Unrequited Love

BismiAllah

It took a couple of clicks before I found myself reading a very sad blog entry. I can't help but take a deep breath at the thought of what this individual may be going through as he tries to pick up the pieces of his broken heart. I can't be absolutely certain, but I would like to think that his Layla is having some heartache over this as well, though Majnoon may not realize it. After all, what can she do? Wouldn't Layla have much preferred to want to accept Majnoon?

But the heart is a fickle thing, and for this very reason it requires security forces to ensure that it doesn't drop its guard until the appropriate time. Having had at least a taste of both Majnoon and Layla's experiences, I can tell you that my sadness has never been in what did not become, but rather that the hope of one was shattered.

Hope, by its nature, is a very positive emotion. When hope is lost, nothing can be achieved. If it was not for hope, no mission would be worth executing, no journey would be worth taking. Challenges would have no appeal, and thus the progress of a people would be stagnant. If it was not for hope, we would become the walking dead. Hope carries us; and when absent, we fall into a bottomless pit of despair and ungratefulness. With hope, we have confidence in God's inexhaustible ability to favour us when He chooses.

So why is it that when I read the concluding words, "..and you hope. You hope." my heart clenched?

When hope goes outside the boundaries set by the security forces of the heart, hope becomes a lethal weapon. Prolonged hopes in people, in naturally ephemeral situations, and in limited things is a toxin that breaks down the barriers securing the heart, leaving the heart dependent on the object(s) of hope. It is a very vulnerable situation to be in, and it necessitates a loss of some part of the individual.

Majnoon's situation was sad because his heart was blinded. His hope for Layla exceeded hope's natural confines, and it damaged him. Majnoon wasn't wrong to love, but he was wrong to give his heart to the one who didn't deserve it. The heart deserves a home where commitments are secured - a natural place for hopes to flourish. Until that is sought, all hearts are potential enemies.

It really isn't much of wonder, given the above, that marriage is so sanctified.

Glory be to God who guides us with His infinite wisdom and sets limits for humanity.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Beautifully written Sister Farzeen. You are so right about hope and the context in which it can be a very positive thing; beyond that scope it can become a curse.

Anonymous said...

nice post. theres only one thing i disagree with in the whole thing. and thats your story of layla and majnoon. its not as if layla was undeserving of his love (at least as per the story). shireen and farhad might be a better analogy. anyways, keep writing. you write well. :)

and keep visiting my place too.

Farzeen said...

Assalaamu'alaykum

Believer: JazakAllah khayr. Yup... I guess that's why it is said that long hopes are a disease of the heart.

Xill-e-ilahi (What does this name mean "xill-e-ilahi"?)

Yes, you are right. It wasn't the case of unrequited love between Majnoon and Layla, and while she did deserve his love, she didn't deserve his heart because she wasn't in the position to cherish it as it would have deserved. I'm getting so darn technical about this story that I'm losing the essence of what it means to love, eh? Ohh..I'm reminded of one part of an infamous Indian movie (Mohabbetein)..not that it's the best place to shed light into matters, but there was one point where he says that love is unconditional, without even the condition of having it reciprocated. Uh hmmm... Bollywood, not reality.

Thanks for pointing out my error, and for your kind words. I've heard that if you want to read love stories, Arabic literature is the place to go.

Anonymous said...

it means "shadow of god" as fas as i can make out. it was a mode of address for kings, like the english "your majesty".

Anonymous said...

Assalamualaikum…

Love is selfless, and everyone deserves such love. It’s only human for Majnoon to feel hurt if his Leila doesn’t return the favor. But in reality, neither Majnoon nor Leila has the ability to ‘break’ each other’s heart, because these matters are decided by the Creator of Leila and Majnoon. If He so wanted them to be together, He has the power to make Leila go running to Majnoon despite all odds. But our knowledge is little, and sometimes we may think we know what is good for us, but Allah knows better. This is easier said than done. But, to be content with Allah’s decision is to submit to Allah completely out of love.

Farzeen said...

Thanks "xill..." -- Interesting.

-----

Wa 'alaykum assalaam wa rahmatu Allah Muslim Bro

JazakAllah khayr for that. It is very true. This idea, love is selfish.. SubhanAllah. ....I once touched on it... well I tried.

When you say that the heart cannot "break", I would venture to guess that for this to be true the condition would be that the heart is actually true to its submission to God. When left to wander away from the purpose of its creation, it becomes susceptible to even breakage, no? ..Since it's not experiencing contentment and submitting to God?

I hope I'm not get myself into a tangle here trying to understand this... :-S

As always though, our Generous Lord leaves us with room to heal, recover, and return to Him, complete again. May He give us success with Him, ameen.

Farzeen said...

Correction notice: Oops..In my last comment, I was referring to the concept that love is not selfish or better yet that it is selfless.

"Do you think that you will enter the Paradise without such (trials) as came to those who passed away before you? They encountered suffering and adversity and were so shaken in spirit that even the Apostle and those of faith who were with him cried: 'When (will come) the help of God?' Ah! Verily the help of God is (always) near!" [2:214]

Archives

Subscribe

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Inspiration

"Be mindful of God, and God will protect you. Be mindful of God, and you will find Him in front of you. If you ask, ask of God. If you seek help, seek help of God. Know that if the whole world were to gather together to benefit you with anything, it would benefit you only with something that God had already prescribed for you. And if the whole world were to gather together to harm you, it would harm you only with something that God has already prescribed for you. The pens have been lifted and the ink has dried."
--Prophet Muhammad [peace be upon him]