Is There Love in Islam? Part 1
Recently, someone asked me the following question: “Can the word for “love” be found in the Qur'an, and how many times?” What a great question. After all, millions of Muslims all over the world sincerely believe that Islam is a loving, peaceful religion. So, it would make sense that we would have found not only throughout the pages of the Qur’an but also through the life and teaching of Mohammed, “the self-proclaimed prophet of Islam,” many statements and commands to encourage and provoke Muslim believers to love. Obviously, if you have read any of my articles and heard me on my radio/TV broadcasts, you should know that Islam is not a loving and peaceful religion but a savage cult. We have proven this many times by the teaching of Allah in the Qur’an and the commands and sunnah of Mohammed in the hadith. It is very easy for Muslims to say that I am taking these teachings out of context or that I misunderstood these commands. My answer is: “Have you really investigated what I have written or taught? Was it my personal opinion or a direct quotation from the Qur’an or the hadith? Was it my own understanding or the direct interpretation of Muslim scholars as Mohammed himself practiced such savage, hateful commands?”
In this article, we will examine the word of Allah in the Qur’an and the commands of Mohammed concerning love. Maybe if we find any love there, perhaps then we can believe that we misunderstood the hate in Islam.
The word “love” is mentioned 82 times in my translation in 30 of the 114 chapters of the Qur'an. Let us examine the word love in general throughout the Qur’an. The first time the word love was mentioned in the Qur’an was in verse 2:165 and repeated three times: And some of the people who take idols rather than Allah and love them as the love of Allah, and those who believed are stronger in their love to Allah. And if those who are unjust will see, when they see the torment, that all the power is to Allah and that Allah is severe in the torment. So, can we find love in this verse? Yes. Idol worshipers loved their idols as much as the love of Allah, but Muslim believers loved their Allah with an even stronger love. However, there is no command for Muslims to love others.
In Qur’an 2:216, we read: War is decreed to you, and it is hated by you. And perhaps you may hate something, and it is good for you; and perhaps you love something, and it is evil for you… Notice here that Allah is speaking to Muslim believers, not to teach them to love but to teach them to hate. He decreed to them to kill. They hated this command. However, Allah assured them that they may hate to engage in war, but it is good for them; and they may love to live in peace, but that is evil for them.
In Qur’an 3:14-15, we read: Beautify to people the love of the lusts of women and sons and the measures, which are measured, of gold and silver and horses with marks and livestock and fields. Such is the enjoyment of the world’s life. And Allah has the best return. Say, "Will I inform you with better than that? To the fearer with their lord gardens, below them the rivers flow, they will abide in it forever. In it are pure (ever-virgin) wives with Allah's pleasure. And Allah sees the servants." Here we see people love the lusts of women, sons, gold, silver, horses, livestock, and fields. So who caused them to fall in love and lust after such things? It was beautified by Allah, and Allah could not see anything wrong in this. More than that, he actually promised them greater lusts with multiple wives, that is, forever virgins in heaven.
However, in I John 2:16-17: For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. Notice, sin in the Bible is the blessed work of Allah in the Qur’an. Love here is for the ungodliness of sin, not love meant towards others.
In Qur’an 3:9, we read: You will never receive the righteousness until you spend from what you love… Here Allah assured Muslim believers that they can receive righteousness by doing good deeds. This is a direct contradiction to the teaching in Ephesians 2:8-9: For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
However, Allah in the Qur’an commands Muslim believers to not take friends except from among themselves, and he condemned them for loving non-Muslims in Qur’an 3:118-119: O you who have believed, do not take friends other than from yourselves. They will not fail to corrupt you. They desire for your ruin. Hatred indeed has already shown itself out of their mouths, and what is hidden in their chests is bigger. Indeed, we showed the verses to you, if you were understanding. Here you are, love them, and they do not love you. You believe the entire book. And when they met you, they said, "We believed." But when they are apart, they bite their fingers at you out of anger. Say, "Die with your anger."… Who are the people Allah did not allow Muslim believers to befriend or to love? They are the Jews, the Christians, and even Muslim hypocrites.
This is the opposite of what Jesus taught us in Matthew 5:44: But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.
To be continued in next month’s article. For more information about Islam, visit our website at www.thestraightway.org. To debate the information of this article, please call 941-223-3698.