First published on: The Essence Of Love


 The Muslim Society Aspects Of Islam Omnia Khaled

Many think  that there is no place for love in Islam! and that Islam never values love . Actually, they are totally wrong, and they don’t realize the deep meaning of love.

Actually, Islam cares about love and sets it in a proper way that will keep it till the end of time.  Imagine your life based on mutual love,respect, mercy and affability. This is all about marriage in Islam. Marriage achieves the deep meaning of true love as the prophet ” peace be upon him” said “we don’t think that there is anything better for those who love one another than marriage”

If you look into the famous love stories, you will find that lovers’ life is full of torment , sorrow, grief and finally loss!  for example, the amazing love stories between Romeo and Juliet ,Antony and  Cleopatra , Othello and Desdemona, all of these love stories have a very miserable ends  in spite of their overwhelming love.

Then , have a look in the real love stories that islamic history provides us with.Among these stories the story of  Abu salamah and Umm salmah .

When Umm salamah married the handsome and brave son of the equally wealthy family of Makhzum, she carried a friendly demeanor of pleasant serenity into her new household. There was an atmosphere of gaiety and love in the home of the newly married couple.

But things changed radically when the couple embraced Islam. The whole family turned against them; mischievous and wicked elements like Walid bin Mughirah Makhzumi started creating problems for them.

Finally, when matters had nearly reached their peak, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) advised his staunch followers to migrate to Abyssinia where the Christian King was more tolerant of the new religion. Umm Salamah narrated that life was very peaceful in Abyssinia, free of all religious persecution. She first gave birth to a daughter, whom they named Zaynab. Then, she had a son Salamah, hence her name and her husband’s name.The next child was also a son called Umar. Finally, they had another daughter who they named Durrah. So life was very smooth and time passed uneventfully, in peace and happiness.

Unfortunately, this happiness didn’t last for a long time , they had to move to Madina. On their way , the pagans attacked them and separated between the husband and his wife . Umm salamah spent a very hard year feeling deep grief and lived very tough days without her husband. Then , she was released and moved from Mecca to Madina.  When she finally saw her family after a long time ,  her joy knew no bounds. Eventually , this divided family once again was at peace and the children had the benefit of a good upbringing that only united and happy parents can provide.

Then, Abu Salamah took part in the Battle of Badr and once again had the honor of fighting for Islam in the Battle of Uhud. But in this last mentioned battle Abu Usamah Jashmi wounded him seriously in the side with his spear. He underwent treatment for a month but to no avail.

         Abu Salamah was lying in a very serious condition when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to visit him. He realized that he was approaching death, and patting his hand consoled him.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed for him and Abu Salamah, also prayed and asked Allah to give his family a protector and provider like him. And he also asked Him to give Umm Salamah a husband who would give her neither sorrow nor hardship.

Then Allah answered  Abu Salamah’s prayers and Umm Salamah got married to the best of all mankind prophet Muhammad ” PBUH”. This shows the real meaning of love that husband wishes that his wife gets married to someone better than him and spends all her life in happiness .

To conclude, Umm Salamah’s story is a good example of true love , and there are a lot of  love stories in Islam that will surprise you.