A thought translated

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I love handwritten notes. The thick of the paper, the nip of the pen, the cursives and the spaces, the yawning A and the sprawling S. A thought translated!

Love is an emotion, so simple yet so complex. Relativity is built in all emotions, so whilst love can be the backbone for some, it can also be a foundational brick for some. A complex cornerstone, an acknowledgement, untangling for some and tying forever for some. Glucose for some and dopamine for some. A farewell message for some and a welcoming note for some.

Prophetically we have many examples:

· When the Prophet ﷺ wanted to teach his companion a short but powerful du’a and began by telling him: O Mu’adh, I swear by Allah that I love you. I swear by Allah that I love you. O Mu’adh, I advise you not to forget supplicating at the end of every prayer, saying: O Allah, help me to remember You, to give thanks to You, and to worship You in the best manner.” (Sunan Abi Dawud)

· When Umar ibn Khattab saw the Prophet ﷺ and Abu Bakr ra crying after the Battle of Badr, and said, “Messenger of Allah, why are you and your companion shedding tears? Tell me the reason. For I will weep, or I will at least weep in sympathy with you.” (Sahih Muslim)

· When Ali (ra) named his first son ‘Harb’ meaning (war) the Prophet ﷺ said, “ Show me my son, what have you named him? We said: Harb and He ﷺ said, “ Rather he is Hasan.” (Musnad Ahmad)

Love also is:

· When you check in first with the Almighty and then take the first sip of water at Iftar time.

· When you feel grateful and you inadvertently lookup

· When you receive an unexpected message from someone telling you that you featured in their du’as

· When someone calls you by a nickname they have kept for you

· The soft human (or cat) touch

· When someone listens to you, instead of hearing, and you offer the same

· When you receive your loved ones at the airport

· When you don’t share food photos of your table spread on social media because you are cognizant of the leaves for some in the not-so-far-away land.

And then love also is:

When the salty teardrop creeps from the corner of your eye finds itself on the prayer mat and comes back to you on a sweet platter. A thought translated.