Is It Shirk to Say to Your Loved One, “You’re My Heaven and Hell”?


Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

Is it shirk to say to our loved one that “you’re my heaven” / “you’re my heaven and hell,” and this place is heaven.”

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

Calling or addressing one’s husband as ‘You’re my heaven and hell is not disbelief.’ However, one should avoid addressing or talking to him in this way as it leads to unnecessary implications and misunderstands. It is unprecedented that no one from the past pious predecessors used such wording apart from poets in poetry.

Just like one’s parents are a means to enter Paradise or the Hellfire (Allah protects us), as mentioned in many hadiths, one’s husband is a means to enter Paradise, too.

Parents a Means to Enter Paradise or Hellfire

Abu Umamah narrated that a man said:

“O Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace), what are the rights of parents over their child?” He said: “They are your Paradise and your Hell.” [Ibn Maja]

Abu Darda reported: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “The father is the middle of the gates of Paradise. You can squander this gate or keep to it if you wish.” [Tirmidhi]

Abu Umama (Allah be pleased with him) reported that a man asked, “O Messenger of Allah! What rights do parents enjoy over their children?” He replied, ‘They are [your means of entering] Jannah or Jahannam.’ [Ibn Maja]

The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) explained that their rights are that you are dutiful and obedient towards them. This will be a cause of entering Jannah. Disobedience towards them will be a cause of entering Jahannam. [Ali al-Qari, Mirqat al-Mafatih]

Husband a means to Enter Paradise

Abu Hurayra reported: The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “If a woman prays her five prayers, fasts her month of Ramadan, guards her chastity, and obeys her husband, she will enter Paradise from any gate she wishes.”
[Ibn Hibban]

Umm Salama (Allah be pleased with her) reports that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Any woman who passes away and her husband is pleased with her will enter Jannah.” [Tirmidhi; Mustadrak Hakim]

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I pray this helps with your question.

[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied within UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan and Turkey.

He started his early education in UK. He went onto complete hifz of Qur’an in India, then enrolled into an Islamic seminary in UK where he studied the secular and Alimiyyah sciences. He then travelled to Karachi, Pakistan.

He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for a number of years. He has taught hifz of the Qur’an, Tajwid, Fiqh and many other Islamic sciences to both children and adults onsite and online extensively in UK and Ireland. He was teaching at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences.

He currently resides in UK with his wife. His personal interest is love of books and gardening.