Forbidden Love

By Seema Muhammad Belushi

Bismillah

Praise is to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam and upon all his family and companions. (I would like to mention here that this is a reminder for me first and foremost then anybody else!)

Islam is the religion which Allah swt has chosen for us. “Islam” literally means “submission.” Islam, as a faith, means total and sincere submission to God. Such submission to God brings peace and tranquility. Allah swt has clearly mentioned in this ayah that no other religion is acceptable to Allah swt other than Islam: “And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers.”(Al Qur’an 3:85)

As Muslims we believe in the Qur’an and the sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam. Islam has given us a way of life which is pure and free of any blemishes in it, when we read Surah Al Fatiha in our obligatory prayers we say, "You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help (for each and everything).Guide us to the Straight Way." (Al Qur’an 1:5, 6).We say this 17 times in our daily obligatory Salah (prayer), asking Allah swt and beseeching to Him to guide us to the straight path, then how come we are still misguided about something which we know is not a part of Islam and yet we insist on doing it every year?

I am talking about celebrating Valentine’s Day which has very much become a part of a Muslim’s life today. Muslims not only celebrate this pagan festival but also do spend a lot of money on flowers or gifts (for their “valentine”), with free mixing (of males and females) declaring their “love” for each other on this day. It’s a day where you will see everything in Red! Red clothes, red sweets, red hearts, balloons and many things. Unfortunately young Muslims (both boys and girls) have made this a part of their lives, and its how they have even started to choose their life partners, which just goes against Islam and its teachings!

The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam told us that groups of his ummah would follow the enemies of Allah in some of their rituals and customs, as it says in the hadeeth of Abu Sa‘eed al-Khudri, who narrated that the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said: “You will certainly follow the ways of those who came before you, span by span, cubit by cubit, until even if they were to enter a lizard’s hole, you would follow them.” We said, “O Messenger of Allah, (do you mean) the Jews and Christians?” He said, “Who else!?”[Narrated by al-Bukhaari in al-I’tisaam bi’l-Kitaab wa’l-Sunnah, Baab Qawl al-Nabi (saw) La tattabi‘unna Sanan man kaana qablakum, 8/151; and by Muslim in Kitaab al-‘Ilm, Baab Ittibaa’ Sanan al-Yahood wa’l Nasaara, 4/2054]

A sincere Muslim/Muslimah will know that this is not what is expected from him/her by Allah swt. No matter how the world around him/her changes every day his/her way of life remains according to the teachings of Islam until his/her death. Those before us who had followed things, which were never part of Islam were destroyed with a terrible end in this world and will be given a severe punishment in the hereafter! It’s clearly mentioned in the book of Allah swt: “Verily, whosoever sets up partners (in worship) with Allah, then Allah has forbidden Paradise to him, and the Fire will be his abode. And for the Zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers) there are no helpers.”(Al Qur’an 5:72)

In the ayah above Allah swt says that we will be from the zalimoon if we set up any partners with Allah swt when the truth has been brought to us with clear signs. How are we to become zalimoons when we do believe in Allah swt and we do not associate any partners with Him? The answer is yes! We are zalimoon! If we keep following the ways of the disbelievers by taking part in their festivals and ignoring the Message sent to us from Allah swt or not approved by any of the actions/sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam. We are sure to be blamed for committing a shirk! Which Allah swt will never forgive!

The Truth is plain and clear that this is nothing but a deception of Shaytaan who has been misguiding the son of Adam from the time he was born; Shaytaan has whispered to us “What a beautiful feeling it is to be loved”, and we actually believe in this statement which is not even a part of our minds but it always comes from Shaytaan our enemy!. Young girls are often made to believe that there is always  “someone” specially made for her in the world, and on top of that these unislamic practices make things even worse!

In many cases they fail to see the clear evidence until reality strikes and all of a sudden the “so called love” just seems to disappear in thin air. Unfortunately we have not accepted the fact that Shaytan is our enemy and will always want to send us to the fire by misleading us as he has promised Allah swt that he will, which is proved in these verses: (Iblees) said: "Because You have sent me astray, surely I will sit in wait against them (human beings) on Your Straight Path. Then I will come to them from before them and behind them, from their right and from their left, and You will not find most of them as thankful ones (i.e. they will not be dutiful to You)."(Al Qur’an 7:16, 17).

It’s a fact that we have actually befriended Shaytaan by making this festival a part of our lives and opened the door of fitnah for us. How can we fight the Shaytaan when we are not ready to see him as the enemy in the first place? What could be better for the devil then to see the son of Adam paving his way to the hell fire? Did not Allah swt make this clear in the verse: Did I not enjoin upon you O children of Adam not to worship shaytaan, for that he was to you an enemy avowed? (Al Qur’an 36:60)

It is Allah’s mercy that He has warned us about Shaytaan and how by following him we may end up in the hell fire! After knowing the truth who is to be blamed if both our lives in this world and the Akhirah are ruined forever? Think about it.