When February comes around, Valentine's Day is on almost everyone's mind. Yes, even Muslims'! Either because they boycott it, or because they celebrate it, in one way or another. In this article, we will not delve into the ins and outs of the question around the permissibility of Valentine's Day: this is a question to ask your local imam, shaykh or mufti. Rather, we will be looking into different ways that we should be showing love to those around us - on February 14 or any other day of the year!

6 Easy Ways To Show Your Love - No Need To Wait For Valentine's Day!

1. Spread peace

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "You shall not enter Paradise until you believe, and you have not believed until you love one another. Shall I tell you of something you can do to make you love one another? Spread the greetings of Salam (peace) amongst yourselves (i.e. between each other)." (Muslim 1/74 and others)

Make it a habit to say "as-salaam 'alaykum" to your sisters and brothers in Islam, at the mosque, at a store, in the streets, online - anywhere you meet them insha'Allah! Do so whether you know them or not, as this is actually a right that we have upon one another.

2. Thank Allah SWT

Everything we have is from Allah SWT - literally everything. And whatever we do not have, is also from Allah SWT, and He knows what we can or can't handle, what is good for us and what is not. That is why we should always focus on what we have rather than what we don't have, even thought it's totally fine to want other things and work towards that.

One of the best ways you can show your love is by thanking the One and Only One who has bestowed upon you all of the many blessings in your life. The One 

So, how can we show our love to our Creator? Do the things that He loves:

• Start by making sure you are fulfilling the religious obligations He has decreed for us: make sure you carry the Islamic creed in your heart: there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and Muhammad ﷺ is His messenger, pray your five daily prayers - on time, fast during Ramadan, pay your Zakah, go on Hajj if you are able to.
• Do dhikr: say subhanAllah (exalted is Allah), alhamdulillah (all praise is to Allah), laa ilaaha illa Allah (there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah), Allahu akbar (Allah is Greater).
• Make dua, as Allah SWT loves when we call upon Him.
• Ask Allah SWT for His forgiveness: we all sin, we all make mistakes, and Allah SWT loves those who turn to Him in repentance.
• Strive to be a better version of yourself in your behavior, attitude, words, actions and interactions and relationships with others.

These are all ways that you can show your love and gratitude to Allah SWT, but of course, there are many others alhamdulillah.

3. Increase your knowledge and act upon it

You can't truly love someone until you know them, and you can't really know them until you put time and effort into learning about them. As Muslims, we believe in Allah SWT and we believe in the Prophet ﷺ alhamdulillah, but, for many of us, that belief alone is not enough to actually love them in our hearts, because knowledge of the belief is pointless until we act upon it by getting to know Allah SWT and the Prophet ﷺ and practicing what we learn.

How can we do that?

• Develop your relationship with the Quran: read the Quran, learn Arabic if you don't know the language yet, use translations in your mother tongue, and read tafaasir (interpretation or commentary). This will allow to understand the Quran better and learn about the One who sent it down to humanity as mercy and guidance: Allah SWT. It will also allow you to learn more about the Prophet ﷺ. As you learn more from the Quran, make sure to put what you learn into practice in your life insha'Allah.
• Learn about Allah's SWT beautiful names and attributes: read about their meanings and implications, and how you can apply them in your life.
• Learn about the Prophet ﷺ through the Quran and Sunnah, and also through biographies - there are so many wonderful books, videos and podcasts out there, in so many different languages, to learn about his character, his physical traits, his actions, his life prior to prophethood, his surroundings, his behavior etc. The more you learn about him and the more you will learn to love him ﷺ insha'Allah.

Keep reading below!

Allah SWT surely loves when we worship Him, but remember that He SWT doesn't need our 'ibaadah: WE need it! Make sure your obligatory basis is covered, then try and do extra:

• Embrace the habit of praying at night, especially tahajjud (usually refers to the night prayer that is prayed after having slept and before Fajr comes in).
• Offer voluntary fasts, especially on Mondays, Thursdays and on the white days of each Islamic month (13th, 14th and 15th of each Hijri month) - in 2022, Valentine's Day falls on the 13th of Rajab, which will be a Monday: Allahu Akbar!
• Give, give, give! Give money, give time, give skills, give attention to those around you and to the world we live in, to those who suffer in your neighborhood and on the other side of the world.
• Read the Quran: make it a habit to read everyday even if it's only one ayah.
• Do dhikr: say subhanAllah (exalted is Allah), alhamdulillah (all praise is to Allah), laa ilaaha illa Allah (there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah), Allahu akbar (Allah is Greater).
• Make dua whenever you get a chance, ask Allah SWT to fill your heart with His Love and Mercy.

5. Speak their love language(s)

Have you ever done something that you thought was nice, to someone you love - your spouse, your child, your parent, your friend - but were left with the feeling that they did not appreciate the gesture? It could be because you did not speak their love language!

The concept of love languages was coined and developed by Dr. Gary Chapman, American author, speaker and counselor, who holds degrees in anthropology and religious education. The idea is that we all have different ways in which we express and experience love or affection, not only in a romantic relationship between spouses, but also in other relationships like between parents and children, with friends, etc. 

According to Dr. Chapman, there are five general love languages: gifts, quality time, acts of service, words of affirmation, and non-sexual physical touch. He further elaborated that we all have one primary love language, and we might also have secondary love language(s). As a result, if we "speak" the wrong love language, the person at the receiving end might not notice our gesture as an act of love. For instance, if we give a compliment to someone whose primary love language is quality time, they might not feel loved or appreciated, unless we actually sit down with them for a cup of tea and a chat!

Based on that concept, try to find out what your loved ones' love languages are, so that next time you want to show some love, it will be more effective and meaningful insha'Allah!

6. Don't forget your neighbors

The Prophet ﷺ put such emphasis on treating neighbors justly that the Companions (may Allah SWT be pleased with them all) thought that the neighbors had a right to inheritance, subhanAllah! Being kind, attentive and fair to a neighbor is an integral part of our faith and we should always try our best to fulfill that.

How can we show love to our neighbors? Here is a short list to get started insha'Allah:

• Greet them whenever you see them, and check on them regularly, especially if they are elderly.
• Know their names: this might sound very basic, but how many of us actually know our neighbors' names?
• Share a meal: when you're cooking a meal, prepare a little bit more and share with your neighbor.
• Think about them on Eid days by offering them some dates and cookies.
• Don't underestimate small acts of service like rolling their garbage bins up and down their alley, feeding a pet or watering their plants during their absence.
• Be mindful not to be a nuisance to your neighbors: be conscious of noise levels, avoid doing lawn mowing or any other loud machinery outside of appropriate hours, never park on or invade their property in any way without their prior agreement, etc.

Love, kindness and respect are part of our beautiful religion alhamdulillah, so let's learn to show it everyday, Valentine's Day or not!