The Three Types of Love
Colonol Akhtar Ahmed Khalili has asked a question once again today. He says, 'Assalamualaikum.'
'It is said that you cannot obtain Ishq-e-Haqiqi (God's Love) without first going through Ishq-e-Majazi (Romantic Love). How true is this saying?'
In the past, some people did obtain Ishq-e-Haqiqi having progressed to it from Ishq-e-Majazi.
However, it is not a hard and fast rule for every single human seeking Ishq-e-Haqiqi to have to go through Ishq-e-Majazi.
This is not the case.
It was a method.
God said in the Koran that he has given human beings many different methods through which the can reach God.
There are a great many methods.
And one of those methods was [using Ishq-e-Majazi].
Many spiritual dignitaries preferred this method.
Now what is this method exactly?
Let me give you an example first.
For example, there is a Chinese phone company, Huawei, who have come out with a smartphone.
In particular, they have a new model called the Huawei Mate 20 Pro.
It has an amazing camera.
It has great features.
And [it registers] your fingerprints in-screen.
China has made [a phone] with all these features. It is of great quality.
Huawei is a Chinese phone company.
They made this smartphone now. Why didn't they make it before?
The Chinese nation has a habit - just like Pakistanis and Indians have a habit of servitude.
Pakistanis and Indians just want a master [to serve].
Similarly, the Chinese nation's habit is to be copycats.
They copy [others].
The iPhone has been manufactured in China for many years now.
Now they understand all the inner workings of the iPhone.
Therefore, in order to beat the iPhone, they have come up with this product.
They [made their own improved copy] of the iPhone.
So there were also some Spiritual Guides who first told their disciples to fall in love with another person.
This was so that the disciple could understand the temperament of love.
So that the disciple develops emotions of love.
Now once the disciple developed Ishq-e-Majazi (Romantic/Platonic Love),
the Spiritual Guide would not have to make any effort;
he would simply change the direction of the disciple's love towards God.
Do you understand?
For instance, Zahir Shah gets married. He is from Peshawar.
And he is taking the wedding procession to Lahore.
Now Zahir Shah thinks taking all these people with him, arranging for the cars and other things is just too much of a hassle.
Right?
So he decides to sit in the car that was already leaving Peshawar
and changes its direction to Lahore instead of Faisalabad [where he originally intended to go].
The car and the people in the wedding procession were already there.
This akin to what happens in Ishq-e-Majazi.
However, Ishq-e-Majazi was only part of spirituality
for as long as God allowed for it to be.
When God abolished it in spirituality, Ishq-e-Majazi was expelled from spirituality.
Now this has ended.
Okay, let's talk in detail about what love is.
So that our brother here, Akhtar, may understand the full story.
There are three types of love.
1. Ishq-e-Nafsani (Carnal Love).
It is based on the desires of the Lower Self.
Lust.
There is always some worldly agenda behind it.
You understand, right?
In Ishq-e-Nafsani, there is always some motive of the Lower Self involved.
Either it is for the sake of money; you love a woman because she is wealthy.
Or you love her because she is very beautiful.
Today, the girlfriends and boyfriends people have -
- the music we listen to these days and whatever the Bollywood, Hollywood and Lollywood films depict -
this is all Ishq-e-Nafsani.
And this is prohibited.
Why is it prohibited?
Because due to Ishq-e-Nafsani, the Lower Self gives off even more negative energy.
And it continues to be mixed into the individual's bloodstream.
It is mixed with the blood.
This is just as if you were to start eating prohibited foods like pork.
If you fall in love with a woman through Ishq-e-Nafsani for just one week,
then the amount of negative energy generated from it is equal to the negative energy that would enter your body if you were to eat pork for 100 years.
This is Ishq-e-Nafsani.
Ishq-e-Nafsani is prohibited even if you have this type of love for your own wife.
Yes! Ishq-e-Nafsani is prohibited even if you have this type of love for your wife.
This is why Prophet Mohammad advised that you marry someone who is religiously devout.
Many people marry because their spouse is beautiful, wealthy or from a good family.
But [Prophet Mohammad said that] you should marry those who are religious.
In Ishq-e-Nafsani, the Lower Self exudes a lot of negative energy.
And it makes a person very uneasy.
Haven't you seen that people who suffer from the attack of Ishq-e-Nafsani become so crazy in that love
that they can do anything for it.
Anything - they will even reject their parents and their siblings.
They become completely insane. Why?
It is because the heat of the negative energy in their blood spreads [throughout the body].
Then divine energy cannot enter such a body.
Since divine energy cannot enter the body due to it, it has been said that Ishq-e-Nafsani is a hurdle on the path to God.
Ishq-e-Nafsani is a hurdle on the path.
Then there is Ishq-e-Romani (Romantic Love).
In Ishq-e-Nafsani, it was a relationship between two Lower Selves.
There was a transfer of negative energy between two Lower Selves.
Negative energy from one Lower Self was being transferred to the other and vice versa.
So it was a two-way traffic of negative energy.
And those involved became imprisoned within it.
Then there is Ishq-e-Romani (Romantic/Platonic Love).
Ishq-e-Romani is also known as Ishq-e-Majazi.
Ishq-e-Majazi was permissible.
It is a type of love that develops between two human beings.
And it was permissible.
Why was it permissible?
And what is it exactly?
Now, in Ishq-e-Nafsani, it was a transfer of negative energy between two Lower Selves.
But the equation of Ishq-e-Romani looks a little something like this.
There is the Realm of Souls.
Souls are living together there.
They develop familiarity between one another owing to the fact that they live together.
Right?
For example, you are part of a cricket team.
We have our own cricket team; we play alongside the same players.
But if one day, I say, 'Zahir Shah, go play a cricket match as part of another team,' you won't enjoy it.
Because you have developed familiarity with the players on your own team.
Right?
Similarly, the souls living together in the Realm of Souls develop familiarity between them.
Right?
They also develop familiarity.
Now, when you live in Peshawar, you don't particularly value other residents of Peshawar.
But if you run into someone from Peshawar in Norbury [London], you exclaim, 'You are from my city!'
A sort of familiarity develops between you, right?
Yes.
So if two souls who were together in the Realm of Souls happen to come on Earth at the same time,
and they come face to face -
- they were together in the Realm of Souls and when they descend to Earth, they come face to face -
then they fall in Ishq-e-Romani (Romantic/Platonic Love).
Now, why is this permissible?
Because this love relates to a time when the souls were together.
They developed a spiritual attachment between them.
As long as they were in the Realm of Souls, they were familiar with one another.
When they came on Earth, that familiarity became Ishq-e-Romani.
Now, it is between two souls.
The Lower Self is not involved in it.
Laila and Majnu,
Shirin and Farhad,
Sassi and Punnuh -
they loved one another but they never fell prey to lust.
They never [fell prey to the] thoughts of the Lower Self.
They lived together like brother and sister. They didn't even touch each other.
They didn't even touch.
In your type of love, you touch first and say 'I love you' later.
First you want to [satisfy your lust] and then decide [how you feel] later.
This is Ishq-e-Nafsani (Carnal Love).
I am speaking bluntly so that you understand.
And Ishq-e-Romani/Ishq-e-Majazi (Romantic/Platonic Love) was between souls.
And that love developed when there was no interference of the Lower Self.
Therefore it is known as pure love.
His Divine Eminence Gohar Shahi also said in the Religion of God (Divine Love), 'Pure love relates to the heart.'
It is between the souls.
Do you understand?
Okay. Since this love is pure and it does not involve the Lower Self -
- now the saints are aware of the fact that here is no interference of the Lowe Self in this type of love,
therefore they also use it in spirituality.
They tell their disciples that they can be involved in such love.
All the saints would have to do is change the direction of the disciple's love. It is already pure love.
So all the saints would have to do is redirect it; there is no impurity within that love to begin with.
This is why Ishq-e-Majazi used to be part of spirituality in the past.
But then there was an incident in Punjab involving Mirza and Sahiba.
Mirza and Sahiba.
They developed lust.
This was when God expelled Ishq-e-Majazi from spirituality.
When the incident occurred between Mirza and Sahiba, the method of using Ishq-e-Majazi in spirituality was terminated.
But it was [part of spirituality] before that.
Now if you want to see what Ishq-e-Majazi is,
then there is an Indian film called Waris Shah.
Watch Waris Shah.
By watching it, you will understand what Ishq-e-Majazi is.
So there are three types of love.
1 - Ishq-e-Nafsani (Carnal Love) behind which there is some motive of the Lower Self.
2 - Ishq-e-Romani (Romantic Love) which is between two souls that developed attachment in the Realm of Souls.
There is no interference of the Lower Self in this love. It is permissible.
3 - Ishq-e-Haqiqi (God's Love). This is between man and God.
And this love is the culmination of every religion.
ALRA TV: Bringing Light, Love and Peace in Your Life.