Near-synonyms 4: to love and to fear

To love

حَبّ ــِـ / أحَبّ / ودّ ــَـ / هوِي / يَهْوَى

حُبّ / مَحَبّة

The root of the word حُبّ is the same as the word حَبّة (« seed »). In this perspective one may see in it germinal, seminal or original love. In its verbal form, the Qur’an uses Form IV and not Form I, although the latter also exists (with the same meaning).

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَتَّخِذُ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ أَنْدَادًا يُحِبُّونَهُمْ كَحُبِّ اللَّهِ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَشَدُّ حُبًّا لِلَّهِ
Among people are some who set up, besides God, equals whom they love as God is loved; but the believers are firmer in their love of God. (2:165)

قُلْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ
Say: « If you truly love God, follow me; God will love you. » (3:31)

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَنْ يَرْتَدَّ مِنْكُمْ عَنْ دِينِهِ فَسَوْفَ يَأْتِي اللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍ يُحِبُّهُمْ وَيُحِبُّونَهُ أَذِلَّةٍ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَعِزَّةٍ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ
O you who believe, whoever among you turns back from his religion [let him know that] God will bring a people whom He loves and who love Him, tender towards the believers and firm towards the deniers. (5:54)

وَعَسَى أَنْ تَكْرَهُوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ وَعَسَى أَنْ تُحِبُّوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ شَرٌّ لَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
And it may be that you dislike a thing while it is good for you; and it may be that you love a thing while it is bad for you. And God knows, while you do not know. (2:216)

وَأَلْقَيْتُ عَلَيْكَ مَحَبَّةً مِنِّي وَلِتُصْنَعَ عَلَى عَيْنِي
And I cast upon you love from Me, so that you would be raised under My eye. (20:39)

وُدّ / مَوَدّة

In Arabic, the divine Name الودود (mentioned twice in the Qur’an) means « the lover » and « the beloved », for the pattern on which it is built can be understood as an active or passive participle. Its root evokes stability: it shares its root with the word وَدّ, which designates a « peg ». One may thus see in it a well-anchored, stable love. As for God, one may, without too much extrapolation, see in it an eternal love.

وَاسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوبُوا إِلَيْهِ إِنَّ رَبِّي رَحِيمٌ وَدُودٌ
And implore the forgiveness of your Lord and return to Him. My Lord is truly Merciful and Loving. (11:90)

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ سَيَجْعَلُ لَهُمُ الرَّحْمَنُ وُدًّا
To those who believe and do good works, the Most Merciful will grant love. (19:96)

وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ أَنْ خَلَقَ لَكُمْ مِنْ أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا لِتَسْكُنُوا إِلَيْهَا وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَكُمْ مَوَدَّةً وَرَحْمَةً
And among His signs is that He created for you, from yourselves, spouses, that you may find tranquillity in them; and He placed between you love and mercy. (30:21)

وَلَتَجِدَنَّ أَقْرَبَهُمْ مَوَدَّةً لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا الَّذِينَ قَالُوا إِنَّا نَصَارَى
And you will surely find that the closest in affection to the believers are those who say: « We are Christians. » (5:82)

هَوِيَ

This word carries in its root the idea of falling. Two very close verbs are built on this same root: هَوِيَ / يَهْوَى = to love passionately; هَوَى / يَهْوِي = to fall, to descend, to incline.

This term هَوَى, generally translated as « passion », indeed often evokes, according to context, a love that incites one to fall low. But this term is not always used negatively: it can also be translated more neutrally as « inclination » or « leaning ».

وَالنَّجْمِ إِذَا هَوَى مَا ضَلَّ صَاحِبُكُمْ وَمَا غَوَى وَمَا يَنْطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَى
By the star when it sets! Your companion has not strayed, nor has he been deceived; nor does he speak from [his own] passion. (53:1-3)

رَبَّنَا إِنِّي أَسْكَنْتُ مِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِي بِوَادٍ غَيْرِ ذِي زَرْعٍ عِنْدَ بَيْتِكَ الْمُحَرَّمِ رَبَّنَا لِيُقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ فَاجْعَلْ أَفْئِدَةً مِنَ النَّاسِ تَهْوِي إِلَيْهِمْ وَارْزُقْهُمْ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَشْكُرُونَ
O our Lord, I have settled some of my offspring in a valley without cultivation, near Your Sacred House [the Kaaba], that they may establish prayer. So make the hearts of some people incline towards them, and provide them with fruits, that perhaps they may be thankful. (14:37) — Note: the best-known reading uses the verb تَهْوِي (« to incline, to lean, to descend »), for Mecca is in a valley; but some read it تَهْوى (« to be fond of, to take a passion for »).

وَمَنْ يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَكَأَنَّمَا خَرَّ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فَتَخْطَفُهُ الطَّيْرُ أَوْ تَهْوِي بِهِ الرِّيحُ فِي مَكَانٍ سَحِيقٍ
And whoever associates [partners] with God, it is as if he fell from the sky and the birds snatched him, or the wind cast him into a deep abyss. (22:31)

إِنْ يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا الظَّنَّ وَمَا تَهْوَى الْأَنْفُسُ
They follow only conjecture and what the souls take a passion for. (53:23)

وَمَنْ يَحْلِلْ عَلَيْهِ غَضَبِي فَقَدْ هَوَى
And he upon whom My anger descends has indeed fallen low. (20:81)

وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ وَنَهَى النَّفْسَ عَنِ الْهَوَى فَإِنَّ الْجَنَّةَ هِيَ الْمَأْوَى
And for the one who feared standing before his Lord and restrained the soul from passion, Paradise will then be the refuge. (79:40-41)

To hate

كرِه ــَـ / بغَض ــُـ / مقَت ــُـ / قلى ــِـ / شَنَأَ ــَـ / ضغِن ــَـ

كرِه ــَـ

This root means to detest and to disapprove in the broad sense, but it also carries the sense of to displease. It is thus commonly used for objects of repugnance of all kinds, not only persons. One says: أكرَه هذه الفاكِهة (« I do not like this fruit »).

كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْقِتَالُ وَهُوَ كُرْهٌ لَكُمْ وَعَسَى أَنْ تَكْرَهُوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ وَعَسَى أَنْ تُحِبُّوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ شَرٌّ لَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
Fighting has been prescribed for you, though you dislike it. And it may be that you dislike a thing while it is good for you; and it may be that you love a thing while it is bad for you. And God knows, while you do not know. (2:216)

بغَض ــُـ

This root has a more intense sense than كرِه. Moreover, it is generally used only for persons, even if the dictionaries validate its use with regard to objects. It is properly the detestation of others.

إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ الشَّيْطَانُ أَنْ يُوقِعَ بَيْنَكُمُ الْعَدَاوَةَ وَالْبَغْضَاءَ فِي الْخَمْرِ وَالْمَيْسِرِ وَيَصُدَّكُمْ عَنْ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَعَنِ الصَّلَاةِ فَهَلْ أَنْتُمْ مُنْتَهُونَ
Satan only wants to stir up enmity and hatred among you through wine and gambling, and to turn you away from the remembrance of God and from prayer. Will you not then abstain? (5:91)

مقَت ــُـ

This root is used to express a very great aversion connected to a detestable action.

كَبُرَ مَقْتًا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ أَنْ تَقُولُوا مَا لَا تَفْعَلُونَ
It is greatly hateful in the sight of God that you say what you do not do! (61:3)

قلى ــِـ

This root indicates a great aversion. According to some linguists, it more precisely means to abandon something or someone out of aversion. But the classical dictionaries do not mention this; perhaps it is a nuance inspired by the context of the two occurrences of this root in the Qur’an.

ما وَدَّعَكَ رَبُّكَ وَما قَلى
Your Lord has neither forsaken you nor taken you in aversion! (93:3)

إِنِّي لِعَمَلِكُمْ مِنَ الْقالِينَ
[Lot] said: « Indeed, I am of those who detest what you do! » (26:168)

شَنَأَ ــَـ

This root evokes a strong aversion accompanied by repugnance or repulsion.

إنَّ شَانِئَكَ هُوَ الأَبْتَرُ
Indeed, it is the one who hates you who will be without posterity. (108:3)

وَلَا يَجْرِمَنَّكُمْ شَنَآنُ قَوْمٍ عَلَى أَلَّا تَعْدِلُوا
And do not let the hatred of a people incite you to be unjust! (5:8)

ضغِن ــَـ

This root more specifically expresses rancour or resentment.

أَمْ حَسِبَ الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مَرَضٌ أَنْ لَنْ يُخْرِجَ اللَّهُ أَضْغَانَهُمْ
Or do those in whose hearts is disease think that God will not bring forth their [hidden] hatreds? (47:29)

To be afraid

وجِل / يَوْجَلُ / خافَ / يَخافُ / خَشِيَ / يَخْشَى

The verb خشي means to fear, but according to some it also means to be moved with tenderness. خشي is stronger than خاف.

It is also said that خشي relates to an important object of fear, even if the one feeling it is not fearful by nature; the second, on the other hand, can relate to an illegitimate object of fear — in that case, a fear linked to the weakness of the individual who feels it.

إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَإِذَا تُلِيَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُهُ زَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَانًا وَعَلَى رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ
The [true] believers are only those whose hearts tremble when the Name of God is mentioned, whose faith increases when His verses are recited to them, and who rely upon their Lord. (8:2)

وَيَخْشَوْنَ رَبَّهُمْ وَيَخَافُونَ سُوءَ الْحِسَابِ
They dread their Lord and fear an evil reckoning. (13:21)