Among the Meanings of “I do not love those that set”
They said: Tell us about the statement of Ibrahim al-Khalil (peace be upon him): “I do not love those that set.” I replied: Have you not read my articles in Arabic, English, and Urdu? I have spoken and elaborated on this subject before. They said: It is your articles that made us eager to know more. I said: Then listen attentively and reflect.
I have said many times, and I say it once again: this phrase grips me whenever it reaches my ears or catches my eyes. Whenever I read it or contemplate it, my heart fills with profound meanings, and all of creation becomes something to turn away from, stripped of love, devoid of attraction. No one from mankind has uttered such a phrase except the son of Āzar. There is no statement in the Book of Allah, nor outside of it, that equals this one—after “lā ilāha illa Allāh”.
A person loves what he loves because it brings him pleasure or benefit. He strives with all his might to attain it until he finds peace of mind, tranquillity in heart, and contentment in soul.
But if he fails to obtain it, he suffers pain and distress. And if he gains it but is then forced to part from it, his anxiety and turmoil only increase. Thus, love of what fades is nothing but exhaustion and hardship, a torment of misery. Since the beginning of time, the world has never known a lover who wasn’t deceived, mad, deprived, or wretched:
All the calamities of time I found
Less grievous than parting from loved ones.
I said to my heart, when passion overwhelmed it:
“Awake! May Allah never grant ease to a heart like yours!”
Consider the words of Qays ibn al-Mulawwāḥ—known as Majnūn, the master of all lovers among Arabs and non-Arabs, the prince of the passionate east and west:
If I had two hearts, I’d live with one
And devote the other to be tortured by your love.
But I have only one, seized by passion—
Life holds no sweetness for it, nor does death draw near.
Like a bird in a child’s hand—abused and broken—
Suffering the pangs of death as the child plays.
The child has no mind to pity its pain,
Nor the bird wings to flee and be free.
And another said:
I marvel at how she reached me,
Though the prison gate was closed.
She came, greeted me, then departed—
And when she left, my soul nearly fled with her
.
And another:
They claim that lovers grow weary when near,
And that distance soothes the heart’s longing.
But no cure we tried healed our affliction—
Still, being near the beloved is better than far
Poems on this theme are many. Read the dawāwīn of ‘Antarah ibn Shaddād, Kuthayyir ‘Azzah, and Jamīl ibn Ma‘mar. Read also the words of the Persian poets. Arabs and non-Arabs alike agree on the point with which I opened this article: that love of created beings is suffering and sorrow.
The only exception is the love of the Lord of the Worlds. Whoever loves Him is met with a greater love in return. Whoever loves Him sincerely and purely will never be separated or distanced, but rather brought closer, granted favour, and saved from every wretchedness and affliction.
Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was granted guidance. He learned, through his pure nature and sound intellect, what all lovers and the infatuated failed to realise, despite their long experiences. He rejected the notion of loving something that inevitably sets and disappears. And with full conviction, he said: “I do not love those that set.”
He did not utter this negative statement except that his heart was purified, his soul uplifted, and his intellect elevated. He was then guided to his true objective and declared:
“Indeed, I have turned my face toward the One who created the heavens and the earth, inclining toward truth, and I am not of those who associate others with Allah.”
The intelligent one is he who frees himself from love of that which sets, disbelieving in it and rejecting it completely. And he finds no rest until he turns to his Master in devotion and sincerity.
O Allah, make us among the followers of Your close friend (Ibrahim), peace be upon him.
, , ‘an,
Disclaimer: This article was translated by AI. Original post: https://t.me/DrAkramNadwi/6086
