Page 54 - Quick Grasp of Faith 1

52 QUICK GRASP OF FAITH - 1

explained what true virtue is:
It is not a virtue to turn your faces to the East or to the
West. Rather, the truly virtuous are those who believe in
Allah and the Last Day, the Angels, the Book and the
Prophets, and who, despite their love for it, give away
their wealth to their relatives and to orphans and the
very poor, and to travellers and beggars and to set ser-
vants free, and who say their prayers (salat) and give in
charity (zakat) regularly; those who honour their con-
tracts when they make them, and are steadfast in pover-
ty and illness and in times of war. Those are the people
who are true believers. They are the people who are the
Allah-fearing. (Surat al-Baqara: 177)

53. What is the concept of love in the Qur’an?

In societies which do not live according to the moral val-
ues of the Qur’an, very different values can cause people to
feel love and respect towards each other, like sharing the
same culture, holding a title, being beautiful, or dressing
smartly. A love based on such worldly values is not, of course,
true love at all. And such respect is not true respect. Once the
other side no longer possesses these means, the love they
maintained was so powerful will disappear in a single
moment. Yet, the real goal of the believers is the approval of
Allah. Because of their love for Allah, they also feel love and
affection towards that which Allah created. This love never
fades in the face of want or difficulty and is not shaped by
material values. They are never on friendly terms with man-
ners with which Allah is not pleased, nor can they feel any