشق إنّ على الإنسان أن يقاومه بأقصى ما يستطيع، ما لم يكن قد قُدّر له أن يصل إلى محبوبه بطريقٍ مشروع (بالزواج). فإن عجز عن مقاومة سلطانه، فعليه على الأقل أن يكتم أمره ولا يُفشيه للناس، لأنه بذلك ينتهك حرمة المحبوب ويزيد ظلم نفسه. وهناك أمراضٌ كثيرة يولّدها هذا العشق الشهواني، وقد أدّى في بعض الحالات بأناسٍ نشؤوا في الإسلام إلى الشرك. فقد رأى مؤذّنٌ ذات مرة امرأةً جميلة من فوق السطح فافتُتن بها، فنزل وطلب أن يكون حبيبها. فأجابته أنها نصرانية، وأنها ستتزوجه إن قبل أن يعتنق دينها. فقبِل، لكنه في اليوم نفسه، لما صعد درجةً على سطحهم، سقط فمات. When some Christians wanted to turn a Muslim prisoner away from his religion, they exposed him to a beautiful woman, and she would then have to attract his attention, until she took control of his heart. Then she would have to offer herself to him if he embraced her religion! This would be in such a moment that (يُثَبِّتُ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِالْقَوْلِ الثَّابِتِ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ ۚ وَيُضِلُّ اللَّهُ الظَّالِمِينَ ۚ وَيَفْعَلُ اللَّهُ مَا يَشَاءُ) 1 A reasonable person would not subject himself to this kind of passionate desire, because it simply leads to evil consequences. Whoever occupies his mind with lust is merely deceiving himself and may even destroy it, as had he not been constantly gazing at the face of his beloved, lust would not have dominated his heart. The most beneficial love is that of Allah ﷻ, which is absolute; that which all hearts are instinctively born with. This is the secret of the Testimony of Faith, because God is the One Whom hearts worship with love, glorification, praise and submission. Yet worship is not accepted if it is not directed to Allah ﷻ alone, as worship is the perfection of love together with the perfection of submission and humiliation. The proof of this obligation to love Allah ﷻ was mentioned in all of His Revelations, the Message of His Prophets, and the natural order endowed by Allah ﷻ in His Servants. People's hearts are naturally attracted to love the One Who bestows His Blessings upon them, as Allah ﷻ has said: (وَمَا بِكُم مِّن نِّعْمَةٍ فَمِنَ اللَّهِ ۖ ثُمَّ إِذَا مَسَّكُمُ الضُّرُّ فَإِلَيْهِ تَجْأَرُونَ) 2 This proof is also evident once His Servants learn His Best Names and Attributes, which designate His Perfection and Supremacy. Love has two attractors: beauty and honour, which Allah ﷻ possesses to a degree of absolute perfection. He ﷻ is graceful and loves grace, as all grace belongs to Him ﷻ. قال الله ~ مخاطبًا رسوله محمدًا ﷺ: ﴿قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ﴾ 1 وقال أيضًا: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَن يَرْتَدَّ مِنكُمْ عَن دِينِهِ فَسَوْفَ يَأْتِي اللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍ يُحِبُّهُمْ وَيُحِبُّونَهُ أَذِلَّةٍ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَعِزَّةٍ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ يُجَاهِدُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَلَا يَخَافُونَ لَوْمَةَ لَائِمٍ ذَٰلِكَ فَضْلُ اللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَن يَشَاءُ وَاللَّهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ * إِنَّمَا وَلِيُّكُمُ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا الَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَيُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ وَهُمْ رَاكِعُونَ * وَمَن يَتَوَلَّ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا فَإِنَّ حِزْبَ اللَّهِ هُمُ الْغَالِبُونَ﴾ 2 وأساس اتخاذ الولي هو المحبة، كما أن أساس العداوة هو البغض. فالله ~ وليُّ الذين آمنوا، وهم أولياؤه المتقون، يحبهم ويتولاهم بحسب درجة محبتهم له ج. وقد ذمّ الله ~ الذين يتخذون من دونه أندادًا، فقال: ﴿وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَتَّخِذُ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ أَندَادًا يُحِبُّونَهُمْ كَحُبِّ اللَّهِ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَشَدُّ حُبًّا لِّلَّهِ﴾ 1 وأخبرنا عمّن يتخذون أندادًا لله في العبادة، إذ يقولون لمعبوداتهم وهم مجتمعون في النار: ﴿تَاللَّهِ إِن كُنَّا لَفِي ضَلَالٍ مُّبِينٍ * إِذْ نُسَوِّيكُم بِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ﴾ 2) مع هذا التوحيد القائم على محبة الله، أرسل الله ﷻ جميع رسله بوحيه، حاملين الرسالة ذاتها، من أول الأنبياء آدم عليه السلام إلى آخرهم محمد ﷺ؛ إذ من أجله خلق الله ﷻ السماوات والأرض، والجنة والنار؛ فجعل الجنة دارَ قرارٍ لمن أحبوه، وجعل النار لمن أشركوا به. وقد أقسم النبي ﷺ أن الإيمان لا يتم للمرء حتى يكون النبي ﷺ أحبَّ إليه من ولده ووالده والناس أجمعين؛ فكيف بمحبة الرب ﷻ؟ وقال ﷺ لعمر بن الخطاب رضي الله عنه: «لا، والذي نفسي بيده، حتى أكون أحبَّ إليك من نفسك»، أي أن إيمانك لا يكتمل حتى تبلغ محبتك هذا المقدار! فإذا كان رسول الله ﷺ أولى بنا من أنفسنا في المحبة وما تقتضيه، أفلا يكون الرب ﷻ أحقَّ بالمحبة من أنفسنا؟ لقد خلق الله ﷻ الإنسان ليعبده، وخلق له كل ما في السماوات والأرض؛ أفلا يستحق الرب ﷻ محبتنا ورضاءنا (ويظهر ذلك بتقديرنا المخلص له، ومهابتنا له، وعبادتنا إياه وحده)؟ إنه ﷻ الكريم الأكرم؛ يعطي عبده قبل أن يسأله شيئًا، ويشكر له اليسير من عمله، ويغفر له كثيرًا من ذنوبه ويكفّرها عنه. وكل ما في السماوات والأرض يسأله كل يوم، وهو ﷻ يستجيب لطلب كل أحد. ولا يشغله سؤال عن سؤال، ولا يضجر من كثرة الملحّين في الدعاء؛ بل إنه ﷻ يحب من يُكثر السؤال من حاجاته، ويكره أن لا يُسأل! فلماذا لا يحب الناس الذي يجلب لهم الحسنات (بمضاعفة حسنة المؤمن إلى عشر أمثالها) ويُزيل عنهم السيئات؟ إنه ﷻ يُجيب الدعوات، ويكشف الضر، ويغفر الذنوب، ويثيب على الأعمال الصالحة! إنَّ كمال المحبة يتجلّى في لذّة النفس وفرحها وسعادتها، ولا شكّ أنّ هذه العلامات على كمال المحبة محمودةٌ إذا أفضت إلى أعظم لذّةٍ أبديّة، وهي لذّة الآخرة ونعيمها! قال الله ~: ﴿بَلْ تُؤْثِرُونَ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا * وَالْآخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَىٰ﴾ [الأعلى: ١٦-١٧]. وقال السحرةُ لفرعون، لمّا آمنوا: ﴿فَاقْضِ مَا أَنْتَ قَاضٍ إِنَّمَا تَقْضِي هَٰذِهِ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا * إِنَّا آمَنَّا بِرَبِّنَا لِيَغْفِرَ لَنَا خَطَايَانَا وَمَا أَكْرَهْتَنَا عَلَيْهِ مِنَ السِّحْرِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَىٰ﴾ [طه: ٧٢-٧٣]. خلق الله ~ الإنسَ والجنَّ ليمنحهم هذه اللذّة الأبديّة في عالم الآخرة، وأفضلُ نعيمٍ ولذّةٍ في الآخرة هو النظرُ إلى وجه الله ~ والاستماعُ إلى كلامه مباشرةً، والقربُ منه ~. قال النبيُّ ﷺ: «يَكْشِفُ الحِجابَ، فَمَا أُعْطُوا شَيْئًا أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِم مِنَ النَّظَرِ إِلَى رَبِّهِمْ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ»[١]. وفي حديثٍ آخر: «فَلَمَّا تَجَلَّى لَهُمْ، نَظَرُوا إِلَيْهِ، فَمَا أُعْطُوا شَيْئًا أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِمْ مِنَ النَّظَرِ إِلَيْهِ، وَلَا أَقَرَّ لِأَعْيُنِهِمْ»[٢]. وقال النبيُّ ﷺ في بعض دعائه: «أَسْأَلُكَ لَذَّةَ النَّظَرِ إِلَى وَجْهِكَ الكَرِيمِ، وَالشَّوْقَ إِلَى لِقَائِكَ»[٣]. أما النوعُ الثاني من اللذّة فهو لذّةٌ مذمومةٌ، وهي مضادّةٌ للذّة الآخرة، وهي لذّةُ الذين اتخذوا من دون الله أندادًا؛ يحبّونهم ويستمتعون ببعضهم في الدنيا، كما سيحاولون أن يعتذروا لربّهم يوم القيامة: ﴿رَبَّنَا اسْتَمْتَعَ بَعْضُنَا بِبَعْضٍ وَبَلَغْنَا أَجَلَنَا الَّذِي أَجَّلْتَ لَنَا﴾ [الأنعام: ١٢٨]، فيقول: ﴿النَّارُ مَثْوَاكُمْ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا إِلَّا مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ ۗ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ حَكِيمٌ عَلِيمٌ﴾ [الأنعام: ١٢٨]. كذلك نجعل بعض الظالمين أولياء بعض بما كانوا يكسبون. وإن لذّة العصاة والظالمين والمتجاوزين إنما هي في الدنيا، لكنها استدراج لهم نحو هلاكهم. قال الله تعالى: ﴿سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُم مِّنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ * وَأُمْلِي لَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ كَيْدِي مَتِينٌ﴾. وأضاف بعض العلماء في تفسير الآية السابقة أنه كلما ارتكب الظالمون ذنبًا، خلق الله لهم نعمة، ﴿حَتَّىٰ إِذَا فَرِحُوا بِمَا أُوتُوا أَخَذْنَاهُم بَغْتَةً فَإِذَا هُم مُّبْلِسُونَ * فَقُطِعَ دَابِرُ الْقَوْمِ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا ۚ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ﴾. وقد قال الله تعالى عن أهل هذه اللذّة: ﴿أَيَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّمَا نُمِدُّهُم بِهِ مِن مَّالٍ وَبَنِينَ * نُسَارِعُ لَهُمْ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ ۖ بَل لَّا يَشْعُرُونَ﴾. وقال تعالى أيضًا: ﴿فَلَا تُعْجِبْكَ أَمْوَالُهُمْ وَلَا أَوْلَادُهُمْ ۚ إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُم بِهَا فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَتَزْهَقَ أَنفُسُهُمْ وَهُمْ كَافِرُونَ﴾. أما النوع الثالث من اللذّة فهو لذّة لا تنفع لذّةً في الآخرة ولا تُورث عقوبة، وهي التي قصدها النبي ﷺ في الحديث: «كُلُّ شَيْءٍ يَلْهُو بِهِ الرَّجُلُ بَاطِلٌ إِلَّا رَمْيَهُ بِقَوْسِهِ، وَتَأْدِيبَهُ فَرَسَهُ، وَمُلَاعَبَتَهُ أَهْلَهُ، فَإِنَّهُنَّ مِنَ الْحَقِّ». وهذا الحب غير مذموم، بل هو من أنواع المحبة المحمودة، وكذلك محبة النبي ﷺ. غير أن المقصود هنا هو الحب الذي يستولي على قلب المحب، فيصرف فكره وذكره إلى محبوبه. كلُّ مسلمٍ في قلبه محبةٌ لله ولرسوله ﷺ، وهي لازمةٌ له ليدخل في الإسلام؛ ومع ذلك تتفاوت درجةُ هذه المحبة من شخصٍ إلى آخر، ولا يعلمها إلا الله ~. وهذه المحبةُ هي التي تُخفِّف ضغطَ التكاليف الشرعية، وتجعلُ الأفعالَ البخيلةَ أفعالًا كريمة، وتُدخلُ الشجاعةَ في قلب الجبان، وتُطهِّرُ العقلَ وتُروِّضُ النفس، وتُنيرُ الوجهَ وتُفرِحُ القلب. وكذلك فإنَّ محبةَ كلامِ الله ~ (القرآن) علامةٌ على محبةِ الله. فمن أراد أن يعرفَ درجةَ محبتِه لله فلينظرْ كيف يحبُّ القرآنَ في قلبه؛ وفرحَه بسماعه، مقارنةً بفرحِ الناسِ بسماعِ الغناء. ومعلومٌ أنَّ من أحبَّ شيئًا أحبَّ كلامَه وحديثَه أكثرَ من أيِّ شيء. قال عثمانُ بنُ عفانَ ~: "لو طَهُرَتْ قلوبُنا ما شَبِعَتْ من كلامِ الله." وذات يوم قال النبيُّ ﷺ لعبدِ اللهِ بنِ مسعودٍ ~: "اقرأْ عليَّ القرآن." فقال: "أأقرأُ عليك وعليك أُنزل؟" فقال النبيُّ ﷺ: "إني أحبُّ أن أسمعَه من غيري." فقرأ سورةَ النساء حتى بلغ الآيةَ (41): ﴿فَكَيْفَ إِذَا جِئْنَا مِن كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ بِشَهِيدٍ وَجِئْنَا بِكَ عَلَىٰ هَٰؤُلَاءِ شَهِيدًا﴾ فقال له النبيُّ ﷺ: "أمسِكْ!" فإذا عينا النبيِّ ﷺ تفيضان بالدموع. وأما محبةُ الزوجة أو الزوجات، فلا لومَ فيها؛ فهي نعمةٌ أنعمَ اللهُ ~ بها على عباده، إذ قال ~: ﴿وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ أَنْ خَلَقَ لَكُم مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا لِّتَسْكُنُوا إِلَيْهَا وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَكُم مَّوَدَّةً وَرَحْمَةً إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ﴾. فقد جعل المرأةَ مَحَلَّ سكنٍ لقلب الرجل، وأقام بينهما محبةً صادقةً وودًّا، وهي محبةٌ مقرونةٌ بالرحمة. قال الله ﷻ، بعد أن ذكر ما يحلّ للرجال من النساء وما لا يحلّ: ﴿يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُبَيِّنَ لَكُمْ وَيَهْدِيَكُمْ سُنَنَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ وَيَتُوبَ عَلَيْكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ * وَاللَّهُ يُرِيدُ أَن يَتُوبَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَيُرِيدُ الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الشَّهَوَاتِ أَن تَمِيلُوا مَيْلًا عَظِيمًا * يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ أَن يُخَفِّفَ عَنكُمْ ۚ وَخُلِقَ الْإِنسَانُ ضَعِيفًا﴾ [النساء: 26-28]. عن جابر بن عبد الله رضي الله عنه، أن النبي ﷺ رأى امرأةً، فأتى امرأته زينب فقضى حاجته منها، ثم خرج إلى أصحابه فقال: «إن المرأة تُقبِل في صورة شيطان، وتُدبِر في صورة شيطان، فإذا أبصر أحدكم امرأةً فليأتِ أهله، فإن ذلك يَرُدُّ ما في نفسه» [رواه مسلم]. وفي هذا الحديث فوائد كثيرة: أولها أنه يُرشد إلى صرف النفس عمّا تشتهيه بمثله، فيُؤمر بعلاج شهوة أيّ امرأة بأفضل دواء، وهو قضاء الشهوة مع الزوجة. وقال النبي ﷺ: «لم يُرَ للمتحابّين مثل النكاح» [رواه ابن ماجه]. فالزواج بالمرأة المحبوبة أفضل علاجٍ للشغف، وهو ما أحلّه الله ﷻ للناس. وقد استعمل نبي الله داود عليه السلام هذا العلاج، فتزوج امرأةً كان يحبها كثيرًا. أما قصة زينب بنت جحش: فإن زوجها زيدًا رضي الله عنه كان قد عزم على طلاقها، مع أنها لم تُوافق على ذلك. فاستشار زيدٌ النبيَّ ﷺ، فأمره بإمساكها. غير أن النبي ﷺ علم أنهما لا محالة مفترقان، فكتم في نفسه أنه سيتزوجها بعد فراقها من زيد، لأنه ﷺ كان يخشى أن يقول الناس: «تزوج محمدٌ امرأةَ ابنه»، إذ كان قد تبنّى زيدًا قبل بدء بعثته نبيًّا. أراد الله ﷻ أن يشرّع تشريعًا عامًا لمصلحة عباده؛ فلما انقضت عدة زينب بنت جحش من زيد ﵁ بعد أن طلقها، أرسل الله ﷻ النبي ﷺ ليخطبها. وكان زيد ﵁ واقفًا وظهره إلى الباب. فنادى النبي ﷺ من وراء الباب: «يا زينب، إن رسول الله يخطبك». فقالت: «لا أفعل شيئًا حتى أستأمر ربي». فقامت فصلّت، فتولّى الله ﷻ الأمر بنفسه، وعقد عقد زواجهما من فوق عرشه، بقوله تعالى: ﴿فَلَمَّا قَضَىٰ زَيْدٌ مِّنْهَا وَطَرًا زَوَّجْنَاكَهَا﴾. وكانت زينب تفتخر بزواجها من النبي ﷺ على سائر أزواجه، فتقول: «زوّجكن أهاليكن، وزوّجني الله من فوق سبع سماوات». ولا شك أن النساء كنّ محبوبات إلى النبي ﷺ، كما قال: «حُبِّبَ إليّ من دنياكم النساء والطيب، وجُعلت قرة عيني في الصلاة». وشفع النبي ﷺ لعبدٍ كان شديد الحب لزوجته السابقة، التي أبت أن ترجع إليه بعد أن أُعتقت. قال ابن عباس ﵄: «كان زوج بريرة عبدًا يقال له مغيث، كأني أنظر إليه يطوف خلفها يبكي ودموعه تسيل على لحيته، فقال النبي ﷺ لبريرة: "ألا تراجعينه؟" فقالت: يا رسول الله، أتأمرني بذلك؟ قال: "لا، إنما أنا أشفع". قالت: لا حاجة لي فيه. فقال النبي ﷺ للعباس: "يا عباس، ألا تعجب من حب مغيث بريرة، ومن بغض بريرة مغيثًا؟"». وكان النبي ﷺ يقسم وقته بين نسائه بالعدل، ويقول: «اللهم هذا قسمي فيما أملك، فلا تلمني فيما تملك ولا أملك» (يعني القلب). لأن الله ﷻ قال: ﴿وَلَن تَسْتَطِيعُوا أَن تَعْدِلُوا بَيْنَ النِّسَاءِ وَلَوْ حَرَصْتُمْ﴾، وذلك في المحبة والجماع. على المحبّ أن يتحلّى بالصبر والعفّة، وأن يؤثر أن تكون محبّته وخشيته ورضاه لله ~؛ فيكون بذلك ممّن قال الله ~ فيهم: ﴿وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ وَنَهَى النَّفْسَ عَنِ الْهَوَىٰ * فَإِنَّ الْجَنَّةَ هِيَ الْمَأْوَىٰ﴾ وقال: ﴿وَلِمَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ جَنَّتَانِ﴾. نسأل الله ~ ربَّ العرش العظيم أن يجعلنا ممّن يقدّمون حبَّهم لله على أهوائهم، ويبتغون بذلك رضوانه وحده.

This can become an aspect of polytheism, because a person's heart, in some cases, adopts the lover as a rival to Allah ~ ; he loves him as he loves Allah ~ ; but what about the one whose love for his lover is greater than his love of Allah ~ ? This type of love is not to be forgiven; it is a type of polytheism, and Allah does not forgive polytheism; He ~forgives those who repent, w1pmg away all aspects of polytheism in their hearts (i.e. for pure repentance). One sign of this polytheistic love is that the passionate person prefers the pleasure of his lover to that of his Lord. When the rights of his lover are in conflict with the rights of his Lord, he gives precedence to the right of his lover! This is the case of many of those who have an illegal passion for women, and an illegal passion for looking at their pictures or faces. Put their lustful passion on one side of the scales and put their Faith of Monotheism on the other, and then try to make a just measurement that would please Allah ~ and His Messenger. Many of these people declare publicly that there is no longer a place in their heart; except for their lover. They have a predilection for their lover that is stronger than for their Creator. They have devoted all their love and passion for their lover and so have none left to worship Allah, knowing that worshipping Allah requires the perfection in one ' s love and submission. The cure for this crippling condition is to know that the affliction by this ailment, which opposes one's Faith of Monotheism, comes from one' s ignorance and one ' s heart 's carelessness about remembering Allah ~- One first has to learn Allah's Monotheism and its Signs, then he should perform both the outward and inward acts of worship, which would occupy his/her heart in the constant remembrance of Allah ~ - He/she should tum to Allah ~ in humiliation and submission, to seek His Help, in order to turn that ailment away from him/her. There is no cure better than being sincere to Allah ~. in all one's actions. It is the cure mentioned by Allah~. when He said: (That happened, so We might avert from him all evil and lust. He was one of Our Chosen (Guided) Servants.) Allah ~ informed us that He turned Yusuf away 1 from the evil and illegal sexual intercourse because of his sincere worship of his Lord. One should also learn that following Islam and intellect enable the achievement of benefits for the individual, and remove or reduce all causes of corruption. It is known that developing a passion for unlawful gazing at women or their pictures has neither religious nor worldly benefit. Rather, its evil consequences are too many to be counted, so we list but the following aspects: First, the heart is completely devoted to its lover, and distracted from loving its Lord ~ or remembering Him. So is inevitable that one would overcome the other when they try to gather in the same heart. Second, the heart would be tortured with it, because whoever loves something besides Allah ~ . would be punished by it. Third, the heart becomes a prisoner in the hands of its captor who could subject it to disgrace. An intoxicated heart becomes unaware of its humiliation. Fourth, the heart is distracted from its religious and worldly benefits. Fifth, all the ailments of this world and the Hereafter come rushing towards the heart, which is besotted by lust. Indeed, as the heart gets closer to satisfy its passion, it becomes distant from its Lord, and so it falls in the hands of the devil. Sixth, when lust takes control of the heart, the mind becomes corrupted with emerging devilish whisperings. Seventh, this ailment leads to the corruption of the senses, or at least some of them. In fact when the heart is corrupted, the eyes, the ears and the tongue also become corrupted. The eyes no longer see the evil aspects or shortcomings of the lover. The ears do not listen to the demands of giving up such an illegal habit, because the one who is involved in an activity does not see his defect; his ardent love for lust places a screen over his eyes. The only person, who is aware of it, is the one who was once involved in it and later gave it up. It is for this reason that the Companions who embraced Islam after a life in polytheism were better than those who were born in Islam. 'Umar bin Al-Khattab ~ said: "The bonds of Islam are violated, one after the other, by those who were born in Islam and never witnessed Jahiliyah (the pre-Islamic era)." Eighth, passion is ardent or excessive love; it takes control of a man's heart and starts to vigorously use both his animal and mental powers, until his self-destruction occurs. This has well observed in the course of passion: its beginning is sweet, its middle is full of worry and anxiety, and its end is self-destruction. In the beginning of such passion, the scholars have said that a person should resist it to his best capability, if it had not been decreed for him to reach his lover legally (through marriage). However, if he fails to resist its power, he should at least keep silent about, and not reveal it to other people, because he would be violating the sanctity of the lover, and add more injustice upon himself. There are many ailments generated by this lustful passion, which in some cases has led people, who were brought up in Islam, into polytheism. Indeed, a Caller to prayer (Mu 'addhin) once saw a beautiful woman from the roof and was infatuated by her. So he went down and asked to be her lover. She replied that she was a Christian, and that she would marry him if he accepted to embrace her religion. He accepted, however on the same day, when he climbed a step on their roof, he fell and died. When some Christians wanted to tum a Muslim prisoner away from his religion, they exposed him to a beautiful woman, and she would then have to attract his attention, until she took control of his heart. Then she would have to offer herself to him if he embraced her religion! This would be in such moment that (Allah will keep firm those who believe, with the Word that stands firm in this world and in the Hereafter; and Allah will cause to go astray those who are wrong-doers, and Allah does what He wills.) 1 A reasonabl e person would not subject himself to this kind of passionate desire, because it simply leads to evil consequences. Whoever occupies his mind with lust is merely deceiving himself and may even destroy it, as had he not been constantly gazing at the face of his beloved, lust would not have dominated his heart. The most beneficial love is that of Allah ~ which is absolute; that which all hearts are instinctively born with. This is the secret of the Testimony of Faith, because God is the One Whom hearts worship with love, glorification, praise and submission. Yet worship is not accepted if it is not directed to Allah ~' Alone, as worship is the perfection of love together with the perfection of submission and humiliation. The proof of this obligation to love Allah ~ was mentioned in all of His Revelations, the Message of His Prophets, and the natural order endowed by Allah ~ in His Servants. People's hearts are naturally attracted to love the One Who bestows His Blessings upon them, as Allah ~ has said: ( Whatever of blessings and good things you have, it is from Allah. Then, when harm touches you, unto Him you cry aloud for help.) 2 This proof is also evident once His Servants learn His Best Names and Attributes, which designate His Perfection and Supremacy. Love has two attractors: beauty and honour; which Allah ~ possesses to a degree of absolute perfection. He ~ is graceful and loves grace, as all grace belongs to Him J.;. Allah ~ said (addressing His Messenger, Muhammad ~ ): ( Say: If you really love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love and forgive you your sins.) 1 He ~ also said: ( 0 You who believe! Whoever from among you turns back from his religion (Islam), Allah will bring a people whom He will love and they will love Him; humble towards the believers, stern towards the disbelievers, fighting in the way of Allah, and never afraid of the blame of the blamers. That is the Grace of Allah which He bestows on whom He wills: Allah is All-Sufficient for His Creatures' Needs, All-Knower. Verily, your Wali (helper or protector) is none other than Allah, His Messenger, and the believers, those who perform Sa/at, and give Zakat, and bow down with obedience to Allah in prayer. Whosoever takes Allah, His Messenger, and those who have believed as Protectors, then the Party of Allah will be the victorious.)2 The basis of taking someone as a protector is love, just as the basis of enmity is hatred. Allah ~ is the Wa!T of those who believe, and they are His Pious People. He ~ loves them, and He is their WalI according to the level of their love for Him J.;. Allah ~ has censured those who take others as protectors besides Him £; for He ~ said: ( And of mankind are some who take others besides Allah as rivals (to Allah). They love them as they love Allah. But those who believe, love Allah more (than anything else). ) 1 He ~ informed us about those who take others as rivals to Him (in worship) , when they say to these rivals as they gather in Hell: ( By Allah, we were truly in manifest error, when we held you (false gods) as equals (in worship) with the Lord of the 'Alamin. ) 2 With this Monotheism, based on the love of Allah, Allah ~ sent all His Messengers with His Revelations, bearing the same Message from the First Prophet (Adam ~ \) to the Last Prophet (Muhammad :i); as it was for its sake that Allah ~ created the heavens and the earth, Paradise and Hell; making Paradise (as a permanent abode) for the people who love Him, and Hell (as one) for those who associate rivals to Him. The Prophet :i swore that a person's faith is not complete until the Prophet :i becomes dearer to him than his child, his father and all people; so what about the love of the Lord £ ? He ~ also said to 'Umar bin Al -Khattab: "No, until I am dearer to you than your own self' i.e . your faith is not complete until your Jove reaches this standard! If the Messenger of Allah is more deserving (to us) than our own selves , in love and its requirements , then is th e Lord £ not more entitled to love than our own selves? Allah ~ created man to worship Him, and created for him everything in the heavens and the earth; is the Lord not entitled to our love and pleasure (shown by our dedicated appreciation, awe and worship of Him, Alone)? He ~ is the Most-Generous; He gives to His Servant even before His Servant asks Him for anything. He ~ appreciates the little effort from His Servant, and forgives so many misdeeds, expiating them . Everything that exists in the heavens and the earth asks of Him daily, and He ~ listens to the requests of everyone. He ~ is never confused by all the numerous requests from all His Servants, and He never gets annoyed by those who make most insistant supplications. Instead, He ~ is more pleased with those who repeatedly ask Him of their needs , and He even dislikes not being asked! Why do people not love the only One Who brings them good deeds (by multiplying a believer's good deed by ten) and removing their bad deeds. He ~ answers invocations, removes misfortunes, forgives sins and rewards good deeds! The perfection of love is manifested in the delight, joy and happiness of the self; and certainly these signs of perfect love are praiseworthy, if they lead to the greatest eternal delight, namely that of the Hereafter and its blessings! Allah ~ said: (Nay, you prefer the life of this world, although the Hereafter is better and more lasting.) 1 The sorcerers said to Pharaoh, when they believed: ( "So decree whatever you desire to decree, for you can only decree regarding this life of the world. Verily, we have believed in Our Lord, that He may forgive us our faults, and the magic to which you did compel us; and Allah is better (as regards reward, in comparison to your reward) and more lasting.")1 Allah ~ created mankind and jinn so as to grant them this eternal delight in the world of the Hereafter; and the best ever blessing and delight of the Hereafter is that of looking at the Face of Allah ~ and listening directly to His Words, and being close to Him ~. The Prophet ~ said: "Allah ~ would lift the veil , and of all the things given to them nothing would be dearer to them than the sight of their Lord, the Mighty and the Glorious."2 And in another Hadith: "When He ~ appeared to them and they saw Him, they forgot about all the blessings which they were enjoying." The Prophet ~ said in one of his supplications: "I ask You for the pleasure to look at Your Generous Face, with the desire to meet You. " 3 The second type of delight is a reprehensible one, which is opposite to the delight of the Hereafter. It is the delight of those who take idols as rivals to Allah; they love them and benefit from one another in this world, as they will try to explain to their Lord, on the Day of Judgment: ("Our Lord! We benefited from one another, but now we have reached our appointed term which you did appoint for us" He will say: "The Fire is your dwelling place; you will dwell therein forever, except as Allah may will. Certainly, your Lord is All-Wise, All-Knowing." Thus, We do make the wrong-doers supporters of one another, because of that which they used to earn.) 1 The delight of sinners, wrong-doers and transgressors is only here, on earth, yet it is but a gradual lead to their destruction; Allah ~ said: ( We shall gradually seize them with punishment in ways they perceive not; for I respite them; certainly my plan is strong.) 2 Some scholars added to the interpretation of the above Verse that whenever the transgressors commit a sin, Allah ~ creates a blessing for them, ( until in the midst of their enjoyment in that which they were given, all of a sudden, We took them (in punishment), and they were plunged into destruction with deep regrets and sorrows. So, the root of the people who did wrong was cut off; all Praise and Thanks are Allah's, the Lord of the 'Alamin.)3 Allah ~ has said about people of such delight: (Do they think that in wealth and children We extend to them, We are hastening to them with good things? No indeed, but they have no awareness.) 4 He ~ also said about them: ( So do not let their wealth and children impress you (0 Muhammad :j;); in reality Allah's Plan is to punish them with these things in the life of this world, and that their souls shall depart (die) while they are disbelievers.) ' The third type of delight is one which does not succeed as a delight of the Hereafter nor generate any punishment; it is the one which was meant by the Prophet ~' in the Hadith: "Everything with which a man amuses himself is vain, except for: his shooting with his bow, his training of his horse, and his playing with his wife; for they pertain to what is right. " 2 This love is not censured; it is one of the types of love that is praiseworthy, as well as love for the Prophet :j;. However, what we mean here is that love which occupies the heart of the one who loves; the one who devotes his/her thought and remembrance to his/her beloved one. Every Muslim has in his heart a love for Allah and His Messenger which is necessary for him/her to enter Islam; yet the degree of this love varies from one to another, and is known only to Allah ~ - It is this love which reduces the pressure of the religious obligations; it makes the niggardly acts become generous ones; it puts bravery in the heart of the coward; it purifies the mind and tames the self; it lightens up the face and delights the heart. Likewise, loving the Word of Allah~ (the Qur'an) is a sign of having love of Allah. If one wants to see the degree of one's love for Allah, look at the way you love the Qur' an in your heart; your delight in listening to it, as compared to other people's delight in listening to music. It is known that whoever loves a beloved, his/her words and speech become dearer to him/her than anything else. 'Uthman bin Affan ~ said: "If our hearts were purified, they would never have enough of the Word of Allah." One day, the Prophet ~ told Abdullah bin Mas'ud ~ : "Recite the Qur'an to me." He replied: "Shall I recite it to you, eventhough it was revealed to you?" The Prophet ~ said: "I like to hear it from others." So he ~ recited Surat An-Nisa' (The Women), till he reached the Verse (N° 41): ( How (will it be) then when We bring from each nation a witness, and We bring you (0 Muhammad) as a witness against these people.) Then the Prophet~ told him: "Stop!" Whereupon he saw the eyes of the Prophet ~ overflowing with tears." 1 As for the love of one's spouse(s), there is no blame in this. It is a blessing that Allah~ has bestowed upon His Servants; for He ~ said: (Among His Signs is that He created for you wives from among yourselves, that you may find repose in them, and He has put between you affection and mercy, in that are indeed signs for a people who reflect.) 1 He ~ has made women as a resting place for a man's heart, and established sincere love and affection between them, which is love with mercy. Allah ~ has said, after mentioning what is lawful for men of women and what is not: ( Allah wishes to make clear (what is lawful and what is unlawful) to you, and to show you the ways of those before you, and accept your repentance; for Allah is All-Knower, All-Wise. Allah wishes to accept your repentance, but those who follow their lusts, wish that you (believers) should deviate tremendously away (from the right Path). Allah wishes to lighten the burden for you, for man was created weak (i.e. cannot be patient to leave sexual intercourse with women))2 Jabir bin Abdullah 4, reported that the Prophet :Ji saw a woman, and so he approached his wife, Zaynab, to fulfil his desire with her. He then went to his Companions and told them : 'A woman advances and returns in the shape of a devil , so when one of you sees a woman, he should approach his wife, for that would repel whatever he felt in his heart. " '3 There are many lessons to be learned from this Hadith: first, it is advised to distract oneself from something coveted with something of the same nature it is commanded to heal the passion for any woman with the best cure, and that is to fulfil one's sexual desire with the wife. The Prophet ~ said that there is nothing better for two lovers than marriage 1• Marrying a beloved woman is the best cure for passion, which Allah ~ made legal for mankind. This cure was used by Prophet Dawud %!\\; for he married a woman whom he loved very much. As for the story of Zaynab, daughter of Jahsh: her husband Zayd 4, had decided to divorce her, although she did not agree. He 4, consulted the Prophet ~ who told him to keep her. However the Prophet~ learnt that they inevitably were going to divorce, and kept secret the plan that he was going to marry her once she had become separated from Zayd, because he ~ was worried that people might say: "The Prophet ti married the wife of his son." (As he ~ had adopted Zayd as a son before the start of his Mission as a Prophet). Allah ~ wanted to legislate a general legislation for the benefits of His Servants; so when Zayd 4e, divorced Zaynab and her 'Jddah 2 period expired, Allah ~ sent the Prophet ~ to propose to her. Zayd 4e, stood with his back to the door. The Prophet called her from behind the door: "O Zaynab, the Messenger of Allah is proposing to you." She said: "I cannot decide until I ask Allah ~ (in prayer). " She performed a prayer, and Allah ~ took charge Himself and concluded their marriage contract above Hi s Throne; with the Revelation: (So when Zayd had divorced her, We gave her to you in marriage.) Zaynab used to boast of her 1 marriage to the Prophet ~ before the other wives of the Prophet, saying: "Your families conducted your marriage, but mine was conducted by Allah from above the seven heavens." There is no doubt that women were made dear to the Prophet ~. as he said: "Perfume and women have been made dear to me, but my comfort has been provided by Salah (prayer)."2 The Prophet ~ interceded for a slave who was passionately in love with ex-wife, who had refused to return to him, once she was manumitted. lbn 'Abbas~ said: "Barira's husband was a slave called Mughith; it is as if I am seeing him now , going behind Barira and weeping with his tears flowing down his beard. The Prophet then said to Barira: 'Why don't you return to him?' She said: 'O Messenger of Allah! Do you order me to do so?' He ~ said: 'No, I am only interceding for him.' She said: 'I am not in need of him.' The Prophet said to 'Abbas: 'O 'Abbas! Are you not astonished by the love of Mughith for Barira, and the hatred of Barira for Mughith?'"3 The Prophet ~ used to equally divide his time with his wives, and used to say: "O Allah! this is my division, for what I own, so do not blame me for what I do not own." (i.e. love). For Allah ~ said: (You will never do perfect justice between your wives, even if it is your ardent desire) 1, which is regarding love and sexual intercourse. A person who is in love should show patience and restraint, and should prefer to show love, fear and pleasure for Allah ~ ; thus he/she would come under the category of those about whom Allah ~ said: ( But As for him who feared standing before his Lord, and restrained himself from impure evil desires and lusts, verily Paradise will be his abode .)2 ( But for him who fears the standing before his Lord, there will be two gardens .)3 We ask Allah ~ ' the Lord of the Supreme Throne, to make us among those who prefer their love for Allah to that of their own desires, and seek therewith to attain His Pleasure, Alone.