Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume II — Page 58
58 means two loves. Therefore , a human being is called I nsaan because of the innate capacity to embody two kinds of love. One is the love for humanity while the other is the love for Allah. Love for humanity includes love for one’s wife, love for one’s children, and it includes love for one’s parents, relatives, friends, and love for your countrymen. The second kind of love is for God. When a human being possesses both of these loves to perfection then he is called an I nsaan. In short, on one hand a person ser ves humanity , i. e. the individual serves their nation, country, and their family, while on the other hand they are completely submerged in their love for God. A man is not called an I nsaan merely based on his ability to walk and breath e. Such an individual would only be referred to as a bashar [creature] in Arabic. So it means that an animal that walks on the earth is not called a n Insaan because it does not possess the love for God Almighty. Someone who possesses only one form of love can not be called I nsaan because e ven animals like cows, sheep, and horses love their offspring. Even a nts and bees love their offspring , so how could a man be called a n I nsaan merely based on the love between a husband and wife? This word is only used for that animal which possesses two types of love ; o n the one hand , he harbors love f or God Almighty and on the other hand , he harbors love for the whole of hum anity. God’s love is not based on a body; God Almighty is spiritual , not physical. You can hold y our brother and child in your lap to show them affection , but you cannot love God Almighty physically. God Almighty is the most superior being, O ne that you cannot see with your physical eyes, nor hear with physical ears , nor touch with p hysical human hands. He is the most superior and exalted being. He can only be loved with the heart and soul. And how can one, who is spiritually dead , love God Almighty ? How can that soul which i s not fed spiritually, remain alive? If it is not alive , then a dead soul cannot be capable of love. If you murder a child before his dead mother’s body, sh e will be unable to do anything for it. A goat wou ld try to protect her kid, a hen w ould try to protect her chick , but a dead mother cannot do anything for her child. She cannot feel her child ’ s afflictions. Similarly, if one’s soul is dead , then to believe that he is capable of love is complete and utter nonsense. Only tho se people can love God whose souls are alive, and the soul can only stay alive if it is nourished. Its food is not bread , for the soul does not eat food nor does it drink water. Its food is Sal ā t, fasting, Zakat , Hajj , and the remembrance of Allah , etc. These things are necessary to preserve humanity.