Many a man has loved a woman so deeply that her love deprived him of sleep and disturbed his days, yet he never married her, and instead married another. And ma

Remembering this aids in combating and overcoming infatuation. Love has slain many, driven some to madness—who does not know the tale of Majnūn Laylā?—and has left others ill for a lifetime. In Yemen, common folk even refer to passionate love as “the sea of ḥulbah”—a deep, consuming ocean. Imām Ibn Al-Qayyim (may Allāh have mercy on him) said in Zād Al-Maʿād (vol. 4, p. 244): “A Chapter on the Prophet’s Guidance in Treating Love (‘Ishq’): Love is an illness of the heart, distinct from other diseases in its nature, causes, and remedies. When it becomes entrenched, physicians can hardly cure it, and it confounds the sufferer. Allāh has mentioned this malady only in reference to two kinds of people: women (as in the story of the wife of Al-ʿAzīz with Yūsuf) and those in love with boys (as in the story of the people of Lūt).” He continues (vol. 4, p. 246): “Passionate love for outward beauty afflicts only hearts devoid of divine love, hearts that have turned away from Allāh and sought substitutes for Him. When the heart is filled with love for Allāh and yearning to meet Him, it is protected from the sickness of carnal infatuation. Hence Allāh said of Yūsuf: ‘Thus did We avert from him evil and immorality. Indeed, he was of Our sincere servants.’ (Yūsuf, 12:24). This shows that sincerity to Allāh repels love and its consequences of evil and immorality.” He further said (vol. 4, p. 250–252): “Since love is a disease, it is subject to cure, and it has various remedies. If the lover has a lawful and possible way to unite with the beloved, then that is its proper cure—as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: ‘O young people, whoever among you can afford marriage, let him marry; for it helps lower the gaze and guard chastity. Whoever cannot, let him fast, for fasting will diminish his desire.’ [Agreed upon] Thus he prescribed two remedies: the primary one—marriage—and a secondary one—fasting. The primary treatment should always be preferred if possible.” He then adds: “If union with the beloved is impossible—legally or in reality—then the remedy is to instill hopelessness in oneself. When the soul despairs of attaining something, it finds rest. If despair fails to heal the heart, reason must intervene, reminding one that attachment to what cannot be attained is a kind of madness, like one who loves the sun and longs to ascend to it.” “If the union is prohibited by the Law, one must treat it as impossible, for safety and salvation lie in abandoning what Allāh has forbidden. And if the soul still insists, then let one refrain out of fear of Allāh, or for the sake of gaining a greater, lasting joy in the Hereafter. The wise never exchange eternal delight for fleeting pleasure that ends in pain.” “If none of these remedies succeed, then let the afflicted person turn sincerely to Allāh—He who answers the distressed when they call upon Him—throwing himself before His door in humility and desperation. Whoever is granted success in doing so has truly knocked at the door of divine grace. Let him conceal his love, remain chaste, and never publicise his passion or disgrace the beloved, for that would be an act of injustice and transgression.” I also recommend reading two valuable works by Imām Ibn Al-Qayyim (may Allāh have mercy on him): 1) Al-Jawāb Al-Kāfī li-man saʾala ʿan Ad-dawāʾ Ash-shāfī (commonly known as Ad-Dāʾ wa Ad-Dawāʾ – The Sickness and the Cure), and 2) Rawdat Al-Muḥibbīn wa Nuzhat Al-Mushtāqīn (The Garden of Lovers). Source: https://t.me/qweasdzxcmnblkjpoik/4444