I love my mother because of her sacrifices for me and all the time and efforts that she gave for me. But I love my MIL because of her inspiring character, personality, her guidance, her love for Islam and the religious lessons that I learned from her practical life. I never compare the two relationships neither do these two relationships have any conflicts (Alhamdulillah). But somehow I always tend to say more prayer for those who benefited me in terms of my hereafter life than for those who benefited me in my present life. There are those who have sacrificed their time & energy for my present life and there are those whose time & energy were consumed for improving my relationship with Allah (Swt). I want to love Allah (swt) more than my body and materialistic possessions that is why the one who guided me to Allah (swt) is more beloved to me than the ones who became a source of my worldly necessities, luxuries and pleasures. Hence, my love for the prophet (Saw) & those who follow his steps should be (inshaAllah) more than my combine love for my parents, siblings, wife and all relatives & friends.
The husband wife relationship might become strong due to their physical, mental + spiritual love & sacrifices for each other, but this relationship becomes eternal when they both facilitate each other in improving their bond with Allah (swt) even if at times they have to sacrifice their personal time/energy/health/wealth and even their own mutual worldly life (apparently) for gaining the love of Allah (swt), because nothing in their life is their own every bit of what they have is a trust of Allah (swt).
Re: Which relationship is stronger and ever lasting ?
The relationship with oneself should be the strongest and most healthy relationship. If you loathe yourself, if you can't stand the person you are, then you can't build any relationships with anyone around you, be it a higher deity or a regular human being.
Re: Which relationship is stronger and ever lasting ?
In the initial stages when one doesn't know ones Creator and ones Prophet (saw), yep, one can have a stronger relationship with oneself than anyone else. But once one realizes WHO one's creator is, then ones relationship with Allah (swt) becomes (should be) the strongest, even more than ones relationship with oneself. Yes, then for the love of Allah (swt), one even loathe oneself and can't stand oneself after disobeying HIM, until one purifies oneself with tears of repentance. Then, one forgets one's own existence and is lost in the existence of his CREATOR. Because I didn't create myself. Allah (swt) created me and HE didn't create us for ourselves but for HIMSELF.
**“Wama khalaqtul jinna wal insa illa leya’bodoon.”
“I have created the humans and the jinns for my worship.”
*If Hazrat Ibrahim (a.s) had a stronger relationship with himself than with Allah (swt), he would have never accepted being thrown in fire totally naked* for the love of Allah (swt). Same goes for all the mind blowing sacrifices of all the Prophets and suhabas that are impossible if one has a relationship with oneself stronger than ones relationship with Allah (swt).
Even the Prophet (saw) deserve a stronger relationship with me than I have with myself. Once the Prophet (saw) told Hazrat Umar (r.a); Your Imaan can't be complete if you don't love me more than you love your **life. **One is not allowed to kill oneself if ones parents order him, but when the Prophet (saw) order me to give my life, I have no right to question it but to obey, because he has a right over me more than I have the right over myself. The Prophet (saw) never say anything on his own will. He only says what Allah (swt) wills.
Re: Which relationship is stronger and ever lasting ?
Even though I can be totally wrong as it is just my personal understanding. Allah (swt) knows BEST! I would appreciate logical reasonings and corrections.
Since it has become usual for me from some of the past experiences, so I am already expecting few particular people to pick one/few lines, misunderstand them, lash out, and ignore the rest of the whole post.