Al ‘Ishq Part II

Those who dispraised al ‘ishq (continued).

Ibn al Jawzi stated regarding ishq echoing many that came before him: “’Ishq is the operation of an empty heart or un-preoccupied heart (qalb faarigh); it is madness; and it leads to anguish or death. Some claim that it is a mentally caused disease (marad waswasi) similar to melancholy.”

Dissatisfied with the comments of his predecessors on the subject Ibn al Jawzi attempts to formulate the true definition of ‘ishq. ‘Ishq, he writes, is “The acute inclination of the soul towards a form (surah) which conforms to its nature (tab’). If the soul thinks intensely on this form, it imagines the possibility of obtaining it and begins to hope that it may. From this intense thought is born the malady (of love).” (Dhamm al Hawaa p.293).

[Benefit] One will generally find when reading literature on this topic there is a strong connection between ‘ishq and intense thinking. As can be seen, Ibn al Jawzi clearly elucidates that point in his above statement. Interestingly, al Ghazali says in his Ihyaa whilst discussing dhikr (remembrance) he says: “If a person passionately loves something (‘ashiqa) due to abundance and burdened (takalluf) remembrance at first it will inevitably lead to abundant remembrance later on to the extent he will not be able to bear it much longer (meaning the remembrance will occur naturally without burdening himself with the remembrance). This is because he who loves something will naturally remember it abundantly. And whoever constantly remembers something – even if one forces oneself to do so – will love that thing. Thus, dhikr at first is initially seen as being burdensome, but it will eventually bear fruit to intimacy (uns) with the remembered thing and love for it…this is the reason why some of the (scholars) said: “I endured reciting the Qur’an for 20 years and only then did I find delight in reading it for the following 20 years.” This sense of delight (tana’um) cannot occur without the feeling of intimacy and love, and intimacy cannot occur except with gruelling endurance of remembrance for a long period of time even though the soul might not be inclined to it initially…” (Ihayaa ‘Uloom ad-Deeb 1/310).

This statement of Ghazili – although it is regarding a different topic – sheds further light on the nature of ‘ishq. Firstly, it reinforces what Ibn al Jawzi said regarding the nature of how ‘ishq occurs i.e. through intense and enduring remembrance and thought of the beloved thing. Secondly, it also provides an indirect solution to those who suffer from ‘ishq; namely by severing the remembrance of the beloved such that it does not conform to one’s nature. Thirdly, we learn from this statement that in order for one to find delight in worship and remembrance one must make his nafs accustomed to it even though initially it might be burdensome upon the soul. Perhaps the analogy of food may be given an example of this: Every nation is accustomed to their respective staple diet, whether it is rice, meat, lentils etc. For some people because their bodies have become so accustomed to a particular diet they will never feel satisfied and full unless they have eaten their staple diet. Perhaps the asian readers of this may appreciate this point! Therefore, just as the body (stomach) finds ‘comfort’ and ‘intimacy’ (!) with certain foods, the soul likewise finds such matters in things it has become so accustomed to in remembering. Ibn al Qayyim mentioned about his teacher, Ibn Taymiyyah that after Fajr he would sit in the open fields and remember Allah until the sun rose. Upon being asked why he did so, he would reply: “This is my daily sustenance and without it I will spend the remainder of the day hungry.”

Imagine being prevented from remembering Allah?

Imagine not being allowed to recite the Qur’an?

How would your hearts feel?

Thus the one who suffers from the malady of ‘ishq also suffers from a similar pain until he reaches his beloved, which in most cases he doesn’t because ‘ishq usually occurs in the hearts of those who haven’t had their desires fulfilled.

Let us return to our main discussion now….

Interestingly, whilst Ibn al Jawzi was discussing the censure of ‘Ishq, he goes into a rather scholastic discussion of the relationship between love and pleasure. He states that pleasure is not sought for its own sake, but in order to avoid pain. Consequently, the pleasures of lovers are not real, for they only lead to boredom and pain many times greater than that which the two partners have hoped to escape to since they do not truly perceive what they are trying to achieve. Lovers (‘ushhaaq) are indeed far worse than beasts in their lack of self control and their obedience to their passions. Unlike animals, which cohabit only to avoid pain, they seek satisfaction from a particular person and exploit their minds in contriving their lewd desires.

Ponder over this last point and you will find it contains stark realities.

Therefore, in addition to ‘ishq being blameworthy in and of itself, it is also a misconstrued concept.

‘Ishq: The cause & effects of Shirk.

Ibn al Qayyim offers some passages in his book Ighaathatul Lahfaan where he treats ‘ishq as both the cause and effect of the gravest of all sins; shirk. He states that ishq is alluded to in the Qur’an in the story of Yusuf whereby the wife of/of the al ‘Azeez tried to seduce Yusuf as well as in the story of the perverted tribe of Lut. Naturally, both were polytheists, which helped to induce their respective ishqs. Ibn al Qayyim therefore contends that the nearer the man is to idolatry, the more acute his ishq, whereas, the further he is from idolatry, the further he will be from such excess in love. Therefore, ishq may in fact diminish a man’s devotion to God or even uproot it completely.

End of Part II

Insha’allah parts III & IV will cover the following topics:

• Those who praised ‘ishq and the final word on both views.
• Is it permissible to claim that a servant has ‘ishq towards his Lord? (‘ishq ilaahi/’Aashiqullah.)
• The nature of the love between Allah (swt) and his servants and vice versa, and the difference between the love for Allah (swt) and the love for other humans.

Wassalamu ‘alaykum,

Abu Qutaybah.

al 'Ishq Part 1

The following is an article I wrote a few years ago but never got round to finishing it. By posting it here on the blog I hope it will push me to complete it as there remains a lot to be said about this topic. Perhaps input from yourselves will encourage me to complete it as well!

Al 'Ishq.

Ibn al Qayyim in his book Rawdatul Muhibbeen (The garden of lovers) dedicates the first part of the book to defining the word love (Hubb) in Arabic and all other words that have similar meanings. There were approximately 50 words in the Arabic language that carried the meaning of love albeit they differed from each other in various aspects. Amongst the names he discussed, was 'ishq. The following is a rough translation of what he mentioned alongside other comments on the definition by Ibn al Jawzi in his book dham al hawaa (the dispraise of desires) as well as al Fayroozaabadi in Qaamoos al Muheet.

Out of all the names that denote love, 'ishq was described as being the stronger or even bitterer compared to the other forms of love. Ibn al Qayyim in fact describes it as being the most wicked/worse word used to describe love. In fact, it is a word that the Arabs were not so enthusiastic in using, as if they wanted to conceal it. This is why one rarely finds this word used in ancient Arabic poetry. However, it became into use by Arabs that came later. This word was never used in the Qur'an or Sunnah (except in a weak narration narrated by Suwayd bin Sa'eed, which I will mention later).

According to ar-Raazi as mentioned in Mukhtaar as-Sihaah, 'ishq is excessiveness in love. In Qaamoos al Muheet, it states that the word applies to indecent love as well as chaste love. It is said that the word is derived from the name of tree called 'Aashiqah, which has leaves that become green then become yellow. Al-Farraa' said that 'ishq is also a name for a sticky plant. Thus, just like the plant sticks to the things around it, likewise the heart becomes attached to someone/something that it falls in love with.

Ibn al Jawzi mentions in dhamm al Hawaa that Abu Zuhair al Madeeni was once asked what 'ishq meant to which he replied: "Madness and disgrace. It is a disease of people of charm." After quoting the various definitions of 'ishq Ibn al Jawzi concludes by saying that 'ishq is: 'the intensity of inclining to an image of something…The more one thinks about it the more the person wishes it and wants to attain it. Due to the severity of his thinking about it, it leads to a type of illness.' Others described it to have more of a connotation to a carnal sensual type of love. Hence, Ibn al Qayyim stated in Rawdatul Muhibbeen that those who suffer from it are mostly those who are unmarried, and that the illness usually dissolves away with copious amounts of intercourse.

It can therefore be understood that from a brief overlook of the word, it is generally considered to be a negative word rather than praiseworthy.

However, there were those who praised 'ishq and in fact found it to be a noble trait in man, whereas many found it to be a negative trait. It must be stressed though, that those that praised the trait praised that 'ishq was a positive feeling to have towards their valid partner, i.e. wife/husband. Never did scholars of Ahlus-Sunnah ever say that it is praiseworthy to have 'ishq for Allah, for that is not applicable to Allah. As for having 'ishq towards someone that is not halal for you, then that requires further study and scrutiny since it can have many scenarios.

The following discussion will therefore be on:

1. Those that dispraised it (between two people) and their arguments.
2. Those that praised 'ishq (between two people) and their arguments.
3. Whether one can have 'ishq for Allah, and whether the term 'ishq ilaahi is valid.

Those that dispraised 'ishq.

Ibn Taymiyyah mentions in his Majmoo' al Fataawa (10/131) that the majority of scholars say that 'ishq is dispraised with regards to having it towards Allah as well as to people since it is an excessive type of love that exceeds the praiseworthy level of love. The reasons for it being dispraised are due to the qualities it leaves in man and the effects it leaves on him. These qualities will be discussed shortly. As for why 'ishq is inappropriate to apply to Allah, then this will be discussed later.

Allah says in the Qur'an informing us with the supplication of the believers:

"Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error, Our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which You did Lay on those before us (Jews and Christians); Our Lord! put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Pardon us and grant us Forgiveness. have Mercy on us. You are Our Maulâ (Patron, Suppor-ter and Protector, etc.) and give us victory over the disbelieving people." (2:286).

Allah has praised the believers for the supplication that they had made. And since they asked Allah not to put a 'burden' on them greater than they can bear, can only mean that this burden is something that is negative and not sought after. What is this burden the believers are referring to? According to many mufassiroon the word 'burden' means 'ishq. However, as Ibn al Qayyim mentions, the word 'burden' is not restricted to mean 'ishq only, rather that 'ishq is from amongst the things that a person cannot bear. According to Makhool the word burden here means severity in lust or carnal appetite. However, this doesn’t apply to all forms of 'ishq, but most forms. Since the Prophet said: "A Muslim does not disgrace/lower himself." It is therefore not suitable for a believer to lower himself by falling into 'ishq.

Imam Ahmed said: The meaning of the verse is that the believer whishes not to be exposed to afflictions that he cannot bear. This applies to the case of the 'aashiq (the one who suffers from 'ishq.) since he is the most humbled and lowered person to thing he has 'ishq for (note, this is in reference to another human being).

After quoting tens of lines of poetry that condemned 'ishq, Ibn al Qayyim said in Rawdatul Muhibbeen quoting those who dispraised it: " If a servant of Allah plunges into the sea of 'ishq, and its waves played about with him, then he is closer to destruction than to safety. How could something be praised that prevents mental stability, makes one sleepless, distorts the intellect, and causes insanity? Rather 'ishq itself is insanity. Ibn al Qayyim then dedicates a few pages mentioning certain previous nations that were destroyed because of their excessiveness in following their carnal desires. Hence, the people of Lot were destroyed because of their following of their desires in committing acts of Homosexuality. Likewise the people of Shu'ayb, their extreme love of wealth ended up being the reason why they were destroyed. In addition to that there were the people of sabt, who were transformed into apes due to their excessive love for their source of provisions (namely fish). Ibn al Qayyim mentions that many of these stories were mentioned in Surah al 'A'raaf and that the theme of the chapter revolves around those who followed their desires and lust and the result of that thereof. Then he said: "'ishq and one's desires are the source of all afflictions."

Out of all tribulations and afflictions, the fitnah of women was considered to be one of the most testing ones to the believers. This particular type of tribulation is caused by none other than following one's lust and carnal desires, 'ishq. It was reported that Sa'ad Ibn Abi Waqqas used to say: "O Allah, I seek refuge in you from the fitnah of women and I seek refuge in you from the torment of the grave." And in an authentic narration, the Prophet said: "I have not left behind a greater tribulation upon the men of this ummah anything more harmful than women." (agreed upon). As a side note, it should be made clear that this narration is note a criticism of women, rather a clarification of the weakness of man.

[BENEFIT] Ibn al Jawzi mentions in Dhamm al Hawa (p.284) the stages that lead one to the level 'ishq. "Firstly, a person sees the other person in a good light, which leads him to want to be close to other person, who then develops a type of love (Mawaddah) where he wishes that he has possession of that thing/person. Then the mawaddah strengthens and becomes Mahabbah (another grade of love) then khullah. (According to Ibn al Qayyim in Rawdah, this is the highest level of hubb (love). He defines it as being the tawheed (unification) of mahabbah i.e. when the khaleel singles out his love for his beloved, which is a level that leaves no room for the love to be shared with anybody else (Mushaarakah). Since this type of love cannot accommodate any Mushaarakah, Allah put Ibrahim al Khaleel under a test to see whether there was any Mushaarakah in his love for Allah. He did this by ordering Ibrahim to sacrifice his own son. Hence, when Ibrahim submitted to Allah's command, Ibrahim reached the status of al Khaleel since he singled out his love for Allah alone, not allowing anyone else to share that love.) After khullah then comes hawa, then 'ishq, and then tatayyum (this is where a person begins to worship his beloved).

Ibn al Jawzi then says in the following chapter (p. 295): "As for 'ishq which exceeds the bounds of mahabbah, possesses the mind and makes the person who has it behave in a way that goes against wisdom, then that is dispraised and the wise are far from such a trait."

End of Part 1