It is said that finding true love in a man or a woman is the ultimate accomplishment of bliss and heaven on earth. A soulmate, as romantic pundits would put it. But have we ever asked about our soul, mate?
What is the meaning of finding true love? Is it a handsome man, with a thriving career and stellar personality capable of making a woman feel like she is forever placed on a heavenly pedestal? Or is it the genuine love you feel for the Almighty Allah, the Divine Entity that has placed that very emotion within us.
Throughout the annals of showbiz, children and adults are sold on the idea that marriage, and finding “the one” is the cure for everything in life. We see it in every fairytale and every movie. Once the princess finds her prince it is happily ever after. Once the villain falls in love, he realises he was in a perpetual perennial slumber.
Why aren’t we ever taught the beauty of Divine Love? Why are we showcased on the societal construct that love can only happen when we get married or find a partner? Isn’t that placing a little too much pressure on another flawed and perfectly imperfect human being?
Surah Al Furqan 25 verse 74 states “Our Lord, grant us from among our wives and offspring comfort to our eyes and make us a leader for the righteous.” A beautiful Surah was revealed in Mecca. Al-Furqan means the Criterion and the chapter comprises of seventy-seven verses. It refers to the Quran being the book that differentiates between right and wrong.
The beauty and importance of the verse are that one should pray for a spouse who will be a source of happiness and peace. And how can he or she be these traits if he hasn’t found peace and love from the One who created him? These prayers emphasis that a happy marriage is only possible if we allow the loving spirit of God to grant us the Spouse that He chooses. For He knows what every Heart needs.
In essence, true love begins with Allah. He Who breathed His spirit on you. With His 99 Divine qualities, He has fashioned you with each and every feeling and trait. We just need to search for Him. He guides us, and when we involve Him in our partnership, we are proof of love, blessing, and a holy Union with His hand, as the very Surah encapsulates.
Books and novels sometimes describe love as toxic, dysfunctional, and abusive. Humans grow up on the notion that you need to suffer in order to be loved, sacrifice, and put the other first. I beg to differ, God should be put on the pedestal of life, and then comes everyone else.
To everyone looking to settle down, sometimes you have to walk the lonely road, and go against your loved ones to find the love of the Almighty. In most cases, He will estrange you so you can find Him countless times over, and one day, if you’re patient, you will find exactly what was written for you.
Love is a powerful emotion. And a bond created between a man and woman is what the world was created for. It is a Union that tests you, and transcends you into another universe. You don’t realise your strength till you have felt the pain of lost love. But that is the beauty, it is never lost, as, it is always replaced with our strength, the one given from the heavens above.
The impact a person can have, can alter and rearrange your whole psyche, for better or worse. I would like to say better, because every closed road, is one step closer to a million dollar dream. The wound is the place, where the light enters you. No matter how broken you feel, love is all you need.
The heart is the apparatus with which we see the world. ‘He knows what is in every heart’ (Quran 67-13), and when we listen to our Heart we listen to the Universe. A loving God that wants to see you happy, living your best life with hope and abundance. There is a happily ever after everyday, when you look closer. Every breath that is taken, and every step taken, is proof of a Higher Power guiding us. And maybe that should be glorified as Happily ever after, the fact that despite the odds working against us. We work, we rise, we fall, we break and we make, and ultimately we always win for being our authentic, beautiful selves.
