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Spiritual Meditations ( 13 Jan 2026, NewAgeIslam.Com)

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Love Is Wisdom

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam

13 January 2026

“And still, after all this time,

The sun never says to the earth,

"You owe Me."

Look what happens with

A love like that,

It lights the Whole Sky.”

― Hafiz Shirazi

Fredrich Wilhelm, who ruled Prussia in the early eighteenth century, was known to be a short-tempered man. He also detested the ceremony. He'd walk the streets of Berlin unaccompanied and if anyone happened to displease him-a not infrequent occurrence-he would not hesitate to use his walking stick on the hapless victim.

Not surprisingly when people saw him at a distance, they would quietly leave the vicinity. Once Fredrich came pounding down a street when a Berliner caught sight of him-but too late, so his attempt to withdraw into a doorway was foiled. "You there!" said Fredrich. "Where're you going?"

The man began to shake. "Into this house, your Majesty."

"Is it your house?"

No, your majesty."

"A friend's house?"

"No, your majesty."

Then why are you entering it?"

The man now began to fear that he'd be taken for a burglar. So, he blurted out the truth. “To avoid your Majesty."

"Why would you wish to avoid me?"

"Because, I'm afraid of your Majesty."

At this Fredrich Wilhelm became livid with rage. Seizing the poor man by the shoulders, he shook him violently, crying." How dare you fear me! I'm your ruler. You're supposed to love me! Love me, wretch! Love me."

Where there's fear, there's no love. Love and fear cannot co-exist. Fear restricts you, whereas love releases you. Calling someone "god-fearing" is an affront to his / her faith in the almighty. How can one love god with even a tinge of fear? Fear closes all doors and barricades all paths to god. There's a story in Upanishad: There was a very learned sage, but he was churlish in nature. All his disciples fled because of his boorish attitude, despite his great knowledge. One day when he was all alone in his hut, Narad came. Seeing him alone, Narad asked him why there wasn't a single disciple. " They all left, " said the sage. "Why did they leave?" asked Narad. "Because of my short-temper, they were fearful of me. I was lacking in love," realized the sage. " Now the wisdom has dawned on you," said Narad and left. Love's wisdom. It's the greatest manifestation of spirituality. Unless one feels overflowing love, the realization of divinity is impossible. Veneration that stems out of fear has an element of artificiality to it. "God's all love, we put fear into His existence and besmirch his boundless compassion," stated one of the existentialists, Søren Kierkegaard . Fear is a conditioned reaction. It always has apprehension and doubt, whereas love will slam all doors to such negativity. When you love, you love from the bottom of your heart and when you fear, you want to remove that nagging feeling from the core of your heart. Fear causes distance and artificially bridges that distance which is not natural but perforce. The world needs love; unalloyed and unadulterated love at that. Make love visible: He's so slim, his heart is visible. Let's love each other. Here's a poem on love from the magical quill of Rumi:

Let’s Love Each Other

Let’s love each other,

let’s cherish each other, my friend,

before we lose each other.

You’ll long for me when I’m gone.

You’ll make a truce with me.

So, why put me on trial while I’m alive?

Why adore the dead, but battle the living?

You’ll kiss the headstone of my grave.

Look, I’m lying here still as a corpse,

dead as a stone. Kiss my face instead!

…