Is “ʿIshq” (Passionate Love) a Cause for Paradise?
Source: Fatāwā Amun Pūrī by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amun Pūrī
The Question
Is it true that falling in love (ʿishq) can become a cause for entering Paradise?
The Answer
It is narrated from Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Whoever fell in love, concealed it, remained chaste, and was patient — Allah will forgive him and admit him into Paradise.”
(al-Ṭuyūriyyāt: 1/147; Tārīkh Baghdād: 5/156; al-ʿIlal by Ibn al-Jawzī: 2/286)
Authenticity of the Report
This narration is severely weak:
① Abū Yaḥyā Qamāṭ — declared weak by the majority of ḥadīth scholars.
② Suwayd ibn Saʿīd al-Harawī — weak, a mudallis, and known to accept dictated insertions (talaqqīn).
❀ Ibn al-Jawzī رحمه الله:
“This ḥadīth is not established from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.”
(al-ʿIlal al-Mutanāhiyah: 2/286)
Another chain contains Ibn Abī Najīḥ, who was a mudallis.
❀ Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله:
“This narration attributed to Ibn al-Mājishūn is a fabrication. He never reported it, nor did al-Zubayr ibn Bakkār narrate from him. Rather, some liar fabricated it and falsely ascribed it to him.”
(al-Dāʾ wa al-Dawāʾ, p. 570)
Conclusion
- The narration that ʿishq (passionate love) leading to chastity and patience guarantees Paradise is not authentic.
- It is based on weak and fabricated chains, and cannot be attributed to the Prophet ﷺ.
- Therefore, love in itself is not a cause for Paradise in Sharīʿah; what matters is faith, obedience, and righteous deeds.
