Frankly, the Qur’an says very little about “love” as it is used in the Bible; this is quickly evident as the actual word appears only 12 or so times in the entire book. Indeed, the idea of “sacrificial love” (often expressed in the word agape in the Greek New Testament), which is the hallmark characteristic of the gospel, does not exist in the Qur’an. It does not exist as a command to Allah’s servants or as an attribute of Allah.
Believer to believer
The distinguishing characteristic of a follower of Christ is his sacrificial love toward fellow believers:
“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another as I have loved you. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love (agape) one for another” (John 13:34,35).
The love of the Lord is defined by his giving his whole being for the benefit of his friends:
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).
The apostle Paul articulates the Christian challenge by saying:
“And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God” (Eph 5:2).
Thus the Christian gospel calls for believers in Christ to exercise sacrificial love to other believers.
In the Qur’an, there is great emphasis on charity, which we could mistake as a command to practice Christian love:
“Those who establish regular prayer and practice regular charity and believe in Allah and in the Last Day: to them shall We soon give a great reward” (4:162);
“We sent them inspiration to do good deeds, to establish regular prayers, and to practice regular charity…” (21:73);
“So establish regular Prayer and give regular Charity; and obey the Messenger; that you may receive mercy” (24:56);
“And they have been commanded no more than this: to worship Allah, offering Him sincere devotion, being True (in faith); to establish regular Prayer; and to practice regular Charity; and that is the Religion Right and Straight” (98:5).
Charity is thus part of the Qur’an’s standard summary of a devoted life and, as we saw in an earlier article, the Qur’an also praises martyrdom for the cause of Allah or in the protection of fellow Muslims. But charity and martyrdom do not equal Christian love:
“Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned and have not love [agape], it profiteth me nothing” (1Cor 13:3).
The Christian is to be abundantly generous to his poor brother (James 2:15-17), but sacrificial love includes charity and much more, for it is:
“…patient, kind, not jealous or boastful; not arrogant or rude, does not insist on its own way, is not irritable or resentful, etc.” (1Cor 13:4-7).
The love Christ urges upon his disciples is a day to day sacrifice of our own will and fleshly conduct. Such sacrificial love is not commended or commanded in the Qur’an.
Husband for wife
As was noted in last month’s article, the Qur’an exhorts husbands to exercise justice and kindness toward their wives. It provides for wives in the case of divorce or multiple spouses, and in one place briefly mentions the word “love” in connection to the marital relationship (30:21).
This was no doubt an improvement for women in the tribal cultures of the sixth century AD, but it falls far short of the command to Christian husbands:
“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it” (Eph 5:25).
Christ “giving of himself” is the language of sacrificing one’s own welfare for the benefit of another. While it includes just and kind treatment on the part of a husband for his wife, it goes much further. In Christ’s case, it involved a life of sacrifice with the objective being our salvation. In the husband’s case, he is to conduct himself as a savior that his wife and children may be blessed with acceptance at Christ’s coming.
Paul’s elaboration of the point goes far beyond anything expected of Muslim husbands in the Qur’an:
“So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church” (vv 28,29).
Attitude to non-believers
As any practicing Christian knows, some of the hardest of Christ’s commands are “to love your neighbor as yourself” and to:
“Love (agape) your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matt 5:44).
Contrast that command with the following section of the Qur’an, which is as close as it comes to any command to love neighbor and enemy:
“It may be that Allah will grant love (and friendship) between you and those whom you (now) hold as enemies [that is, non-Muslims who could eventually be converted]. For Allah has power (over all things); and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. Allah does not forbid you, with regard to those who do not fight you for (your) Faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them [you don’t have to be kind to your non-Muslim neighbors, but if you want to, that’s okay!]; for Allah loves those who are just. Allah only forbids you, with regard to those who fight you for (your) Faith, and drive you out of you homes, and support (others) in driving you out, from turning to them (for friendship and protection). [Thus the Qur’an says it is a sin to treat in a loving manner those who openly persecute Muslims.] It is such as turn to them (in these circumstances), that do wrong” (60:8,9).
The contrast to Christ’s command is striking. Whereas the Lord commands his followers to “love” their persecutors and non-believing neighbors, Allah makes it a sin to be kind to the persecutors. The Qur’an reluctantly allows one to treat his non-believing neighbors with justice and kindness, but if he wants to hate and persecute them, that’s not forbidden. By the way, here is part of the Muslims’ support for Jihad, as noted in a previous article.
Allah’s attributes
The Qur’an frequently praises Allah for being merciful and forgiving to those who worship Him:
“Allah forgives whom he pleases, and punishes whom he pleases. For Allah has power over all things” (2:284);
“The punishment of those who wage war against Allah… is execution, or crucifixion or the cutting off of hands and feet… except for those who repent before they fall into your Power: in that case, know that Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful” (5:33,34);
“He [Moses] prayed: ‘O Lord! I have indeed wronged my soul! You then forgive me!’ So (Allah) forgave him: for he is the oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful” (28:16); etc.
Such passages occur many times throughout the book.
In addition, in some 16 places, the Qur’an says that Allah loves those who please Him:
“Allah loves those who turn to him constantly and he loves those who keep themselves pure and clean” (2:222; 9:8);
“Allah loves the righteous” (9:4,7), etc.
Yet as one readily notes from the tone of these passages, Allah’s mercy, love and forgiveness is that of a mighty ruler to his subjects. As one writer comments: “Allah is not characterized by the Qur’an as loving, except toward those who have faithfully served him. The divine love is simply the reward of Allah’s favor on his obedient slaves, not the personal involvement of God intertwining His heart, as it were, with His people” (Mateen Elass, Understanding the Qur’an, p. 86, Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids, MI).
The Qur’an does not say Allah’s servants should “know” him, or that Allah will include the faithful in his name, or that Allah gives for us something of great value to himself. It would be wholly out of place if we found a passage like the following in the Qur’an:
“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love” (1John 4:7,8).
While there may be similarities between what the Qur’an says about Allah and what the Bible reveals about the living God, there are also distinguishing differences. This article has considered one of the most important of these areas.
Accordingly, because of attributes of the god that is worshipped and the lack of commands to do so, the Muslim is not under obligation to practice a sacrificial love.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One