What is love
‘What is Love?’
by Jerrmein Abu Shahba
Love is the shyness of Ali in asking for Faatima’s hand in marriage
Love is Faatima’s whispers to her Lord to choose for her from among the best of His creatures
Love is Faatima’s modesty in the approval to marriage which was just too good for speech
Love is Ali’s minimal material wealth consisting of a sword, a shield and a camel, which was all that he had to give
Love is Faatima’s generosity in giving away her precious wedding gown to a beggar at the door
Love is Allah sending a wedding dress specially made in heaven, just for her.
Love is Allah commanding angels in the heavens, to witness when Faatima wed Ali.
Love is the singing of the birds in the heavens and showering of pearls, gems and rubies, from the tree of Tuba.
Love is Ali noting the true beauty of Zahra, when he said, ‘She was the best companion in worship’.
Love is the birth of Hasan, Husayn, Zaynab and Umm Kulthum out of purity.
Love is Ali helping Zahra with house chores after a long day at work.
Love is Zahra’s sweet voice illuminating the house of Ali with the glorification of Their Lord.
Love is preparation of food so pure, so delish, all while taking care of the kids and thanking Allah for all the blessings.
Love is the fast kept by the family and even the servants, for the pleasure of Allah to make the kids well again.
Love is the giving of food in Allah’s way, for three consecutive days, after long day fasts, to the poor, orphan and captive.
Love is Faatima’s status when Allah describes the Ahlal Kisa as ‘Faatimatu, Wa abuha Wa Baluha Wa Banuha’.
Love is Faatima holding back from asking Ali of things he was not able to give.
Love is the tears that Ali cried for Faatima’s pain upon her father’s death.
Love is the companionship and support Faatima offered when Ali felt alone after the Holy Prophet (S)’s death.
Love is the loss of Mohsin, when Ali was captured and Faatima’s door burned down.
Love is Ali supporting Faatima in fighting for Fadaq, a land that righteously belonged to her.
Love is Faatima not complaining of her own wounds when Ali was going through a lot.
Love is Ali letting Faatima, his beloved, his soul-mate, his companion in worship, the beat of his heart return back to Their Lord.
Love is Ali shrieking and wailing when he saw Faatima’s ribs bruised and fractured, a secret she painfully kept to herself.
But unlike most marriages, it didn’t end there…it goes on to show mankind how long this kind of love can really thrive.
It overcame Muawiyya’s poison, it defeated Shimr’s dagger. It sacrificed thirsty infants and tired old-aged companions. It traveled through barren valleys on the humps of saddleless camels. It saw the darkest of the dungeons. Met heartless of all people, but always remained God-Conscious.
If that wasn’t enough, it went onto survive the Ummayyad’s strife and the Abbasids’ poison for many generations after that.
They tried to destroy it, but it lived. In fact it thrived. And it still stands strong today in form of justice and salvation that the world awaits.
It is the only hope left for this world and the illumination of the heavens above, by the permission of the All Mighty Lord.
Some say love is a noun, others think it’s a verb. There are hundreds of stories I’ve heard and poems I’ve read, but none give love it’s true meaning between two beings, like the love of Faatima and Ali.
People show me a love that lives for a few decades. Here, I’ll show them eternal true love that lives in the heavens and the earth.
Faatima and Ali have given love an eternal meaning.
So what exactly is this love between Faatima and Ali you may ask?
This Love is Allah and only Allah, Who has been between Faatima and Ali, all the while.