Page 809 - Atlas of Creation Volume 3

Harun Yahya

A Muslim feels no independent love or ties for any person or thing. The origin of all love is the love
of God. In a verse God states, "... besides God, you have no protector and no helper," and stresses that
man has no other friend than God. (Surat al-Baqara: 107) Another verse God states, "Is God not enough

for His servant?". (Surat az-Zumar: 36) That being the case, those we love cannot be our friends and par-
ents independently of God. For that reason, the fact that all our family and friends are perceptions in our
mind just reinforces that truth. When we love our mothers, what we actually love are the qualities of God
that He manifests in her, The Merciful (Ar-Rahim), the Compassionate (al-Rauf) and the Protector (al-
Asim). Alternatively, when we love a brother believer, we really love the pleasing morality that God

manifests in him. Since we hope that his character and nature will be pleasing to God, they are also pleas-
ing to us. Since we see that he loves and fears God, we also take pleasure in this faithful image that God
has created. For that reason, when we love someone, whether they have a separate physical existence or

not, we are really loving God, and our love and affection for that image are really love and affection for
their true source, God.
Those people who love others independently of God, as having an independent existence distinct
from Him, are making a grave error. According to the Qur’an, love and devotion are only to be felt for
God, and other things are loved for their manifestations of Him. God has the following to say about those

who love people and ascribe to them an independent existence:
Some people set up equals to God, loving them as they should love God. But those who believe have

greater love for God. If only you could see those who do wrong at the time when they see the punishment,
and that truly all strength belongs to God, and that God is severe in punishment. (Surat al-Baqara: 165)
As it says in the verse, to ascribe to people or things a force outside the existence of God means to
consider them the equals and partners of God. However, nothing that exists has the power to do any-

thing or carry out any action apart from God. In many verses of the Qur’an, people are warned about as-
cribing powers to anything else than God:

Those you call on besides God are servants just like yourselves. Call on them and let them respond to you
if you are telling the truth. Do they have legs they can walk with? Do they have hands they can grasp with?
Do they have eyes they can see with? Do they have ears they can hear with? Say: "Call on your partner-
gods and try all your wiles against me and grant me no reprieve. My Protector is God Who sent down the

Book. He takes care of the righteous." Those you call on besides Him are not capable of helping you. They
cannot even help themselves. If you call them to guidance, they do not hear. You see them looking at you,
yet they do not see. (Surat al-A'raf: 194-198)

When a Muslim
loves someone,
he is actually
showing his
love for God.
The true
source of love
for an image
that God has
created is our
love for God,
Who creates
that image in a
form that we
can love.

Adnan Oktar 807