A.S. BISMILLAAH, what is the difference between love and worship, and can you please define negligence and desire according to Quran and Sunnah.
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
1) Love is to be inclined or attached to something.
2) Worship is to submit and subjugate oneself to a being.
If one truly loves Allah, he will submit and subjugate himself to Allah accordingly.
Love (Muhabbah) for Allah is a motivational force for the belief (Iman) and worship of Allah.
Allah says,
وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَشَدُّ حُبًّا لِلَّهِ
“Those who believe have a much greater love for Allah (than their love for anything or anyone else). (Quran 2:165)
3) Negligence is a weakness of an individual committed by will.[1]
For example, if one is awake and he does not perform Salah, that is negligence.
However, if one is asleep and made all arrangements to wake up and still oversleeps whereby he misses his Salah, that is not a weakness committed by will.
4) Desire is a comprehensive word which could mean;
a) تمني – hope.
b) شهوة – the innate desire within a person.
Generally, desire is spurred by ones Nafs.
Allah says, describing the different forms of Nafs;
وَمَا أُبَرِّئُ نَفْسِي ۚ إِنَّ النَّفْسَ لَأَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ إِلَّا مَا رَحِمَ رَبِّي ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّي غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ {53}
(Yusuf [عليه السلام] said out of humility) “And I do not acquit myself. Indeed, the soul is a persistent enjoiner of evil, except those upon which my Lord has mercy. Indeed, my Lord is Forgiving and Merciful.” (Quran 12:53)
1) أَمَّارَةٌ: The inner voice which entices a person towards evil and sin.
لَا أُقْسِمُ بِيَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ {1} وَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِالنَّفْسِ اللَّوَّامَةِ {2}
“I swear by the Day of Resurrection. And I swear by the rebuking soul (to the certainty of resurrection).” (Quran 75:1-2)
2) اللَّوَّامَةِ: The inner voice that rebukes a person when he does wrong or when his good deeds are deficient.
يَا أَيَّتُهَا النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ {27}
(To the righteous souls, it will be said), “O contented soul…” (Quran 89:27)
3) مُطْمَئِنَّةُ: The inner voice which is exclusive to the commandments of Shariah and doesn’t stray from it. [2]
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Saad Haque
Student Darul Iftaa
New Jersey, USA
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
[1] مدارج السالكين بين منازل إياك نعبد وإياك نستعين (2/ 405)
أَنَّ الْغَفْلَةَ تَرْكٌ بِاخْتِيَارِ الْغَافِلِ…وَلِهَذَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: {وَلَا تَكُنْ مِنَ الْغَافِلِينَ} [الأعراف: 205] وَلَمْ يَقُلْ: وَلَا تَكُنْ مِنَ النَّاسِينَ، فَإِنَّ النِّسْيَانَ لَا يَدْخُلُ تَحْتَ التَّكْلِيفِ فَلَا يَنْهَى عَنْهُ.
[2] حجة الله البالغة (2/ 328)
ومهما انحدر الطبع إلى الخصال البهيمية كان نفسا أمارة بالسوء، مهما كان مترددا بين البهيمية والملكية وكان الأمر سجالا ونوبا كان نفسا لوامة، ومهما تقيدت بالشرع ولم تبغ عليه ولم تنبجس إلا فيما موافقه كانت نفسا مطمئنة.