This is What I Call Love (Part 3)

For Hearts Who Seek True Contentment in Marriage.

No membership? Read here for free!

There is a kind of love that everyone speaks of every story tries to romanticize, every love poem tries to capture its essence, but we rarely see it lived in our daily lives.

We seek it inside letters waxed and perfumed with roses, in grand gestures, in candlelit dinners, and I love you's, thinking that love can only be measured by what is given, said or shown.

We seldom recognize it when it quietly unfolds in the form of understanding, patience, through sacrifice, in laughter between the chaos of life.

And yet, beyond all of this searching, there was a man who lived love without ever needing to prove it. A husband whose kindness spoke louder than promises.

He showed love in the way he listened, in the way he was just present, in the way he carried the weight of others without making them feel like a burden.

He did not teach love through poetry, he taught it through how he lived.

And that man was Prophet Muhammad (SAWS).

And that Love is...

When Khadijah (RA) believed in him before the world ever did. When the first revelation shook him to his core, she did not question him, or dismiss his fears, neither did she ask him to tough up and act strong like a man.She wrapped him with words of reassurance saying, 'Allah will never disgrace you'.

She spent all her wealth without hesitation, bore hardship with him, and stood beside him through it all.

Love is when Prophet (SAWS) said about Khadijah (RA), 'Allah blessed me with her love'.Teaching us that true love is a blessing, one that does not fade with death, it is honored, remembered, and kept alive.

And long after she had returned to Allah, he still spoke her name with longing, his voice softening whenever her memory surfaced.

He sent gifts to her friends after her death, keeping her memory alive, as though she still lived beside him.

His words for her were:

"She believed in me when the people disbelieved me. She affirmed my truth when people accused me of falsehood. She shared her wealth with me when others deprived me. She helped and comforted me when there was no one else to lend me a helping hand. And Allah granted me children through her."

And that is love in it's strongest form.

Love is when Aisha (RA) drank from a cup, and the Prophet (SAWS) placed his lips exactly where hers had touched, not out of habit, but out of affection, teaching this ummah that love is not loud, it is felt in quiet, intimate gestures.

Love is when he raced with her, once she won, the other time He (SAWS), and he smiled saying, 'This is for that time',Showing us, that faith does not take joy away from love.

Love is when he wiped her tears when she felt jealousy, reminding us that a loving husband recognizes emotion, never dismisses it.

Love is when the Prophet (SAWS) knew Aisha's (RA) heart before she ever spoke of it. He knew when she was pleased with him, and he knew when she was upset, not from her silence, but simply by how she addressed him.

When she was happy, she would say, "No, by the Lord of Muhammad." And when she was upset, she would say, "No, by the Lord of Ibrahim."

And instead of being hurt, he smiled. Instead of confronting her, he gently teased, because even in her anger, her heart never left him.

He used to say to her with love, "I know when you are pleased with me and when you are upset."

And if that isn't real love then what is?

So many of us struggle to understand our spouses, to recognize their pain hidden beneath anger, the silence beneath their unspoken words.

Love was never meant to demand perfection, but sometimes all it needs is a heart that is willing to listen, a mind that understands what's said beyond words.

That was the emotional intelligence of our Prophet (SAWS)

Love is when he praised his wife Zaynab Bint Jahsh (RA) saying, "None compares to her in piety and charity," Reminding men to see the goodness in their wives, and appreciate it out loud.

Love is when Umm Salamah (RA) advised him with wisdom at Hudaybiyyah, and he listened, fully, humbly, teaching that love includes respect, and respect is what completes love.

Love is when Juwayriyah (RA) marriage to the Prophet (SAWS) led to the freeing of hundreds of captives, and the companions said, "They are family now," proving that his love healed more than one heart, it healed an entire tribe.

Love is when Safiyyah (RA) wept at the words of Hafsah (RA), commenting she was the daughter of a Jew. But when the Prophet (SAWS) found her tears, he did not dismiss them. He simply asked why?

And when she told him, he did not defend her quietly, he restored her worth loudly.

He reminded her of her lineage, not to boast, but to heal her:

"You are the daughter of a Prophet. (Prophet Harun (AS)) Your uncle was a Prophet. (Prophet Musa (AS)) And you are the wife of a Prophet." (Muhammad (SAWS))

As if to say, your worth was written long before anyone's words were spoken.

And even when he turned to Hafsah (RA), he did not bash at her with anger, but with justice, reminding her: "O Hafsa! Fear Allah."

How honourable is it to make woman feel she's precious like a jewel!

Because love does not allow wounds to linger. It protects dignity. It lifts hearts that have been made to feel small.

Love is when Umar ibn Al-Khattab (RA), who was feared for his great strength, even he (RA) softened at home. He learned that leadership did not mean harshness.

When his wife spoke back to him, he did not see it as a wound to his pride, but as a right she held over him.

He bore it patiently, saying she cooked his food, washed his clothes, raised his children, guarded his honor, and said she was shield for him from the HellFire.

This was Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA), the man whose strength even made Shaytan flee, recognizing that love is not dominance, but gratitude and mercy.

When Ali ib Abi Talib (RA) and Fatima (RA) shared a life of simplicity, where love was not measured by comfort, but by companionship.

Their home was filled with humbleness, their hands were worn from work, yet their hearts were rich with patience and prayer.

And when he (RA) stood before the lifeless body of Fatima (RA), the woman who had been his comfort, his patience, his home, and his hands refused to move.

This was the same Ali who carried the banner of Islam,who stood firm in battles, who feared nothing but Allah, yet before the loss of his beloved Fatim (RA), his strength melted into weakness.

Grief of losing his wife overtook him so deeply that he could not even lift her coffin. Not because his body lacked strength, but because his heart was breaking, breaking under the weight of a love, a love so precious, that had just been returned to Allah.

If this isn't the kind of love we seek in our marriages today, what is?

Love is born from patience in silence. Love is listening when words seem to fall short. Love is honoring the heart that chooses to walk life with you.

Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) lived this love in every home he entered, in every wife he embraced. Marriage, in his example, was never a mere contract. It was a living testament to devotion, respect, and partnership.

"It was a bond where hearts spoke louder than words, where every glance filled with affection, every little gesture, every silence carried the weight of unwavering love and even in the smallest moments, eternity was felt."

May we all be given the ability to reflect on this kind of love.

And may the marriages we build, the homes we nurture, reflect even a fraction of the love exemplified by him (SAWS) and those blessed to share it with him.

If you this touched you, make sure to read the other previous versions if you haven't yet!

Jazak-Allah Khair (May Allah reward you with goodness)