Is "love" mentioned in Quran?

   True love, I believe, ultimately means you deprive yourself from apparent joys because of your beloved.  True love, also makes you endure seeming hardships that you would otherwise never do.  Yet, in both cases you feel like your love for your beloved is nurtured by those very acts and you feel closer to your beloved more than ever before.  

By the way of example, if you really love someone essentially you have to deprive yourself from the joy of many other relationships which are in conflict with your true love.  Similarly, you may sometimes have a hard time enjoying a meal alone and you rather postpone eating a simple food for a while until you will have it together.  The result of both is certainly strengthening your relationship with your beloved.

Having defined love this way, I believe, the word “Taghva” which has been repeated many times in Quran represents the same notion. Let’s have a look at a few verses in which “Taghva” is used.  (from www.Quran.com)

2:2

“This is the Book about which there is no doubt, guidance for those conscious of Allah “-

2:3     

                                                               

“Who believe in the unseen, establish

 prayer, and spend out of what We 

have provided for them,”

  9:109

“Then is one who laid the foundation of his building on righteousness [with fear] from Allah and [seeking] His approval better or one who laid the foundation of his building on the edge of a bank about to collapse, so it collapsed with him into the fire of Hell? And Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.”

22:37

“Their meat will not reach Allah , nor will their blood, but what reaches Him is piety from you. Thus have We subjected them to you that you may glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and give good tidings to the doers of good.”

5:27

“And recite to them the story of Adam's two sons, in truth, when they both offered a sacrifice [to Allah ], and it was accepted from one of them but was not accepted from the other. Said [the latter], "I will surely kill you." Said [the former], "Indeed, 

Allah only accepts from the righteous.”

I was trying to avoid using web sites’ works directly in my writings for copy right concerns, but the original text is so powerful and so beautiful that any human’s word even to its best sounds nothing compared to Quran voice.

In 2:2 which is almost at the beginning of Quran, God has made it clear that it is the “Motagin” , the righteous, for whom this book will be a guidance.  In the next verse God describes who they are in practice by naming their specific acts which are believing in the unseen, doing their prayers and giving away from their worldly gains.  Can anyone do these from the bottom of heart unless one has prioritized God in their heart over all others or better say unless one truly loves God in his or her heart?

Furthermore, “Taghva” is named as the only pre-requisite to quality for guidance by Quran. In other words, it is this relationship with God, when present in the heart that will lead us to the truth above any other humanly developed knowledge.  This is of extreme importance and will have to come back to it in future.

9:109, 22:30, 5:27, I believe, in theses verses God is clarifying that it is the intention of doing something that matters most.  That is to say, if one does an action out of pure love for God, it will elevate us and will reach God otherwise it will not be accepted or will be ineffective.  Out of two buildings, for example, which were built for worship, the one that was founded out of God's love "Taghva" will lead to God and the other may end up in hell.  Similarly, when the sons of Adam offered sacrifice to God, it was the one that was done for him which was accepted, although they may seem the same in appearance. God only accepts the deed that is done out of “Taghva” which, in fact, means out of love of God.  That is the God-loving-status of heart that is the cause and motivation for the good deeds of a true believer.  "Taghva" is indeed a divine expression of love that will strengthen our relationship with God and  will enable us feel closer to him in our heart. 

As we perceive the way “Taghva” has been referred to in the above verses and many others, considering their context, we may come to the conclusion that “Taghva” actually means “love of God” in practical terms.