Islam is often depicted as a religion where marriages are loveless and arranged. What does Islam really say about romantic love?

Allah told us in the Quran that love is something that is put in the hearts of people. Allah created spouses from our own kind and He has put this compassion in our hearts for each other.

Many Muslims understand that love may not come before marriage. However, once you are married and you are kind and compassionate with each other, the love will develop.

Even outside of marriage, love develops after an association with each other. Love doesn’t happen over night.

Trying to develop a relationship or love before marriage can lead to many negative consequences from a Muslim point of view. This includes moral consequences that people will get close to each other and they may commit acts of fornication.

Muslims prefer to approach marriage in a rational way and think about how their spouse will be for their future children and life. Romantic love can take people into a different direction regardless of any other consideration.

However, it can be someone is attracted to another person and this is not wrong. But the feeling of falling in love is very real. This feeling itself is not a sin. There is an hadith that says for two people who love each other, then there is married.

You are only blameworthy if you act on the feeling without being married but not for the feeling of being in love.