Water What You Love

Love is like a garden. It rarely dies because it was never real. More often, it dies because it was left unattended. Watering a plant does not create life, it preserves and nourishes the life that is already there. In the same way, words of affection, checking in on one another, remembering each other, making du'a for one another, and expressing appreciation do not create love. They keep it alive.

It is fascinating how people willingly care for plants that may never bear fruit, never thank them, never remember them, and give them almost nothing tangible in return. Yet they still water them, move them towards the sunlight, trim their leaves, and quietly find joy in watching them grow. Perhaps there is something deeply human about nurturing life. The act of caring changes the one who cares.

And then I wonder. If we can lovingly tend to something that will never know our name, never thank us, never pray for us, how much more deserving are the hearts Allah has entrusted to us?

Hearts remember. Hearts carry our words. Hearts heal. Hearts break. Hearts make du'a for us. Yet somehow, we expect the relationships Allah has placed in our lives to survive without the same care we so willingly give to a pot of leaves.

Feelings rise and fall.

Tending is a choice.

Every message, every visit, every sincere “I was thinking of you,” every word of appreciation, is another drop of water. Over time, it is not always the grand gestures that keep relationships alive, but the small and consistent acts of care.

Love for the sake of Allah begins in the heart, but Islam never leaves goodness trapped inside the heart. The Prophet ﷺ taught us the beauty of telling someone that we love them for the sake of Allah. Because love that is expressed becomes reassurance. Love that is nurtured is given room to grow.

Strange, isn’t it? We never complain that a plant needs watering. We simply accept that this is the nature of living things. Yet we are sometimes surprised when the relationships Allah has placed in our lives need our time, our attention, and our gentleness to remain alive.

Love does not remain beautiful simply because it is sincere. Sincerity is where love begins. Faithfulness is what keeps it alive.

The miracle is not falling in love.

The miracle is that we keep watering it.